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Iran Goes After Dissidents Abroad
An article in today’s Wall Street Journal reports that the Iranian government is going after people who speak out against it–even those who live outside the country’s borders. The opposition movement recently gained momentum and international attention by utilizing social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Now it seems some people are paying the price for their online activism. According to the article: “Dozens of individuals in the U.S. and Europe who criticized Iran on Facebook or Twitter said their relatives back in Iran were questioned or temporarily detained because of their postings. . . Five interviewees who traveled to Iran in recent months said they were forced by police at Tehran’s airport to log in to their Facebook accounts.”
A Day in the Life of Tehran
Photo: Courtesy of Intersection for the Arts
This article is republished from WireTap.
By Zoneil Maharaj
Aerial views of nuclear test sites, armed troops, riot police attacking angry protesters, Ahmadenijad’s sly grin and demoralized citizens — these are the images Western media often transmits from Iran. Stories about Iranian life outside of politics, war, or anti-American extremists are rare. Stories that showcase everyday people doing everyday things are even less frequent.
A new group art show in San Francisco aims to change perceptions by celebrating the mundane and ordinary in the Islamic Republic.
San Francisco’s Intersection for the Arts exhibit, “One Day: A Collective Narrative of Tehran,” (running Nov. 4 through Jan. 23) features photography, sculpture and installations that reveal both ordinary and surprising elements of Iranian life.
Featuring the works of eight Iranian artists living and working in Tehran, “One Day” documents daily life in Iran’s capital city, which has an estimated population of eight million. The exhibit demystifies what life is like in Iran and the Middle East, says Kevin B. Chen, program manager for literary, visual arts and jazz events at Intersection for the Arts. “A lot of people think they still ride camels there.”
Conceptualized by San Francisco-based artist Tahraneh Hemami, she and Chen hope the exhibit will humanize Iranians and Middle Easterners.
“These people have been bastardized by the media and, especially, our government,” Chen says. “The media is showing us the extremists. It’d be like showing rednecks in Appalachia and broadcasting to the world that this is what America is like.”
Among the installations are pieces that capture the ordinary in the Islamic Republic, such as photographer Abbas Kowsari’s triptych “The time is 24:00. This is Tehran.” One photo depicts Tehran’s smoggy skyline. The next sees police women dressed in full burkhas repelling from a police station wall during training. The final shot simply shows people walking.
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The Slow Wheels of Change
By Will Sprecher
As a Democrat and a political news addict, I am constantly rifling through all number of news stories about the happenings in Congress and the Obama administration. It’s a habit that’s been a bit discouraging lately due to the logjam that is health care overhaul. I am thrilled by the progress that has been made, but, my god, has it been slow coming. I try reminding myself that this stuff takes time but I had no idea it took this much time. I figured Obama would get elected, and boom, change. Done and done, Great Society achieved. But not quite.
The sluggish pace of progress has left me feeling like a child demanding attention. I want to scream, “Where’s my change? I want it now!” while banging my fists on my desk. Given that this week marks the anniversary of Obama’s election, you know every news station and pundit will rate Obama’s effectiveness thus far. Some, like CBS, were critical 6-months in, citing the economic stimulus package and health care as proof of Obama’s broken promises. Fox News, recently added an “Obama Change Index“ that uses a seemingly arbitrary scale of 0-700. Currently Obama rates just over 370 on the index. But as fun as the Fox index might be to play with and as tempting as it might be to label Obama as the harbinger of false hope, we must remember the politics of progress are complicated.
I tend to forget this. Read more
Obama Signs Hate Crime Bill
By Will Sprecher
Today, President Obama signed an update to the federal hate crimes law that was originally passed in 1968.
The update extends protection to attacks motivated by someone’s sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity.
Finally. This bill took longer to solidify than drying cement. As the saying goes, better late than never. Which is very true despite how cheap the cliché makes it feel. So better late than never.
But why was it so late? Why does it take the work of so many advocates, an entire decade of debate, and 14 separate congressional votes to get this passed? Why is something of this magnitude just kicked further down the road? All while people are literally being killed. I don’t think I will ever understand how the Washington political process works but I guess I am happy that it does work. In the end. After eleven years.
Mom and Dad’s Health Insurance May Be Yours
By Youth Radio Editor
This week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that under a health reform bill in the House of Representatives, young adults could stay insured under their parents’ plans through age 26.
Members of Y.I. Want Change, a coalition of youth organizations formed by the Young Invincibles health reform advocacy group, and their supporters stood with Pelosi when she made the announcement at a press conference. The reform could be an important victory for young people.
“It’s important because as young people graduate from college and are struggling to find jobs in this economy, they need to have coverage and this provides them with an option,” said Chrissy Faessen, vice president of communications and marketing for Rock the Vote. The organization is a member of the Y.I. Want Change coalition.
Right now, about 25 states allow young people to stay on their parents’ plans into their 20s. But in other states, young adults get dropped from their parents’ private health insurance plans, usually between ages 19 and 22. At age 19, most young people no longer qualify for Medicaid, a government health insurance program that provides coverage for very low-income children and parents.
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Joseph Christopher Rocha in the News
By Rachel Krantz
Navy Veteran Joseph Christopher Rocha has gotten attention from the national news media this week.
Youth Radio first broke Rocha’s story back in June when he told us about the abuse he experienced during his time serving in Bahrain.
Since then, Youth Radio has broken major investigative pieces as seen on the Huffington Post and NPR telling Rocha and other unit members’ stories in detail.
This weekend, we were happy to see Joseph Christopher Rocha’s editorial in the Washington Post. Here’s an excerpt from the powerful piece of writing:
I don’t think I will ever feel as powerless as I did when I was on my knees, wearing a U.S. military uniform in the Middle East, forced by my superior to shove my head between another man’s legs. But I have discovered that telling this story holds its own kind of power.
We were also excited to see a profile of Joseph and his story on CNN.
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Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
By Rachel Krantz
As I was walking out the door this morning, my Mom called to me–
“Hey Rachel, did you hear? Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize!”
I have to admit, the first thing that came out my mouth was “Why?”
That kind of stumped my Mom, until one of us ( I can’t remember which, it was before 10 AM) said, “Well, I guess for being Obama.”
And that seems to be the general consensus this morning as to why Obama is receiving the prize.
On the left, the question doesn’t seem to be “Why Him?” but rather, “Why Now?” Some far left blogs, like Talk Left, are even calling on Obama to step aside and acknowledge he hasn’t done enough yet to deserve the Nobel Prize.
“Just because the Nobel Committee wants to make fools of themselves, Obama should not have to play along. He should turn it down.”
Read more
10 More Health Care Terms You Need to Know
By Emily Beaver
When it comes to the health care reform debate, the lingo keeps changing. One day, everyone’s talking about the public option and the next day it’s health care co-operatives. With so many different ideas and plans about how to change health care in Congress right now, it’s hard to keep up with up with all of the health care terms in the headlines. Our original list of health care terms was so popular, we created another one.
Here are ten more health reforms terms you need to know to follow the debate:
1. Baucus Bill
Max Baucus, a Democrat from Montana, has sponsored a health care reform bill that is moving through the Senate. If Congress passes the bill into law, it will determine how the health care system is reformed. Senator Baucus’ bill does not include a public option, or a government-run health insurance plan. Some of the bill’s other features include requiring all Americans to have health insurance and offering a “young invincibles” health insurance plan for Americans under age 25.
2. Single-payer health care system
Under a single-payer health care system, the government is the only party that pays for health care costs. The United States currently has a multiple-payer health care system, which means many sources, including several private insurance companies and the government, pay for Americans’ health care. Advocates of single-payer systems say the system lowers health care costs by cutting down on administrative costs and can help provide health insurance for more people. Although some critics of American health insurance say the country should adopt a single-payer system, most politicians aren’t considering a single-payer system as part of health care reform.
3. Health care cooperative
Health care cooperatives or “co-ops” have been touted as an alternative to the public option, or a government-run health insurance plan. In health care cooperatives, groups of doctors provide health care services to patients who don’t use health insurance to pay for medical care. Co-ops are non-profit organizations owned by patients who pay premiums to belong to the co-op and may vote on a board of directors. The Baucus Bill calls for the government to provide money to help create health care co-ops.
4. Age-rating
Private health insurers often charge older people higher premiums than younger people, a practice called age-rating. Insurers say that older adults should be charged more than younger adults because on average, they have more health problems and spend more on health care. The Baucus bill would limit how much more insurers can charge people for health insurance based on age. Under the bill, insurers could only charge an older person four times as much as a younger person, known as a 4:1 ratio. Some politicians are pushing for a 2:1 ratio.
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A New Bill to Fund Abstinence Education
By Denise Tejada
Talking about sex to teens is always hard because there are times when teens know more than what they should. But, is promoting abstinence to them realistic?
Apparently, to a Republican senator it is. Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah proposed a bill that would provide $50 million per year through 2014 for abstinence education programs. These funds are to be used specifically for abstinence programs and not on any other sex-ed subjects (like contraception).
Teens and abstinence, I’m not sure. I’m not saying teens can’t stop having sex, but growing up in time where sex is everywhere—TV, cartoons, school—it’s hard.
To help unpack this issue, Youth Radio spoke to Tatiana Colon, Director of Education & Youth Services of Family Violence Law Center (FVLC) in Oakland.
“Promoting or teaching abstinence to teens—like the ones we work with (urban kids)—are not effective.” She went on to say, “It’s not meeting teens where they are at.”
As a young person who has been out of high school for almost three years, I agree with Colon. Teens feel pressure to have sex and are planning on losing their V card (virginity) at prom or any big school function/ event. The whole concept of leaving school with a bang includes sex.
But young people are not low key about their sexual activities. For example, kids at a middle school in Colorado were wearing different color bracelets where each color represented a different sexual activity. If a guy pops a girl’s bracelet, the girl has to follow through sexually.
Read more
Youth Radio Talks Health Care Ads
Youth Radio interns discuss some of the recent health care television ads.
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