School Budget Cuts
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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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Forum: UC and CSU Protests
The cuts keep coming and so do the protests. Leaders of the California State University and the University of California systems both have meetings scheduled this week: fee increases and enrollment limits are on the table. Students and faculty plan to voice their dissatisfaction by staging rallies and walking out of classes. KQED’s Forum talked to San Jose Mercury News reporter Lisa Krieger about how community colleges and universities are faring in these financially tough times and how students are reacting.
Ali Reza Talks Art, Politics and Shepard Fairey
This article is republished from WireTap.
By Zoneil Maharaz
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Iranian-American street artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and DJ Ali Reza (a.k.a. ABCNT) creates work that is rooted heavily in politics. His enigmatic trademark design features the upper body of a man in a business suit wearing a bandit mask.
His designs — including a tribute print of slain Iranian protester Neda Agha-Soltan, a poster of Iran president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Dracula and a graphic of Bill O’Reilly with a gun to the back of his head (guess who the masked assailant is) titled “Kill Bill” — have hit walls from L.A. to Iran and everywhere in between, either by Reza himself or those aligned with his mission.
We caught up with Reza to talk about art and politics.
Zoneil Maharaj: Shepard Fairey is the first artist that comes to peoples’ minds when I show folks your work. Fairey’s been criticized by other artists for his re-appropriation of political images; some have called it plagiarism. You posted the “Disobey Duh Fairey” video on your blog. What’s your opinion of Fairey and artists using fair use images in their work in general?
Ali Reza: [Our work is] in the same genre, if anything, but I feel like my work is more relevant politically and that’s been intentional. I do a lot of different stuff in various mediums so the comparison is maybe true regarding some of my work. I mean, street art is a global movement and Shepard Fairey definitely made his mark, got up all over the world and influenced a lot of people, but at this point his whole gimmick is transparent to a lot of people. Personally, he lost me a long time ago.
As far as plagiarism, just recently Obey Clothing ripped off our crew member Mullett’s (Restitution Press) bandit image , which, in a way, led to the “Disobey Duh Fairey” video. Phantom was already spearheading that project and I happened to catch him on the radio on KPFK just a couple days after we found out about the Res Press situation. I just knew I had to take that audio and narrate it visually to teach people who just don’t know any better. It’s a beautiful thing to represent truth. So, I mean, it is what it is, and people have a right to call him out.
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Managing Money Isn’t Easy
By William Sprecher
I am going to be frank with you. I am not very good with money. It isn’t that I buy things that I don’t need, in fact quite the opposite. The holes in my shoes are a good enough indicator of that. Despite putting off some needed purchases, I still cannot keep track of the money that I have. There seems to be some disconnect between me and my checking account that my bank is all too willing to exploit in the form of hefty over-draft fees.
I still haven’t decided if that cup of coffee was worth $35 and while it was very good coffee, multiply that by a half dozen this year, and well, you get the idea. Lets just say I’ve sunk more than my fare share into this banking black hole but I’ll spare you my over-draft sermon. Recently, I stumbled upon a website dedicated to teaching young people how to save. Despite the graffiti like headings, a few intimidatingly cool silhouettes, and an overall forced urban attitude, I do think What’s Up in Finance is a good resource. It offers information on how and when to choose a credit card, buying a car, and even has a financial careers section if you’re really keen on saving.
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Weekly News Roundup, Part Deux
We’re back with our second installment of the weekly news roundup! This week we’ve got school desegregation, tips for being happy, and a video on dating dealbreakers. What more could you want? (Okay. . . sure, we’d like free rent for a year too, but we’re public broadcasting–that’s not quite in our budget. Work with us, people.)
San Jose State’s Spartan Daily collected some reactions to Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize:
And in case you missed it, I have to plug to our own Rachel Krantz’s reaction. A good read.
The Daily Californian continued their local coverage with a look at Berkeley Unified School District’s desegregation program. Yep, it’s 2009 and we’re still talking about desegregation. . .
As a student it can sometimes be difficult to balance the stress of work, classes, homework, friends, and any number of extra curricular activities. Here are ten ways to stay happy courtesy of UCSF’s Synapse. And because we like to share, tell us what your strategies are for getting happy? Just click on the comment button.
If that’s not enough to make you smile, our first ever Best Headline Award goes to the College of San Mateo’s San Matean. Their winner from a Sept. story on the budget crisis: Budget: Ouch.
And finally, as promised USF’s Foghorn Online on dating dealbreakers. Watch and learn:
Street Talk’s Dating Dealbreakers from San Francisco Foghorn on Vimeo.
What’s News to You?
In Other Words is starting a new feature–a weekly news roundup from youth news organizations. We know what’s making the headlines at KQED and Youth Radio, but we wanted to find out if that’s in line with what other young journalists are covering. So each week we’ll give you a snapshot of what’s being covered by high schools, colleges, and other community media groups across the country. This is our first week so we’re still testing the waters. We’re very open to suggestions for formats and stories. In fact, if you’re a journalist or blogger and you want us to check out your work–please leave us a link to your publication in a comment. And if you there’s a story in your life that you don’t see covered–let us know.
The Daily Californian (UC Berkeley)
Court Hears Change of Venue Arguments in BART Shooting Case
Synapse (UC San Francisco)
Medical Books from UCSF Make Their Way to Iraq and Afghanistan
The Guardsman (City College of San Francisco)
College Expects Increased Enrollment Due to CSU Cuts
Stagg Line (Stagg High School)
Male Cheerleaders Focus on Sport Not Judgement
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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Navy Report Ignores Sailor’s Suicide
By Rachel Krantz and the Youth Radio Investigative Unit
This story is part of Youth Radio’s ongoing investigation: Sailors’ Abuse Kept Silent In Navy Canine Unit.
A Youth Radio investigation finds that the U.S. Navy’s report on hazing in its Bahrain Canine Unit omitted the suicide of the unit’s leading Petty Officer, who feared she had become the scapegoat for widespread abuse.
On January 16, 2007, Petty Officer Jennifer Valdivia was found dead in a small room at her home in Bahrain. The U.S. Navy, which maintains a major base on the island in the Persian Gulf, classified her death as a non-combat related incident. A Navy autopsy later confirmed that 27-year-old Valdivia committed suicide.
On the same day Valdivia’s body was found, the Navy released a report on widespread hazing and abuse in the canine unit where she served as Kennel Master. Though the report’s release was previously delayed multiple times, this time it was published without including the investigation into the suicide of the unit’s leading Petty Officer. And, Valdivia’s death was not mentioned in the subsequent Findings of Fact endorsed by the base command, either.
“I would have expected this to be mentioned in the endorsements… the command in Bahrain had ample time to take her death into account,” said Eugene Fidell, Yale law professor and president of National Institute of Military Justice. “Had I been the staff judge advocate I would have recommended that the command delay its endorsement on the hazing investigation until the suicide investigation was complete, and then see if further investigation into the hazing was warranted.”
Instead, the Navy’s hazing and suicide investigations proceeded on parallel, never-intersecting tracks.
The hazing investigation reveals that the abuse in the Bahrain Canine Unit was extensive. And while the Navy has said multiple personnel were implicated in the misconduct, the sailors interviewed by Youth Radio say unanimously that there was one ringleader, the unit’s Chief Michael Toussaint.
Youth Radio has also obtained redacted copies of the Navy’s two investigations into Valdivia’s death — one by the Base Commander in Bahrain and the other by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Together with interviews with her family and six sailors from Valdivia’s unit, the suicide investigations tell the story of a young woman stuck between an abusive and corrupt unit leadership and the young sailors whose lives were scarred to varying degrees by hazing. It’s the story of a scapegoat, who decided the only way out of her Navy unit was death.
“Her final act revealed her to be under stress she was not able to bear, probably a culmination of well-concealed concerns about the ongoing command investigation,” wrote the investigator at the end of his report on Valdivia’s death. “I believe it is unlikely she would have committed suicide if she had not been under such stress.”
To read more visit YouthRadio.org
Bus Etiquette
By Isaiah Bryant
Lately I’ve noticed it’s become harder and harder to ride the bus without seeing people acting silly. It’s about time folks re-learn some basic bus etiquette. Take this recent ride for example. I was taking the bus down Broadway on my way to work, when I started to see everyone around me acting crazy. There was a college student who talked over his cell phone as loudly as he could about how “rad” last week’s party was. An elderly woman glaring at a younger man for not giving up his seat, another lady making a mess as she stuffed her face with food, and a homeless guy making the strangest faces at a crying baby — which just made it cry more. To top it off, as the bus stops to let on kids out of school, a fight breaks out in the back.
All of this wouldn’t happen if people acted like they were raised right. All a person has to do is follow some simple and common bus etiquette:
Rule 1: Don’t mess with someone’s child; it’s kind of weird. The best thing to do is to comment on how cute or handsome the child is (but don’t get carried away).
Rule 2: Don’t be loud on the bus! It’s public transportation, so that means other people are riding with you. The less noise there is, the more pleasant the ride is for everyone.
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Youth Radio Investigation Sparks Top Military Review
UPDATE: The following story is a continuation of our feature, “Investigation: Sailors’ Abuse Kept Silent in Navy Canine Unit.”
(Click here to listen to the full story.)
For access to all documents, posts, and images associated with this story see our Sailor’s Abuse Investigation Hub.
After Youth Radio exposed a culture of hazing, including psychological and physical abuse, at a U.S. Navy canine unit in Bahrain, the nation’s top Naval officer has ordered a review of how the abuses were handled. The Chief of Naval Operations who ordered the review is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and principal Naval advisor to the President. Deadline for that review is October 6th.
Incidents of wrongdoing in the unit ranged from spraying down uniformed personnel with hoses to directing sailors to simulate sex acts on videotape. Youth Radio’s interviews reveal that the abuse was sanctioned and in some cases instigated by the unit’s leadership.
Despite 93 incidents of abuse and misconduct uncovered in a 2007 Navy investigation, to date the Navy has not provided a full public accounting of disciplinary action taken against those responsible for the abuse. We do know the unit’s Chief at the time, Michael Toussaint, received only a “non-punitive letter of caution”. That’s the military’s equivalent of a slap on the wrist.
To continue reading on the Youth Radio website, click here.
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