What makes Iran so scary to so many people in the western world? What makes the world hate Iran so much? While Iran might have massive human rights violations and an oppressive view on freedom of speech, what country doesn't may I ask? I do not see the difference between Iran and any other Middle Eastern country. So why is Iran the target of so much media attention and bias from the international community?
Here is why: Iran is not as transparent as other governments. Iran used to be an ally to the US. Iran is not worried about their public image. Iran does not care who they offend. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth...ding ding ding. That is why Iran is hated. The world views Israel as their baby. A country that is still so young, only being established after WWII, the State of Israel has the protection of the big bad US and therefore almost all of the international community. Since the US and Israel do not like Iran, no one likes Iran. (I almost feel sorry for them. Iran is like the misunderstood kid on the playground that everyone thinks is weird or mean and no one wants to play with them. Don't worry Ahmadinejad, you have your bad boys club-- North Korea and Pakistan would probably not mind playing with you!)
Why else does Iran not like the west and why does the west not like Iran? Well countries like Saudi Arabia, a strict Islamic state are allies to loose and liberal, modern America. It is no secret that the United States is a big ally to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has really close ties to the US especially under the administrations of Papa Bush and Baby Bush. The Bush clan loves the Saudi Royal Family. Anyway that is not the point here. The point here is the increasing threats Saudi Arabia, a country home to 25% of known oil reserves, is facing. In my opinion it is in the interest of the United States to protect Saudi Arabia just as much as they protect Israel seeing as the U.S. has the largest dependency on oil than any other country in the world. The threat from Iran targets three [not] so unlikely countries that are banning together to stop the threat of a nuclear Iran-- The United States of America, The State of Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I like to think of the U.S. as the middle man between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Why? Well lets look at the two countries major differences: 1) Israel is a Jewish state; Saudi Arabia is governed by Islamic Sharia Law. 2) Israel is a democracy; Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. 3) Politically, socially, economically and culturally KSA and Israel are different. I mean the reasons go on and and on. Saudi Arabia and Israel do not exactly have the best relations with each other. That is why the U.S; a country that is an ally to both Saudi Arabia and Israel is the middle man because all three of these countries fear the threat of a nuclear Iran. Normally, Israel would push to stop the U.S. from brokering arms trade deals with the Kingdom but when the arms are used to protect the region from Iran then Israel cannot say too much. Recently the U.S. just did a $60 billion arms deal with the Kingdom in order to build up their defense. Israel would have been against this because Israel of course views this as a threat to their strategic military edge in the region but US officials assured pro-Israeli lawmakers and lobbyists that this would not effect it.
One has to realize that Iran has the right to have nuclear weapons. They are merely exercising their right as a sovereign nation. However, no one wants to realize this because of western media's portrayal of Iran. Now DO NOT get me wrong. I am NOT saying I want a nuclear Iran but I am just playing the devil's advocate card. If countries like the United States, France, Russia, China and the UK can have nuclear weapons why can't Iran? Oh let me answer that: because they are all P5 members of the Security Council. They will veto any resolution that says they must disarm. So again, tell me why Iran has to disarm? (This is just me playing devil's advocate). In my opinion, we should do this fairly...if Iran is sanctioned and embargoed for having nuclear weapons so should every country that has such weapons. AKA everyone should just disarm. But since we all know that will NEVER happen...*cough North Korea *cough, we will just leave it as that.
Anyway, I am all for protecting the delicate balance (if any) that exists between the U.S. Israel and Saudi Arabia. No one wants or needs to see a nuclear war happen because that is just detrimental to the entire international community. If Iran attacks Israel or Saudi Arabia I am predicting the start of WWIII. ahh scary.
19.11.10
debate over Park 51
OK! So there is this whole debate over the Park 51 Project. The Park 51 Project is a proposed Islamic Cultural site on Park Place in lower Manhattan, just two blocks from the site of the 9/11 tragedies at the World Trade Center. Ok I realize the huge controversy over this because a $100 million project is being proposed by Muslim funders right by a site that was attacked by Muslim extremists only a little over 9 years ago. But let's remember a few things: 1) Muslim extremists attacked us on 9/11..extremists who only represent a VERY VERY tiny fraction of a religion that is actually peaceful. 2) it is a CULTURAL site not a jihad training camp. 3) there are 1.7 billion Muslims in the world; approximately 1 million of those muslims live in NYC. (one million people deserve their rights to free practice their religion). I am not advocating for or against this project because I honestly can see both sides of the argument very well.
The chair of Islamic Studies at the American University in D.C; Akbar Ahmed thinks its absurd to blame all the Muslims for 9/11 however he said this: "I don't think the Muslim leadership has fully appreciated the impact of 9/11 on America. They assume Americans have forgotten 9/11 and even, in a profound way, forgiven 9/11, and that has not happened. The wounds remain largely open [...] and when wounds are raw, an episode like constructing a house of worship—even one protected by the Constitution, protected by law—becomes like salt in the wounds". While Ahmed makes an excellent point that the wounds remain open, we can't forever blame an entire religion for the actions of what amounts to be a ridiculously small percentage of radical Islamic extremists.
And for that reason that Akbar Ahmed presents, I can see the argument for moving the mosque to an alternate location. I do not believe that it has to be only two blocks from such a tragic accident that took the lives of so many innocent civilians and attempted to ruin our economic infrastructure. I read in an article just yesterday that the King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah is in talks with New York City officials to buy space at an unused hospital in the west village to use as an alternative space for the Park51 project. It is interesting that this article even mentions the king's name because prior to this the Saudi King was quoted for not wanting anything to do with this project. I guess it is an attempt to show that Muslims are still mourning the tragedies of 9/11 also. That is something one must remember---Muslims died in 9/11 as well (and I am not talking about the terrorists). I am talking about actual Muslim civilians who worked hard and loved this country too.
But on the same hand, I feel that even if the project is moved to an alternate sight someone will find a reason to say that the cultural center does not belong there either. With a war in Afghanistan and a war in Iraq and constant threats from Islamic extremists, I feel as though Americans are growing more and more Islamophobic with each passing second. It is just really sad because this project is meant to show that Muslims are NOT all terrorists and that NOT all Muslims hate Americans.
It is interesting who is condemning the project and who is supporting it. Ted Olson, former Solicitor General who lost his wife on 9/11 supports Park 51 proposal. He said "we don't want to turn an act of hate against us by extremists into an act of intolerance for people of religious faith." A woman who lost her son on 9/11 said that today its Islam and tomorrow it will be another religion. She is exactly right. Today Muslims are ostracized and a few decades ago it was the Russians; before that it was the Japanese. I am in no way saying "oh poor Muslims. Boo hoo. we are so discriminated against. we are so hated. oh feel bad for us." That is not what I am saying. However, at some point this has got to stop. Hatred and racism will not get America anywhere. Haven't we already learned our lessons?
We also need to put aside our emotions for one second and look at it from a civil rights standpoint...from a legal standpoint. Muslims residing in America are protected under the Constitution of the United States of America whether people like it or not. They have the right to practice their religion as they please. This cultural center is an attempt to accomodate the approximately ONE MILLION Muslims that reside in New York City.
Maybe one day America will live up to its motto of land of the FREE. We are supposed to be the melting pot...especially New York City.
The chair of Islamic Studies at the American University in D.C; Akbar Ahmed thinks its absurd to blame all the Muslims for 9/11 however he said this: "I don't think the Muslim leadership has fully appreciated the impact of 9/11 on America. They assume Americans have forgotten 9/11 and even, in a profound way, forgiven 9/11, and that has not happened. The wounds remain largely open [...] and when wounds are raw, an episode like constructing a house of worship—even one protected by the Constitution, protected by law—becomes like salt in the wounds". While Ahmed makes an excellent point that the wounds remain open, we can't forever blame an entire religion for the actions of what amounts to be a ridiculously small percentage of radical Islamic extremists.
And for that reason that Akbar Ahmed presents, I can see the argument for moving the mosque to an alternate location. I do not believe that it has to be only two blocks from such a tragic accident that took the lives of so many innocent civilians and attempted to ruin our economic infrastructure. I read in an article just yesterday that the King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah is in talks with New York City officials to buy space at an unused hospital in the west village to use as an alternative space for the Park51 project. It is interesting that this article even mentions the king's name because prior to this the Saudi King was quoted for not wanting anything to do with this project. I guess it is an attempt to show that Muslims are still mourning the tragedies of 9/11 also. That is something one must remember---Muslims died in 9/11 as well (and I am not talking about the terrorists). I am talking about actual Muslim civilians who worked hard and loved this country too.
But on the same hand, I feel that even if the project is moved to an alternate sight someone will find a reason to say that the cultural center does not belong there either. With a war in Afghanistan and a war in Iraq and constant threats from Islamic extremists, I feel as though Americans are growing more and more Islamophobic with each passing second. It is just really sad because this project is meant to show that Muslims are NOT all terrorists and that NOT all Muslims hate Americans.
It is interesting who is condemning the project and who is supporting it. Ted Olson, former Solicitor General who lost his wife on 9/11 supports Park 51 proposal. He said "we don't want to turn an act of hate against us by extremists into an act of intolerance for people of religious faith." A woman who lost her son on 9/11 said that today its Islam and tomorrow it will be another religion. She is exactly right. Today Muslims are ostracized and a few decades ago it was the Russians; before that it was the Japanese. I am in no way saying "oh poor Muslims. Boo hoo. we are so discriminated against. we are so hated. oh feel bad for us." That is not what I am saying. However, at some point this has got to stop. Hatred and racism will not get America anywhere. Haven't we already learned our lessons?
We also need to put aside our emotions for one second and look at it from a civil rights standpoint...from a legal standpoint. Muslims residing in America are protected under the Constitution of the United States of America whether people like it or not. They have the right to practice their religion as they please. This cultural center is an attempt to accomodate the approximately ONE MILLION Muslims that reside in New York City.
Maybe one day America will live up to its motto of land of the FREE. We are supposed to be the melting pot...especially New York City.
5.11.10
Saudi Arabia's womens rights
Saudi Arabia: The birth place of Islam, home to a quarter of the world's oil reserves, one of the largest aid donors in the world; there are many things Saudi Arabia is known for. Unfortunately, one of the not so nice things they are known for is their track record of womens' rights violations.
The western world and the media have a field day portraying Arab countries as oppressive towards women and they love to blame it on Islam. However, how ironic is it that America who is the world's watch dog and the first country to criticize other countries for their "backwards" ways has yet to elect a female president. How ironic is it that the religion that is portrayed as oppressive towards women already had female leaders in four out of the five most populous Muslim nations. That is right: Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey have all elected female leaders. So America, maybe it is time to look at your own policies towards women. America is not even signed onto the CEDAW, a convention established to protect women yet Saudi Arabia is signed onto that convention. Islam is more often than not the blame for the violations against women. However, it is much more than just religion that is behind the Arab world’s slow progress in advancing a woman’s role in society. If you look at non-Arab Islamic countries like Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh, women have advanced at much quicker rate than in the Arab world.
In Saudi Arabia it is more of a cultural religious thing for them. The Wahhabi sect of Islam is very strong in certain regions of Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, while there is no official law prohibiting women to drive, women are still unable to drive in the country. When a 15 year old female saved her family by driving a car to rescue them when they were caught in the flash floods of 2009 that hit Jeddah, she was called a hero. However, this did not convince the government to overturn the ban on females driving. Wajeha al–Hawaidar is just one of the many young Saudi female activists who is unable to write or appear on TV due to her support of women’s rights. Al-Hawaidar said "when you put much pressure on a society, people will still go on with their life; We are not rocks. We are human beings" in reference to the underground life that exists among the Saudi youth. Women are unable to socialize publicly with men that are not related to them. Although thanks to Saudi King Abdullah’s reform program over the last five years that rigid segregation in public is loosening. Another violation of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia is the fact that there is no minimum age requirement for females to get married . Girls that are married that young face abuse both sexually and physically. They are deprived of education and their childhood. Another women’s rights issue plaguing Saudi women is the policy of guardianship. A woman must ask the permission of a male relative every time she wants to go on a trip abroad. In 2009, the government pledged to abolish the guardianship system, but has taken no legislative steps to overturn the system.
While alot of these things sound completely backwards and crazy to people in America, in Saudi Arabia many of the women see it is as a way of life. It all depends on how you choose to live. In Saudi Arabia, the male is the breadwinner. He goes out to work in the hot Saudi sun with temperatures near 120 degrees in the summer while a woman stays home in air conditioned luxury surrounded by maids who wait on her hand and foot. They have social gatherings at their homes with other women and converse about family, politics, the weather, money and many other things that women in America talk about.
While of course Saudi women want to be able to have more rights over their own lives in terms of marriage, divorce and travel, Saudi women also have a nice luxury. They are driven EVERYWHERE. They are not the ones worrying about where to park the car when the mall is extremely crowded. Just think how nice that is to be able to run into Saks while your driver worries about the parking. OK OK OK. I know there is more to life than just shopping. That is why I am so happy to hear that one year ago Saudi Arabia's first co-ed university opened up. King Abdullah is doing so much to try and advance women's rights in the Kingdom. I feel like soon women will be able to attend co-ed universities and drive if King Abdullah keeps his progressive reforms on track.
The western world and the media have a field day portraying Arab countries as oppressive towards women and they love to blame it on Islam. However, how ironic is it that America who is the world's watch dog and the first country to criticize other countries for their "backwards" ways has yet to elect a female president. How ironic is it that the religion that is portrayed as oppressive towards women already had female leaders in four out of the five most populous Muslim nations. That is right: Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey have all elected female leaders. So America, maybe it is time to look at your own policies towards women. America is not even signed onto the CEDAW, a convention established to protect women yet Saudi Arabia is signed onto that convention. Islam is more often than not the blame for the violations against women. However, it is much more than just religion that is behind the Arab world’s slow progress in advancing a woman’s role in society. If you look at non-Arab Islamic countries like Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh, women have advanced at much quicker rate than in the Arab world.
In Saudi Arabia it is more of a cultural religious thing for them. The Wahhabi sect of Islam is very strong in certain regions of Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, while there is no official law prohibiting women to drive, women are still unable to drive in the country. When a 15 year old female saved her family by driving a car to rescue them when they were caught in the flash floods of 2009 that hit Jeddah, she was called a hero. However, this did not convince the government to overturn the ban on females driving. Wajeha al–Hawaidar is just one of the many young Saudi female activists who is unable to write or appear on TV due to her support of women’s rights. Al-Hawaidar said "when you put much pressure on a society, people will still go on with their life; We are not rocks. We are human beings" in reference to the underground life that exists among the Saudi youth. Women are unable to socialize publicly with men that are not related to them. Although thanks to Saudi King Abdullah’s reform program over the last five years that rigid segregation in public is loosening. Another violation of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia is the fact that there is no minimum age requirement for females to get married . Girls that are married that young face abuse both sexually and physically. They are deprived of education and their childhood. Another women’s rights issue plaguing Saudi women is the policy of guardianship. A woman must ask the permission of a male relative every time she wants to go on a trip abroad. In 2009, the government pledged to abolish the guardianship system, but has taken no legislative steps to overturn the system.
While alot of these things sound completely backwards and crazy to people in America, in Saudi Arabia many of the women see it is as a way of life. It all depends on how you choose to live. In Saudi Arabia, the male is the breadwinner. He goes out to work in the hot Saudi sun with temperatures near 120 degrees in the summer while a woman stays home in air conditioned luxury surrounded by maids who wait on her hand and foot. They have social gatherings at their homes with other women and converse about family, politics, the weather, money and many other things that women in America talk about.
While of course Saudi women want to be able to have more rights over their own lives in terms of marriage, divorce and travel, Saudi women also have a nice luxury. They are driven EVERYWHERE. They are not the ones worrying about where to park the car when the mall is extremely crowded. Just think how nice that is to be able to run into Saks while your driver worries about the parking. OK OK OK. I know there is more to life than just shopping. That is why I am so happy to hear that one year ago Saudi Arabia's first co-ed university opened up. King Abdullah is doing so much to try and advance women's rights in the Kingdom. I feel like soon women will be able to attend co-ed universities and drive if King Abdullah keeps his progressive reforms on track.
50 reasons to love NY article w/ my commentary
This is something I found on the village voice blog...here is a link to it http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2010/11/50_reasons_to_b.php?page=2
You will find the 50 reasons the blog gives and under it in parenthesis you will find my commentary on each of the reasons.
Here are 50 other reasons to be blissfully happy that you live in New York City today -- and every day -- that you live here. May it be a very long time. Unless you want to leave, in which case, get the fuck out, and can we have your apartment?
50. Sending your laundry out for someone else to wash and dry it is not only convenient, it's just good business. Especially since you will probably never own a washer and dryer. Which means you never have to feel guilty about not doing your own laundry. Next.
(OMG! so true. my father sends his laundry out to the cleaners and it cracks me up because we have a washer and dryer yet he still does it)
49. Drinking coffee four times a day, every day, isn't the exception, it's the rule.
(having 4 cups of coffee is TOTALLY the norm! one in the morning to start your day; one around 12 p.m. another around 3 p.m. and another around 8 p.m. to give me my evening kick to burn the midnight oil on that paper I procrastinated on)
48. The secret Chick Fil-A at the NYU dining hall.
(UGHHH why does NYU get EVERYTHING? there is a Chick Fil-A at their dining hall?? I want in!!)
47. There is always someone crazier than you. ALWAYS.
(hahahaha this I have NO doubt about. a woman on the train once was pulling down the advertisements above my head and defiling the subway; she also tore up the fire safety instructions on the train while saying "its over its over". This is just one crazy story.)
46. The view from the Brooklyn Bridge.
(I go to school at Pace University right near the Brooklyn Bridge. It is amazing!!)
45. The view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
(I see the BB everyday! its awesomeeeeee!!!!!)
44. The epic feeling you get running to catch a train and succeeding...just before the doors close.
(EPIC!!!!!!!! the feeling of success is AWESOME! you feel like Superwoman when that happens...atleast i do)
43. Bored to Death. 30 Rock. SNL. And a million other things that film here and we love. RIP Law and Order.
(An episode of Gossip Girl was filmed right by my school. Inside the Actors Studio on Bravo is filmed AT my school. I see actors at random strolling the streets. LAW and ORDER = one of my all time favorite shows. So sad it is over. =(. )
42. Manhattan-Brooklyn/Brooklyn-Manhattan wars never cease to entertain. Nor do hipster-Hasid wars. Or hipsters in general.
(LOL. I used to live in Brooklyn and now I go to school in Manhattan so it is hilarious to hear this)
41. We get the inside jokes. Because, actually, we made them up in the first place.
(yes and we hate it when people try to be in on them.)
40. That horrified look on our parents' friends' faces when we tell them we live in "Hell's Kitchen."
39. Sure, we work out next to Alec Baldwin, Padma Lakshmi, and Bridget Moynahan, and walk the streets with Willem Dafoe, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Tina Fey, but, really, we're kinda too busy with our own lives to notice.
( You know what...now that I think about it I have probably walked by celebrities before on the streets and never noticed it because I am too busy texting and listening to my ipod while i am walking.)
38. Drinking is like breathing. Or slightly more acceptable.
(HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)
37. Because it's not enough to just love New York. New York needs to love you back, too. Hey, we have high standards.
36. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, there is someone who will bring it to you for a price, which may or may not be negotiable. (Or legal.)
35. By the time the rest of the nation has bedbugs, we'll have figured out how to get rid of them. In the meantime, we'll mock them by dressing our dogs up as bedbugs for Halloween. Laugh in the face of fear, New Yorker!
(EWWW I just heard someone is sewing the Waldorf-Astoria for bed bugs)
34. There are almost 200 bars in the East Village alone.
(Gotta love the East Village)
33. There's no shortage of stupid rich people to make fun of.
(OMG!!!!!!!!!!! that is too funny. I am not even half way through this blogger's list of why to love NY and I already love him!!!)
32. The endless delights of the New York Post.
31. You don't even need a passport, or a license, to partake in goat-eyeball tacos.
30. The fact that one-bedroom apartments cost an average minimum of a half-million dollars means we think nothing of spending $12 on lunch.
($12 is like chump change these days. I sneeze and it costs me $12 in the city)
29. Restaurants are as common as single men and women. And equally diverse. And you never have to see either of them again after the initial awkward encounter.
28. The omnipresent opportunity to Gaga-ify yourself. And the chance that it will seem, just, normal.
(this one does not really apply to me because Gaga just freaks me out even though I think she is wicked talented!!!!)
27. Runnin' Scared lives here! (And so does the Village Voice.)
26. Smart people are the norm, not the exception. (Which doesn't mean they're sane, but at least no one's boring.)
(Seriously there is an overflow of smart people in NY. Just on the subway I have the most fascinating convos with ppl.)
25. Except in select 'hoods like Park Slope and perhaps the Upper West Side, children are viewed as mysterious beings, rarely sighted and only occasionally understood, like pixies or magical small butlers. Until they scream, in which case, they are banished from the palace.
(OMG. Kids just annoy me. if they are between the ages of 6-15 I just want to punch them in their face. If they are 2 or younger I want to wear ear plugs when around them. Children are only fun from ages 3-6 because they torture their parents and I find it oh so hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!)
24. When you fly back into the city after a vacation or business trip, no matter how long you've lived here, you get that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling.
(yes and no. because for the most part I just came back from a really awesome trip that I didnt want to end.)
23. Efficiency in a drugstore checkout line.
22. How easy it is to find doughnuts, pizza, Chinese food, or any other snack your drunken self desires at 4 a.m. Or to continue to drink. Responsibly!
21. Broadway. Museums. CULTCH-AH. Even if you never actually go to see anything (though you should, at least once).
(Broadway still makes me giggle like a little schoolgirl. its magical and exciting even though I have been a dozen times.)
20. Yelling "fuck" is just a mild obscenity.
( it REALLY is. no one takes that word seriously in the city.)
19. There's no shame in sticking your fingers in your ears like an anal weirdo when an ambulance goes by screeching.
(I legit just saw someone do that yesterday and I thought "wow i should have done the same thing" after my ears were ringing for ten minutes after the ambulance was long gone.
18. Summer concerts at the Williamsburg Waterfront.
17. So many Missed Connections, so little time.
16. Other places have dog and cat people. We have ferret people.
15. The splendor of the Union Square Greenmarket.
(how bout just the splendor of Union Square?????)
14. A bagel with cream cheese and lox from Russ and Daughters.
(a bagel with cream cheese and lox from almost anywhere...the combo is amazing!)
13. There is an insane Korean day spa (Spa Castle) waiting for you in Flushing. And Russian and Turkish baths in the East Village.
(I have never seen the Korean day spa but I have seen the Russian and Turkish baths in East Village and laugh everytime i see it.)
12. One of our bars has 100-year-old urinals.
11. Complain about the MTA, but you can get anywhere in the city for just $2.25. Or $2.50 single ride, come 2011. Still pretty damn cheap.
(the MTA is so slow and overcrowded but at the end of the day it does get me to where i need to go.)
10. Subway rage. Bike-lane rage. Walking rage. Random rage. These are our therapy. Although we all go to therapy, too. No judgments! We bitch, therefore we are.
(what do we NOT complain about? its just a NY thing to do: bitch about anything and everything.)
9. Jaywalking is an art form.
(yes it most certainly is. I love doing it and pissing off all the cabbies who have to slam on their brakes to allow me to walk because I am already in the middle of the street.)
8. The free Ikea ferry to Red Hook on weekends! Plus, Red Hook in general. Can you say "Lobster pound"?
7. Subway "prewalking," in which you walk to the exact right spot on the platform to board the train car that will save you the most time upon exit, exists and has a name. Gotta respect.
( prewalking is part of my daily ritual when i get on the platform.)
6. You can be alone, but never feel lonely. And vice versa. But if you die and aren't found until a year later, you won't be the first.
( you're never alone in NY!! there is always some sort of noise or person around you.)
5. We are, as a group, anti-fanny-pack as much as we are pro-gay-marriage. Hetero marriage, on the other hand, we can pretty much take or leave.
(yay for being anti-fanny pack. this is NY not Europe. lets get it together people.)
4. 35 is the new 26. Or is it 45? Whatever, age ain't nuthin' but a number, and as long as you're younger than your IQ score, no harm, no foul.
( the phrase "cougar town" doesn't apply here.)
3. Finding your "local" is that much better here.
2. There is absolutely no reason to ever drink and drive. Added bonus: Spontaneous, fascinating conversations with cab drivers.
1. If you can make it here, you really can make it anywhere. But why would you bother to go anywhere else?
Thank you to the village voice blogger who wrote this blog!!!! It made me laugh and brought back a lot of fun memories as to why I love NY!!!!
You will find the 50 reasons the blog gives and under it in parenthesis you will find my commentary on each of the reasons.
Here are 50 other reasons to be blissfully happy that you live in New York City today -- and every day -- that you live here. May it be a very long time. Unless you want to leave, in which case, get the fuck out, and can we have your apartment?
50. Sending your laundry out for someone else to wash and dry it is not only convenient, it's just good business. Especially since you will probably never own a washer and dryer. Which means you never have to feel guilty about not doing your own laundry. Next.
(OMG! so true. my father sends his laundry out to the cleaners and it cracks me up because we have a washer and dryer yet he still does it)
49. Drinking coffee four times a day, every day, isn't the exception, it's the rule.
(having 4 cups of coffee is TOTALLY the norm! one in the morning to start your day; one around 12 p.m. another around 3 p.m. and another around 8 p.m. to give me my evening kick to burn the midnight oil on that paper I procrastinated on)
48. The secret Chick Fil-A at the NYU dining hall.
(UGHHH why does NYU get EVERYTHING? there is a Chick Fil-A at their dining hall?? I want in!!)
47. There is always someone crazier than you. ALWAYS.
(hahahaha this I have NO doubt about. a woman on the train once was pulling down the advertisements above my head and defiling the subway; she also tore up the fire safety instructions on the train while saying "its over its over". This is just one crazy story.)
46. The view from the Brooklyn Bridge.
(I go to school at Pace University right near the Brooklyn Bridge. It is amazing!!)
45. The view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
(I see the BB everyday! its awesomeeeeee!!!!!)
44. The epic feeling you get running to catch a train and succeeding...just before the doors close.
(EPIC!!!!!!!! the feeling of success is AWESOME! you feel like Superwoman when that happens...atleast i do)
43. Bored to Death. 30 Rock. SNL. And a million other things that film here and we love. RIP Law and Order.
(An episode of Gossip Girl was filmed right by my school. Inside the Actors Studio on Bravo is filmed AT my school. I see actors at random strolling the streets. LAW and ORDER = one of my all time favorite shows. So sad it is over. =(. )
42. Manhattan-Brooklyn/Brooklyn-Manhattan wars never cease to entertain. Nor do hipster-Hasid wars. Or hipsters in general.
(LOL. I used to live in Brooklyn and now I go to school in Manhattan so it is hilarious to hear this)
41. We get the inside jokes. Because, actually, we made them up in the first place.
(yes and we hate it when people try to be in on them.)
40. That horrified look on our parents' friends' faces when we tell them we live in "Hell's Kitchen."
39. Sure, we work out next to Alec Baldwin, Padma Lakshmi, and Bridget Moynahan, and walk the streets with Willem Dafoe, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Tina Fey, but, really, we're kinda too busy with our own lives to notice.
( You know what...now that I think about it I have probably walked by celebrities before on the streets and never noticed it because I am too busy texting and listening to my ipod while i am walking.)
38. Drinking is like breathing. Or slightly more acceptable.
(HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)
37. Because it's not enough to just love New York. New York needs to love you back, too. Hey, we have high standards.
36. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, there is someone who will bring it to you for a price, which may or may not be negotiable. (Or legal.)
35. By the time the rest of the nation has bedbugs, we'll have figured out how to get rid of them. In the meantime, we'll mock them by dressing our dogs up as bedbugs for Halloween. Laugh in the face of fear, New Yorker!
(EWWW I just heard someone is sewing the Waldorf-Astoria for bed bugs)
34. There are almost 200 bars in the East Village alone.
(Gotta love the East Village)
33. There's no shortage of stupid rich people to make fun of.
(OMG!!!!!!!!!!! that is too funny. I am not even half way through this blogger's list of why to love NY and I already love him!!!)
32. The endless delights of the New York Post.
31. You don't even need a passport, or a license, to partake in goat-eyeball tacos.
30. The fact that one-bedroom apartments cost an average minimum of a half-million dollars means we think nothing of spending $12 on lunch.
($12 is like chump change these days. I sneeze and it costs me $12 in the city)
29. Restaurants are as common as single men and women. And equally diverse. And you never have to see either of them again after the initial awkward encounter.
28. The omnipresent opportunity to Gaga-ify yourself. And the chance that it will seem, just, normal.
(this one does not really apply to me because Gaga just freaks me out even though I think she is wicked talented!!!!)
27. Runnin' Scared lives here! (And so does the Village Voice.)
26. Smart people are the norm, not the exception. (Which doesn't mean they're sane, but at least no one's boring.)
(Seriously there is an overflow of smart people in NY. Just on the subway I have the most fascinating convos with ppl.)
25. Except in select 'hoods like Park Slope and perhaps the Upper West Side, children are viewed as mysterious beings, rarely sighted and only occasionally understood, like pixies or magical small butlers. Until they scream, in which case, they are banished from the palace.
(OMG. Kids just annoy me. if they are between the ages of 6-15 I just want to punch them in their face. If they are 2 or younger I want to wear ear plugs when around them. Children are only fun from ages 3-6 because they torture their parents and I find it oh so hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!)
24. When you fly back into the city after a vacation or business trip, no matter how long you've lived here, you get that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling.
(yes and no. because for the most part I just came back from a really awesome trip that I didnt want to end.)
23. Efficiency in a drugstore checkout line.
22. How easy it is to find doughnuts, pizza, Chinese food, or any other snack your drunken self desires at 4 a.m. Or to continue to drink. Responsibly!
21. Broadway. Museums. CULTCH-AH. Even if you never actually go to see anything (though you should, at least once).
(Broadway still makes me giggle like a little schoolgirl. its magical and exciting even though I have been a dozen times.)
20. Yelling "fuck" is just a mild obscenity.
( it REALLY is. no one takes that word seriously in the city.)
19. There's no shame in sticking your fingers in your ears like an anal weirdo when an ambulance goes by screeching.
(I legit just saw someone do that yesterday and I thought "wow i should have done the same thing" after my ears were ringing for ten minutes after the ambulance was long gone.
18. Summer concerts at the Williamsburg Waterfront.
17. So many Missed Connections, so little time.
16. Other places have dog and cat people. We have ferret people.
15. The splendor of the Union Square Greenmarket.
(how bout just the splendor of Union Square?????)
14. A bagel with cream cheese and lox from Russ and Daughters.
(a bagel with cream cheese and lox from almost anywhere...the combo is amazing!)
13. There is an insane Korean day spa (Spa Castle) waiting for you in Flushing. And Russian and Turkish baths in the East Village.
(I have never seen the Korean day spa but I have seen the Russian and Turkish baths in East Village and laugh everytime i see it.)
12. One of our bars has 100-year-old urinals.
11. Complain about the MTA, but you can get anywhere in the city for just $2.25. Or $2.50 single ride, come 2011. Still pretty damn cheap.
(the MTA is so slow and overcrowded but at the end of the day it does get me to where i need to go.)
10. Subway rage. Bike-lane rage. Walking rage. Random rage. These are our therapy. Although we all go to therapy, too. No judgments! We bitch, therefore we are.
(what do we NOT complain about? its just a NY thing to do: bitch about anything and everything.)
9. Jaywalking is an art form.
(yes it most certainly is. I love doing it and pissing off all the cabbies who have to slam on their brakes to allow me to walk because I am already in the middle of the street.)
8. The free Ikea ferry to Red Hook on weekends! Plus, Red Hook in general. Can you say "Lobster pound"?
7. Subway "prewalking," in which you walk to the exact right spot on the platform to board the train car that will save you the most time upon exit, exists and has a name. Gotta respect.
( prewalking is part of my daily ritual when i get on the platform.)
6. You can be alone, but never feel lonely. And vice versa. But if you die and aren't found until a year later, you won't be the first.
( you're never alone in NY!! there is always some sort of noise or person around you.)
5. We are, as a group, anti-fanny-pack as much as we are pro-gay-marriage. Hetero marriage, on the other hand, we can pretty much take or leave.
(yay for being anti-fanny pack. this is NY not Europe. lets get it together people.)
4. 35 is the new 26. Or is it 45? Whatever, age ain't nuthin' but a number, and as long as you're younger than your IQ score, no harm, no foul.
( the phrase "cougar town" doesn't apply here.)
3. Finding your "local" is that much better here.
2. There is absolutely no reason to ever drink and drive. Added bonus: Spontaneous, fascinating conversations with cab drivers.
1. If you can make it here, you really can make it anywhere. But why would you bother to go anywhere else?
Thank you to the village voice blogger who wrote this blog!!!! It made me laugh and brought back a lot of fun memories as to why I love NY!!!!
Lauren Booth's conversion to Islam
So recently Lauren Booth converted to Islam. For those of you who do not know who Lauren Booth is, Lauren is Tony Blair's sister-in-law. (Tony Blair is the former Prime Minister of England). Lauren Booth is a human rights activist and a journalist.
Her work as a human rights activist lead her to Gaza in August 2008. While in Gaza she noted that the situation in Gaza is "the largest concentration camp in the world." Booth went to Gaza with a contingency of other activists. However, when the trip ended Booth stayed behind and observed that "the humanitarian crisis was on a scale with Darfur." After she left Gaza through the Egypt border her travels took her to Iran where she visited a Muslim shrine. It can be argued that it was at that shrine in Iran that Lauren Booth had a religious awakening; a spiritual moment. In an interview, Lauren stated how she felt "spiritual joy" while in Iran at the shrine. She found herself saying Allah over and over again. Women walked by her talking of the change she was experiencing.
In October 2010, Booth attended an Islamic Peace and Unity Conference where she stood up in front of the entire audience and said "My name is Lauren Booth and I am a Muslim." Booth to me is just one of the many people who convert to Islam everyday. Islam is the fastest growing religion which a following of approximately 1.7 BILLION people. That is more than the population of China.
It is a bit of a shame that more people can't see what Lauren sees. In 2005, When Lauren was in the West Bank with just a coat on her back after her luggage was seized by Israeli Authorities, an old woman took her by the hand to her home and gave her a hat and scarf. Lauren said it was a moment of utter confusion and warmth--a moment she will never forget. This is what Arabs and Muslims are really like---warm and generous people, not terrorists. Her visits became more frequent to the region and her political ideology began to change; she stopped seeing Palestinians/Arabs as "terrorists".
Lauren was quoted saying how she loved praying and appreciated religion even though she grew up with a Jewish mother who did not raise Lauren as a Jew(Lauren had a very secular upbringing). Lauren's father who is more accepting of Cherie, Lauren's half sister was an alcoholic so for Lauren she now believes it's better that she does not put that stuff into her body (its against the religion to drink alcohol).
Lauren's appreciation for Islam also stemmed from her experiences with Muslim women. She saw how their modesty was unique and inspiring. From a westernized English woman's eyes seeing women in long skirts and hijabs, Lauren did not really understand it at first because in London she valued her hair and her body. In western society, sex sells so a woman's body was normal to be on display.
Back to when Lauren was at the shrine in Iran...she worried for a while as she sat there if she was ready to convert and how would people react or if she would have the time to devote to learning about Islam. Well, in my opinion religion takes a lifetime to understand and I think she is doing a fantastic job as is. She reads the Quran and was asked how far along she was..at that point she had already read 100 pages. Lauren Booth is an inspiration to me. She drastically changed her life and I think she is a better person for it.
Her work as a human rights activist lead her to Gaza in August 2008. While in Gaza she noted that the situation in Gaza is "the largest concentration camp in the world." Booth went to Gaza with a contingency of other activists. However, when the trip ended Booth stayed behind and observed that "the humanitarian crisis was on a scale with Darfur." After she left Gaza through the Egypt border her travels took her to Iran where she visited a Muslim shrine. It can be argued that it was at that shrine in Iran that Lauren Booth had a religious awakening; a spiritual moment. In an interview, Lauren stated how she felt "spiritual joy" while in Iran at the shrine. She found herself saying Allah over and over again. Women walked by her talking of the change she was experiencing.
In October 2010, Booth attended an Islamic Peace and Unity Conference where she stood up in front of the entire audience and said "My name is Lauren Booth and I am a Muslim." Booth to me is just one of the many people who convert to Islam everyday. Islam is the fastest growing religion which a following of approximately 1.7 BILLION people. That is more than the population of China.
It is a bit of a shame that more people can't see what Lauren sees. In 2005, When Lauren was in the West Bank with just a coat on her back after her luggage was seized by Israeli Authorities, an old woman took her by the hand to her home and gave her a hat and scarf. Lauren said it was a moment of utter confusion and warmth--a moment she will never forget. This is what Arabs and Muslims are really like---warm and generous people, not terrorists. Her visits became more frequent to the region and her political ideology began to change; she stopped seeing Palestinians/Arabs as "terrorists".
Lauren was quoted saying how she loved praying and appreciated religion even though she grew up with a Jewish mother who did not raise Lauren as a Jew(Lauren had a very secular upbringing). Lauren's father who is more accepting of Cherie, Lauren's half sister was an alcoholic so for Lauren she now believes it's better that she does not put that stuff into her body (its against the religion to drink alcohol).
Lauren's appreciation for Islam also stemmed from her experiences with Muslim women. She saw how their modesty was unique and inspiring. From a westernized English woman's eyes seeing women in long skirts and hijabs, Lauren did not really understand it at first because in London she valued her hair and her body. In western society, sex sells so a woman's body was normal to be on display.
Back to when Lauren was at the shrine in Iran...she worried for a while as she sat there if she was ready to convert and how would people react or if she would have the time to devote to learning about Islam. Well, in my opinion religion takes a lifetime to understand and I think she is doing a fantastic job as is. She reads the Quran and was asked how far along she was..at that point she had already read 100 pages. Lauren Booth is an inspiration to me. She drastically changed her life and I think she is a better person for it.
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