The Nuclear Age

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, the world is now faced with the prospect of a nuclear crisis of a magnitude never before seen on human history. But this is not mankind's fist brush with nuclear crisis.

On August 6th and 9th of 1945 American troops dropped the atomic bombs, "Little Man" and "Fat Boy", on the towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. The aftermath of which was the near total destruction of both towns and a legacy of radiation poisoning and radiation related diseases. If you have never seen the documentary "White Light, Black rain" I highly recommend you do. It highlights the first hand accounts of the survivors of both bombings, what happened during and after the explosion. Those who were fortunate enough to survive the initial attack faced a battle with radiation related ailments, some dying slowly as their organs were literally cooked from the inside out or their bodies became infested with cancerous tumors. Most Japanese today are unaware of what happened in their own country in 1945, as the government has all but erased those events from their history. It is very sad, for there were lessons to be learned regarding the dangers of nuclear power which were lost to an entire generation.

Chernobyl is another brush with nuclear disaster which mankind faced. April 26, 2011 will mark the 25 year anniversary of the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl. On that day, an explosion occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine and a radioactive fire burned for 10 days. Almost 200 tons of radioactive material was released into the atmosphere and 70% of was blown by wind into the country of Belarus.

Today, there are still nearly half a million displaced people, many of whom left behind land and homes that have been in their families for generations. Many children born since the disaster have suffered from birth defects, super-sized tumors, and genetic abnormalities like malformed limbs and hydrocephalus (excessive brain fluid). In addition, the rate of thyroid cancer and leukemia has raised 30-50% in children. This is just in the last 20 years, doctors predict that more long term effects will continue to manifest. By long term, I mean spanning generations, as children with genetic abnormalities have children of their own, and people continue to live in an environment where the air they breathe, food they eat and water they drink are contaminated with 10-100 times the normal amount of radioactive material. What is also scary is that 97% of the radioactive materials from the Chernobyl plant remains inside a hastily constructed, crumbling sarcophagus. The structure was meant to be a short-term measure, built to last no more than 20-30 years.

What happened in Chernobyl and the surrounding area is the aftermath of one reactor meltdown. In Japan we are currently looking at two, possibly three (at the time of writing) possible meltdowns. My heart goes out to those who are working diligently to cool the reactors and prevent a disaster for those brave souls are sacrificing their lives to save the world, literally. Most of those first responders are not likely to survive exposure to such high levels of radiation.

If you think Chernobyl and Japan are far away places that has no effect on you or your family, think again. We are all tenants of earth. Air circulates around the globe, ground water moves to rivers, which spill into oceans, which have underwater currents that circumvent the earth. Think about our society and what has happened in terms of the state of our overall health. Cancer rates are on the rise, and many more men and women these days struggle with infertility. We need to wake up and take care of mother earth for she will evict us.

If you want to help the children of Chernobyl, visit the following sites:
Chernobyl Children's Project International

Children of Chernobyl Relief and Development Fund

If you want to help those affected by the devastation in Japan, visit the following sites:

American Red Cross

Save the Children

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The Immigration Issue

I'm probably asking for trouble but I have been shocked lately by the attitude of many over the Arizona immigration law and I think that many of these people are confused that by being against this law, you are somehow in support of illegal immigration. This is hardly the case. I feel that if you are here illegally, you should be deported - after it is proven that you are here illegally of course. However, the issue that I and many others have with the Arizona Immigration law is that police will have the right to ask for proof of citizenship if you "look" illegal. There are so many immigrants in this country that came here legally. How do you visually differentiate between a legal immigrant and an illegal one? You can't and herein lays the problem. If you are a U.S. citizen, either by birth or through naturalization, then you are protected by the fourth amendment against unreasonable search and seizures without probable cause. You also have equal protection granted by the 14th amendment, which also prohibits racial profiling (which means looking like an illegal immigrant isn't probable cause). Not to mention the foundation of our legal system that you are innocent until proven guilty. The state needs to prove any case against a citizen, not the other way around. If you are a citizen, you have rights.

I believe there are better ways of managing the illegal immigration issue which does not involve the Nazi practice of stopping people on the street and asking for their "papers". This sets such a scary precedent and I am shocked that people are so motivated by fear and anger that they are willing to give up their rights. But here is the rub, the people who support this really aren't giving up their rights, they are giving up the rights of anyone who looks like they are of Latino decent. I have yet to see a single non-white person who supports this law. That is because if you are white, you do not know what it is like for you or your family or friends to be stopped by the police on a regular basis simply because of the color of your skin. If you have never had to live with this, then it sounds so benign, just stop for the cops and show them your papers. But I would like you to imagine for one moment that you are on your way to the supermarket, preparing for a large dinner party at your house and you are pulled over by the police and detained for 30 minutes while they check your papers. This happens again on your way home, your dinner party ruined. The next day you are running late for work and are stopped again and asked for your papers. You get in trouble for being extra late for work. You run out to grab lunch and are asked for your papers. Again after work on your way to the gym. Again on your way home. At night you sit on your porch, trying to enjoy a nice evening and two cops come by and ask for your papers..."and while your at it, everyone else in the house show your papers". This may seem excessive but this is the Pandora’s Box that has been opened with this law. Doesn't sound so benign now does it? What if you're not here illegally but you are a naturalized citizen or like me, a second generation born American, is this fair?

There has to be better ways of identifying illegal immigrants other than racial profiling and requiring citizens to constantly carry proof of citizenship. Do you always carry your birth certificate of other important papers with you at all times? Why can't the department of labor do more checks at workplaces to ensure that all employees are legal citizens? Surely if you are here illegally, you have to work somewhere. Isn't the loss of jobs a key issue in the immigration debate? You know why this won't happen? Because it is whites who typically own the farms and construction companies that rely on cheap illegal labor so that you can get your apples on sale for $1 a pound and you can get that new bathroom installed in your house cheaper and keep your lawn perfectly landscaped at all times. That's the dirty little secret about illegal immigration - you want them out, but you're not willing to pay the price. What would your grocery bill look like if every item of food was picked, prepared and packaged by workers being paid the legal minimum wage?

But I digress. Throughout American history we have been a nation of hypocrites. We have been built by the hard work of immigrants that we didn't want here. And each generation does to the new wave of immigrants exactly what the previous generations did to their immigrant grandparents and so the cycle goes on and on and on. Being a native Brooklyn girl, I have seen every neighborhood I knew growing up change its demographic. Many of my friends are sad about this, some are downright angry. I feel a twinge of sadness myself, more nostalgia than anything else, but I also take it in stride. My parents and grandparents pushed out one ethnicity, just as they were pushed out by another. And all those Russian and Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Iranian and Turkish children growing up with immigrant parents and going to the same school as my children - those kids will be the nurses and doctors, politicians, construction workers, police officers and such that will care for my children and grandchildren in the years to come. They will move to the suburbs, buy new cars and open chain restaurants. They will probably also grow up to call the next wave of immigrants "dirty so-and-sos". The cycle will sadly continue. He who doesn't learn from history is doomed to repeat it.

So chew on this: We were not just built on the backs of immigrants, we continue to grow on the backs of immigrants and just imagine what this country would be like if, just for one generation, we actually embraced that and were friendly to our immigrant population?

Marriage equality as declared by the UN

Here is something interesting that I came across and wanted to share. Nearly 61 years ago, on December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The goal of the Declaration of Human Rights was to define basic freedoms that every human being is entitled to. Article 1 states: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Article 2 continues with "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty."

Here's where it gets interesting. If you read article 16, it states in 3 parts:
"(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State."

Note that in part 1 it does not specify that men have the right to marry women and women have the right to marry men, only that both men and women have the right to marry and found a family (again it does not specify by what methods that family is founded). It also states that marriage shall be entered into with the full consent of the intending spouses; Not husband and wife but SPOUSES! Article 2 declares that every human being is entitled to all of the rights set forth, including article 16, without distinction, I repeat: without distinction.

How sad that in the United States, we purport to be the greatest country on Earth, and yet we do not fully provide one of the most basic human rights, which the collective countries of this planet have deemed as essential. Regardless of your religious beliefs, the United States is not a religious state but an independent one and an important member of the United Nations. Regardless of your religious beliefs, you cannot deny that a person who is homosexual is still a human being, they are born of two human beings and are therefore human. For 61 years, our government has decided to alienate an entire segment of the population as ineligible of the rights outlined in article 16 simply because of the distinction of their sexual orientation. SIXTY ONE YEARS!

Think about that.

Keeping it real with MJ

Did you know that Michael Jackson passed away? Well, in case you have been living under a rock, he did. And the last few days have been chock full of tributes and articles. The entire line up for the BET awards changed. And I can no longer stand to listen to radio. I mean, how many times can I hear "I'll Be There" before I want to poke my eardrums with a hanger. I have given up on Facebook for a while, as my friends are no longer posting updates on their lives, but tributes to MJ.

I am having a really hard time comprehending the outpouring of "love" from people who, quite frankly, were cracking jokes about the man in the weeks, months and years before his death. It seems so hypocritical to elevate someone after death and to forget that the man faced charges of child molestation TWICE. Ask any one person who participated in the tribute circus if they can recall the name of MJ's last album. Or when was the last time they went to an MJ concert. Did they show support for him during his 1993 or 2003 trial?

Look, I had the red jacket with the zippers from the Beat It video. I even bought a pair of silver glitter socks after Billy Jean. I remember flipping out when he did the moonwalk at the Grammy's. For my elementary school graduation, I asked my parents to buy me a record player and the Thriller album. I remember it being one of the best gifts I ever received. I even still have the VHS tape of the Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, directed by Jon Landis. I WAS a fan. However, after the first trial, and more importantly after the "Living with Michael Jackson" documentary, he no longer held any sway with me. And I was able to see through the singing and dancing and flair. What I saw was a sad and disturbed man who had completely lost touch with reality. And I mean COMPLETELY. For a 40 year old man to think it is perfectly acceptable and appropriate to sleep in the same bed as a 13 year old boy, who is NOT your child, is just sick.

People even get angry when someone even mentions it, like we're supposed to forget those "dark times". I haven't seen any news venue reach out to the victims or the family of the victims to gain their reaction. Why are we not allowed to mention these things? Why are these topics closed for discussion? My own mother became angry with me saying it was disrespectful to the dead. I hadn't realized that the dead demanded so much respect.

I am not a completely heartless person. When I heard of his passing, I was shocked but not surprised. You can only do so much to the human body before it gives out. And MJ was far from the epitome of health. I did feel sad for his children because despite how warped and bizarre the family dynamic can be, he was still the only father they had known. I felt sad for his family, again, as warped as they may be, they were a family. Death is a difficult thing to cope with and you cannot select who or what type of person will end up being in your family (even I have a few nutcases and jailbirds in the family tree). Even Jeffrey Dahmer's family mourned for him after his death.

Much to my surprise I have been able to openly and rationally discuss these things with a very select few people (actually, only 2 people). I had one person tell me that they felt really sorry for MJ. That he was abused as a child and he had been exploited his whole life and that is why he turned out to be a pederast. I'm sure you can visit any prison and ask a convicted pedophile about his childhood and you would hear some sob story of abuse and neglect. Does that make it acceptable? There are millions of people around the world who were victimized as children and grew up to not repeat the cycle of abuse. I know MJ was acquitted of the second round of charges but he bought his way out of the first and I have always wondered if the verdict would have been different if he wasn't rich and famous.

And while I mention his fame, there is another aspect of MJ that I have always found to be fascinating and incomprehensible. This is a very delicate subject and I may really offend some but I'll go there anyway because, hey, it's my blog. It's about race and I'll start with my own personal view:
I have expressed my disdain for Jessica Alba for not remaining true to her Latin roots. The blond hair, the fake blue contacts she wore in the Rise of the Silver Surfer movie, and the "I'm not really a Latina" comment. I also give the same flack to Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Can't a Latina be famous and sexy without being blond? Latin women are not just white women with a tan and a big ass. We have a beautiful and unique look that I think should be valued on its own merit. JLo became a star based on her portrayal of Selena and Selena wasn't a blond. And I feel they are a bit of a disgrace to the race by not accentuating and celebrating the Latin look. So I wonder: why does the African American community hold MJ in such high regard when he had such an obvious hatred of his racial heritage? Can one honestly look at pictures of little Michael from the Jackson 5, and compare them to the Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad album covers and think this is a man who is black and proud? He literally cut his nose off to spite his face. And his skin? I have known people with vitiligo. You're supposed to cover the white spots with makeup that is close to your own natural skin color, not cover up your dark skin color to match the white spots. I doubt that the Hispanic community would be so forgiving of JLo is she went so far as to bleach her skin, lipo her butt and engage in other procedures to make herself white. MJ was ashamed of being black, so why is he held as a hero to the black community? Surely there are other artists out there who have talent and fame and have stayed true to and celebrated their heritage and culture (Stevie Wonder, Queen Latifa, Lawrence Fishbourne, Tyler Perry)?

Michael Jackson was a very talented singer, dancer and overall performer. He was innovative and brought entertainment to millions. BUT his final few decades were filled with erratic and, dare I say it, criminal behavior. In my eyes, it has tarnished his persona in a way that not even death can erase. Now he is gone. I still admire the music and the dancing, the creative music videos and performances. However, he is no hero to me nor is he a God or King. He is a sad man who fell very far from grace and perhaps his vices led to his early demise. But he did it to himself and has no one but himself to blame. I feel pity for his children and family but I also feel pity for the children he abused, both known and unknown, and their families, who will never have their day in court and who will never receive an apology. I feel sorry for the fans, both current and former (myself in the latter category), who never received an apology from him for his actions and for the disappointment he caused to so many. Rest in peace Michael Jackson, as everyone you have left behind must find their own peace.

The Regression of America

Frightening times are ahead and I am not speaking of the economy, I'm speaking of the regression of American values and standards. When I speak of values, I am not referring to Sarah Palin or Pat Buchanan ramming Christianity, conservatism and creationist theories down your throat. I am an atheist. My values come from my internal sense of right and wrong, which is fed by the information I have received and experiences I've had over my lifetime.

There are more honor students in India than there are children in America. Our standards of education, culture and values have been rapidly declining over the past few decades. Look at the number of talentless celebrities in the US. We don't value any accomplishment, I mean Marissa Tomei won a freaking Oscar for Pete's sake! Useless people can become famous for reasons that are beyond my comprehension. How many people reading this know who won the Oscar for Best Actor this year? Now, how many of you know who won the Nobel Prize for Physics? Do any of you even know the Nobel Prize categories?

We have become victims of our own political correctness. A liberal sense of fairness means that everybody has to be "special", which in turn means nobody is special. Your only special if you are set apart from the rest. And no child left behind means that all children are held behind in America. We've accepted mediocrity as a standard so that no one will feel "bad" about themselves. We do not shun stupidity, we put it on prime time TV and laugh at it. Nor to we adequately recognize and award greatness. Some of the greatest minds in our country are relegated to obscurity among the greater population, and if they're lucky, they might get their 15 minutes in a quick cameo on some National Geographic special. So, what is the inspiration for children these days? Where is the healthy sense of competition in academics? I have encouraged all of my children to strive for knowledge. I discuss science and literature with them and while they may not listen (what 12 year old wants to hear about string theory), they understand that being stupid is not an option and they also know that success for them means excelling in areas that most Americans have fallen far behind in - math and science.

Most universities, research and engineering facilities have had to import competent staff from overseas, due to a severe shortage of intelligence in America. Most children have been told that success means one of three options: Finance, Medicine and Law. Where does that leave science? Where does that leave engineering? But more importantly, where does that leave America? If we're not going to be at the forefront of technology, and we've lost most of our manufacturing to cheap overseas labor, we've lost most of our cash crops to corn, so what will we be? We will certainly not be at the forefront, which means we will no longer be a superpower. And that, is a very scary place to be when you think about the countries that are in line to take over the #1 spot (I'll give you a hint, what are most products made in?)