Gap Ad

I just have a few words to say about the ad Gap has running with the man in the turban and the woman at his side.  How beautiful is that?  I think it opens the doors for a whole new era of ads in the States and around the world.  Why is it that every time we see a man in a turban there is some negative connotation attached to it?  I think most men who wear turbans would appreciate a little positive publicity once in a while.  For one thing, not every turban-wearing man hates Americans and two, how would we know anyway?  How many Americans have been to an Arabic country or India?  Not very many and with that being said, let's just drop all the stereotypes. I don't know why the media portrays them all as American-haters, but it all needs to stop and this won't happen until there is a little more cultural exchange and a better economy in the countries/ regions where the few  people who hate the States actually live.  Instead of judging them, let's try helping them build strong international economies.  I realize this isn't easy; that there are political and cultural obstacles but simply judging people and not trying to understand their culture, or worse, imposing your own on them is not the way to go about accomplishing peace and acceptance.  I salute the Gap for portraying someone other than a white, very thin woman as it's model for the Christmas season.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/web-responds-to-gap-s-defense-of-sikh-model-in-ad-campaign-185522447.html

Elections in the U.S.

Watching the election coverage from outside the United States has definately been interesting for me.  Now that there is a little distance of body and soul, I can see more clearly the mud slinging, he-said, she-said nonsense occuring in the media.  I'm actually waiting for there to be an explosion somewhere, unless the elections happen soon, or the candidates learn how to take our nations issues seriously and stop trying to rob women of the rights they fought so hard for.  What government in a civilized nation can hold hearings on women's issues, but not allow even one woman to be present?  That's my first question.  Second question, why are we talking about this, when we have so many unemployed and Marines murdering innocent people in a foreign country that we are supposed to be supporting while they form a democratic government?  I think before we can truly lead the world in a democratic, peaceful way, we must first learn what these things mean, and more importantly, how to do things in our own country.  This begins with choosing a candidate who proves himself of herself worthy.  Unfortunately, so far I have only seen that in one man and I hope he wins re-election.

Politics and the U.S.

I just finished reading That used to be us.  It's a book about everything that's wrong with the american system at the moment.  I think it's a great time to read this book, whether you agree with everything that is said in the book or not.  We, as a country, are at a point where a drastic change must occur.  I know that I'm not alone when I say that I'm fed up with all of the "he said, she said" crap that goes on amoung our political leaders.  Why are they so caught up in slinging accusations at one another and not focused on leading our country. 
There are a couple of things in the book that really struck a cord with me.  One is that a large majority of politicians in the U.S. say that global warming doesn't exist.  Really?  That's why the weather isn't changing so drastically, right?  They need a reality check.  But even if they don't believe it exist, that's no excuse to continue to pump oil from a country that would just as soon see us destroyed as become one of our allies.  We need a renewable, clean source of energy to become independent from these countries.  What would our military do without oil?  We would be crippled, what's more is that Iraq, Iran and all of the other Arab nations know this. 
Secondly, whoever thought that all of those baby boomers could retire and we could pay for it while cutting taxes and not go into debt was completely wrong.  We are more in debt now than at any point in our history.  Japan is also faced with the same problem, but they are raising taxes in order to keep from ending up like Greece.  Why can't the U.S. do this?  Sure, I don't want higher taxes either, but if it keeps China from owning every American company, and me from having to learn Chinese, then I will pay them. 
What I would really love to see happen is both parties stop throwing mud at each other and sit down to seriously discuss the issues that face the U.S. right now.  We have to improve the situation, or our children will grow up in a completely different country than the one we grew up in.

Racism

Racism, I believe, still runs rampant in the U.S. , however, what right does the President of the United States have to comment on a case that he did not personally witness? Answer, he doesn't have a right. It is true that racism still exist in the U.S. and throughout the world but unless you are a witness to the events, please hold your tongue Mr. President.