Biggest Accomplishment of the Semester
Possibly one of the biggest accomplishments of my life, too, actually. Yesterday was the Alternative Gift Market (some of you may have received alternative gifts from me for Christmas last year, if you remember), and event that's run every year around the holidays by Reach Out, an organization here on campus for international service and development. The Market gives students and members of the Yale community the opportunity to purchase "alternative gifts" - such as food, medicine, education, etc - for impoverished people in developing countries. I really like the concept, because it's one of those "community service" things where you can actually see the product of your efforts. As in, someone will actually benefit from this. Like last year, I helped run the event, doing mostly publicity and goat-acquiring (yes, goat). Unlike last year, we raised a whopping $8,500 in just 5 hours. Which is incredible.
- posted by Nicole @ 10:12 PM

 
I Hate Life Right Now
The wheel is still spinning, but not only is the hampster dead, it's been run over by traffic four times and the light is still green.
- posted by Nicole @ 2:25 AM

 
You Have GOT to be Kidding Me
Ladies and Gentlemen, our government has sunk to a new low. I know, I know - after incidents like Abu Ghraib, etc, I didn't think it was possible either. Well, it's true: The Pentagon has been spending millions of dollars on a campaign to plant propaganda in Iraqi newspapers. "The stories trumpet the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents, and tout U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country."(FT) OK, now, I could understand if they want to encourage coverage of positive events and progress, and build a more favorable view of the US government and its efforts in Iraq. However, paying a private US PR firm to translate pieces of propaganda written by the Pentagon into Arabic, then to submit them without revealing the role of the Defense Department is CLEARLY NOT AN ACCEPTABLE WAY OF GOING ABOUT THIS. In addition, the Pentagon has also apparently been paying off certain Iraqi journalists to print government propaganda. Look folks, we are already suffering from the worst crisis of legitimacy since Vietnam; things like this are NOT GOING TO IMPROVE OUR CREDIBILITY. This is just unbelieveable.

It's interesting - the NYT has been pretty passive about the war up till now, but I feel like this desecration of journalistic integrity has really gotten to them, and I think this could be the NYT's declartion of war on the War in Iraq. No more Mr. Nice New York Times, if you will. The indigation fairly jumped off the page and bit me in the face, especially the part about how the Pentagon's actions "violate fundamental principles of Western journalism."

This is, of course, my major beef with this whole "War on Terror" stuff. You cannot fight a war in the name of protecting democratic values if, in the conduct of said war, you continually violate those very principles you claim to uphold. And you especially cannot claim a role of leadership in said war, and then expect others - allies and enemies alike - to take you seriously. You merely succeed in doing bin Laden's work for him, providing propaganda and generating more recruits. Worst of all, you make him look like he's right when he says that the US is evil and repressive.

"You show the world you're not living by the principles you profess to believe in, and you lose all credibility."
- posted by Nicole @ 11:55 PM

 
God Bless Starbucks
Ok, so maybe Starbucks isn't just a huge-overblown-exploitative-multinational corporation after all. Tonight, between the hours of 6 and 8, in honor of the holiday season, the Starbucks on Chapel Street in New Haven was - get this - GIVING away tall holiday beverages. As in, FOR FREE. I had a FREE chai eggnogg latte. Merry Christmas to ME.

I feel that the college experience has bestowed upon me a very profound appreciation for all things gratis.
- posted by Nicole @ 11:50 PM