Kanye's Surprising Compassion for Bush

After the 2009 VMA incident between Kanye West and Taylor Swift, West had taken some time off. During this time, he had realized he had made a mistake of interrupting Swift and has new levels of compassion now.
During George Bush's presidency when Katrina hit, West made a comment that Bush didn't like African Americans. This of course, is not true and Bush was offended by the comment.

This was a "discusting" moment for Bush and was a difficult season for the people in Louisiana, as well as the administration.
Matt Laure had interviewed Bush regarding his Presidency and the Katrina crisis had come up. Bush expresses his grief over the criticisms he received and also explained his views on the events.

"Lauer: 'You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your presidency?'
Bush: 'Yes. My record was strong, I felt, when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And it was a disgusting moment.'
Lauer: 'I wonder if some people are going to read that, now that you've written it, and they might give you some heat for that. And the reason is this.'
Bush: 'Don't care.'
Lauer: 'Well, here's the reason. You're not saying that the worst moment in your presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana. You're saying it was when someone insulted you because of that.'
Bush: 'No, and I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well. There's a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment, pure and simple.' "

West said on an interview radio that he sympathizes with Bush because after the Swift incident, he felt the criticism as well.

From Rollingstone.com, New York's Hot 97 broad casted Tuesday night, (Nov. 2, 2010),
West said in regards to the Swift incident, "It's an amazing, compelling situation. The situation is bigger to me than the Bush moment. It's bigger than a lot of things."

West's compassion towards Bush included a statement from him when he said,"Well I definitely can understand the way he feels to be accused of being a racist in any way. Because the same thing happened to me," West told host Devi Dev.

 'With both situations, it was strictly a lack of compassion that America saw. You know, with him not rushing, not taking the time to rush down to New Orleans. With me, it was the lack of compassion in cutting someone off in their moment. Nonetheless, I think we're all quick to pull a race card in America. And now I'm more open, and the poetic justice that I went through the same thing that he went through, and now I really more connect with him on a humanitarian level, because that next morning, when he felt that, I felt that same thing too.' "

It seems as though the 2009 VMA incident has made a serious impact on West, for the better. West has a new album coming out November 22, 2010. The album is called "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."

Christian Rock band "Mikeschair" sends thousands of shoes to Guatemala

Christian Rock band "Mikeschair" sends thousands of shoes to Guatemala

The article from http://www.christiantoday.com focuses on a band called Mikeschair. The American contemporary Christian band has decided to help "Shoes for Souls" who assist in getting children shoes in Guatemala. In addition, they partners with Joy FM and beautifulfeet.org.

The article was very well covered and was very interesting to read. There were great quotes added and the picture was very eye catching as well. The first paragraph begins with, "Mikeschair recently teamed up with the Florida-based radio station Joy FM to send more than 27,000 new pairs of shoes to orphans in Guatemala." The extremely large amount of shoes donated really captures your attention, and the cause seems to be really unique and seems to be special.

One quote that stood out to me was from the lead guitarist of the band:

"Sam Tinnesz, lead guitarist for Mikeschair, commented, 'I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the Guatemalan people and their rich culture. It was so humbling to get to wash the feet of orphans while sharing the love of Christ with them. I will never forget the joy on their faces when we handed them a new pair of shoes."

The impact of what they are doing is very valuable and seemed to be an amazing experience. The band's song seemed to fit the campaign and was used as the theme for the outreach. It was called," Keep Changing the World".

"The shoe outreach was sponsored by Buckner International Ministries and charitable organisation BeautifulFeet.org added to the campaign's success by agreeing to match every pair of shoes listeners donated, up to 12,000 pairs."

One church group in particular that Mikeschair encouraged to donate had given the most amount of shoes which was really encouraging. The campaign has impacted thousands of lives and also changed and moved the band members.

Photo credit: www.breathcast.com

Elections: Democrats vs Republican Tea Party

Elections: The Democrats & Republican Tea Party

　
The elections between the democrats, Republicans and the tea party have stirred up some hype in the news world. The Tea Party is to be considered the extreme Republican party and is in the lead during primaries.

 "The New York Times reported Monday that Obama's advisers are considering whether to launch an ad campaign nationwide to portray the Tea Partiers as the new leaders of the Republican Party."

There is much discussion on whether the Tea Party would be good leaders and candidates or if they are extreme activists. Former President Clinton comments on the party.

 Fox news reports, "Clinton said he remains concerned the so-called Tea Party candidates would go too far, weakening government to the point where 'there will be even more unaccounted for private concentration of power'." The "...Democrat officials have already made the Tea Party fear factor an integral part of their messaging." (foxnews.com) The Democratic party has"... been all too eager to portray the Republicans as a house divided, and in danger of falling, with the string of recent successes by Tea Party candidates."

This article is very relevant and is current news. The story covered most of the basic information on what is going on with the elections. There is some more information pertaining to Tea Party candidate O'Donnell who is in the spotlight right now based off her former engagements with witchcraft. This is unsettling to some of the Republican party members and her representation of the Tea Party. You can view this as valuable or invaluable or just as hype in the media.

There are different sources quoted and the story was covered well. The 5 W's: who, what, where, when and why questions are answered and there is different views on the topic. The first paragraph draws you in because you see that the Democrats are trying to make the Republicans look bad according to foxnews.com.

"The White House is pushing back on a report that President Obama's advisers are contemplating an all-out ad war to discredit Republicans by way of the Tea Party."

The rise of the Tea Party is gaining interest and popularity and there are many in the leads of the primaries. It will be interesting to find out who wins the seats in government. The article is relevant and important and has the "prominence" factor. In addition, it is headlining news on TV and on the Internet so we know this answered the "so what?" question.

The article is straight forward and to the point. It gives us "political news" and is serious and has impact. The article also has the "conflict" factor in news writing so it draws the reader in.
　
 Resources: FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/20/democrats-pumping-tea-party-fear-factor-upset-primary-wins/

Photo Credit: https://www.jointheteaparty.us/

Always Remember 9-11: 9 years later, News on the Economy & Jobs

Daily Breeze reports for September 6, 2010 how the decline in the U.S. Economy has caused over 8.4 million people to lose jobs and the "unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6 percent. Some jobs that have been lost may never be recovered in fields such as information technology and financial services.Real estate has been an industry with increases in job loss and has effected the construction industry as well. This increase in job losses among the country may effect the Democratic Party and future elections. There is hope and it is estimated that by 2014 most jobs will be regained. There are new industries forming and job sites that have and will work to assist the unemployed. This article was simple and straight forward. This is a hot topic right now and is an interesting aspect of what is going on in our country. Although it has been touched on in the news and media, it is of great value.

Daily Breeze reports,"Nine years later many claim to Ground Zero". This article is on how many people were effected by 9-11.

 One woman remembers her firefighter son Christian. "My son's beautiful remains are forever scattered, "she says. "Ground Zero is a burial ground."  A taxi driver named Noureddine Eldberhoumi says that he cannot really discuss his religion because after 9-11 people were so effected by it. He says, "In their mind, Islam is always going back to Iraq, Afghanistan 9-11, that's it." The author points out a very true point in that everyone was effected in some way. Author of the article, Samantha Gross says, "Everyone had lost something. A child. An acquaintance. A sky-line. A sense of safety..." This article was really well written and had many interesting perspectives of different people who were touched, hurt or impacted by the tragic event we all remember. 9 years later it is sad to see people fighting over the land and there is the debate in whether the mosque should be built two blocks away from Ground Zero. We know Ground Zero is a place where many lost their lives and it would seem that the freedom museum that families discussed seems appropriate. Of course there are potential business deals and it is in the prime location of New York.  Whatever the outcome, Gross points out that, "The memorial was always intended to become a vibrant space again-"

Daily Breeze newspaper reports how the Economy has effected the elderly and the disabled. Staff writer Muhammad El-Hasan says that older people have a harder time getting jobs. Some factors have to do with liability and health insurance costs. El-Hasan interviews a woman named Lisa Chavez, who is unable to pay her rent and is facing a crisis of possibly becoming homeless. Although this is a very difficult situation, there are opportunities for people and there are career centers such as the Carson Career Center. Barry Waite, who runs the Carson Career Center suggests, "They have to reinvent themselves." The CCC offers job training, searching and other helpful tools in finding a job.  They even "...added a job-training program for people 55 and older." This article was informative and interesting. It was helpful to people who need assistance with jobs and gave you a personal insight on what challenges people are facing. 

For more information on these articles go to DailyBreeze.com
Photo Credit: http://www.sodahead.com/

Mosque: To build or not to build?

Mosque: To build or not to build?



Many questions arise when discussing the possibility of building a Muslim mosque near ground zero. Many Americans believe that ground zero is a place of mourning and a place to be respected of the victims of 9/11. "We feel that it is a cemetery and sacred ground and the dead should be honored," Geller said. "To build a 13-story mega mosque on the cemetery, on the site of the largest attack in American history, I think, is incredibly insensitive..." CNN News reports.

Some reports on this very controversial project have been very offended by this proposal and has even gone to the extent of dividing our country. NDTV reports: "Now, almost a decade later, a proposal to build an Islamic centre and mosque - two blocks from the World Trade Centre (WTC) site - has sharply divided the country." Many believe this is a sign of complete disrespect to our country and the people who lost loved ones on 9/11.


This is, evidently, a very sensitive issue and should be considered carefully. Interestingly enough, our President spoke about this issue and is not as concerned as some according to the response he made regarding our constitutional rights. "Speaking at a Ramadan dinner at the White House, President Obama forcefully endorsed building a mosque near Ground Zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no less." (http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/mosque-near-ground-zero-has-america-divided-47837)

It is apparent that most of the American people disagreeing with this project, far outweighs those who are in favor of the controversy. "Whatever his personal views are one thing is very clear - America has spoken. Seventy percent of the Americans are against this project not because we don't value religious freedom but because we believe that in a free society citizens should exercise discretion and this project is inappropriate, insensitive and inflammatory," said Brett Joshpe, from American Center for Law and Justice." (ndtv.com)









There are two sides to every story and in this case, there are some Muslims who agree they want the mosque to be built because they have the right to build and practice their religion, and some Muslims who disagree, saying it will not honor the Prophet Muhammad (Regarding respecting your neighbor and their property). It is very upsetting to some New Yorkers and Americans who want to respect Ground Zero and the 9/11 victims. (Here is more information at CNYcentral.com)


Video: <a href="http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=506616&sms_ss=blogger">Mosque debate divides local Muslim leaders</a>: "The debate over a mosque near ground zero has divided local Muslim leaders."