Ferguson happened and everybody is to blame.

Ferguson happened and everybody is to blame. 

The Gist

On August 9^th white Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson, shot and killed unarmed 18 year old, African-American, Michael Brown. A grand jury, consisting of nine whites and three blacks, declined to indict (meaning that at least nine of the twelve people didn't think there was probable cause to try Wilson). Not surprisingly, the city of Ferguson (among others) was rocked by protests and looting (because the businesses were, of course, responsible for his death). Wilson has since resigned from the police force without a pension and the city has been left with millions of dollars worth of damages. As is the case with other major events in the US, we never ask the how and why; we simply KNOW that either Wilson is guilty or he is not. This is what we do know: African Americans in this country are disproportionately poor, incarcerated and living in single parent households. EVERYBODY is to blame for this: white Americans for preventing black Americans from advancing (blacks are disproportionately targeted for punishment in schools, profiled in job interviews, and many sentencing laws hurt minorities more than whites). Black Americans are to blame for using white Americans as the easy scapegoat for the endemic problems that pervade the community (white people didn't cause the high number of domestic violence incidents in the community or cause the large percentage of absentee fathers, for example). Until everyone understands their own part in America’s racial problems, (and yes, that includes every white, brown, black, red, yellow, and green person in this country, whether or not “my ancestors didn’t even have slaves!”), Ferguson’s will continue to occur…and now you know the gist.  

Obama, Reagan, the Bible and Immigration

Obama, Reagan, the Bible and Immigration

The Gist

President Obama’s recent executive order (allowed under ArticleII, Section 1 of the Constitution, it does not require Congressional approval to take effect) shields about 4 million people from deportation. In the past, executive orders have been used to desegregate the armed forces, bar racial discrimination in federal housing and hiring, and President Reagan used one to prohibit  the use of federal funds for advocating abortion. This particular executive order DOES NOT give recipients a pathway to citizenship, health insurance under Obamacare, or guarantee they can stay here permanently. The order WILL allow parents of U.S. citizens (giving a little credence to the notion of the “anchor baby”), who have lived in the US for at least five years, a reprieve from deportation for at least three years and allow them to work. It DOES NOT, like many on both sides hoped, streamline the legal immigration process, provide tools for immigrants already here to become more assimilated, or resolve the issue of the other 6 million or so undocumented immigrants. Under President Bush, the Congressional Budget Office stated that, “...over the past two decades, most efforts to estimate the fiscal impact of immigration in the United States have concluded that…tax revenues of all types generated by immigrants—both legal and unauthorized—exceed the cost of the services they use.” The very right leaning CATO Institute, commenting on illegal immigration, noted that several studies have shown immigration has a “positive impact...on native-born wages.” One group whose wages are adversely affected by illegal immigration are American citizens without high school degrees (in 2013 the nationwide high school graduation rate was 75%). The last major immigration reform took place in 1986 when President Reagan signed a sweeping immigration bill, giving many amnesty (during his 1984 presidential campaign he stated, "I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally.”). Interestingly, and provocatively, the President quoted the Book of Exodus when speaking of the undocumented among us, “we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger.”…and now you know the gist. 

Ukraine, Russia and the West

Ukraine, Russia and the West 

The Gist

Ukraine (it's Ukraine, not THE Ukraine) is in the midst of civil war that was triggered after the overthrow of the corrupt, but democratically elected, Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych was pro-Russian (he is a native Russian speaker) and rejected a plan that would have integrated Ukraine into Europe (which would have made Russia’s President Vladimir Putin very testy). The eastern part of the country is still under the control of Russian-backed rebels (called Russian separatists and freedom fighters by some) and the Crimean peninsula is now nominally part of Russia proper. None of this should have come as a surprise, however, since divisions between the Ukrainian majority west and the Russian majority east have been tense since independence in 1991. The notion that Russia would simply give up and happily become part of the capitalistic West has always been questioned by experts. Ethnic Russians make up a substantial minority in Ukraine and Kazakhstan; Belarus and Moldova are pretty much de facto members of the Russian Federation. The rapid expansion of both the European Union and NATO is seen as the overall reason for Russia’s support of Ukrainian separatists, its invasion of Georgia, and its threats against the Baltic States. Ukrainian officials have steadfastly refused to talk to the Russian-backed rebels. However, with at least 4,317 people killed and 9,921 wounded since April, that steadfastness will probably waiver…and now you know the gist.

Tinder and Tinderallas

Tinder and Tinderallas    

The Gist

Any single twenty-something in the country has heard of, or is on, the phone app Tinder (we don’t actually know how many people are on Tinder, because they refuse to release actual numbers). Tinder is the easy, if just a little shallow, way to meet new people. Unlike eHarmony or Match, it doesn't care what your favorite color is, what book you are currently reading, or where you want to be in ten years. Your Facebook profile and your location (your roster of potential dates, sex partners, or friends is determined by how close you live near them) is all it needs to create your profile. People can then judge you by your looks and swipe your picture right (if they think you are worthy) or left (if they think you aren’t worth a hill of beans). Tinder’s success can be attributed to its 27 year old Beverly Hills born and bred founders: Sean Rad, Justin Mateen (both members of Beverly Hills' affluent Iranian Jewish community) and Jonathon Badeen. They used their background as party promoters to both promote Tinder and attract the attractive and popular to the app. Although most agree that Tinder’s goal is not create long lasting relationships, there is hope: Sean Rad met his girlfriend Alexa Dell (yes, as in THE Dells) on Tinder over a year ago (employees call her the original Tinderalla). Tinder is also very VERY lucrative: IAC (owner of The Princeton Review and Match.com) paid $500 million to buy another 10 percent stake in Tinder…and now you know the gist.

North Dakota and the American Oil Boom

North Dakota and the American Oil Boom   

The Gist

For the first time in over thirty years the United States is producing enough oil and gas for export. Oil production is at an all-time high and has created 169,000 jobs nationwide, growing at a rate ten times that of overall employment. The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has the technology, know-how, and equipment (it has 60% of the world’s supply of drilling rigs) to use fracking to exploit its oil reserves. Property laws in the United States, which give property owners rights over what is beneath their land, create an incentive to drill. North Dakota sits on top of the largest contiguous oil field in the Lower 48. This has created unprecedented opportunities for the people of North Dakota (not to mention the thousands of mostly men who have arrived in the state since the boom). The growth has caused significant problems…of course. It really is like the Wild West: majority male, rampant prostitution, and increasing crime. Life can be brutal in the oilfields of North Dakota, but the possibility of striking it rich is so high that people keep taking the risk…and now you know the gist.  

Midland, Saudi America

Midland, Saudi America   

The Gist

The Midland/Odessa area of west Texas is booming. The oil boom that the United States is experiencing is brought to you courtesy of something called fracking. Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) is the use of high-pressure water and chemicals underground to break up shale rock and release the oil and gas trapped inside. The process is expensive and raises the ire of environmental groups. Although the price of oil continues to fall, the oil boom that has made Midland the “Dubai of Texas” is not likely to end any time soon. Midland has the lowest unemployment rate in the country and the population is growing at 4.6% per year (the overall Texas rate is 1.6%). Plans are being made to build the tallest building between Los Angeles and Houston. All this growth is creating an inflated housing market more like DC than a city of 150,000 and stretching the city’s infrastructure to the brink. However, city officials know that the boom might quickly become a bust when oil prices come down. Longtime residents remember ‘Black Friday’ (October 14, 1983) when the largest bank in the region collapsed after oil priced bottomed out, starting a domino effect that transformed a once booming Midland into a ghost town…and now you know the gist.  

Girls really do run the world....

Girls really do run the world....  

The Gist

Being famous for doing or being absolutely nothing is not new (think the Gabore sisters and, of course, the Kardashians). However, the speed by which ‘Alex from Target’ has become a household phrase took many by surprise. So quick, in fact, that the PR firm Breakr took credit for it (until they had to admit it wasn't them at all; they just wanted a piece of the action). The picture of Alex LaBeouf, a sixteen year old from the Dallas area, was originally posted to Twitter on November 2^nd. Within six hours, he had 100,000 Twitter followers. The number is now more near one million and he has been interviewed by the likes of Ellen DeGeneres, among others. Since we live in a world where teenage girls can make stars of boys they find attractive, we shouldn't be surprised that we also live in a world where people feel the need to send Alex death threats. The Twitter star is now working with John Shahidi, CEO of selfie app Shots, to harness his new found fame…and now you know the gist. 

Ebola Update

Ebola Update  

The Gist

It has been reported that the last person being treated for Ebola in the United States has been released. Although, some are still being monitored to make sure they don’t have the disease, the United States seems to be Ebola-free. Of the staggering NINE people who contracted the disease (the United States is home to 316,100,000 people) ONE died of the disease. Close to 5,000 people have died in West Africa in the past six months. Aid is coming in, but for many it is too little, too late…and now you know the gist. 

Is hearing all that it's cracked up to be?

Is hearing all that it's cracked up to be?  

The Gist

A great video of a mom and son (pictured) dancing has been making the rounds as of late. The son/dancer is Mark Villaver, who has been a backup dancer for Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. What makes the video great is the fact that his mom can not only dance better than the son, she can’t hear the music. Breakthroughs, such as cochlear implants, have allowed many to hear again (or for the first time). Many Americans don’t realize that a debate has been raging in the deaf community over how much they are willing to give up of the culture and community they have created. Protests erupted at the nation’s premier deaf college, Gallaudet University, in 2006 when it was announced that Jane Fernandes would be taking over as president of the school. Students were outraged that a person who was not fluent in American Sign Language was being placed at the helm of a deaf university; her offer was later withdrawn. Many people who cannot hear (referred to as Deaf people, with a capital “D”) feel like a distinct people group with their own cultural norms, proud history and traditions. One only has to see this video (minute 2:20) of a little boy hearing for the first time to see the joy that can be experienced when one is able to hear for the first time. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it’s the right decision for everyone. A quote from a Deaf person in a British newspaper is telling, “I actually feel bad for hearing people,” he says. “I wish that more people could experience the power and peace of utter silence.”….and now you know the gist. 

Mean Girls, an Embassy Takeover and US-Iran Relations

Mean Girls, an Embassy Takeover and US-Iran Relations

The Gist

This past November 4^th marked the 35^th anniversary of the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran by Iranian students, which caused the severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries. But why did the students (called militants by some) decide to partake in one of the most flagrant breaches of diplomatic protocol and international law? Stephen Kinzer, in a fascinating book All the Shah’s Men, chronicles the CIA-backed coup of Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister (the book has all the makings of a good movie: monarch on the  run, communism v. capitalism, oil executives with politicians in their back pocket…) After the return of the Shah to his throne, he became a staunch ally of the West and the United States in turn humored his insatiable appetite for American weaponry (in fact, Iran was the only country allowed to purchase the advanced F14 Tomcat fighter jet) and turned a blind eye to his human rights abuses. Corruption, a widening gap between rich and poor, and a perceived loss of traditional local culture all led to the overthrow of the Shah. It should be pointed out that, although it’s called the Islamic Revolution, those who rebelled were socialists, liberals, communists, free market advocates AS WELL as religious conservatives (the conservatives just won out in the free for all afterward). The students claimed that they wanted to make sure the United States didn't interfere the way they did in 1953 (interestingly, President Carter openly stated he would be happy to deal with the new government in Tehran). In the thirty five years since, Iranian backed terrorists killed hundreds of Marines in Beirut, American navy officers shot down an Iranian civilian airliner killing hundreds and the two have pretty much been partaking in name calling reminiscent of catty (but popular) middle school girls….and now you know the gist. 

Voter ID Laws, Texas, and US History Class

Voter ID Laws, Texas, and US History Class  

The Gist

The ramifications, if any, of Texas Senate Bill 14 (colloquially referred to as the Voter ID Law) will be felt when Texans go to the polls tomorrow. SB14, passed in 2011, requires a person to show a government-issued identification before voting, which includes Texas driver licenses, Texas concealed handgun licenses, and United State Passports. The bill was struck down by U.S. District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos-an Obama appointee-in October, but the Supreme Court ordered it temporarily reinstated for the November elections. Proponents of the bill, overwhelmingly Republican, argue that they are merely combating voter fraud, not trying to disenfranchise the poor or minorities (it should be noted that not all conservatives support voter ID laws: Reagan-appointed conservative judge, Richard Posner, wrote a scathing article against the laws). Opponents of the bill, overwhelmingly Democratic, point to the fact that voter fraud is extremely rare, and that requiring a certain form of ID (which is not free) is tantamount to a poll tax. Early voting in counties with large minority populations has been lower in Texas this time around, but no one will know the full extent (if any) until after November 4^th. You need an ID for less important activities including getting into a nightclub, boarding a plane and buying alcohol. However, none of the above mentioned are protected constitutional rights (which, for anyone who took US History in high school knows, includes voting). To quote the right of center Economist: “Ultimately, and regardless of its effect, Texas's law restricts the right to vote. This is troubling, even if the choices at the polls inspire Texans to stay at home anyway.” ...and now you know the gist.