Chile Earthquake Update and Charity Options

On Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, the South American nation of Chile was struck by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake-- considerably worse than the Haiti earthquake that occurred in January. Below, I will provide my faithful readers with updates and charity options.



UPDATE: In the aftermath of the massive quake, over 700 people are confirmed dead. Also, there have been approximately 90 aftershocks, a few of which measured almost as strongly on the Richter scale as the Haiti quake (7.7). According to a number of scientists, these aftershocks may continue for months. About 60 people are reportedly trapped in an apartment building in Concepcion, Chile. The nation of Chile is claiming not to need international aid, but President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have reportedly conferred about possibly sending U.S. aid to Chile. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has declared her country a "state of catastrophe," and the U.S. government will assist Chile's government if aid is needed.



CHARITY OPTIONS: Those wanting to help the survivors of this natural disaster can donate through organizations, including: Google Checkout, UNICEF, and/or Direct Relief International, among others.

Please help the people of Chile in any way possible today.

Meet the Press-- Ashleyverse Style (Saturday Edition)

Hello! Good afternoon! I've decided to "broadcast" a special Saturday edition of Meet the Press-- Ashleyverse Style, since there's so much happening everywhere right now.

For starters, there are unfortunately lots of natural disasters happening as we "speak." For example, Santiago, Chile, has been rocked by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake. Secondly, Hawaii will more than likely get slammed by a tsunami. Finally, the U.S. East Coast is getting its third round of winter storms. (I think I'm going to follow these items and report on them further in coming days.)

Secondly, in Olympics news, the big story atm is last night's men's 500-meter speedskating final. More specifically, heavily decorated (8 medals career total; 3 medals in Vancouver thus far) Apolo Anton Ohno was disqualified in the event after allegedly causing Canadian Francois-Louis Tremblay to fall during the race. Now, it has been ruled that Ohno will receive the bronze medal. Canadian Charles Hamelin won the gold, and South Korean Si-Bak Sung will take home the silver medal. (Aside: I have a wicked schoolgirl crush on Mr. Hamelin. Sadly, he's already taken.)

Finally, in Ashleyverse news, next week is mid-term week at EIU. Other than that, there's nothing else special going on, except that I'm waiting to hear whether or not I'll get the Eurotrip scholarship and/or the grad assistantship for next semester. (Fingers crossed, y'all!)

So, that wraps up this special Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, edition of Meet the Press-- Ashleyverse Style. Until next time, peace, love, & happiness.

Analysis of Yesterday's "Bipartisan" Health-care Summit

Yesterday was a big day on Capitol Hill. Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, will be remembered by historians as the day of the bipartisan White House health-care reform summit. Unfortunately, this day probably won't be remembered for positive reasons. The main problem is that the summit wasn't all that bipartisan. Senate Republicans remain recalcitrant in regards to backing the president's ideas about this pressing issue. At one point, Obama's former campaign rival, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), viciously attacked the president, who graciously and courageously responded: "The election's over."

MY CHARACTERISTICALLY SASSY REBUTTAL: The president is absolutely right-- the election is over. We need to focus on what's best for the nation as a whole, not our personal likes and dislikes. More importantly, we need to forget the past and deal with what's happening now, which is countless fundamentally good, hard-working Americans without access to affordable, decent health care. We must take care of our own (novel concept, huh?) and quit deriding progress as some kind of -ism. And, speaking of elections, there's a mid-term one coming up in November of this year and another big one in 2012. It might behoove Congressional Repubs to meet the prez half-way on a few things if they want to keep their seats. Even though we all have differences of opinion on how we should receive health care, the majority of us agree that we need it. Therefore, legislators who support some sort or degree of government-funded health-care legislation are the ones who will be elected or re-elected. It's that simple, folks. (Note: This is definitely not my final word on this topic. There's plenty more where that came from. Stay tuned!) Personally, I think those Repubs need to grow up and get over themselves. Just sayin'!

My Reading List for 02/25/10

Alright, I've begun my reading of Herman Melville's 1851 masterwork-- Moby Dick. Of course, pretty much everyone is familiar with the book's opening line: "Call me Ishmael..." and quotes like "Thar she blows!" Well, in between, there's a lot of other stuff going on in here. As I've mentioned before, one of the novel's major themes/plotlines is war, particularly in regards to Britain's military involvement with Afghanistan. Sure enough, there's a reference to this in the very first chapter. In addition to a bunch of other political things, there's plenty of cultural topics and issues dealt with throughout this dense text, including race, religion, and the whaling industry. Lastly, this book is heavy on character development. From narrator Ishmael to Queequeg to the colorful, infamous Captain Ahab, there's plenty to keep readers entertained. As I read and discover more about Melville's literary masterwork, which is definitely about so much more than a quest for a white whale (the book's title means "white whale" in Old English), I'll discuss it here. Thus, stay tuned for the next installment of "My Reading List for..." in which I'll do just that.

Wacky Wednesday World, U.S., and Ashleyverse News for 02/24/10

Once again, there's so much to talk about today. In world news, Marjah, Afghanistan*, is still the primary "hotspot" right now. (*I will discuss this item further later this week.) Also, in U.S. political news, there will be a White House health-care summit tomorrow. (Again, I'll write a focused analysis about this issue sometime in the next few days.) We've gotta be vigilant in regards to this one, folks! In addition, the U.S. continues to dominate at the winter olympic games in Vancouver, B.C. The top American athletes are skier Lindsey Vonn, cross-country skier Julia Mancuso, and hockey player Ryan Miller. Finally, in Ashleyverse news, I'm prepping for my mid-term exam for Am. lit.-- a series of essays-- plus it's still very much wintertime.

Okay, that concludes this "Wacky Wednesday News" report for 02/24/10. Until next time, peace, love, & happiness, y'all!

My Reading List for 02/23/10

Hey, everyone! I'm currently in the process of wrapping up my reading of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself (1845). Douglass was indeed a remarkable, if flawed, individual. (Then again, who isn't at least a little flawed?) Anyway, several things about this book fascinated me; for example, Douglass discusses how slaves living in the city of Baltimore were generally treated better than those on plantations in rural areas of Douglass' home state of Maryland. Also, even though he spoke out against slavery, Douglass subscribed to Victorian views of women. (This actually didn't surprise me that much.) In addition, while the document sometimes takes a righteous tone, Douglass doesn't appear to believe that all white Southerners are pro-slavery; in fact, he frequently mentions one great Southern statesman who to an extent champions the anti-slavery cause (I'm pretty sure he's referring to Kentucky-born Abe Lincoln). Finally, I enjoyed the parts about Douglass' travels to Great Britain and his tales of life on the lecture circuit. England was about decade ahead of the U.S. in terms of broaching the slavery issue. I think the primary message of Douglass' writing is that literacy is power. I can't really argue with that! As for what's next on the agenda for Am. lit., well, I have a mid-term exam next week. After that, we'll be reading Herman Melville's masterwork-- Moby Dick (1851). There's a lot going on plotwise in this classic novel, including British military involvement with a little country called Afghanistan, which, incidentally, didn't work out too well for the Brits. (Hmm... did someone say: "History repeats itself"?!) Alright, stay tuned for the next edition of "My Reading List for...". Until next time, peace!

A Progressive Response to the Neocons' Attacks on President Obama at the 2010 CPAC Gathering

This past week, various conservative political and media figures convened for the annual CPAC (Conservative Political Action Committee) gathering. All the key speakers, including GOP presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, ripped on President Obama for his alleged role in the current economic mess, among other things. Regardless of the issue at hand, the president just can't catch a break from conservatives.

THE PROGRESSIVE RESPONSE: Get some new material, people! We're all in this mess together, so it's going to take all of us working together to get out of it. This whole partisanship thing is out of control. In addition, we need a danged stimulus package, and Congress and the president need to work in tandem in order to cut wasteful spending (hint: no more wars!). We also need health care, which we'll probably get-- with or without the Repubs. (Who needs 'em, right?) Finally, we just have to realize that part and parcel of living in a representative democracy like America is that none of us is always going to like every aspect of every single piece of legislation that comes down the pike. That's just the way it is, folks. If you don't like it, then move to Afghanistan!