WWPRD?

Twice in the last month I have given inspirational advice to friends by telling them to ask, WWPRD?- What would Phylicia Rashad do?

I think it's an important thing to ask in times of weakness or strife...

Is your man talking down to you?
Are your friends talking smack?
Did your cat poop on the rug?

You KNOW Phylicia wouldn't put up with that nonsense.

Channel your inner strong, black woman (you can do it too, boys!) and ask...WWPRD?

In terms of the Israeli/Hamas conflict, I am uninformed and confused (as I am with many international issues). My guess is that you might be too.

I just came across Israel Is Losing This War on progressive.org. It's an informative, well-written article and I think it's a must read for anyone wanting to learn more about what's going on at the Gaza Strip. No, it does not answer all my questions, but it's a start.

Here are some parts I found particularly compelling:

War – every war – is the realm of lies. Whether called propaganda or psychological warfare, everybody accepts that it is right to lie for one's country. Anyone who speaks the truth runs the risk of being branded a traitor.

The trouble is that propaganda is most convincing for the propagandist himself. And after you convince yourself that a lie is the truth and falsification reality, you can no longer make rational decisions.

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A person without imagination, like Barak* (his election slogan: “Not a Nice Guy, but a Leader”) cannot imagine how decent people around the world react to actions like the killing of whole extended families, the destruction of houses over the heads of their inhabitants, the rows of boys and girls in white shrouds ready for burial, the reports about people bleeding to death over days because ambulances are not allowed to reach them, the killing of doctors and medics on their way to save lives, the killing of UN drivers bringing in food. The pictures of the hospitals, with the dead, the dying and the injured lying together on the floor for lack of space, have shocked the world. No argument has any force next to an image of a wounded little girl lying on the floor, twisting with pain and crying out: “Mama! Mama!”


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THE FAILURE to grasp the nature of Hamas has caused a failure to grasp the predictable results. Not only is Israel unable to win the war, Hamas cannot lose it.

Even if the Israeli army were to succeed in killing every Hamas fighter to the last man, even then Hamas would win. The Hamas fighters would be seen as the paragons of the Arab nation, the heroes of the Palestinian people, models for emulation by every youngster in the Arab world. The West Bank would fall into the hands of Hamas like a ripe fruit, Fatah would drown in a sea of contempt, the Arab regimes would be threatened with collapse.

* Referring to Israeli politician Ehud Barak.

Small Wonders

Veryshortlist.com is still lighting up my life.

Today's link is to this slide show of 50 Beautiful Examples of Tilt-Shift Photography ("Tilt-shift photography is a creative and unique type of photography in which the camera is manipulated so that a life-sized location or subject looks like a miniature-scale model").

Global Warmth

Maybe there's an issue with referring to it as "global warming". It seems as though a whole lot of people interpret that "ing" as something that's going to happen- like we're getting there, not quite there yet. Well, this just in: IT'S HAPPENING.

Will climate change/global warming literally have to show up at everyone's front door with blinking lights and sirens in order to seem pressing enough to motivate some real change in behavior? Apparently the Alps melting, New Orleans sinking, and Darfur drying up is just not compelling enough.

A few months back, I was having a conversation about the urgency of this issue with some people who felt as though we must all be patient and take small steps. Sure, small steps are better than no steps, but I think there needs to be an emphasis on steps- once you take one, take another and keep taking them. Light bulbs, recycling, and reusable bags are small (albeit trendy and EASY) steps, but they need to merely be a taking off point.

I struggle constantly: easily slipping back into old, bad habits and then I'm reminded that the call for serious, BIG change is the most urgent call out there. If we don't have a home planet, we don't exist.

Our society has made it all too easy for us to get distracted and has subsequently turned many of us into blissfully ignorant consumers, giving ourselves too much credit while turning a blind eye to the real things that need our immediate attention. Here's the thing, though- chances are if you're reading this, you're rich. You are richer than 95% of the world and you have options. You probably got to choose which college to attend and what color socks to wear this morning (choices that many people on the planet aren't even aware of). You got to choose who to vote for and what to make or buy for dinner tonight...and with choices come influence. We can choose to make choices that can greatly impact the rest of the world. We can choose to take BIG steps and affect change. We're powerful. And isn't it true that with great power comes great responsibility?

I need to be more responsible and use the power that comes along with the great variety of choices that I have. And guess what? So do you.




This rant is inspired by Scientific American's "Top 10 Places Already Affected by Climate Change". Read it.

Shameless Plug

For the third year in a row I will be performing at the
Chicago Sketchfest with Awkward Silence!

Where: The Theater Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont

When: Sunday January 11th, 4pm

How much?: Tickets are $12.50, and you can get them ahead of time by calling the Theatre Building box office at (773) 327.5252, or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com (although we don't advise buying them online because of the surcharges and extra tax)

If you do plan to attend, be sure to GET THERE EARLY! The show has sold out every year!