DebDocs

Obama Has It Harder Than You

Today was one of those days where everyone in my program yelped: “I’m overwhelmed with school work!!” -and we’re only two weeks into the semester.  But you know what, there are people out there who are even more overloaded, and have much more responsibilities on their shoulders. So guys, I offer this cartoon as a motivator. I came across it today, and I couldn’t help but feel much weight lifted. Also, I realized that we started school on the same day that Obama began his presidency. He’s also only a few weeks in, and just look at his desk!  A subject in a video I shot said it best: “how on earth he does not allow things to rattle him, I don’t know.”  I’m just glad that I can look up to him, for now at least.

(PS: I really don’t know why both my titles have such a that’s what she said quality, but that’s what came out at first blush, so I’m leaving it as is!)

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Yep, that’s Rahm Emanuel. Doesn’t he look defiant? Nadav Kander photographed 52 people from Obama’s team for the New York Times, one at a time, in a small white photobooth. This is a great way to get to know Obama’s team of people. They are all very intimate portaits. Each person was asked to bring something that would tell a little more about themselves. It’s interesting to see what some of them brought to the shoot. I’m still trying to figure out what Rahm brought. It seems he actually forgot to bring something to the shoot, and by something I mean his wooden finger.

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I was at the Obama Inauguration today with fellow print students from the University of Miami. Virginia Gil and I worked with an intern from UPI to create the following video. Virginia conducts most of the interviews, but I make a couple cameos on there too (I’m the one that looks like the abominable snow beast). No, it’s not Kenny from South Park, but yours truly. As you’ll see in the video, it was cold!

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Click here to hear the audio interview

The Israelian army has killed nearly 600 Palestinians in the Gaza strip, including 20 children, since it launched its offensive on December 27th.  Many of the children were killed when an Israeli bombardment hit just outside a UN school in the Gaza strip.  When such atrocities occur, some people are tempted to say that religion is the problem.  You’ve heard them. “If it weren’t for religion, none of this would ever happen,” or ”religion is the problem,” or “that religion is the problem.” 

According to Rabbi Rachel Greengrass, however, things are not that simple. 

Click the link above to hear an interview I did last year with Rabbi Rachel Greengrass, 28, who discusses how religion can sometimes lead to conflict and war when fundamentalists are involved.

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20,000 children were born from rapes commited in the Rwandan genocide. I saw this video at a worskhop yesterday, and I thought you guys would be interested. What happens when thousands of raped Tutsi women give birth to children that are the fruit of that rape? This video shows what it’s like for these women to raise children borne from genocide.

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