International

Hostage Situation Ends in Tragedy

Justin Velez

On Sunday, October 31, Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic Church in Baghdad where gunman held worshipers as hostages. The security forces demanded that the Iraqi government release detainees and prisoners inside Iraqi and Egyptian prisons The U.S. military spokesman said that as many as 120 people were taken hostage. The standoff ended as thirty-seven people were killed in the operation. Most of the hostages were killed after the gunman set off explosives planted within the Church. The Islamic State of Iraq later claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement posted on a radical Islamic website. The umbrella group includes a number of Sunni extremist organizations and has ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq. U.S. forces provided reconnaissance assistant to Iraqi forces, but stayed out of the dispute otherwise.

• Islamic State of Iraq: An umbrella organization of a number of Iraqi insurgents groups that seeks to protect the Iraqi people from United States attacks and defends Islam.
• Al-Qaeda: A militant Islamist group founded sometime between 1988-1989. Al-Qaeda operates as a network comprising a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad. Al-Qaeda operatives were behind the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, and the main target of Bush’s War on Terror.

Additional Reading:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/10/31/iraq.violence/index.html

United States

Overview of Election Results

Julia Newman

• Senate: The Republicans gained six seats, going from 41 seats to 47. Although the Democrats lost seats, they still retain a majority with 52 seats (51 is needed for control)
• House of Representatives: The Republicans gained 60 seats in the House. This brought the Republicans seat total to 239, giving the Republicans control over the House. Due to this change Nancy Pelosi will be replaced as Speaker of the House by the Ohio Republican Representative, Joe Boehner.
• Issues: In exit polls done throughout the country, the economy was overwhelmingly voted the most pressing issue facing the country. Other issues include healthcare, wars, the deficit, education, and illegal immigration.
• This election has created the following scenario. A Democratic President and Senate, but a Republican dominated House of Representatives, this could potentially make passing legislation difficult.

Additional Reading:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/main.results/

http://www.cbsnews.com/election2010/

The Hill

Reid Camp Optimistic About Surge in Voter Turnout

Tess Wafelbakker

A few weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D) of Nevada and his campaign seemed to be in serious trouble. National polls showed the incumbent senator behind his Republican opponent and Tea Party favorite, Sharron Angle. The outcome of this high profile race could have had a significant impact on the expected shift in power from Democrats to Republicans in Congress. During Nevada’s first week of early voting (Oct. 16- Oct. 22), Republican voters outnumbered the Democrats, despite a higher Democratic voter registration in the state. However, Democratic voting surged in the final week of early voting, which ended this past Friday. The margin between voters of both parties is not nearly as large as previously projected, and it seems that the only way Reid would have been ousted from the Senate was if a large number of registered Independents who support the Tea Party Movement voted in this pivotal midterm election. Pollsters claimed that regardless of these numbers, the race would be very close and that the results would rely heavily on Independent voters, as well as other turnout factors. Either way, this race was a controversial one. However, Reid eventually proved successful in his bid to retain his Senate seat.

Additional Reading

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/126637-reid-campaign-heartened-by-democratic-turnout-during-early-voting-in-nevada

California

Corruption in Governmental Pensions

Mckenzee McCammack

As a result of the Bell Scandal, there has been more intense scrutiny of the problems and corruption, involving the pension system allotted to governmental workers. For instance, the Bell administrator, Robert Rizzo, was given an annual pension of $1 million. There has been a twenty-year trend of raising pensions for government and union workers. However, Governor Schwarzenegger has asked the unions to limit higher pensions for newly hired workers since it is a strain on the taxpayer. The problems began to arise when such cities as Bell began abusing the pension system. However, it has been an ongoing issue. Both legislators and governors were approving pension-raises that have ultimately inflated long-term costs. At the end of Gray Davis's term as governor, he approved a 50% pension increase for the California Highway Patrol and other public safety workers. After this, there was a 33% increase in civilian government workers’ pensions. When the pensions began to increase, so did the demands from governmental workers for other unnecessary benefits. It wasn't until recently that the idea of rolling back pensions became tangible. However, this battle does not come without a fight. For instance, when Governor Schwarzenegger proposed putting a measure on the ballot to lower pensions, television ads from firefighters and police unions defeated it in the polls before the ballot went to a vote. With all of the new awareness regarding the pension issues, hopefully legislators will begin putting their foot down to stop abuses in the system.

• Bell scandal: where city council members were determining their own income
• Pensions: payment given to government workers in addition to their salaries

Recent actions against pension corruption:

• Mayor Villaraigosa proposed a potential pension reform program that would cut taxpayer cost by $1.5 billion in Los Angeles.
• It was discovered that 10 San Diego city employees were found splitting $61 million in pension payouts
• Measure B on the San Francisco ballot proposes a pensions reform measure. This would raise the amount that workers pay into their own pensions from their salaries from 7.5 to 10%.

Additional Reading:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/politics&id=7672719

http://www.californiapensionreform.com/2010/09/democrats-dividing-over-san-francisco-pension-reform-measure/

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pensions-20101101,0,7326104.story

Los Angeles

Two New Elephants for the L.A. Zoo

Claire Goldberg

The San Diego Zoo is relocating two female Asian elephants, Tina and Jewel, to the Los Angeles Zoo. Tina and Jewel are estimated to be in their mid-40s and were moved to the San Diego Zoo 14 months ago, after spending years with a Texas circus trainer who was cited for mistreatment by the U.S. Agriculture Department. Tina and Jewel will become charter members of the zoo’s Elephants of Asia program, which exhibits Asian elephants of all ages and shows visitors what is needed to protect the endangered species. There is mixed sentiment about whether or not a zoo can replicate the habitat of wild elephants. These elephants are known to roam for miles daily and stay within intact family groups. The L.A. Zoo is repudiating these feelings by creating six acres of sandy hills, bathing pools and other natural attractions to their new exhibit, as well as adding medical care. Additionally, the L.A. Zoo policy will allow only protected contact between elephants and zookeepers. With Tina and Jewel, the L.A. Zoo will have a total of three elephants, though they hope to acquire up to two more in the next few years.

• Protected contact: ensures that a zookeeper will only use positive reinforcement to coax an elephant into doing something, rather than a threat of punishment

Additional Readings:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-elephants-20101030,0,3246798.story?track=rss

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/kswb-san-diego-zoo-to-loan-2-eleph-102910,0,7273409.story?track=rss

Local Cultural Events

Florence + the Machine

Tina Pixler

Looking for new music? What about finally seeing an act about which you have been hearing a lot of buzz. Florence and the Machine will be performing at The Wiltern on Nov. 6th and 7th. Tickets are affordable, ranging between $29 and $35. Florence Welch has already won several awards in the U.K. for her powerhouse voice. It is only a matter of time until her music has the same affect in the U.S. Check out her debut album, “Lungs”!

For more information see http://findlocal.latimes.com/listings/florence-and-the-machine-los-angeles

The Wiltern is located at 3790 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90010.

Directions from the front gate of LMU:

Turn right onto Lincoln

Turn right onto Jefferson

Get on the 405 N

Take the 10E

Exit Western Ave and turn left

Turn right on Wilshire and arrive at The Wiltern

International

Dispute Over Drug Raids in Afghanistan

Paulina Slagter

On October 29, 2010, the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai has claimed violation of national sovereignty and international law as the United States and Russia join together to suppress the drug trade, rooted in Afghanistan. This operation by the United States and Russia is intended to destroy the drug laboratories that produce heroin and opium. Officials in Russia blame Afghanistan’s lax policy towards drugs as a cause of the estimated 2.5 million heroin addicts in Russia. Russia was able to destroy 32kg (2,055lb) of high-grade heroin, 156kg (345lb) of opium, and a large amount of technical equipment. Russia’s unilateral drug raids, without the consent of Afghanistan’s government, have angered President Karzai. This is a sensitive issue after Russia’s occupation in Afghanistan 21 years ago. Afghani officials have called the raids ‘illegal’ but Russia’s joint efforts are seen as crucial in suppressing the drug trade and protecting the international community against narcotics. There is controversy as to whether Afghanistan’s interior ministry and elite narcotics officials were assisting the Russian officials in the raid. Afghanistan's interior ministry said it is believed that only Russian observers, rather than Russian troops were to take part, but President Karzai maintains that he was not notified of this and that Afghanistan’s national sovereignty has been infringed upon.

• National Sovereignty: independent rule over a geographic area with the freedoms to make political, economic, military decisions without foreign influence.
• Unilateral: an action or position performed by one actor without the consent of others.
• Narcotics: Term can refer to any illegal drugs but it especially characterizes things like morphine and heroin.

Additional Reading

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11659814

United States

A Politically Themed Entertainment Program

Jessica Fernandez

October 30, 2010 was the day the long awaited “Sanity and Fear Rally” took place on the National Mall in Washington D.C., hosted by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Tens of thousands of Americans came together to see what kind of effect a dueling rally had and the many jokes these two comedians were going to produce. Denying this rally as politically based, they referred it more as a call to action for the rational majority of America, so they will get out and vote on November 2nd. The rally consisted of the two comedians hosting different musical performances such as The Roots, as well as promoting the idea of talking rather than shouting different opinions. All ages descended on the mall, with many posters and signs filled with wry, humor remarks. Some of these remarks were political but some were just to get a laugh. There were also many fans that couldn’t go, so there were at least 20 satellites feeds in major cities around the nation. Though opposition to the event view the rally as having bias toward the Democratic party, Stewart and Colbert denied ties or allegiance to any party and the fans stated that their main reasons for coming to the event was because they felt alienated or just wanted to smile. With a Facebook page that has a quarter of a million followers and thousands who clicked “attending”, this entertainment based rally created a positive place for the rational majority of Americans to engage in tempered political discourse.

Additional Reading:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-stewart-rally-20101028,0,7027449.story?track=rss

http://www.latimes.com/news/sc-dc-stewart-rally-web-20101030,0,3299738.story

The Hill

Democrats Outspend Republicans in Midterm Election

Justin Fimbres

While Republican’s have decisively won the edge in third party spending by outside groups, Democrats have still utilized superior financial resources against their counterparts. When you compile total spending by Democratic groups and Republican groups, including both outside spending, national/state/local party spending, and individual campaign spending; Democrats have outspent Republicans by almost $270 million. Total spending by Democrats is $856 million while Republicans have spent $677 million. While a majority of the debate, in regards to campaign spending, has revolved around outside groups, Democrats have maintained the edge. On average, Democrat incumbents running for various offices have a 30% edge against their opponents. Unfortunately for Democrats, the Republicans are riding a wave election that places them in a prime position to run without a financial advantage. Democrats have had to redirect financial support towards safer bets to ensure that they do not lose control of the Senate and House.

Additional Reading

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/us/politics/27money.html

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/democrats-have-outspent-republicans-856-million-677-million_513059.html

California

California’s Proposition

Julia Newman

• Proposition 19: Voting yes would legalize marijuana, allowing it to be government regulated and taxed
• Proposition 20: Voting yes would give the responsibility of drawing up California’s district boundaries to Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is a third, non-political body.
• Proposition 21: Voting yes would add an $18 fee when a person registers their motor vehicle. However, parking and admission would be free at all state parks.
• Proposition 22: Voting yes would restrict the states authority to redirect fuel and property tax.
• Proposition 23: Voting yes would suspend certain regulations put in place to combat global warming, until the unemployment rate drops to 5.5% or lower.
• Proposition 24: Voting yes would effect small businesses in the following ways: business would be less able to deduct losses in one year, a multistate business will have its California income determined by a calculation using three factors, and a business will not be able to share tax credits with related businesses.
• Proposition 25: Voting yes would mean that the voting requirement to send the annual budget to the Governor would be lowered from the current 2/3 majority to a simple majority of each House.
• Proposition 26: Voting yes would broaden the definition of taxes to include many more types of payments. This would mean more approval by 2/3 of the each House to increase revenues.
• Proposition 27: Voting yes would mean the responsibility to determine the boundaries of State Legislature, and Board of Equalization districts would be returned to the Legislature.

Additional Reading:

http://www.californiapropositions.org/nov_2010

http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/quick-reference-guide/

Los Angeles

“Subway to the Sea” Moves Forward

Emmett McOsker

Development of a long-discussed “Subway to the Sea,” a rail connection linking downtown Los Angeles to the Westside took step towards being realized Thursday. County transportation officials selected a general route from the Wilshire-Western station to the Veterans Hospital in Westwood. Both the route and final destination were the subjects of much debate, before receiving final approval by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board members. Major issues of concern included the route's proximity to an earthquake fault line, and a proposal to run a portion of the route underneath Beverly Hills High School. MTA staff recommended the 9 ½-mile route to the Veterans Hospital because of higher ridership projections. The estimated cost of the project is $5.15 billion. The decision by board members sets the stage for the painstaking work of going block by block to establish the precise path and determine where to place stations. Construction is set to begin in 2013, after a final environmental impact review.

• Subway to the Sea: Long discussed project to extend a subway route from downtown L.A. to the Westside. On Thursday, city officials selected an official route and approved the project.
• New Route: The selected extension to L.A.'s purple line will run 9 ½ miles along Wilshire Blvd. and end about 3 ½ miles from the ocean at the Veterans Hospital in Westwood.
• Funding: The new subway will cost an estimated $5.15 billion. If federal government provided the anticipated funding, the project could be completed as early as 2021.

Additional Reading:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/westside-subway.html

Local Cultural Events

Roman Polanski Shorts

Meg Patch

For all of the film buffs out there, there will be a showing of Roman Polanski’s short films at the Cinefamily on N. Fairfax on Tuesday, November 9th at 8:00PM. They will have a live score, performed by the polish duo SzaZa, using clarinets, violins, digital effects, and looping. These rough-grained, 35mm, black and white short films are from the late 1950s and early 1960s, which Polanski made as a student at the renowned Lodz Film School in Poland. Some of the shorts include Murder and Teeth Smile, both made in 1957 and also his award-winning graduation film Two Men and a Wardrobe, which was made in 1958.

611 N. Fairfax Ave.; L.A. CA

• From 405 N:
• Keep right at the fork to continue toward I-10 E/Santa Monica Fwy and merge onto I-10 E/Santa Monica Fwy
• Take exit 7B for Fairfax Ave
• Turn left at S Fairfax Ave
• Keep left at the fork
• Destination will be on the left

International

Five New Cases of Cholera Reported in Haiti

Justin Velez

On Monday October 25^, 2010, a United Nations spokesman has reported five cholera cases in Haiti. Public health officials in Port-au-Prince are working hard to control the spread of cholera in the sprawling tent cities where tens of thousands of people are still living as a result of he 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which hit on January 12, 2010. The quake destroyed much of the capital’s infrastructure and created a crisis in sanitation. Already 253 Haitians have died from Cholera, and 3,015 cases have been reported. Health experts are hopeful that since they caught this outbreak early, they can effectively contain it from further spread. Yet as a precautionary measure, officials are stepping up sanitation efforts and setting up quarantines in Port-au-Prince. USAID had pledged to provide additional supplies for the treatment centers, with some 300,000 oral re-hydration kits and purification kits to be used in the affected areas. The next few weeks will dictate how badly the outbreak spreads.

• Cholera: Caused by a bacterial infection of the intestine and, in severe cases, is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting and leg cramps. In such cases, rapid loss of body fluids can lead to dehydration and shock, and may even lead to death if left untreated within several hours of the first symptoms. People often contract cholera from contaminated water, especially after it has come into contact with feces.
• Quarantine: A period of time during which a vehicle, person, or material suspected of carrying a contagious disease is detained to prevent further spread of a disease. Government enforced quarantines are often conducted involuntarily, and are used by a country to protect the rests of its population.
• USAID: is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. USAID has been extensively involved in the relief effort in Haiti.

Additional Reading:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/24/haiti.cholera/index.html

United States

Women in the Race

Julia Newman

There are 160 women running for congressional and gubernatorial positions in the election this coming Tuesday, November 2nd. This high number has broken records, and many of these women are Republicans, including Sharron Angle and Nikki Haley. This would seem like improvement because the United States is ranked 90th in the world for the number of women elected, after Cuba and Afghanistan. However, overall the female candidates are doing poorly in the polls. Currently there are 13 Democratic women in the senate and only four Republican women. CNN polls show women voters are less likely and less enthusiastic to vote this year.

• Gubernatorial: Governor

Additional Reading:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/28/women.candidates/index.html?hpt=C2
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1274965/Election-2010-humiliated-women-.html

The Hill

Meek to drop out of senate race

Josh Fimbres

The latest news from the Florida Senate race is that former president Clinton attempted to convince Kenderick Meek (D) to drop out of the three-way race. Current poll numbers show Marco Rubio (R) winning the three way race by a margin of 7-10 points. Charlie Crist (I) switched parties because he was going to lose the Republican primary against Marco Rubio. Meek has had a lackluster showing in recent polls. The most recent shows Meek garnering about 15% in the three way race. If Meek were to drop out those numbers would presumably shift to Crist and allow him to pull off an upset against Rubio who is the favorite to win, according to recent projections. Democratic sources indicate that Meek has agreed to drop out of the Florida race and support Crist. However, Meek was said to have changed his mind and continues to do his best to win the senate seat. The argument being made is that Rubio’s views are too extreme for Florida. Meek, although a stalwart candidate, is drawing support that would otherwise allow Crist to win the race. To many Democrats the success of the Obama/Democratic agenda is at stake and losing this race to a Republican would merely aid in a Republican resurgence this election cycle.

Additional Reading

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021117-503544.html?tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/44337.html

California

There’s a Proposition 25?

Mckenzee McCammack

After examining the budget issues discussed on the October 13th, it is clear that the passage of the budget is pressing problem for California. As a result, Californian lawmakers brought Proposition 25 to the voters. The California legislature believes the California constitution is in, large part, responsible for the budgetary problems. Specifically, the constitution states there must be a 2/3rds majority in order to pass the budget, as opposed to a simple majority. This means that if there are 100 legislators, 60 of them must agree upon a budget. In politics, this is difficult to achieve. However, prop 25 would change the charter to require a simple majority, or 50% plus 1, to pass the budget. Another stipulation of this proposition would be to forfeit pay in the years that legislators fail to pass a budget on time. This amounts to approximately $50,000 per legislator per late day.

Pros:

• Less gridlock in the California legislature.
• Prevents rigorous spending before the budget is passed in an effort to push personal legislative agendas.
• Saves tax payer money by withholding the legislature’s pay as incentive to pass the budget.

Cons:

• Creates financial pressure upon the legislature to pass the budget, which could compromise the effectiveness of the budget.
• Opposes the purpose of the original 2/3rds majority rule, which was set up by the California framers.
• Isolates one political party from having a say in the budget, which could ultimately allow tyranny of the majority.

Additional Reading:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poll-20101025,0,1234526.story

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_25,_Majority_Vote_for_Legislature_to_Pass_the_Budget_(2010)

http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/initiatives/pdfs/i854_initiative_09-0057.pdf

Los Angeles

California food stamp program receives new name: CalFresh

Claire Goldberg

In 2008, Congress renamed the national food stamp program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and gave states the option of coming up with their own name and branding. This name did not test well in local communities because of its suggestion of a welfare program rather than a health and nutrition program. Thus, CalFresh became the new name for California’s food stamp program after its launch this past Saturday at a Long Beach event sponsored by first lady Maria Shriver. Officials hope this change will encourage more families to apply and receive a nutritional benefit. Changing the image of the food stamp program leads a large effort to increase participation in the program, which can offer up to $200 per month of food benefits to qualifying families. While more than three million Californians receive the benefit, fewer than half of eligible residents receive the benefit. It is estimated that every dollar in benefits results in as much as $1.84 in economic activity by increasing business for grocery chains, farms and transportation companies.

• National food stamp program: federal program that provides assistance via food stamps (food cards in today’s world) to low and no-income people and families

• Welfare program: government action that strives to promote the well-being of individuals in need as well as improve their financial situation and employment chances

Additional Readings:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-stamps-20101024,0,6748993.story

http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-us-food-stamps,0,2868002.story