These are things that need to be said on a national scale, and I hope these issues will not just be brought up in response to radical people like his pastor. (And on that matter, I understand the responses Obama's pastor's comments have inflamed but I think it's absurd to equate Obama's views with those of his pastor.) The fact that Obama has so eloquently used this situation to gently point out the racial divide in America is yet another reason I support him. I really do think it is time for PC bs to go, or we're only going to be stuck at a sad stalemate in race relations that could deteriorate into much worse (and arguably is for some).
Aside from eating, hanging out with friends (St. Patrick's Day was particularly festive), doing laundry, and taking extravagant jogs on the ski hill, I've been reading a lot about the Huaorani nation of Ecuador; really, really interesting indigenous tribe numbering somewhere between 1300-2000 people, who have faced a host of threats to their well-being like oil interests, illegal logging and tourism, etc. The article above provides an okay overview that's not too skewed in any direction, so far as I can tell, but I'm not sure how they are doing at present. It seems tourism has really expanded in their territory (eg. huaorani.com is about an "eco-lodge") but not necessarily in a beneficial way.
From an e-mail forward my mom sent me: "This is a prank on a 'grand' scale. Over 200 people gathered at Grand Central Station in New York to pull off a 'frozen in place' act. The onlooking travelers who weren't part of the act were mystified as to what was going on. Can you imagine??!!!" Inspires the human imagination, to say the least.
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