I'm Sick and Tired of All of It

Finally, someone has been asking the question that I've been wondering about for many months...what the hell is the difference between "a civil war" and "sectarian violence"? Is one a war that is being fought with manners and the other is a bunch of secretaries on a rampage? Because on the evening news or any newscast for that matter, they sure as hell don't know the difference either.

Good people are dying in Iraq everyday. Iraq is averaging a loss of over 3,000 civilians each month. The coalition forces can't control the violence and the Iraqi government doesn't seem to care, with their own police forces accused of horrible acts of violence, and the US on the ground to continue their dirty work.

I'm sick and tired of watching the news to find another car bombing, another 40 people dead is just another day in Baghdad. I'm tired of hearing about the Round Table. They aren't a bunch of knights on white horses riding in to save a village. I'm tired of the political talks between grown men and women who act as if these people and this country are nothing more than pawns on their political chessboard.

I'd like people in the news to step up and grow a pair. Call the situation what it is...an out-of-control civil war with no resolution in sight. I know guys, if you actually report the news and don't spin it just right, you'll lose that invite to the Foreign Correspondents Dinner at the White House. I forget my priorities, excuse me.

Sick and tired people, sick and tired.

From the Huffington Post:

NBC's decision on Monday to actively label the violence in Iraq a "civil war" triggered a rush by other media outlets to weigh in on the term and the relative merits of its use and non-use. Matt Lauer said that "armed militarized factions fighting for their own political agendas" fit the bill; White House spokesperson Tony Snow said that, no, it didn't, because this was "sectarian violence that seems to be less aimed at gaining full control over an area than expressing differences," which certainly helped clear things up. Since then, media organizations have rushed into the breach to furiously debate which label to use, creating the biggest story this week with the smallest amount of something actually happening.

Congratulations! Below, we look at who's using which label in this ongoing, um, "continuation of politics by other means":


* NBC: Lauer explains further: After "much careful deliberation..." Label: "Civil war," dammit. MSNBC thinks so, too!

* Fox News: "Civil war" is a euphemism for "failure of US policy." "We're unwilling to fall into that tender trap." Plus, non-Iraqis are involved — which is why there was never a Spanish Civil War, right? Label: Anything but "civil war," which wouldn't be so bad after all.

* Washington Post: "We just describe what goes on everyday. We don't have a policy about it." Though they will use the term "close to a civil war." But they don't have a policy about it! Label:"Sectarian violence," in print; "Absolutely the level of violence equals a civil war" when Dana Priest is on Chris Matthews.

* Katie Couric: "Just what makes a civil war? Scholars say...at least a thousand people must have died, at least 100 from each side." You don't need to be a scholar to know that that's the case in Iraq. Even so... Label: None. Way to straddle that fence, CBS.

* Reuters: "So whose arguments hold more weight?" Label: "Civil war," with citations.

* Financial Times: "The civil war in Iraq is likely to deteriorate..." Label: A "disingenuous" "civil war" full of "failures" with no "silver bullet." (Zagat rating: 23.5)

* USA Today op/ed: There is mayhem, therefore there is war. Label: "'Civil war' doesn't begin to describe the chaos in Iraq"

* CNN: Divided, says the Media Matters blog, quoting correspondent Michael Ware: "You dare to go out and try to go to work or, indeed, shop at a marketplace and you will know that this is civil war." Label: Ware: "Civil war." Correspondent Bob Franken: "Sectarian war." Anderson Cooper: "Sectarian violence." Chyron: "Civil War?"

* Associated Press: Still debating, says the Guardian. "There are different views in the newsroom." Label: "We don't preclude saying civil war in our copy, if a correspondent thinks it appropriate. But we don't want to go out and declare it a civil war." Yes, because whether or not its a civil war is completely up to you.

* New York Times opinion page: "At this point it is hard to tell who is more out of touch: President Bush, who continues to insist that Iraq has not descended into civil war..." Label: "Civil war." But more importantly, Bush is now "the demander."

* Thomas Friedman: "Here is the central truth about Iraq today: This country is so broken it can't even have a proper civil war." (But give it 4-6 months...) Label: "So many little pieces." All of which are flat.

* L.A. Times: "The Times was the first major news organization to formally adopt the description when it began to refer to the hostilities as a civil war in October, without public fanfare." The Times was also the first major news organization to smugly point this out. Label: "Civil war," four times a day.

* Dan Froomkin:"It's a Civil War, Stupid!" (See lede: White House, he's talkin' to you.) Label:"Civil War," stupid.

* Daily Show: "The phrase 'civil war' conjures horrible jaw-dropping images of bloodshed...no one needs that image." Label: "Ongoing scuffle between sectarian groups." No, "the internal sovereignty challenge." No, "the faith-based melee." Because why choose just one?

Bono's Message for World AIDS Day

WORLD AIDS DAY

(PRODUCT) RED^™ ENGAGES BIG BUSINESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS

(PRODUCT) RED engages big business to raise awareness and funds for The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. We do this by teaming up with iconic brands. Launch partners are: American Express, Converse, Gap, Giorgio Armani and Motorola.

(PRODUCT) RED is a branding mechanism which companies license to sell (PRODUCT) RED branded products to raise funds for the Global Fund. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark make a commitment to contribute a portion of profits from the sales of that product into Global Fund-financed AIDS programmes, with a focus on women and children in Africa.

(RED) is not a charity or "campaign". It is an economic initiative that aims to deliver a sustainable flow of private sector money to the Global Fund.

(RED) was created by Bono (U2, singer and activist) and Bobby Shriver (Chairman of DATA – Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa). Both also founded DATA in 2002, an organisation created to put political pressure on world governments to tackle the key issues surrounding debt, AIDS and trade in Africa.

A WORLDWIDE EMERGENCY

Every year 3 million people die from AIDS. Of the 40 million people infected by HIV/AIDS, Africa (which has just over 10% of the world’s population) is home to 60% (25 million). The disease is the leading cause of death in Africa.

Women comprise the fastest growing population group living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and the result of their illness on children is compelling. Every time a man or woman is started on anti-retroviral drugs, the survival of children becomes less precarious.

An estimated 13 million children in Africa have been orphaned because of HIV/AIDS already and this number is growing. Almost 2000 children, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, are infected with HIV each day.

THE GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA

The Global Fund is the world’s leading funder of programmes to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Created in 2002, the Global Fund has committed over $5.2 billion to life-saving programmes in 131 countries and accounts for a quarter of the world’s funding for AIDS programmes in the developing world (over half for malaria and two-thirds for tuberculosis). Global Fund-financed programmes already support nearly half a million people on AIDS treatment, provide over half a million children orphaned by AIDS with medical services, education and community care and reach tens of millions with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves against HIV infection.

The Global Fund is a public-private partnership, governed by representatives of governments, the private sector and civil society from all over the world. It enables countries to design and execute their own programmes, but provides funds only on the basis of proven results. It is a lean institution with operating costs of less than 3%, ensuring that resources go directly to where they are needed most.

The Global Fund needs additional resources from all sectors to continue scaling up the support for life-saving work around the world.

For more information, joinred.com

I Hope Anderson Cooper Didn't Read this on the Plane

LONDON, England (AP) -- First-time author Iain Hollingshead scooped a dubious literary honor Wednesday, winning the Bad Sex in Fiction Award for his novel, "Twenty Something."

Hollingshead beat established writers including Booker Prize nominee David Mitchell, best seller Mark Haddon and literary maverick Thomas Pynchon to the prize, which aims to skewer "the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel."

Judges were moved by Hollingshead's evocation of "a commotion of grunts and squeaks, flashing unconnected images and explosions of a million little particles." His description of "bulging trousers" sealed the win, the judges said.

"Because Hollingshead is a first-time writer, we wished to discourage him from further attempts," the judges -- editors of Literary Review magazine -- said in a statement. "Heavyweights like Thomas Pynchon and Will Self are beyond help at this point."

Hollingshead, 25, who received his award from rocker Courtney Love at a London ceremony, said he was delighted to become the prize's youngest winner.

"I hope to win it every year," said Hollingshead, who receives a statuette and a bottle of champagne.

Now in its 14th year, the award was established by the Literary Review to celebrate truly cringe-worthy erotic writing.

"It's mixed metaphors, embarrassing fumbling. It's the redundancy of the scene in an otherwise good novel," said assistant editor Philip Womack.

This year's runner-up was Tim Willcocks' medieval action novel, "The Religion," for a scene in which characters grapple passionately in a forge "across the cold steel face of the anvil."

"In the pit of his stomach a cauldron boiled and some seething and nameless brew rose up through his spine and filled his brain with the Devil's Fire," Willcocks writes.

Willcocks praised the Bad Sex prize as "a much better guide to a good read than those purveyors of powerful sleeping drugs, the Booker, the Pulitzer, the Goncourt et. al."

Other finalists included Mitchell's 1980s coming-of-age story, "Black Swan Green," for a passage in which one character's breasts are compared to "a pair of Danishes" and another's to "two Space Hoppers."

Pynchon's long-awaited, 1,000-page novel, "Against the Day," was nominated for a scene involving a spaniel that ends: "Reader, she bit him."

Haddon, the best-selling author of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," was shortlisted for his description of rapture in his latest novel, "A Spot of Bother": "Images went off in her head like little fireworks. The smell of coconut. Brass firedogs."

The other finalists were Scottish writer Irvine Welsh's "Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs"; Julia Glass' "The Whole World Over"; Michael Cannon's "Lachlan's War"; "Tourism" by Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal; and Self's "The Book of Dave."

Last year's winner was food critic and novelist Giles Coren for a memorable passage comparing a male character's genitalia to a shower hose. In 2004, the prize went to Tom Wolfe's novel, "I Am Charlotte Simmons," for sex scenes the judges called "ghastly ... inept ... (and) unrealistic."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

Anderson Cooper 360 Moves to Jordan

While not my favorite story or the best coverage, Anderson Cooper and 360 seemed to be in the groove tonight. For Wednesday evening's show, they move to Jordan to cover the U.S. and Iraq talks. Oh boy...That should be a not so interesting conversation as neither room has much room to negotiate in my opinion. For more indepth details, here's the story from AP:

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- Jordan's king said he will press President Bush to focus more attention on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict when the two meet this week.

In a speech to Parliament Tuesday, King Abdullah II described the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as the "core" issue in the Middle East.

He indicated that when he speaks with Bush, he would underline the need for the United States to push for peace.

Bush, however, is likely to steer the meeting toward Iraq's deteriorating security when he starts a two-day visit to Jordan on Wednesday for talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, hosted by Abdullah.

But Abdullah and the leaders of two other U.S. allies in the Middle East -- Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- argue the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the most pressing crisis in the region, and fear Islamic militancy will strengthen if it is not resolved.

Moderate Arabs want the Bush administration to devote more diplomatic energy on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been stagnant since 2000.

Abdullah pledged "all possible support to the Palestinians so they can regain their rights," though he warned that his country would not accept a deal that causes an influx of Palestinians.

"Jordan will not accept an unjust settlement of the issue, nor will Jordan accept any settlement that comes at its expense," Abdullah told lawmakers, who applauded vigorously.

He was referring to fears of a settlement that would cause thousands of Palestinians to settle in the kingdom, upsetting the country's delicate demographic balance.

Roughly half of Jordan's 5.5 million population consists of Palestinian families who fled, or were driven out of, their homes in the 1948 and 1967 Arab-Israeli wars.

The king recognizes the importance of Iraq, diplomats said. Jordan and other moderate Arabs are concerned that growing Shiite influence in Iran, Syria and Lebanon will help hard-line Iran dominate the region and give rise to more extremism.

Arab diplomats said Abdullah was also expected to present Bush with a proposal to curb the war-torn country's sectarian strife before it becomes a full-blown civil war and give Iraqi security and government greater responsibilities.

Few details were available on the proposal, which envisions the possible formation of a military or new national unity government in Iraq, according to the diplomats, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

Thanks to Stillife and Liberation337 for the screencaps.

Sneak Preview of Anderson Cooper Reporting from Turkey

Anderson did a :60 second promo with John Roberts (subbing for Paula Zahn tonight) earlier this evening....and a change of plans for coverage this week:

CNN’s Anderson Cooper will anchor Anderson Cooper 360° live from Istanbul tonight and Tuesday, Nov. 28, to coincide with Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Turkey this week. For Wednesday, Nov. 29, and Thursday, Nov. 30, the program moves to Amman, Jordan, where it will continue to focus on the pope but also on President George W. Bush’s trip to Jordan to discuss the war in Iraq.

Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Turkey from Tuesday, Nov. 28, through Friday, Dec. 1, marks the pope’s first trip to a predominantly Muslim nation following remarks he made about radical Islam. His comments ignited a backlash among some Muslims. His trip has been characterized as a clash of cultures: Christianity and Islam.

For the Anderson Cooper 360° special coverage, Cooper interviews Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who plans to meet privately with the pope on Wednesday, Nov. 29, in Istanbul. Rome bureau chief and correspondent Alessio Vinci will provide live reports and updates as he travels with the pope throughout his trip.

In other reports, senior international correspondent Nic Robertson examines how radical Islam has gained a foothold in Europe and created a massive terrorism threat; faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher and correspondent Randi Kaye examine the history of Christian-Muslim relations; and Jerusalem correspondent Ben Wedeman examines the events surrounding the Palestinian grandmother who blew herself up last week near Israeli soldiers operating inside Gaza.

Thanks to liberation337 for the screencap.

Anderson Cooper Blogs from Turkey

Pope's Turkey trip spotlights religious tensions

Tonight we are broadcasting from Istanbul, one stop on Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey. Istanbul is a fascinating place, a city where East and West meet, literally. It's the only major city that sits on two continents. One side is in Europe, the other side Asia.

I'm sitting in a modern hotel right now listening to the call to prayer echoing from a nearby mosque. The oldest cliche in the news business is to call a place a "land of contrasts." It's a silly term, but I understand why writers fall back on it to describe this place. Ancient and modern, Islamic and Christian, democratic and autocratic -- it all exists side by side in Turkey, sometimes uneasily.

Though its track record on human rights is often criticized, Turkey is a stable, pro-western democracy that is officially secular. For some time now, the country has been trying to become part of the European Union, but it seems increasingly clear that some European countries have major concerns. Turkey is a poor nation by European standards, and it's 99 percent Muslim. Many Europeans are already concerned about assimilating their own Muslim minorities. The prospect of having some 70 million more Muslims entering the EU seems overwhelming.

Before he was Pope, then-Cardinal Ratzinger didn't support Turkey's bid for EU membership. His argument was that Europe is based on commonly held Christian beliefs, not simply geography. Combined with his recent comments about Islam, it would be easy to see why many here would be concerned about his visit. But what is actually surprising is how few people here seem disturbed by the Pope's presence.

An Islamist party called for a demonstration in Istanbul on Sunday. They expected more than 100,000 protestors, but only about 20,000 showed up. There are some extremists here to be sure. I just spent the morning with an Islamist lawyer who is defending a number of Turks accused of participating in a series of terrorist attacks in 2003 that killed more than 50 people.

As we were putting the microphone on him, I couldn't help but notice the gun he was carrying on his waist. During the interview, he called Osama bin Laden a freedom fighter and explained why suicide attacks were justified under his brand of Islam.

He and the men he represents hate the secular government of Turkey. They say the current prime minister was put in power by an alliance between the Pope and Israel, or maybe it was the Pope, Israel, and America -- I can't remember for sure (I'll have to check the tape) but you get the point.

His beliefs do not reflect the majority of Muslims in Turkey, but they do explain some of the tensions that exist here. The question is: What will the Pope try to do during his visit? Will he try to mend fences, and focus on the commonalities between Islam and Christianity, or will he respectfully talk about the differences? While many people here don't seem all that interested in his visit, they will be watching and listening closely.

What do you think the Pope should focus on while in Turkey? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

Posted By Anderson Cooper: 10:09 AM ET

Page Six: Full of Crap?

Another round of Where in the World was Anderson Cooper as reported in today's Page Six:

November 27, 2006 -- ANDERSON Cooper was friendly at a Brazilian airport on Friday. "Hi, I'm Anderson," he said to the "attractive" man standing next to him at the flight connection monitors in the Salvador terminal, a spy told The Post's Braden Keil. The 25ish fellow was wearing a tight T-shirt, cut-off shorts and an earring. According to our witness, the unshaven, solo-traveling CNN star chatted for 20 minutes with the stranger before the fellow had to say goodbye and board his flight to Rio.

Wasn't the Brazil trip mentioned at the recent "Friend in Deed" dinner that he co-hosted? I thought the Brazil trip was part of the AnderVaction from a few weeks ago. Reports from the Post of Anderson in Brazil before his trip to Turkey, somehow just doesn't smell right to me. I've also read reports of a "sighting" on another Andersite this weekend. Supposedly, someone and their friend spotted him running in Central Park with Molly. If Anderson has a clone, send one my direction for Christmas ;)

Also, I did hear him phone in a report from Turkey with Carol Lin on CNN Sunday last night. He is indeed one BUSY reporter!

Turks Protest Pope's Visit

REALLY IMPORTANT NEWS: Thousands of Turks are on hand waiting the arrival of Anderson Cooper....oops, my bad...they are protesting the arrival of the Pope. Although they are not excited about seeing the Pope and hearing any of speeches (they don't go over so well) they are rockin' to see the Coopster (I hope). Here at FreakSpeakers, we have a large number of visitors from Eastern Europe, so we'd be interested in hearing your take on the Pope's visit and more importantly, Anderson's popularity in your country.

Here is some real news about the trip:

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Reuters) -- More than 20,000 Muslims in Istanbul on Sunday staged the biggest protest so far against Pope Benedict's trip to Turkey as Islamic opposition to this week's controversial visit gathered momentum.

Benedict, due to begin his first official visit to a Muslim country next Tuesday, angered many Muslims in September with a speech they took as an insult to Islam.

Youths wearing headbands with Islamic scripts, beating drums and waving Turkish red and white flags chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) in the peaceful rally.

"I cannot remain silent when the Prophet Mohammed is insulted. I love him more than myself," said Husamettin Aycan Alp, 25, a science student from Izmir in western Turkey.

He said Roman Catholic cardinals chose this pope last year "because he is against Islam and are concerned Islam is spreading in Europe."

The four-day visit is billed as an opportunity to heal wounds with the Muslim world after the pope quoted a Byzantine emperor saying Islam was violent and irrational. He has said he did not share that view.

Speaking in the Vatican on Sunday, Benedict said he wanted the visit to show his "esteem and sincere friendship" for Turkey and its people.

A visit to Istanbul's famous Blue Mosque was added to the pope's itinerary at the last minute, a move seen as an attempt at further reconciliation with the Muslim world.

His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, made the first visit by a pontiff to a mosque during a trip to Damascus in 2001. Pope John Paul paid the last papal visit to Turkey in 1979.

Protest against 'crusaders'

The Islamist Felicity party organizing the protest under the banner "against the crusader alliance" -- a reference to the crusaders who crossed Anatolia 1,000 years ago on their way to Jerusalem -- had expected an attendance of at least 75,000.

"Muslims don't want the pope in their lands. Look at the suffering which they spread in Palestine, Iraq and Chechnya. I link this to Christianity," said Ferdi Borekci, a 28-year-old architect.

Before becoming pope, Benedict annoyed Turks by speaking out against Turkey's bid to join the European Union, saying it did not belong there because of its religion and culture.

Turkey's ruling AK Party government has kept a low profile in preparations for this visit, with talks still ongoing as to whether Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, a pious Muslim, will meet him before heading off to a NATO summit in Riga.

With presidential and parliamentary elections due next year the AK Party, which has roots in political Islam, must balance a rise in nationalism as well as their support base among conservative Muslims.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who will be absent during the pope's visit, played down the controversy.

"We hope this visit will help eliminate misunderstandings between Muslims and Christians," Gul told a news conference.

"His message will be very important."

Turkey plans tight security measures for the pope, whose trip takes in the capital Ankara, Istanbul -- formerly Constantinople -- and the site where the Virgin Mary is believed to have lived and died near Izmir on the Aegean coast.