Roxana Saberi , a 31 year-old Iranian American journalist was arrested in January and tried this week as a spy. Saberi reported for BBC, NPR, and Fox News. She was originally arrested for buying alcohol and then for working a journalist without a valid press card. In less than 2 weeks, she as charged of being a spy, tried by the Revolutionary Court, and sentenced to 8 years in prison for espionage. The evidence of espionage was ever made public. This case is expected to have negative implications for US-Iran relations, especially because Obama has been reaching out to the Islamic Republic. Hilary Clinton said she was "deeply disapointed" by Ms. Saberi's verdict. Reza Saberi, her father believes that Roxana was "weak and frail" and that the interrogators pressured her to get statements they later used against her in court. Ms. Saberi is contemplating going on a hunger strike because of the verdict. The Saberi's believe that her lawyer had not been allowed to argue the defense case adequately. Ms. Saberi's verdict is considered very harsh, even for espionage. Iran authorities have not released details of the charges against her. Public knowledge of Saberi's case is low in Iran, the local media have not reported her trial. 

I found this article to be relevant because we just started studying US-Iran relations, focusing particularly on nuclear weapons. The relationship has been stressed for a long time, and events, such as Ms. Saberi's conviction can have a large impact on the already tension filled relationship. This article left me with many questions: What are the detailed charges? Does the Iranian government have any evidence? Why is her sentence so harsh? Why is this story not being told  by the local media? This story is evocative of something that would happen in the Cold War, when each country suspected each other of having spies. This recent development is not ideal considering the strained relationship and suspicions of the two countries. I hope that Ms. Saberi's innocence is proved and that journalists may continue to do their job without fear of government action. 

The Forgotten War

Despite being a patriotic American, the War in Iraq is not a topic often on my mind. It is not frequently shown on the news, talked about on the radio, or in other media venues. Celebrity gossip and reality tv appear to be much more important to Americans, judging by our media. After we began our War Unit I decided to learn a bit more about what is happening in Iraq. I found a blog by an Iraq Veteran that shared my same belief. The soldier, Paul Rieckhoff  says, "In 2004 after spending a year patrolling the streets of Baghdad, you know what the top news story was? It wasn't the growing threat of roadside bombs, or the burgeoning problems at Walter Reed. It was Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction." Contrary to the World Wars or Vietnam, the War in Iraq is certainly not part of the average Americans daily life. Recently it has started to become a bit more talked about on the news. Reickhoff agrees he says," On the 6th anniversary of the war in Iraq, the national tone could not be more different. Admittedly, the media is still covering Jennifer Anniston's relationship woes life it's national news, but in Washington at least this week the politicians are listening."  

The Pentagon announced in March that they would being to phase out the use of stop-loss (the involuntary extension of a service member's duty). This is really good news for the troops and their families, an extension of service can be devastating. With the announcement of the end of stop loss the US must prepare to have a lot more veterans come home. Readjustment can be difficult, especially if soldiers feel unappreciated like Reickhoff did. Hopefully Americans can spend a little less time obsessing over Britney Spears and a little more on appreciating all of the sacrifices made by soldiers and their families. 

The 10,000 Hour Rule in Everyday Life

  Last Friday while getting ready for school I was listening to Eric and Kathy ( a popular morning radio show on 101.9 fm). Eric mentions how some people have been doing things for a very long time, but still are not good at them. He goes on to mention The Outliers, specifically focusing on the 10,000 hour rule. They began to have people call in with examples of things they have done for over 10,000 hours, but are still not experts at. Some common examples include driving, golfing, tennis, and cooking. This concept clearly made a lot of people question the amount of time that they have been doing something and how good they were at it.

From the calls and personal experience I have discerned that there are some things you just can't master regardless of how much time you put into it. Gladwell's argument relies on three factors: time, opportunity, and talent. He clearly privileges time and opportunity over natural talent. The majority of the callers were not familiar with Gladwell or his argument, so they often argued that some people are just talented or gifted, while others are not. Previous to hearing the caller's opinions I had agreed with Gladwell's argument, that the amount of time and opportunity allotted to practice is in direct proportion with the amount of success one ultimately achieves. However, when callers began to discuss simple things like driving, cooking, and baking I began to realize that talent and natural aptitude play a large role in daily life. I have tried to bake cookies hundreds of times, but they are never really anything special. Am I not focused enough ? Do I have less opportunity than other talented bakers? Are circumstances outside of myself (such as work or school) affecting my baking? Probably not, baking is just something that doesn't come naturally to me. I thought it was interesting to apply Gladwell's argument to simple things instead of athletics or computer programming. 

The Silver Lining of the Recession

The recession. It seems as if we can't escape the negative news about it. We hear about it on tv, the radio, from our friends, teachers, parents... it all seems pretty depressing. When I was looking at a news website, I found an article titled "A silver lining to the economic crisis?" Interested in hearing some POSITIVE news I continued to read the article. It began with some quotes from the prominent US preacher, Jim Wallis, who believes that the recession will allow us to make  changes in our lives. He says "The important question is: how will the crisis change us?".He believes that we can use the recession  to re-evaluate our consumption habits. Americans have always been huge consumers, we constantly buy new products when we don't really need them or just discard objects instead of getting them fixed. His belief is shared by a group featured in the article called, The Compact. The Compact is a group that tries to avoid consumerism by making changes such as getting books from the library instead of purchasing them or by re-selling old items instead of throwing them out. Martin Raymond, a founder of the company called The Future Laboratory, which does market research to identify future trends says that changes like getting books from the library or re-selling old items are becoming more and more popular. People are seeking out others in an attempt to rely less on consuming. Raymond believes that these changes are creating a heightened sense of community, he says "People are trying to understand that we are all in this together, not just in an idealistic, altruistic way, but in a practical way."

This article called to mind many of the topics we have covered in class.  Such as the "Culture of Affluence" article and its study of affluent communities. The article stated "The rich are the least likely to experience the security of deep social connectedness that is routinely enjoyed by people in communities where mutual dependance is often unavoidable."  As more and more people are losing their jobs, people can no longer hire help, they  become increasingly reliant on help from the community. This fosters the growth of friendship and has been proven to lead to a stronger sense of security. The workplace is also becoming less competitive as people become more concerned with the well being of their co-workers. Like we read in some of the AIG comments, people are cutting back on hours or giving up privileges so that their co-workers do not lose their jobs. As people become less competitive and more sympathetic to those in need, the Cycle of Poverty could become less defined. In class, we talked about how prejuidice or shame often cause people to be trapped in this cycle. As more and more wealthy people are getting laid off, they might be less inclined to judge the unemployed. The recession could alleviate some of the tensions between social classes, because everyone is affected by it. It is too soon to tell if these changes will last, but perhaps they can be a positive legacy of the recession.