Author: Becca

news, politics

Yes we did.

Becca

When I saw him speak in person, I was shocked by his genuine optimism and love for this country and its people. He spoke with a power and a purpose I have never seen in a human being. But what I noticed more than anything was the way people reacted to him. I knew then that there was a light for our country. And our future.

 

This was more than a battle of two men.
This was a race about more than
race
or upbringing
or status.
It was about more than
politics
or power.
This was about America
and Americans
and the fact that
underneath it all
we’re all optimists
who believe we can be better than we are.
This was about believing
in our future
and ourselves.
This was about HOPE.
And hope never dies.
No matter how poor,
how alone,
or how desolate things become.
Hope triumphs.

 

To the future….

news, politics

“We’re all Californians, We’re all equal”

Becca

Voting day is just around the corner, and while our votes for President in California may not be paramount for our non-swinging state, there are several props on the ballot which will have significant effects on our lives. Prop 8 has gotten the most attention, and rightfully so because of the huge impact it will have on the state.

No on prop 8:


 

Please get educated about these props, so you can make informed decisions.

Prop 4, which has been on the ballot before in similar forms, is at risk for passing. Masking as a
parental notification law, it’s another attempt to ban, one demographic at a time. Prop. 4 would amend the state Constitution to require doctors – with limited exceptions – to alert a pregnant minor’s parent or legal guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on the girl.

But this prop could cause serious dangers to teens who feel trapped. Rather than tell their parents, young people will buy Internet drugs to end the pregnancy, they will go to Mexico for an abortion, they will throw themselves down the stairs.

film

“Pride and Glory” Review

Becca

Pride and Glory

Review By: Rebecca Ford
TheCinemaSource.com

For the life of me, I could now remember the name of this movie. “Pride and Glory.” I think it’s because it’s so general. I mean, it says nothing about what the film is about. Is it a war movie? A period piece? A samurai film?

Turns out it’s a cop drama. And it’s the same-old-same-old, we’ve seen it before good-cop-bad-cop story line. Dirty cops in New York City?! Shocking!

Directed by Gavin O’Connor, who also directed “Miracle” (look at that title!), the Olympic hockey movie, “Pride and Glory” feels far too familiar because it is just another cop movie where violence trumps story, and sensationalism trumps substance….

see the rest here

Scarface?
Scarface?
news, politics

Power to the First People

Becca

My article from my summer fellowship, News 21, finally made it into High Country News.

Native Americans are poised to swing some Western battleground states

by Rebecca Ford

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

The phones are down in Sonny Weahkee’s cluttered office on a quiet street near the University of New Mexico. But Weahkee, a Navajo, Cochiti and Zuni Pueblo Indian with a dark ponytail and a patient, gentle way of speaking, is still working on this late July day. As the executive director of the nonprofit Sacred Alliance for Grassroots Equality (SAGE) Council, he has his hands full mobilizing New Mexico’s sizeable Native American population to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

Other Native American activist groups, such as the Washington, D.C.-based National Congress of American Indians and the Oklahoma-based Indigenous Democratic Network, or INDN’s List, have mounted similar efforts across the country, working to raise awareness among candidates and voters of the need for better-funded Native healthcare and education. “If we stand together and vote together on whatever issue, we can start to gain some momentum and start turning people’s heads,” Weahkee says……

See the rest here.

entertainment

Metromix- Check it out!

Becca

I feel terrible that I haven’t done any REAL, solid writing on here as of late. I blame my new employer, Metromix. In case, you’ve never checked it out, I would like to invite you to explore the wonderful world that is Metromix. It’s part of the Tribune company, but not a part of the LA Times, although it does reside in their building in downtown LA.

They have bureaus all over the country, but I work for the National office as a TV and Pop Culture Contributing Editor. It’s a really fresh group of people, learning to exist in this internet-crazed world. Check it out here!

news

Sarah Palin went to my Alma Mater. Oh the shame.

Becca

I’ve always been impressed that Obama lived in Hawaii. Having spent two years there myself, I appreciate the diversity of that state. Nowhere else in this country is there such an accepting and welcoming atmosphere. Race and ethnicity are far less important there, because so many people are mixed, and-like myself-have a certain understanding for people from all walks of life.

But now, I find that Sarah Palin went to my school, Hawaii Pacific U. But then again, she also went to four other schools, including University of Hawaii (she left there after a month because it was “too rainy.”) It’s clear that Palin jumped around from school to school, never really soaking in the atmosphere of any one place. So I guess it doesn’t matter after all.