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Viewing 1 - 6 out of 6 Columns.
How many Iraqis have died since the U.S. led invasion in 2003?
U.S. General Tommy Franks famously said, "We don't do body counts." The Bush administration coyly suggests the total is fewer than 100,000, while The Lancet famously reported 655,000 deaths in 2006. A recent study by Opinion Research Business puts the number at over 1,200,000, with nearly a quarter of Iraqi households losing at least one member to the war since 2003, or roughly 1 in 23 Iraqis dead.
The Iraq Body Count Exhibit (IBCE), in conjunction with Peace House, erected a temporary memorial to the fallen in Iraq, canvasing the entire length of the Southern Oregon University campus in the lawns adjacent Siskiyou Boulevard. One tiny flag represents five deaths--white for Iraqis, red for Americans. IBCE is clearly using the two-year-old Lancet figure in their tribute to the Iraqi dead, though a volunteer helping to drive the 130,000 flags into the grass suggested this was a budgetary/resource limitation, rather than a matter of accuracy. Had IBCE used the latest estimates, the memorial would require a quarter-million flags, which likely would've consumed every inch on grass on the SOU campus.
Strolling along the boulevard, trying to find the photograph that encompassed the greatest number of flags, I realized it was impossible. I couldn't even shoot a third of them at once. Just like I couldn't capture this vast memorial on my Canon, are we capable of visualizing the dead of Mesopotamia? The continued ambiguity over the actual number of dead only further distorts this shocking reality.
Nor can we dismiss the dead as enemy combatants. The wildest estimates of al-Qaeda and the global jihaddist movement's membership rarely exceed 30,000, with most estimates closer to 18,000. Estimates for the "legitimate" Iraqi insurgency are virtually identical. The overwhelming majority are innocent civilians.
Ultimately, numbers and symbols are poor substitutes for an individual human being's story, murdered by a conflict beyond their control. ICBE states on their website that the exhibit is not political, and the numbers speak for themselves--a statement I find, despite my admiration for their memorial, false.
The memorial comes down on May 3, so do take a few minutes to wander among the flags before it ships off to Sacramento.
Tags: Iraqi Body Count Exhibit Memorial Ashland Southern Oregon University Sou
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Bill Clinton at North Medford High.  All photos by David Moore, who is not actually a cat.  I saw Bill Clinton in Medford today.  Like all immediate family members of the presidential Clintons, he's campaigning for Hillary around the country.  The Democratic nomination is still up for grabs, and it's a tight race. On May 20, Oregon will hold its primary, nearly dead last in this year's rush to nominate a successor to Bush Jr.  The remaining four states will hold primaries on May 27 and June 3.
Campaign stops in Oregon are unusual for big name politicians.  Oregon isn't a populous enough state to sway campaign buses away from larger western states like California and Texas.  This election cycle, however, Oregon could tip the Democratic nomination towards either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.  Bill and Barack both made reference to Oregon's unusual turn at influencing national elections--Obama's remark came last week at Kids Unlimited in Medford, and Clinton's came today in the North Medford High School Auditorium.   The event was scheduled for 4:30 PM, so I showed up at 4 PM and joined the spectacularly serpentine line. Admission cost only your name, address, and phone number on a half sheet of paper, with optional boxes for additional information.  I contemplated writing an alias, but didn't feel like risking denial of entry. I could've left it blank.  A volunteer snatched it up without a glance and ushered me inside.  Much in contrast to the heavy security detail at the recent Medford Obama rally, I saw only Medford police standing to the side at the entrance, with the occasional earpiece-and-suit-guy sifting through the crowd.  I was not searched in any way.   At 5:20 PM, Bill still hadn't appeared.  A friend overheard a suit mentioning Clinton's late flight.  A Hillary campaigner briefly took the stage for some pep-rally-style shouting and t-shirt giveaways.  Standing in a high school gymnasium, it seemed fitting, if a little overwrought for my tastes.  Bill finally showed up at around 5:30 PM.  His speech was exactly what I expect from this ex-President: funny, poignant, and bursting with charisma. Clinton lamented the loss of payments to Oregon counties as an exchange for the state's logging activities, a major factor in last year's closure of Jackson County libraries.  He panned Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, the Iraq war, and economic policies, which he blamed on the current sub-prime mortgage crisis.  He told stories of golfing with a fireman who served during the 9/11 attacks.  He recalled Hillary coming home in tears long before the Clintons entered the limelight, frustrated over the malnourished kids with cigarette burns she saw during public service.   After his speech, Bill passed by the front row, shaking hands, signing autographs, and most surprisingly, engaging in several conversations with crowd members.  My aforementioned friend told me he thanked Clinton for creating the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, a 53,000 acre swath of federally protected lands in southwestern Oregon.  Bill looked my friend in the eye and said, "Thank you, I'm really proud of that." If you want more details on Clinton's speech, The Medford Mail Tribune and Fox 26 News had a strong presence, and undoubtably will publish extensive coverage.  Also, dozens of amateur videographers were present, so I'm sure it'll pop up on YouTube.  Anybody up for posting it on LocalsGuide?  
Tags: Bill Clinton Medford Hillary
  My review for Talent Café’s breakfast: The toast was crunchy. The coffee was hot. The eggs were good. The end. Just kidding. I used to cook breakfast five days a week: I’m a much tougher customer. Talent Café’s toast was not crunchy. Mine was still white, and my breakfast companion’s was scarcely two shades darker. The coffee, however, was excellent. I don’t drink the stuff—I prefer a big glass of milk—but my coffee quaffing friend raved about it. The eggs were good, cooked perfectly, actually, if a tad under-salted. In all fairness, I ordered the Mediterranean omelet without Kalamata olives. Perhaps they usually balance out the herb vinaigrette, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and feta.  The omelet filling seemed undercooked, or possibly uncooked. A few extra moments in a hot pan with butter, salt, and pepper would have made a mile of difference. My friend’s tofu and veggie scramble was likewise a touch bland, though the tofu itself was well prepared. Her home fries were boiled too long before hitting the sauté pan—the brown, outer crisp was delightful, but the mushy, watery potatoes beneath it were disappointing. My hashbrowns, however, were golden and crispy, exactly what I expect.   The presentation was simple and clean, with a wedge of cantaloupe for garnish. A sprig of parsley or cilantro would’ve gone a long way towards balancing out the starches, fats, and sugars typically found in most diner breakfasts, but I was OK without it. At a few coins shy of twenty dollars for two meals, Talent Café’s prices are comparable with local breakfast houses.  You’re also paying for some above-average ambiance, with a dozen plate glass windows letting in plenty of natural light. The friendly and competent waitstaff is definitely a plus. Talent Café is located at 102 Talent Avenue in (duh) Talent. (541) 535-6310. Meow.  
Tags: Talent Cafe Breakfast Restaurant Review
 Barack Obama in Medford.  March 22, 2008.  Photos by minnersthecat.   Presidents and those soon-to-be are distant sorts of characters, especially for someone as small as me.  Bush Jr. famously came to Medford during the last election, sparking off some unpleasant events (also called "rioting," but whatever).  Imagine my surprise when I heard Barack Obama would be at Kids Unlimited in Medford today. Eager to bask in the madness that follows cultural (cult of?) personalities, I packed up my camera and hitched a ride with some friends.     Demonstration outside of Barack Obama's Kids Unlimited appearance.  Of course, none of us had tickets to the speaking engagement, but addressing overflow crowds is standard practice on the campaign trail.  True to form, officers of the Transportation Security Administration guided me through the metal detectors and carefully inspected my camera, bag, and keys.  They wouldn't allow me to photograph their security checkpoint, but were no more invasive than the airport.     Obama briefly addressing the overflow crowd.  A crowd of several hundred supporters and at least one detractor filled the front room, while the ticketed guests were whisked away to the back of the complex.  After some "Obama! Obama!" chanting (much easier than "Barack! Barack!"... go ahead, try it) and a few false alarms spooked the crowd, the man of the hour appeared with dozens of body guards.  He spoke very briefly to the crowd, mentioning how Oregon usually gets left out at this stage of presidential elections, but this time we really counted.  He thanked us, he shook some hands, signed an autograph or two, kissed a baby, and skedaddled to address the folks at the back of the house.   Barack, on his way out.  His speech was projected onto a screen in the front room, a courtesy to the non-ticketed crowd, but my friends and I looked at each other with the same notion: We'll catch it on YouTube later.  We'll probably never get any closer to this Presidential type, and though only a few rooms away, he might as well have been in Kansas.  A projector screen is no more personable than a computer.  On the way out, a vendor in the parking lot rapped about Barack:  Tell your Momma/We gonna vote for Obama  Then he tried to sell us $3 campaign buttons.    The parking lot of Kids Unlimited.  Meow.Â
Tags: Barack Obama Medford Oregon Kids Unlimited
  Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, from Once.  OK, so Once is almost a year old now, but it took Best Song at the Academy Awards a couple weeks ago.  No luck picking up the Best Film Compilation Soundtrack at the Grammy's last month.  The Beatles won--go figure. Once is a unique musical, namely for its low budget trappings.  You won't find glitter, dance numbers, or campy dialogue sung to invisible orchestras in this movie.  The film follows the brief musical collaboration and romance of a heartbroken street musician and a czech pianist, listed in the credits as "Guy" and "Girl." The plot is ingeniously simple: guy meets girl; girl convinces guy to fix her vacuum cleaner; guy convinces girl to record an album with him. The film stars 37-year-old Glen Hansard and 19-year old Marketa Irglova.  He's the frontman of the popular Irish band, The Frames; she's a czech pianist who began writing music after some encouragement from Hansard.  Neither are professional actors--in fact, both say they probably won’t act again.  Initially, they signed on to produce the soundtrack, but when the budget fell through, Hansard and Irglova agreed to play the roles.  Both were among the few members of the film to be paid up front--the crew was promised profit sharing. Despite their lack of training, the onscreen chemistry between Hansard and Irglova drives much of the film.  The romantic bond they develop is subtle and complicated, and possibly unsatisfying to those who prefer the Sweet Home Alabama/Failure to Launch/The Wedding Planner approach to love stories. Hansard admits he was falling in love with his costar before the film started shooting, and the two are reportedly dating now.  Made for $160,000 by Irish director John Carney, the production of Once is a lesson in independent filmmaking in its own right.  Carney used no professional actors, filming permits (and there are many Dublin street scenes), or custom sets.  He used telephoto lenses to shoot many scenes from long distances, so the actors and random pedestrians didn't always know when they were being filmed.  Carney also used natural light to save money on costly and cumbersome lighting rigs.  Supporting roles were played by his friends and family; the locations include Hansard's own flat in Dublin. The soundtrack is gorgeous, and stands on its own.  Truly amazing. Well, that's all.  Go rent it.  Meow. Â
Tags: Once Movie Review
Hey all! Welcome and hello.  I am going to be filling you in with cinematic reviews.  If anyone has requests, something you think you might like but don't want to take the chance, or whatever, just let me know! Â
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