HomeHomehttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2011-12-03T21:29:46ZSquarespaceComing back soon and enjoy this videohttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2011/12/2/coming-back-soon-and-enjoy-this-video.htmlBarrett Holmes Pitner2011-12-02T22:07:55Z2011-12-02T22:07:55ZI took the site down while I was at graduate school at Northwestern University, but it will be coming back soon.
In the meantime enjoy this entertaining and informative video that I made with my fellow Medill alums Katie Banks and Ashley Cullins. It explains how a bill becomes a law.
]]>American and Iranian Mothers and a Common Purposehttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2010/5/14/american-and-iranian-mothers-and-a-common-purpose.htmlAmir Irani2010-05-14T17:53:00Z2010-05-14T17:53:00Z
It was just a few days ago that five kurdish youth were execuded in Iran on vague charges. The rushing into executions is seen as an intimidation act by the authorities to discourage opposition with the anniversary of the June presidential election being just around the corner. Furthermore, family members of these victims were also arrested in front of the Evin Prison when they demaned bodies of their lost ones.
However, Evin prison, also holds three Americans where were arrested last July on charges of crossing Iranian border without visas. Their mothers have been trying to visit them ever since. Surprisingly, they were granted visas to come to Iran a few days ago. It turns out that these hikers are actually anti-war activists. Scott Campbell tells us more about what they do in his "why you should care about the three Americans held in Iran". You can sign the petition for their release, here.
With the international community on one side and the internal awareness on the other, Iranian authorities have a harder time resorting to violent means in their power struggle. Today, Iranian and American Mothers are standing side by side for a common purpose, peace for all.
]]>The Similarity Between The American Civil Rights Movemt and The Green Movementhttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2010/5/8/the-similarity-between-the-american-civil-rights-movemt-and.htmlAmir Irani2010-05-08T22:56:33Z2010-05-08T22:56:33Z]]>A Man Made Disasterhttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2010/5/3/a-man-made-disaster.htmlBarrett Holmes Pitner2010-05-03T20:53:37Z2010-05-03T20:53:37Z
This weekend I went on a little vacation to the beach -- Destin, FL to be exact -- and when I was not relaxing with friends or seeing the sites I talked about oil. In fact we all talked about oil. Coming into the weekend the weather was supposed be sunny through Sunday, but as I arrived on Friday in my rental car I was only greeted by a blanket of rain. On Saturday the beach welcomed me with a brown murky film in the water, and cautionary red flags on the beach that warned of the perils of swimming in the ocean, or flat out forbade the activity.
The rest of the weekend remained overcast and foggy, and I distinctly remember hearing a jet fly overhead, but due to the fog I could only make out its shadow as it flew by. The peculiarities with the weather caused many people to ask questions and wonder if all of this was a result of the oil spill, but no one had any answers. All we knew was that we needed to know more, and that we may need to prepare for a catastrophic environmental disaster.
The more you know about this disaster the less sense the entire situation makes, but the video below gives an explanation to the situation we face.
Essentially, BP was drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico in waters roughly 5,000 feet deep and on April 20th its offshore drilling platform caught fire for unknown reasons killing 11 BP employees. BP was unable to stop the fire and eventually the drilling platform sank into the Gulf of Mexico. When the platform sank it pulled the pipe that carried the oil from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico with it, and this caused the three breaks that have leaked over 3 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.
Initially, one could argue that accidents happen and that that is the price one must pay for nearly any activity. Accidents happen and we have to live with this fact, but bizarrely we cannot use this logic with this situation. If we are to assume that accidents happen then we must also anticipate that all parties are prepared to deal with this accident, and that obviously has not been the case in this disaster. The above video shows that BP has three possible solutions for solving this disaster, but that they are not sure if any of them will work. 5,000 feet is a depth that BP is not accustomed to drilling in, and therefore they are not sure if their equipment can sustain the pressures at that depth. However, they will try their best, but obviously their best is not good enough. Their best is not good enough because a company cannot advocate the safety of offshore drilling and then be unprepared to deal with an accident; especially when you consider the harm that an accident would cause. Being unprepared is not an accident -- it is incompetence.
It is incompetent and greedy to drill for oil at depths that would make it impossible to adequately deal with a leak, and no one should condone these actions. Ideally, BP should never have been given the approval to drill in this area, yet that is another issue for another day. However, we do need to consider that in February of 2009 BP said to the government that it could handle a leak of 6.8 million gallons a day, and that it is currently struggling to handle a leak 210,000 gallons a day. Firstly, BP grossly over estimated its readiness, and secondly the government and people in general need to understand the dangers of a 6.8 million gallons a day leak. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 only leaked 10.8 million gallons of oil and that was the greatest oil related environmental disaster of all time, yet now we find it appropriate to entertain the prospect of an offshore oil drill that could leak out 6.8 million gallons in one day. Under this scenario, a leak that lasted for a little over a day and a half would result in the greatest oil related environmental disaster in history, and I doubt that BP's ability to handle the issue would result in closing the leak in less than two days. Proceeding to drill offshore with this possible scenario does not make any sense and is only asking for another disaster, and people need to understand this before they consider offshore drilling.
As this issue in the Gulf of Mexico continues over the coming months people will become more and more inclined to allocate blame to numerous parties. Conservatives will find a way to say that Obama was unprepared for this disaster, and some people such as former FEMA head Michael Brown may even state that Obama and other liberals wanted this disaster because it will allow them to push for their environmental agenda. Liberals will blame Obama because roughly a month ago he advocated the use of offshore oil drilling as a part of the nation's comprehensive environmental agenda. Others will blame BP because this disaster is frankly their fault, and I find no fault in blaming BP. BP needs to pay for as much of the clean up as humanly possible, and I could care less about how this could harm BP. However, at a certain point we need to get past allocating blame, and instead we should decide what to do next. Now that the true costs of domestic offshore oil drilling should be evident to all we need to reassess how America should address its energy needs.
Last week the Obama administration approved the creation of Cape Wind the first offshore wind farm in America. Cape Wind will be located off the coast of Cape Cod, MA and will consist of 130 wind turbines. The turbines will be located between 4 - 11 miles off the cost and will generate 170 megawatts of electricity or roughly 75% of the energy needs for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. This may be progress in the right direction, but this is America so people have to find something to complain about. The complaints range from the idea that the turbines will be too ugly or that they will interfere with Native American religious traditions, and these complaints may have merit when you ignore the alternatives, but now ignoring the dangers of an oil dependent energy infrastructure cannot be ignored. Wind energy may not be perfect and it will not solve all of our problems, but it must be considered a welcomed alternative to the prospect of the dangers of an oil leak.
We all need to know that BP will do its best to stop this leak because it is in their best interests to do so, but we all must not forget that their best is no longer good enough. Their best has resulted in 11 deaths and over 3 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. As a society we need to understand that we should be able to find a better way to obtain energy. This is not an issue that involves good guys and bad guys, but instead one that has established standards. 11 deaths and over 3 million gallons in the Gulf of Mexico should be below all of our standards. Our standards should implore us to entertain other forms of energy, and while we debate our next move more oil will continue to flow into the Gulf of Mexico.
]]>CNN's Prisoner of Warhttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2010/4/28/cnns-prisoner-of-war.htmlBarrett Holmes Pitner2010-04-28T17:47:08Z2010-04-28T17:47:08ZMichael Ware in Iraq
Despite the anger and outrage many Americans are feeling from a wide array of issues ranging from the absurd concerns about how universal health care will turn America into an authoritative communist Stalinist regime to the warranted disgust from the excesses and corruption of Wall Street, we all need to remember that we still have thousands of Americans and foreign soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who have to deal with unimaginable daily pressures. Considering the uncertainty many Americans have concerning the proper paths America should take to resolve these wars, we should at the very least aim to know and understand these pressures. This is where Michael Ware comes in.
Michael Ware is one of CNN's foreign correspondents and has been stationed in Iraq since 2003. He has been there so long that he has actually become a citizen. Michael Ware is currently on leave from CNN to write a book, but many speculate that he is also suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Michael Ware is not a soldier, but he is the closest civilian representative. He has been shot at, beaten, kidnapped and nearly executed, and many of these events he was able to film and at the very least write about. He has lived many events alongside American soldiers in Iraq, but his weapons have been either a pen and paper or camera instead of a gun. He provides a perspective that Americans need to see despite their reservations, and that is why the possibility that he is currently suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, carries such importance.
PTSD has often been viewed as a disease that stems from soldiers not being able to suffer the atrocities of war and be able to return to proper civilian life, but instead maybe it should be viewed as civilians not properly understanding what occurs during a war. If a civilian remains oblivious to the events that occur during a war because they are more concerned with domestic affairs, I find it only logical that a soldier would have a problem adapting to the 'real' world. If civilians knew more about war they may be more inclined to have fewer wars, and be more capable of addressing a returning soldiers needs. When a civilian whose face we recognize and who provides us with the insightful news suffers this problem it puts a whole new perspective on not just the shocking horrors of war, but also the overlooked horrors of civilian life that exist from willful ignorance.
Ware is a civilian that allegedly is dealing with one of the silent horrors of war. Not seeing his face on CNN telecasts should be a stark reminder to all Americans of the physical and mental toll war inflicts on soldiers and civilians alike.
To get a better idea of Michael Ware's life in Iraq read this great Men's Journal article.
Here is the new video for M.I.A.'s latest single "Born Free" by director Romain Gavras. The video is probably NSFW unless you happen to work for some sort of revolutionary establishment, yet I would say the video is important enough to risk a lunch break viewing.
In nine minutes the video gives a graphic example of the lunacy and perils of military sponsored violence towards civilians in a society. You may not identify specifically with any of the people in the video, but you should be able to understand how violence similar to that in the video has been acted out on countless numbers of groups with equal force and reasoning. This video should make you think, and if it does not you need to think again.
]]>US-Iran tensions and the Peoplehttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2010/4/25/us-iran-tensions-and-the-people.htmlAmir Irani2010-04-25T20:36:42Z2010-04-25T20:36:42Z
Threatening statements about use of nuclear weapons against Iran from the White House on one side and menacing statements from Iranian Regime about its nuclear program on the other have further fueled the tensions between the two countries. The double-speak in Ahmadinejad's administration about the use of Nuclear Technology has raised concerns in the west. "Iran has fully mastered nuclear technology," said Ahmadinejad in a speech celebrating National Nuclear Day. Meanwhile, the Iranian people's awareness about the consequences of Ahmadinejad's rhetorics have increased. A three-day government sponsored symposium that was supposed to focus on what was called "the Nuclear Achievements of Ahmadinejad’s administration!" was held in Science and Technology University. Despite all the efforts of the Basij and pro-government forces as well as the money spent on this event and all the advertisements, due to the cold reception it received and the fact that the students refused to attend this symposium, it was cancelled on one day and was held with a handful of attendees on the other two days while the key note speakers also cancelled their talks!
On the other hand, United States recently announced that it reserved right to use nuclear force against countries like North Korea and Iran. This fitted best with the menacing image that the Iranian authorities love to depict of America to legitimize themselves and their policies in the eyes of their people. “We will not allow America to renew its hellish dominance over Iran by using such threats,” Said the supreme leader Khamenei in a gathering of Iranian nurses, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. In the mean time, Iran guards tested their missiles in the region.
Iran was a close US ally before its 1979 Islamic revolution. After the revolution, great attempts were made to bring the two nations closer together; talks and tournaments were held where both countries participated. The above picture refers to a tournament held at the time of former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami who made great efforts in easing up the US-Iran relations. He was recently banned to leave the country to attend a nuclear disarmament conference being held in Japan.
The fight for morale between reformist movements and hardliners inside the country is a tough and sensitive one for both sides as Iranian authorities are in dire need of legitimizing themselves through US-Iran Tensions more than ever. The question is how can the United States and her policies play a part in this fight for morale.
Iceland died last week. Its last request was for its ashes to be spread across Europe
-- A little Eyjafjallajokull humor
Now that flights have resumed across Europe, and people have begun complaining about the amount of money they lost due to the disruptions caused by Eyjafjallajokull's volcanic eruption I find it only fitting to sit back and witness the awesome power that is mother nature. Yes this volcano caused seismic headaches for anyone who intended to travel to or within Europe for roughly a week, but that is it.
The airlines lost money and travellers lost money, but do people actually think someone was at fault for the flight cancellations? Are people going to sue Iceland for not controlling its volcano, or Great Britain for not controlling the wind in its air space? Most people I feel would prefer to lose money instead of flying into volcanic ash filled clouds that would destroy jet engines and inevitably result in a loss of lives. Patience inspired by the awe of volcanic power was all Europe could do.
Or Europe could do this.
Despite how much fun drinking in airports and hating Iceland can be I think a sweet, educational song might be a bit more in order.
Remember if Eyjafjallajokull is too much to handle imagine how debilitating and panic ensuing the eruption of its volcanic neighbor Katla would be. Katla is located only 12 miles away from Eyjafjallajokull and scientists believe they are connected by an underground network of magma channels. Therefore, there is an increased chance of Katla erupting after Eyjafjallajokull, yet the eruption of Katla would be roughly ten times as powerful. Katla would shoot higher and larger plumes of ash into the air that would dwarf these recent events, and by all accounts it is due an eruption. Katla traditionally has erupted around every 80 years with its last eruption being in 1918. Basically, for those people intent on recouping their monetary losses from over the past week they should consider buying stock in the European rail and bus industries.
Eyjafjallajokull will probably be remembered as a warm up for Katla, and if people become panicked from the warm up that does not bode well for the game. We all need to refrain from petulantly flying into a storm regardless of whether the disturbances are a natural occurrence or self-inflicted.
Maybe we should follow this guys advice by taking a nice, scenic drive in the country while probably listening to either Bjork or Sigur Ros
I like to think that he is driving away from the storm instead of into it, but who knows.
For more great pictures of Eyjafjallajokull vist The Big Picture
]]>The Environmentally Friendly Shoe Box -- Eliminates the Shoe Boxhttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2010/4/19/the-environmentally-friendly-shoe-box-eliminates-the-shoe-bo.htmlBarrett Holmes Pitner2010-04-19T09:24:22Z2010-04-19T09:24:22ZPuma's Clever Little Bag will save 8,500 tons of paper and mean a 60% reduction in water and energy used during the production process
"Sustainability in business is no longer negotiable, it is absolutely necessary, and we companies are overdue in taking responsibility. Business is part of the environmental problem; and we need to do what we can to fix it - companies need to lead the way."
Puma's chief executive and chairman Jochen Zeitz
From 2011 Puma will start packaging their shoes in their "Clever Little Bag" with the aim of vastly reducing their carbon "pawprint". The shoes in the "Clever Little Bag" will be framed in one single piece of cardboard and wrapped in a reusable shoe bag. Customers can leave the cardboard frame at the store or take it home and recycle it. The bag can be reused or recycled, and is biodegradable.
By thinking beyond the box Puma has displayed the facility with which business can work to improve the environment. The "Clever Little Bag" will not result in any job losses, but in the long run will save Puma money. The first year of implementation will result in a slight financial loss, but the following years will be cost neutral and eventually Puma will save money due to the amount of money not being spent during production. The "Clever Little Bag" will save 8,500 tons of paper and mean a 60% reduction of water and energy used during the production process. Not only will Puma directly benefit the environment by reducing their carbon "pawprint", but they will indirectly benefit the environment by allowing their consumers to be more environmentally conscious. Consumers can now recycle the cardboard frame and reuse the bag instead of throwing away an entire shoe box. In the increasingly hectic and business focused world that engulfs most people and turns them into consumers, it is a welcomed change for a company to give its consumers the chance to make a minor change that can improve the environment -- that many people have grown more and more inclined to ignore.
"We don't want to become complete purists. We are not saying we have to be perfect, we know we are not in a perfect world, but [we] can improve some areas through things such as better technology."
Puma's chief executive and chairman Jochen Zeitz
For more info on Puma's "Clever Little Bag" visit the BBC or Puma
Below is a clever little video about Puma's "Clever Little Bag"
]]>400,000 People Planted 2 Million Treeshttp://www.theknightlynews.com/home/2010/4/16/400000-people-planted-2-million-trees.htmlBarrett Holmes Pitner2010-04-16T21:14:19Z2010-04-16T21:14:19ZAmongst all the chaos in the world it is always good to point out people or groups who are doing the right things, and the Isha Foundation is one of those groups.
The Isha Foundation organized 400,000 people to plant over two million trees on a mountain in India in just 25 days. Additionally, they also set a world record for planting over 800,000 trees seeds in just one day.
Many times the simplest acts can make the greatest difference, and it is great to see organizations that understand this.
Below is a video of the Isha Foundations founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev talking about their tree planting exploits, and for more information about Isha visit http://www.ishafoundation.org/
