I was doing a blog search this morning about Jade Goody losing her battle to cancer . What I found interesting was that news of her death still came under entertainment. Jade came from an underpriviledged background – and according to this writer she wasn’t “meant to be famous”.
“despite the supposed democratisation of television, the truly uneducated, those marked by true poverty and deprivation, rarely appear in our light entertainment schedules. ”
Is the fact that she didn’t quite fit the bill of a conventional celebrity the reason why she has elicited such strong reaction?
***
Jade planned the intricate details of her funeral in advance and this Hindu man wants to do the same, but he’s having to go to court to get his way. Devender Ghai is calling for the open air funeral pyres to be legal across Britain. He says
“Local Authorities routinely provide separate Muslim and Jewish burial grounds and out-of-hours registration and immediate or weekend burials. Hindus should cremate before the following sunset too and yet we, along with the general public, wait for up to a week.”
How much should people be tolerant of religion in face of local customs?
***
The Dalai Lama has been refused entry into South Africa for a peace meeting. It’s “in the country’s best interests” and here’s why – extensive Chinese business interests come first. But many are unhappy that South Africa has succumbed to Chinese pressure. Should commercial interests come before moral authority?
***
American Idol was rescheduled last week because….President Obama was on TV. Here’s why he was good for TV – and despite his gaffe, his appearance has done the trick .
“Once again Obama’s gamble has paid off: He understands that in an age of non-stop multimedia scrutiny, letting himself be seen as a flawed, occasionally even insensitive human being will not just not hurt him, it will keep people watching and listening. ”
Should the president be spending his time on popular chat shows or is he just playing to his strengths?
***
One story that caught my attention over the weekend was the death of a terminally ill baby boy following a court ruling that his life support machine must be switched off. His parents fought to keep him alive and they might sue the hospital for his death. Who should have the ultimate say in a child’s life – doctors or parents?
***
In 10 years time “the World War II biological clock will come to an end”. This is the reason why the hunt for the last Nazis continues. The prospect of these suspects being convincted is slim – so what’s the point?
***
Last week it was bonuses (that debates continues), and this week President Obama is looking for investors to buy up bad assets in an expansion of the bail out plan. But can you really expect to bank on the private sector?
RSS feed
BBC World Have Your Say 
I can’t find the study now. During the campaigns it was pretty well quoted. The increase of people, especially the under 25 crowd, who get their news and politics from late night talk shows and comedy venues is on the rise. Younger people actually outnumber their traditional news viewer counterparts. So why wouldn’t Obama go out and talk straight to the people who put him in office, and the ones most affected by this economic downfall.
I am sending my heartfelt condolences to Jade Goody family and friends, during this time of grieving….
~Dennis Junior~
The prospect of these suspects being convincted is slim – so what’s the point?
(Note: CONVICTED)
The chance of convictions now, for the accused war criminals is pretty much….LIMITED to ZERO….
**************************************************************
But can you really expect to bank on the private sector?
No, I think that giving money to the banks will continued on….
~Dennis Junior~
Why Should the Fed and Taxpayer Bail Out Wall Street?
If a company goes bust, auditors step in and decide how much
creditors should get. They may get ten percent, less or more of their
investment back, depending on the remaining assets of the firm.
Bailing out AIG, Chrysler and buying toxic assets will only make things
worse and prolong the agony of investors of failed firms.
Who controls American Middle Eastern policy? Apparently not the White House, which can’t even appoint government officials without the Israeli lobby’s permission.
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2009/mar/23/00006/
In Europe this kind of thing was known as ‘Finlandization’, with reference to the country that, during the Cold War, was sovereign in all respects except foreign policy, where the nature of its relations with other nations was dictated to it by the Soviet Union.
US Mid-East policy seems to have undergone thorough Finlandization, from the neocons who were demanding regime change in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia (who just happen to be Israel’s chief enemies) well before 9/11, who seem keen now on manoeuvering the US into war with Iran, and who managed to force Condoleeza Rice to abstain on a vote re a UN resolution that she and other American officials had drafted but whose drift was disliked by Israel & her supporters.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/12/olmert-bush-humiliated-ri_n_157201.html
Disturbing.
There is a difference between fame and infamy. Jade’s infamy was firmly rooted in the fact that she was a laughing stock. Is one’s self respect for sale? If so, then you have achieved infamy, like Jade.
Today is the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh an Indian freedom fighter who is an inspiration to the two thirds of INDIAS 1.2 BILLION POPULATION that is under 35.
It is a holiday in his honour and a couple of years ago a film called Rang de Basanti was made which suggested a way for young people to deal with the corruption in india today.
I’m almost ashamed to say that my first introduction to Jade Goody came from reading trashy celebrity magazines during my days as a postgraduate student in London. At the time I was shocked at the British obsession with celebrities and even more surprised that Jade Goody was famous solely for being a reality TV contestant. However, unlike most reality TV personalities, Jade Goody persisted beyond her 15 minutes and made the most of her time in the limelight.
I think she elicited strong reactions because she had working class roots and grew up under trying circumstances. As a public health person, I must admit that Jade Goody’s plight has done something positive for cervical cancer awareness and screening. A lot of young women assume that cervical cancer affects women in their 50 and 60s and Jade’s experience highlights the realities of this particular cancer.
My condolences to Jade’s family and friends.
Hi VictorK
“Regime change” is not a bad idea. I agree with everything you say but the present US Administration lacks clout. The situation in Pakistan has escalated. Pandemonium is just round the corner for Afghanistan since Washington announced its retreat policy.
…child’s life-doctors or parents?
The doctor may know if the child will survive or not but has to allow the parents let go psychologically of the child before euthenasia.
get real she was a yobo that got lucky then not so lucky, plain and simple
Hello Akbar.
Yes: but shouldn’t regime change always be indigenous, and never forced by external powers?
Almost every Western state has suffered, and most have fought too, to be independent and governed according to their own traditions and values. Do Muslims expect to get what they want for their societies on easier terms? If the bulk of a people regard a government as oppressive and illegitimate then they have a right to overthrow it. If they won’t, then they must endure it and not look to others to do what they won’t do for themselves.
Last week it was bonuses (that debates continues), and this week President Obama is looking for investors to buy up bad assets in an expansion of the bail out plan. But can you really expect to bank on the private sector?
***I think it is a very good chance…not to be dependent on the private sector for many things at this time….
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Should commercial interests come before moral authority?
Moral Authority should be paramount over Commercial Interests…
~Dennis Junior~
The only way to have things moving is talking to the terrorists with no pre-conditions. How do you accomplish a task when you already have preconceived ideas/judgements about any given topic?
Obama and the others must not dictate terms but listen with reason and tread carefully.
Jane Goody represents many people in the U.K. The Education Department should hang its head in shame. She came out of that so called ‘education’ system an uneducated person.