Arab-Americans slam Dictator as 'damaging'

Joe Klamar / AFP - Getty Images

Sacha Baron Cohen, dressed as his role of the Dictator, isn't leaving everyone laughing.

By Natalie Finn, E! Online

Can you believe it, not everyone finds Sacha Baron Cohen hilarious?

Though he would probably consider himself an equal-opportunity offender, the National Network for Arab American Communities is particularly offended by Cohen's latest character, buffoonish despot Admiral General Aladeen from the fictional Republic of Wadiya.

What about this Saddam Hussein-Moammar Gadhafi hybrid doesn't sit right?

MORE: Ryan Seacrest talks dictator dusting on Oscars red carpet: "I was surprised, but not surprised"

"There was plenty of buzz that he made a mess of Seacrest's Burberry tuxedo, but not much of an outcry about the blatant Arab stereotype," NNAAC director Nadia Tonova wrote today in an op-ed for the Huffington Post, referring to the other big moment at the Oscars, when Cohen-as-Aladeen spilled powder (supposedly Kim Jong Il's ashes) all over Ryan Seacrest's tux on the red carpet.

"Arabs are among the few cultures that Hollywood still exploits with impunity," Tonova continued. "Routinely, we are profiled as unsavory or sultry characters--generally terrorists, dictators, sheikhs, oil tycoons or Bedouins. But it's not just Hollywood that perpetuates this imagery. These stereotypes are promoted through the media, law enforcement, our courts, legislatures, Congress and our political candidates. They become an ugly message that trickles down to the general public: Arabs and Muslims are untrustworthy; they are un-American; they are ... fill the blank."

Cohen's camp and Paramount Pictures have remained silent since word first got out that the method-to-his-madness actor wanted to walk the carpet at the Academy Awards in the guise of his character -- not a surprising request coming from the guy who spent months as Bruno and Borat.

MORE: Could Sacha Baron Cohen face criminal charges for ashing Ryan Seacrest?

Tonova argues that it's stereotypes such as the ones perpetuated by Cohen that lead to racial profiling, violence against Arabs and Arab-Americans in the United States, unfair immigration practices and other political issues.

And, she writes, the damage done is not confined to the Arab community, quoting late Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren: "It should be remembered that practically all aliens have come to this country because they like our land and our institutions better than those from whence they came.... We must see to it that no race prejudices develop and that there are no petty persecutions of law-abiding people."

Those are words to remember, she concluded, when thinking about the current state of the U.S. "and, yes, even the damaging lunacy of Sacha Baron Cohen."

MORE: 10 super surprising Academy Award winners

Many of the comments on the article, meanwhile, noted that Cohen was really just trying to be funny.

"He was mocking dictators.... Any religious fundamentalists have to be looked on with suspicion, that is all religions," wrote Hal Wood.

Added Jeff McConnell, "C'mon, Nadia! Lighten up. I don't always necessarily appreciate Cohen's brand of humor, but he isn't hurting anyone."

But there were also those who agreed with Tonova.

"Yup, I agree, Ali G, Borat both Asian/Middle Eastern, both stereotypes. As far as I'm concerned it's just 'black face' for the 21st century," wrote UKVisitor.

GALLERY: 2012 Oscars: Big Moments From the Show

"Supposedly the joke is on us and our 'racist' preconceptions," wrote darquelord. "But without any liberating awareness of our own 'racism or another way of being or seeing'. In other words, he simply reinforces tired old racist cliches and exploits them for his own economic benefit and for some reason THIS is funny."

"The Dictator" storms theaters May 11!

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Source: http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/29/10538480-arab-american-group-slams-baron-cohens-dictator-as-damaging-lunacy

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Personal Finance Advice Column: Evolution in insurance | Payday ...

By Alan Kendrick, Independent Financial Adviser Oakwood Insurance Consultants and Financial Services

Published on Tuesday 28 Feb 2012 11:30

OVER a past 5 years that we have worked for Oakwood we have seen how any particular deals with their insurances. Now a consumer will go online to get a quote for their travel, residence and engine insurance. The placement channel has developed from insurer to attorney to client.

The high travel word attorney is viewed to be reduction critical since a internet by a comparison sites now gives proceed entrance to a word companies. However, this unbiased proceed can outcome in reward rate write calls, general scripts and nonetheless small recommendation or use is given. The unbiased proceed of a comparison sites has indeed increasing a value of a eccentric broker.

Internet users competence not realize that each bit of information is assessed and recorded. If they have completed, or partial done, an online selection and afterwards edited that quote to get it cheaper, a strange sum are recorded. The insurer has been famous to use that information to behind out of a intensity explain should one arise.

Another use with proceed insurers is a reduced reward for a initial year followed by a large boost in a second year. Their wish is that we will not worry to change after a initial year since of a con of doing so. Being both a financial formulation and word confidant is a good advantage to a clients, as we can understanding with all a clients? needs by providing a ?one stop? service. If it is suitable to change word companies we take a con away.

Within Oakwood a consultants are competent and trained. We ask additional questions a website doesn?t, we consider outward of a box and we can source a many formidable of policies. Whether we have suffered subsidence, flooding or transformation we are assured that we can find a process for your needs.

A attorney is even some-more critical for businesses where word needs are even some-more complicated. The unbiased proceed of a internet is only not adult to a job. It is essential to find recommendation to make certain that all your word needs are met. Insurance is a required expense, though we do not wish to compensate some-more than we need to. You wish all suitable risks covered, and if we wish to make a explain we wish to be certain that it is paid out. The unbiased use of a website does not come anywhere nearby to vocalization to a attorney on a face-to-face basis.

Oakwood Insurance Consultants and Financial Services. Tel: 01778 341658

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Source: http://paydayloans-uk.org/personal-finance-advice-column-evolution-in-insurance/

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John Everson ? 2012 Special Guest ? Indie Horror Film Festival

ohn Everson?is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the novels?Covenant(2004),?Sacrifice?(2007),?The 13th, (2009) and?Siren?(2010). All of these novels were released in paperback by Leisure Books. Limited hardcover editions were also issued from Delirium Books, Necro Publications and Bad Moon Books.

Over the past 15 years, John?s short fiction has appeared in more than 50 magazines, including?Space & Time, Dark Discoveries?andGrue, as well as in a couple dozen anthologies, most recently in?A Dark and Deadly Valley, Cold Flesh, Damned,?and?Kolchak: The Night Stalker Casebook. ?His short stories have also been translated and published in Polish and French. A wide selection of his short fiction has been collected in four short story collections ??Creeptych?(Delirium Books 2010),?Needles & Sins(Necro Books, 2007),?Vigilantes of Love?(Twilight Tales, 2003) and?Cage of Bones & Other Deadly Obsessions?(Delirium Books, 2000).

?Letting Go,? one of the short stories from?Needles & Sins?was nominated for a 2007 Bram Stoker Award and three other short stories from the collection have been included in the Honorable Mention List of the annual?Year?s Best Fantasy & Horror?anthology co-edited by Ellen Datlow.

John is also the editor of the anthologies?Sins of the Sirens?(Dark Arts Books, 2008) and?In Delirium II?(Delirium Books, 2007) and co-editor of the?Spooks!ghost story anthology (Twilight Tales, 2004). In 2006, he co-founded Dark Arts Books (www.darkartsbooks.com) to produce trade paperback collections spotlighting the?cutting edge work of?some of the best?authors working in?short?dark fantasy fiction today (they have since produced four anthologies).?He is also a digital artist and musician ? some of his dark techno songs?serve as the soundtrack to?the horror fiction CD-ROM anthologiesBloodtype?and?Carnival/Circus, and in 2003 he scored Martin Mundt?s?comedic serial killer stage play ?The Jackie Sexknife Show? in Chicago.

John shares a deep purple den in Naperville, Illinois with a cockatoo and cockatiel, a disparate collection of fake skulls, twisted skeletal fairies, Alan Clark illustrations and a large stuffed Eeyore. There?s also a mounted Chinese fowling spider named Stoker courtesy of fellow horror author Charlee Jacob, an ever-growing shelf of custom mix CDs and an acoustic guitar that he can?t really play but that his son likes to hear him beat on anyway. Sometimes his wife is surprised to find him shuffling through more public areas of the house, but it?s usually only to brew another cup of coffee. In order to avoid the onerous task of writing, he records pop-rock songs in a hidden home studio, experiments with the insatiable culinary joys of the jalapeno, designs book covers for a variety of small presses, loses hours in expanding an array of gardens and chases frequent excursions into the bizarre visual headspace of ?70s euro-horror DVDs with a shot of Makers Mark and a tall glass of Newcastle.

For information on his fiction, art and music, visit John Everson: Dark Arts atwww.johneverson.com.

He is also on Facebook at?www.facebook.com/johneverson, on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/johneverson?or on MySpace atwww.myspace.com/johneverson.

Source: http://indiehorrorfest.com/2012/02/27/john-everson-2012-special-guest/

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NYPD head not sorry about NJ Muslim surveillance

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2012 file photo, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly speaks at the New York Police Department in New York. Millions of dollars in White House money has helped pay for New York Police Department programs that put entire American Muslim neighborhoods under surveillance. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2012 file photo, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly speaks at the New York Police Department in New York. Millions of dollars in White House money has helped pay for New York Police Department programs that put entire American Muslim neighborhoods under surveillance. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

(AP) ? The New York Police Department's top official reiterated his defense Monday of the department's aggressive intelligence-gathering operations, saying there's no need to apologize for keeping tabs on some Muslims if that's what it takes to protect the city.

"Not everybody is going to be happy with everything the police department does, that's the nature of our business," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. "But our primary mission, our primary goal, is to keep this city safe, to save lives. That's what we're engaged in doing."

Kelly's comments to reporters Monday were the latest in a recent string of public statements in response to reports by The Associated Press about the NYPD's surveillance on Muslims across the Northeast following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

On a radio show on WOR, Kelly said some local politicians and potential candidates to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg who have criticized the counterterrorism efforts were pandering because of the upcoming election season.

In a newspaper column in the New York Daily News, Kelly said the criticism was a knee-jerk reaction by some New Jersey lawmakers to news that the NYPD had done surveillance in Newark.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and Newark Mayor Cory Booker were wrong to question the department, he said. The elected officials were responding to the recent disclosure that officers devoted several months in 2007 to surveillance of Muslim communities in New Jersey's largest city. The result was a 60-page guide to Newark's Muslims, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

Kelly said he had no plans to apologize. Christie has called the report "disturbing" and his spokesman said Monday he had nothing to add. A spokeswoman for Booker said he wasn't available for comment Monday. A spokeswoman for Menendez did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both have called for investigations into the department's actions.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he didn't see any reason to second-guess the NYPD's methods. He was responding in Albany to a letter sent by a civil rights group demanding a meeting to discuss the attorney general's decision not to investigate the department.

"I don't believe there is any reason to second-guess the attorney general," Cuomo said.

Bloomberg already has given strong public support for the police department's efforts. And a recent Quinnipiac University poll showed many New Yorkers approved of the NYPD.

Kelly was echoing Bloomberg's stance. Last week, the NYPD took the unusual step of holding an hour-long briefing for reporters during which department and city lawyers spelled out the legal guidelines they say allows monitoring of mosques and other locations within the city and elsewhere.

"The mayor is committed, I'm certainly committed to doing what we have to do, certainly as long as we're doing it pursuant to the law," Kelly said. "We're going to continue to vet and examine all of these strategies tactics that we use to keep this city safe."

His comments Monday came in the wake of the anniversary of the first attack on the World Trade Center, on Feb. 26, 1993. Then, the bombers came from New Jersey in a van full of explosives, parked it in a garage and detonated it. Kelly said it would be wrong to focus only on the city's five boroughs.

"It should've been a major wakeup call for the country and the city. It wasn't," Kelly said. "It was sort of written off as a being an inept group of individuals, it wasn't seen to be tied to an international movement. We paid the price."

He said he's doing everything he can ? under the law ? to make certain nothing like the 1993 bombing or the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by members of radical Islamist al-Qaida. Since then, have been at 14 other failed terrorist plots in the city.

The poll earlier this month found 60 percent of New York City voters believe police are "appropriately" dealing with Muslims, while 24 percent say police have unfairly targeted this group. Overall, 77 percent of New York City voters say police effectively combat terrorism. The poll questioned 1,222 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

___

Associated Press writers Tom Hays in New York City, Michael Gormley in Albany, N.Y., Beth DeFalco in Trenton, N.J., and Samantha Henry in Newark, N.J., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-02-27-US-NYPD-Intelligence-Kelly/id-36addc3ff1284450b16d9c19721e40e0

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Top Four Honeymoon Destinations in India to ... - Travel - EzineMark

It?s a dream for the numerous couples to visit India on their honeymoon vacation. India is located in Asia which easily attracts all sorts of vacationers from all over the globe, throughout the year. Honeymooners from all over the globe easily entice by the beautiful India as this country has everything for the honeymooners. The destinations in India are all sheer wonders which easily will overcast magical spell on your visit to this country. Here in this article of mine I will try to describe the four most wonderful and the most romantic destination which truly will offer you exciting and wonderful vacation. Truly these destinations in India have boosts the tourism here as it attracts all the sorts of vacationers for their most mesmerizing vacation. I must say the very very special destination for the honeymooners in India is such as listed below:

Manali
Manali is the most beautiful destination in India which is located in Himachal Pradesh.

This picturesque hill station in India tops the list of the couples thus no honeymooners in India escape this wonderful hill station of Manali in the North India. Lovingly called as ?Mini Switzerland? truly is the most fascinating destination for the honeymooners which is blessed by the abundant wonderful nature and is beautifully endowed by the lofty snow capped mountains, lush green dense forests, green rolling hills, swift flowing rivers and glaciers which truly make this hill town like a heaven on earth.

The cool climatic conditions, splendid temples, the hill resorts and hotels and myriad tourist attractions both pre natural and natural will make your honeymoon more romantic and more special.

Thus on your honeymoon in India never escape Manali honeymoon packages as when customizing with any leading honeymoon tour operator in India.

Goa
Goa is the most sought after honeymoon destination in India as the couples here can explore the superb blend of western and Indian culture both immersed at a place. This state is home to more than 38 beaches which easily allure the newlywed couples. Truly the beach honeymoon in Goa with any Goa honeymoon packages adds magical charm on your vacation which truly fabricates the couples with the paint of love and romance.

Darjeeling
No gift other than a Darjeeling honeymoon package would be dearer to your beloved after your marriage. Darjeeling is the most favorite and picturesque hill station in India which is located in the state of West Bengal on the Indo Nepal border. This wonderful hill station provides the couples a heavenly retreat. The vast stretches of lush green tea gardens, mist filled hills, marvel sightseeing, UNESCO World Heritage Sites Himalayan Railway lovingly called as Darjeeling Toy Train and numerous can be explored as on your honeymoon to Darjeeling.

Kerala
Honeymoon in India is not completed or neither considered until you visit Kerala, which is lovingly called as God?s Own Country. Kerala home to serene backwaters, well organized houseboat and other myriad of attractions which truly can be explored with any Kerala honeymoon packages.

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Source: http://travel.ezinemark.com/top-four-honeymoon-destinations-in-india-to-explore-on-your-honeymoon-trip-7d344fc53c22.html

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Romney fights to avoid home-state embarrassment (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - Mitt Romney is fighting to avoid an embarrassing home-state loss in a high-stakes Michigan primary that will not decide the Republican presidential contest but could scar the former Massachusetts governor just a week before Super Tuesday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120228/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Video: Is the GOP race slipping away?

Forget ID bracelets, some get medical tattoos

Tattoos have long served as fashion statements, but a small number of Americans are now relying on them for a more practical, potentially lifesaving purpose: to warn first responders about important medical conditions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46547438#46547438

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