My housemate made the comment to me last night that I seem to spending an awful lot of time sitting in our kitchen watching Sarah Palin videos. And I have to say, it’s true, I’m somewhat obsessed.  I think it’s for a lot of the reasons Matt Damon highlighted earlier in the week - it’s absurd, the entire thing is absurd (and obviously not, people LOVE her).

But I couldn’t help talking about one of the things I find most absurd.  It’s been floating around for awhile now and last night Charlie Gibson asked Sarah Palin about it.  What is it you ask? The fact that the Republicans are claiming that Sarah Palin has foreign policy experience because Alaska is near Russia?   Is that experience?  Sarah last night said you could see Russia from parts of Alaska?

Well isn’t that special..

I wonder then about what types of jobs I am actually qualified for.  

I used to live in a pretty bad neighborhood and when I looked out my window I would see junkies shooting up on the street.  Does this mean I should be able to apply for a job as a social worker or a job in a drug rehab facility?

Read the rest of this entry »

This disgusts me. Savana Redding, a female student who was strip-searched for drugs when she was in eighth grade took her case to a federal appeals court on Wednesday. Her school has a strict policy against alcohol, narcotics and strip searched her because she was carrying ibuprofen! She feels that school officials had violated her constitutional rights and is fighting the action.

Savana Redding says she was “confused” and “ashamed” after the officials in Safford, Ariz., suspected her in 2003 of giving other students prescription Ibuprofen pills and ordered her to expose her breasts and pelvic area during a search in the school nurse’s office. She denied having any pills, and none were found. Her mother later filed on her behalf a federal lawsuit claiming the search was unreasonable and therefore illegal.

“A strip search, particularly of an adolescent, is a grave invasion of privacy and should be reserved for emergency situations,” Andrew Petersen, one of Redding’s lawyers, said in a written statement. “The misguided actions of these school officials must not become the status quo in our nation’s schools.” [ABC News]

Couldn’t the authorities have called her parents instead of shaming this girl by making her reveal herself to a bunch of disgusting school officials?

For more on this case and civil rights and check out www.aclu.org

The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out our most popular articles of the week on a variety of subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan Surfaces 120 Years Later

Hallelujah For American Idol, Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen

* * *
Nicole:

Google Gives Free Voicemail to San Francisco Homeless

Gabriel Garcia Marquez Turnes 80

* * *
Giulia:

Patrick Swayze’s Cancer Battle

Koby Bryant’s PSA for ASR

* * *
Gina:

Reese’s Empowering Bracelet

“Chop Shop” - Dreams In a Place of Despair

* * *
Kerry:

Bamboo Laptop: Will Apple Be Green with Envy?

The Explosive Truth About Twinkies

Unfortunately actor Patrick Swayze does indeed have cancer. However rumors circulating in the National Enquirer and other publications that the star was told by doctors that “he had only five weeks left to live” have been confirmed to be totally untrue.

“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Swayze’s physician, Dr. George Fisher said in the statement. “All of the reports stating the time frame of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.” [ABC News]

So don’t fret, let’s just be sure to keep our beloved Dirty Dancer in our prayers. Nobody puts Swayze in the corner, not even cancer!

For more on pancreatic cancer and to get involved in finding a cure visit http://www.pancreatica.org/

By Giulia RozziWe often hear stories of how the web has destroyed someones life, through cyber-stalking or defamation. But for Nancy Makin the internet saved her life. Alone and desperate, a 700 lb Nancy found loving non-judgemental friends online. It was through their support that her self-esteem began to soar and she was able to loose over 500 lb.For more on over-eaters/binge-eating visit http://www.something-fishy.org/whatarethey/coe.php