Susan Jewell

National:
SUMMARY
A phony motorcade made up of TV comedians got within thirty feet within President Bush's hotel while Bush was inside the Australian hotel. 'The fake convey" was not even suspected until the Osama bin Laden impersonator got out of the car. The motorcade was able to get through two security check points. The deputy police commissioner says he is "not embarrassed at all. what [he is] very angry that such a stunt like this would be pulled." Alexander Downer, the Australian foreign minister said, "Well they were arrested so I guess that just shows the security system works." Eleven people were arrested.

OPINION
I do not think the prank was funny at all. I am not sure how the authorities could say they are "not embarrassed" and that because the people were arrested that the "security system works." Nobody suspected anything until the Osama bin Laden character got out of the car. What would have happened if that was a real terrorist group or other potential threat to President Bush? The guards need to be way more thorough on checking. A flag and escort does not necessarily always tell the truth. I believe this was a good learning experience and thankfully it was a non dangerous prank that allowed real repercussion.

International:
SUMMARY
A prison in the Philippians, Cebu Detention and Rehabilitation Center, has a very different kind of prisoners -- dancing ones. A sea of orange clad men dance in the morning. The videos of the men is a growing sensation on the internet. Online such choreographed dances as "Thriller", "Sister Act", "Radio Ga Ga", and "Jailhouse Rock" have been posted.
Prison overseer Byron Garcia has said,"These men learned they can dance and still be men," he says. "It makes them work together, it makes them exercise and they learn self-esteem.They no longer feel like lowly criminals." A smile breaks his face. "Now," he says, "they feel like celebrity criminals."
Garcia feels his prison is a model for other prisons. The men dance some days for five hours and if they refuse conjugal visits are sometimes taken away as a privileged.
The men are now practicing for their internet encore "electric dreams". Garcia says everyone can be together on the internet in electric dreams. Not only does the video unite the world with the prisoners but the video also gives the inmates a sense of pride. One inmates son use to be ashamed of his father but now the boy goes to school and tells his friends his dad is the man dancing online.

OPINION
I think this is an ideal way for prisons to be run. The men do not work out with weights so they are not super strong and able to overpower their guards but they still get lots of exercise. The overseer was right about the men having to unite. I think the choreography requires the men to work together which is good. If the violence in the prison is going down clearly something is going right behind bars.