Word: givens
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...after the Iraq invasion, discovers that Saddam in fact had no weapons of mass destruction and fights to expose the dirty secret. No less than Inglourious Basterds, starring Damon's Ocean's Eleven buddy Brad Pitt, the film is a revisionist political fantasy disguised as gritty war reality. And given moviegoers' resistance to Iraq themes, Green Zone's trailers tried skirting the I word by making the picture seem like another Bourne adventure in all but name. There was no more hint of America's fatal foreign policy frustrations in Iraq than there was of homosexuality in the trailers...
...apparent refusal to acknowledge the possibility that money may have been skimmed off the top, which many aid agencies and humanitarian workers say routinely happens in developing nations. In fact, doubts in the last few years about whether relief supplies reach their intended sources in conflict zones have given rise to a whole new way of thinking about humanitarian aid - and caused some to question whether giving aid in times of war does any good at all. (See pictures of Geldof in Africa with President Bush...
...humanitarian organizations," WFP's Nairobi spokesman, Marcus Prior, tells TIME. "Even in the worst circumstances, we seek to follow all rules and regulations surrounding our operations and to remain true to our humanitarian mandate of impartiality and neutrality." But the WFP has had a hard time doing that given the fact that it is part of the U.N., a body made up of member states...
What ensues in the sporting world where no standards of excellence or value are set aside is plurality of honor and accomplishment. Awards in the NBA are given to the best non-starter (sixth man award), and in the Olympics athletes are dubbed “most decorated” even if they have failed to win a gold medal. During the 2002 World Series the MLB unveiled their top 10 “most memorable moments” with the top moment going to Carl Ripken Jr. playing the most consecutive games of all time...
...beat will go on in sports, like morality, as more teams, players, and coaches are deemed “the best this” and “the greatest that” while absolute worth remains to be defined. Such praise should not continue to be given without serious reflection. In the age where the specific virtues in our morals are increasingly harder to pinpoint, in our sports there exist infinite bests by infinite definitions. UConn will most likely win this year’s NCAA tournament, but that’s but one marker of achievement...