Accepting the first ever YouTube Visionary Award via taped message, Queen Rania Al Abdullah spoofed the famous Top 10 format from David Letterman to explain why she launched her channel.

Queen Rania is a very hip monarch, obviously.  After the humorous Top 10 List, she does get down to a more serious riff. 

Hat tips to Professor Juan Cole for posting the video on his blog, Informed Comment.  He also includes the recent two-part video interview of Queen Rania by Fareed Zakaria on CNN (part 1, part 2). 

After listening to the last eight years of Bushworld neocon propaganda and the politics of fear and division, Queen Rania's message of tolerance and moderation is a forward-looking breath of fresh air from a head of state. 

Let's hope that the recent attack in Mumbai doesn't cause a return to the Bush/Cheney mindset.  The corporate news media will undoubtedly hype up the fear for ratings (advertising revenue) but let's keep things in perspective. 

CNN, for example, ran a piece highlighting several recent terror attacks and suggested that the new threat will be Europeans with easy access to the United States.  Look, terrorism isn't new.  Terrorism in Europe isn't new.  Despite the manufactured hype, the sky is not falling. 

The deaths and injuries in Mumbai are tragic, of course.  At the same time, about 100 people die and 15,000 people are hospitalized in the U.S. each year from peanuts.  Politicians aren't asking us to support a new War on Peanuts. 

Last year, 1554 children were murdered in the United States.  Is anyone concerned about that? 

[headphones]  
Sinja's Project Playlist 

[lyric of the moment]
If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?
– Lynyrd Skynyrd, Freebird

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