What has changed...

What has really changed in the last 10 months or so since President Obama has been elected into office. Well, first of all, the magical power of hope and change has started to fade, as the world has realized that amazing oratorical skills only get you so far.

What else has changed, is that we attempted to save the financial industry and the car industry in this country following the recession, but we really just managed another reason for the world to hate us and vent their rage. Once the world woke up from their deification of Obama, they realized that America had once again treaded carelessly (not lightly) around the world's financial sector, and had put the world on the brink of collapse.

But what has changed since the (almost) collapse, and once Obama had a chance to do something? Sadly, not much. The developing economies around the world are still on a rapid rise; the world is still dependent on the USA and China, with the latter extremely dependent on the former; Climate degradation and destruction is still a major issue; the destitutely poor of the world are increasing rapidly due to certain demographic factors; and the Middle East and Afghanistan/Kashmir are still a mess, with no clear way out in any of the multiple sites of constant violence.

The politics of hope and change are just that. Hope is the last thing to die, or so they say. But in the world of politics and speeches and bluster, I really don't hope for much anymore, I will do what I can do correct and/or illustrate the systemic problems in this world. but I don't hope anything will change.

Something's got to give

Yeah I know real original. But more on that later.


I am growing tired of this war. We keep hearing about what great we're doing and what a positive force we are in the region. I just don't see it.



We have managed a few things but they aren't positive. We have managed to destroy the reputation of a once proud country while making the majority of its citizens hate us in the process. We have managed to drive the reputation of our proud nation in the eyes of the world into the ground. Everybody hates us, except most of Africa. And sadly that is only a slight exageration. Do I have a solution? No. But neither does anyone else.

We are approaching the summer games in Beijing this year and the situatuion in Tibet is getting worse instead of better. The olympic torch is making its way towards China and is causing trouble to brew and protests abound.

As stated in my previous post, I feel like protesting. If only I could make it to China, I would love to help the expose some of the horrible situations that brew in some of the most hidden places in the world.

Places in which the government censors the internet, and denies its citizens basic human rights. The story in Rural China is absolutely amazing, there are people who are desparately poor and whose voices of unrest usually end up in people being sent to the labor camps. Meanwhile the skyscrapers and big businesses boom in Urban China, really a sad situation. The disparity between the two is really unimaginable and it gets worse as the days go by.

What's going to happen when the Olympics come to China? Will the world hear the voices of those quieted by the all powerful State?

I hope we don't see something similar to when Argentina hosted the World Cup in 1978 only two years after a military dicatorship. The famed wall of shame was built up leading through the shanty towns, made up of tall and thick concrete its purpose was to keep the poor masses out of view. On the sides facing the roads were painted faux landscapes with beautiful houses, that from the road looked like neighborhoods. The perfect plan to fool the world into thinking that the "real" Argentina wasn't really suffering. Until. The residents of the shanty towns decided that the concrete in the wall looked good enough to take and use on their own houses instead and bit by bit during the beginning of the tournament the wall was taken apart.

-

Now in the information age such a trick wouldn't work, I suspect. But, the Chinese have to do something with the almost 800 million rural chinese who barely scrape by subsistence living, who might want to use the global games as a voice for their ills.

And that doesn't even include the masses of Tibetans and Han Chinese living in Western China who are growing increasingly upset with China's handling of this situation and the handling of the Dalai Lama who, in my eyes at least, has handled this all incredibly well.

The Chinese need to shape up fast or this Summer and the Olympics is going to turn into a royal disaster.

Courtesy to yingsel for this picture.

Anyone feel like protesting?

Free Tibet. Protest.

That's it.

Just some things i was thinking about

Slovenia stepped up to the plate and decided that Kosovo should be recognized as a nation. This is quite a bold step in their neck of the woods. The first ex-Yugoslav state to recognize Kosovo to so and this is something that most likely will anger the Serbs to a high degree. Let's hope that something horrible doesn't come from this decision, as most in the west have to see this as a positive step towards some sort of stablility.

Weird thing went down surrounding a book fair in Paris this week. A little odd to describe I'll let you check it out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7275700.stm

Viktor Bout was arrested in Bankok, and that's a relief for many of the crime fighting organizations around the world as he was one of the largest arms dealers he was called the Merchant of Death by some. He was suspected of trying to supply the Columbian rebels with guns just recently.

Ukraine and Russian gas giant Gazprom came to a new deal this week resolving the issues they've had with all the gas disputes. I'll just leave that alone, but someone is getting something out of it.

Protesters on monday we're arrested in Moscow while demonstrating against the election results on Sunday. Accusations of facism and rigged elections results were the chants from the crowd before they were violently up ended by the police. The swift blow of power exercised consistently to develop fear and respect is unacceptable nowadays people deserve the right to say what they believe.

The growing violence between Israel and Palestine is starting to get to horrific levels and we're looking like were heading to the worst levels since 1967. The situation has resulted in the first attack in Jerusalem in 4 years and I fear that this is just the beginning of a very scary situation brewing. The next US president has a really big choice on their hands. Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign aid and the Palestinian people have had their finances frozen and their lives affected in unbelivable ways.

I am completely impartial in this, I have no idea what way the US will go, and if a change in course is necessary, I am not qualified to say. But what I can say is that the growing Muslim community in the world is concerned with what is going on as is the Jewish community and something is going to break soon and the world can't afford that right now.

The Real Disconnect in This Country

The real disconnect in this country is the difference between the growing masses of people who used to be able to make enough to just get by and then save a little bit. Slowly maybe every couple years they would take themselves and the kids on a vacation, maybe to Florida or something. Things weren't the greatest but there definately wasn't a reason to complain.

That was then, whenever that was......

Not that long ago but not that far in the past. Now, people are just, well kinda struck (for lack of a better word).

Most people I know myself included are noticing that nowadays, you don't even make enough to get by anymore. Instead.....

You make just a little under getting by so that you're in debt some months and have a tiny surplus some months. Definately not enough to think about savings or a vacation. Instead you're worried about how to pay your rent or your growing credit card bills.

How people can afford to have summer houses, luxury cars, or buy frivolous bullshit is absolutely beyond me. Some people can barely afford to live, and the sad thing is there just like me and you. And worse yet there growing in numbers by the hour.

I love America too, but we have to start admitting that some things are slightly broken and need fixing.

Where are we really?

The reason this whole thing came to be is a general feeling of needing to do something bigger than this. Way bigger than this, but this is the perfect place to start.

Israel vs. Palestine, the forgotten oil field battles in the Niger delta, the growing AIDS disaster swelling up in rural India and the situation that will or is developing in Cuba after the supposed change in regime. These were just some of the things that pass through my head in a random minute in the day.

How about the elections if you want to call them that occuring in Russia right now. The growing power of the authoritarian elite in Russia and the correlation of the growth of the FSB (Federalnay Sluzhba Bezopasnosti) or basically the modern version of the KGB.

The Russian gas giant Gazprom, sponsors one of the giants in German in German football Schalke 04 what odd irony........

What happens when the scent of money from the Hilton family or other big US corporations start to smell good to Raul Castro?

Will the idea of Capitalist infused Communism in the vain of China sound good to them, i'd have to say yes. The people of that country are in need of the option of a better life and the prospect of at least a healthy vibrant one.

How many people at the State Dept. or in Washington really don't understand the fundamental differences between Shi'a Muslims and Sunni Muslims?

I bet you the answer would be a higher percentage than what should be expected from those that run this country.

I mean come on. These are the same people that allowed Nancy Pelosi to put her hankerchief on her head while on a visit to Syria in April 2007. Wearing a Hijab if your Muslim is okay, but....

Somebody should really have told her better advice than that. Sometimes I just wonder how many more times the "leaders" of this country will embarass us somewhere, somehow, someway.

The general understanding and common sense on our behalf has been replaced by an arrogant ignorance that is entirely unacceptable.

Turkey used to be our friend. Now I would honestly be scared to visit Istanbul and declare myself an American. The approval rating of Americans is at an embarrasingly low level and it is a sad disgrace that we have become the butt of every joke, and the doormat of the world.

When will America get its head out of its ass and realize where we really are and then realize where we should be going.