So, as some of you know, I spent a year in the US in 08/09, and it was great. I had many experiences, made a ton of new friends and I just grew older and “wiser”, if I can say it that way.
I realised that just yesterday, when I read a letter. A letter written by me to myself, one year ago, before I did my exchange year. I had to write down my fears and my hopes, my current problems and what makes me happy, my most important friends and wishes. And now, after a year, I got that letter and I read it, yesterday evening, late at night.
And it was most interesting
I noticed, how much I really changed. I never thoughed and nobody else noticed that I changed. At least I think so. But I read in that letter many things, that are different to me now.
For example I just noticed, how childish I wrote that letter. Just my style of writing, the way how I said things, was kinda childish. When I read it, I felt like, at that time, I was immature and too humouros. I hope you know what I mean. I was just too laid back when I talked about emotions and stuff like that. Just childish.
Then there were values, that were important to me at that time, but are not as much anymore. A year ago, grades in school were very important to me, as I think too important. Now I still care about my grades and I will still do my best to get good grades, but there is other things that I want and that make me happy, such as just relaxation, hanging out with friends and doing any kinds of fun stuff. Of course also a year ago I had fun when doing that, but I didn’t mention it in the letter, which shows how I grew up in my values, that grades are not the most important thing, not at all.
But there is also some similarities, like my wishes. I still want to do the same job one day and I still have similar “emotional/relationship” problems. And I still hope that this problem will solve some day, but now I handle thing like that more mature, with more thoughts and less panic.
When I finished reading the letter, I had just a strange feeling: “This couldn’t have been me.” or just ” Weird”. It was just surprising for me to read that and see the differences. I just didn’t expect it, or at least I didn’t expect it to realize it when I read that letter. It was most interesting to read this “flash back / deja vu” kinda thing.
And then I wondered: Did I even change?
I think that I didn’t change that much during that year regarding the basics of my personality, but that I just notice, feel, sense things different now, that I have a differnt point of view, that I have different priorities and that I think more about some things. And less about other things.
So, yes, I did change. In a way.
And who knows If I’m not gonna change a little bit the next year?
For years I have been devoted to the exploration of different foods and their uses. I have worked in Restaurants from the Mid-West, the South, Canada, and now I can add the New England states to my long list of accomplishments.
I will be adding recipes, secrets,information about restaurants, tips, and more as I find them or can remember them. LOL, trust me when I say remember since my memory sucks.
I can remember being 8 or so years old, asking my daddy for money and him telling me to go buss a table if I wanted to earn something. From there I moved into the kitchen and got to play with vegetables. I was hooked! I wanted to know what everything tasted like, how it was grown, where it came from, and how it got to where it was at the stage it was in. I can remember this massive machine in a corner, I came to find out later it was a Hobart Mixer. That baby would spin for hours; whipping cream, mixing dough for biscuits, smashing the potatoes for the mashed taters. I was hooked! Did I say that twice? LOL. I sure did!
I got to watch Joan, our prep cook put together the most amazing items. She could whip up soups with such zest I would wonder what she was doing. Here I thought everything came from a bag. LOL. She would plop this amazing sticky white mess from the mixer, roll it out with this stick, then moving very fast make as many disks as she could. Hell I though that was the coolest! After she threw them on a baking sheet and stuck them into the oven, I was the one being scolded for running over to open the oven door, because damn it I wanted to see what they did. LOL. Afterward Joan would pull them out, lift one off, slather it with butter and hand it to me for the first bite. OH Boy was it yummy as the butter ran down my cheeks and chin.
Then came the freezers, walk-ins, and the pantry. I could stand at the opening of each one, staring in amazement at all the different foods. I was in heaven! I would touch the different meats trying to figure out what was in this box or that box, touch and feel every piece of fruit and vegetable, smelling all the different cheeses. I was in a different kind of toy store. LOL. Later I would figure out it was my kind of toy store.
More tomorrow as I share my journey to the unknown hot grills. LOL
Sulla vicenda di Roman Polanski, fermato in Svizzera su richiesta della Giustizia U.S.A. 36 anni dopo uno stupro su una tredicenne (a cui aveva dato Quaalude e champagne), si moltiplicano appelli al rilascio ed i dibattiti sulla vicenda.
A fronte di dati (da considerare come acquisiti: i rapporti ci sono stati e la ragazzina aveva più volte manifestato il suo rifiuto), oggi il Corriere scrive:
Il mondo del grande cinema americano si mobilita a fianco di Roman Polanski. Woody Allen, David Lynch e Martin Scorsese hanno tutti firmato la petizione per il rilascio del regista franco-polacco,arrestato in Svizzera per il presunto stupro di una tredicenne a Hollywood, nel 1977. Tra gli altri firmatari ci sono Michael Mann, Win Wenders, Pedro Almodovar, Claude Lelouch, Monica Bellucci, Ettore Scola, Marco Bellocchio, Giuseppe Tornatore, Paolo Sorrentino, Michele Placido, Costa-Gavras e Wong Kar-Wai.
..presunto? Ma come “presunto”? Demonio Pellegrino ha un approccio molto drastico, io ritengo di essere più “morbido”…, ma solo perché – comunque – si procede ad un fermo a distanza di 33 anni dai fatti.
Ma questa analisi realizzata da Salon.com è decisamente cruda ed inquietante.
I’m a bit of a Harry Potter fanatic and my trip to Orlando, Florida last year would have been made even more awesome by a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
This all-out Potter-themed park by Universal Studios is set to open around March/April 2010. You’ll be able to explore Hogwarts, Zonko’s, Honeydukes, and Ollivander’s, ride rollercoasters like the Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff.
You can finish off a day of adventures in Hogsmeade with a butterbeer at the Hog’s Head or the Three Broomsticks. I don’t know about you, but a whole lot of people will be very excited for this and I’m one of them!
“The U.S. financial sector’s losses on large loans exploded over the past year, exceeding the combined losses since 2001, with hedge funds and other members of the “shadow banking system” hit the hardest. Regulators’ annual review of US$2,900 billion of “shared national credits” (SNC) – loans larger than US$20 million shared by three or more federally regulated institutions – reveals that more than one in three dollars lent by non-bank institutions such as hedge funds, securitization vehicles and pension funds, went sour in 2008.” (Financial Times on September 25, 2009)
Agenda Rahasia Bilderberg untuk Memasang Microchip pada Warga Amerika Bocor
Oleh: Paul Joseph Watson
Selasa, 10 Juni 2008
(Sumber: www.prisonplanet.com)
Para elit hendak memasang microchip pada warga Amerika atas nama memerangi terorisme, penduduk Eropa secara umum menentang serangan atas Iran, para Globalis khawatir harga minyak naik terlalu cepat.
Sumber-sumber dari dalam pertemuan Bilderberg tahun 2008 telah membocorkan detil-detil hal yang didiskusikan di Chantilly Virginia minggu lalu dan poin pembicaraan itu tidak menyenangkan – sebuah rencana untuk memasang microchip pada warga Amerika dengan dalih memerangi kelompok-kelompok teroris yang diidentifikasi sebagai orang Barat bermata biru dan berambut pirang.
Mata-mata Bilderberg veteran, Jim Tucker, mengandalkan sumber-sumber yang secara rutin menghadiri Bilderberg sebagai pembantu dan asisten dan bukan anggota Bilderberg itu sendiri. Informasi yang mereka peroleh tahun ini bisa membuat dingin tulang sumsum orang-orang yang lama menelusuri perkembangan rencana Bilderberg untuk membuat masyarakat umum menganggap penanaman microchip sebagai sesuatu yang menyenangkan seperti halnya kartu kredit.
“Di bawah judul melawan terorisme, terdapat poin tentang bagaimana organisasi-organisasi teroris sedang merekrut orang-orang yang tidak tampak seperti teroris – pemuda-pemuda bermata biru dan berambut pirang – mereka berusaha keras mencari tipe-tipe tersebut untuk dijadikan bomber sinting yang baru,” ucap Tucker.
Sebagaimana telah kami dokumentasikan, barisan Al-Qaeda berambut pirang dan bermata biru merupakan satu poin pembicaraan yang telah ditekankan oleh Fox News dan lingkaran Neo-Con lainnya dalam upaya mengarahkan aparat anti-teror untuk membidik para penentang, pemrotes, dan rakyat Amerika secara umum.
Yang tidak menyenangkan, sumber Tucker juga mengatakan kepadanya bahwa Bilderberg mendiskusikan pemasangan microchip pada manusia dalam skala besar, yang akan diperkenalkan dengan dalih memerangi terorisme di mana “orang-orang baik” akan dibiarkan pergi secara bebas dari bandara-bandara selama microchip mereka bisa di-scan (dipindai-penj) dan informasinya tersimpan dalam sebuah database.
Tucker mengatakan gagasan tersebut dianggap menarik atas dasar bahwa itu akan turut membantu pegawai rumah sakit mengobati pasien dalam situasi darurat karena pemindaian chip dapat menyediakan akses instan terhadap rincian informasi kesehatan.
Tucker menggarisbawahi bahwa yang dibicarakan Bilderberg adalah penanaman chip di bawah kulit (subdermal) dan bukan chip RFID yang disimpan dalam pakaian. Pembicaraan ini berlangsung di aula konferensi utama dan merupakan bagian dari agenda, dan bukan sekadar pembicaraan sambilan di bar hotel.
Konsep aneh seperti itu mungkin terasa sulit dipercaya bagi sebagian orang, tapi dalam sepuluh tahun terakhir terdapat lusinan contoh mengenai orang-orang yang menerima penanaman chip dengan beragam alasan.
Pada tahun 2004, jaksa agung Meksiko dan 160 orang stafnya ditanami dengan chip pelacak (tracker chip) untuk mengontrol akses menuju area-area penting di markas besar mereka.
Baja Beach Club di Barcelona dan klub malam lainnya di seluruh dunia sedang menawarkan penanaman chip kepada para pelanggan yang ingin membayar minuman dengan ayunan tangan dan juga mendapat akses menuju area-area VIP di club lounge.
Bilderberg bersikap skeptis mengenai serangan terhadap Iran
Sumber Tucker mengatakan kepadanya bahwa Menteri Pertahanan AS, Robert Gates, benar-benar menghadiri pertemuan Bilderberg meski ia tidak tercatat dalam daftar tamu resmi.
Tucker mengatakan bahwa sumber-sumbernya menceritakan kehadiran Gates adalah untuk mengemukakan alasannya mengadakan perang atas Iran, namun mayoritas anggota Bilderberg menentang penyerbuan untuk saat ini.
“Warga Eropa secara umum menentang invasi atas Iran – Gates menjalankan latihan propaganda perang tetap tentang bagaimana Iran merupakan ancaman nuklir bagi semua orang,” ujar Tucker, sambil menambahkan bahwa para anggota Bilderberg Eropa mengeluarkan komentar sindiran mengenai keberadaan pasti senjata nuklir tersebut dan pada satu titik mereka berkelakar bahwa mungkin senjata itu berada “di kuburan Saddam Hussein”.
Meskipun Bilderberg menentang, Tucker mengatakan bahwa pemerintahan AS masih mempertimbangkan penyerangan sebelum Bush menanggalkan jabatannya pada bulan Januari.
“Setidaknya 90% warga Eropa menentang perang, mungkin hampir 100%,” ujar Tucker, sambil menambahkan, “sejauh ini sebagian besar warga Amerika bersikap pasif dan menghormati Menteri Pertahanan dan gerakan Condoleezza Rice menyangkut Iran.”
Tucker mengatakan bahwa sebagian besar warga negara Amerika yang menghadiri pertemuan itu menentang penyerangan atas Iran tapi mereka tidak selantang warga Eropa.
Energi dan harga minyak
“Salah seorang anggota Bilderberg mengajukan pertanyaan ini – ‘Haruskah kita menghentikan kenaikan harga minyak, akankah kita memperoleh keuntungan yang kurang,’” ungkap Tucker, sambil menambahkan bahwa Bilderberg memperhatikan bagaimana rakyat Amerika menukar-tambah mobil SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle-penj) mereka secara besar-besaran dengan mobil kecil dan hemat energi dan menggunakan lebih banyak transportasi publik guna menghadapi harga bensin yang tinggi.
Sumber Tucker mengatakan bahwa Bilderberg memprediksikan harga bensin per galon pada akhir musim panas ini adalah $5 dan minyak mencapai $150 per barel, tapi ini merupakan batas tertinggi dan harga minyak kemudian akan mulai turun karena mereka menganggap kenaikannya terlalu cepat terjadi.
Sebagaimana telah kami laporkan sebelumnya, Bilderberg menghendaki agar harga minyak melonjak naik pada tahun 2005 sedangkan saat itu harganya hanya $40 per barel.
Saat konferensi di Jerman, Henry Kissinger mengatakan kepada hadirin bahwa para elit telah memutuskan untuk menjamin adanya kenaikan harga minyak dua kali lipat selama 12-24 bulan berikutnya, yang memang benar-benar telah terjadi.
Saat pertemuan di Ottawa, Kanada, pada tahun 2006, Bilderberg setuju untuk menekan harga minyak sampai $105 per barel sebelum akhir tahun 2008. Setelah target tersebut tercapai beberapa bulan lalu, kenaikan sampai $150 telah melampaui target Bilderberg, itulah mengapa para elit mengungkapkan keinginan untuk meredam harga minyak setidaknya dalam waktu dekat.
Dua hari setelah meninggalkan pertemuan Bilderberg, pimpinan The Fed, Ben Bernanke, beserta George W. Bush dan tokoh lainnya, mengungkapkan dukungan terhadap penguatan dolar dan Bernanke mengisyaratkan bahwa tingkat suku bunga kemungkinan naik, yang dengan serta-merta telah menyebabkan harga minyak turun sejalan dengan konsensus Bilderberg.
Joseph Lazzaro | DailyFinance | Sep 14th 2009 at 4:50PM
A year into the G-20 effort to stabilize global financial markets, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz is not exactly giving leaders of the world’s major economies high marks. In fact, the professor of economics at Columbia University argues that bank problems are bigger now than they were before the collapse of Lehman Brothers a year ago. “In the U.S. and many other countries, the too-big-to-fail banks have become even bigger,” Stiglitz told Bloomberg News during an interview Sunday in Paris. “The problems are worse than they were in 2007 before the crisis.” Stiglitz’ view mirrors that of former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who has advised President Barack Obama to decrease the size of banks. Nevertheless, in the year after the U.S. Federal Reserve and Treasury allocated more than $23 trillion in public funds to stabilize the financial system, re-liquefy credit markets and shore up troubled banks, Citigroup (C) is about as large as it was before the crisis and the Bank of America (BAC) has grown. Stiglitz said the U.S. government’s reform effort has run into powerful banking and financial service lobbies in Washington, who has extensive Congressional support in both the Republican and Democratic parties. Stiglitz’ hope is that next week’s G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh will lead to increased pressure on the U.S. to widen oversight of banks and further reduce systemic risk created by the size of financial institution operations.
“We aren’t doing anything significant so far, and the banks are pushing back,” Stiglitz told Bloomberg. “The leaders of the G-20 will make some small steps forward, given the power of the banks” and “any step forward is a move in the right direction.” A former economist for the World Bank, Stiglitz, among many other economists, has called for a decrease in the size of financial institutions. The fear is that institutional size could continue to create companies that are “too big to fail,” leading to more perilous situations. One logical remedy is to decrease their size so that they don’t create systemic risk and don’t need government bailouts. A second reason G-20 leaders may focus on bank size is their efforts to limit bank executive pays and bonuses are going nowhere. Many in part blame “perverse incentives” for helping to create the excessive risk during the 2005-2008 leveraging bubble. Germany favors pay caps, but France has called them unworkable, arguing that bankers would simply find loopholes, The Independent of the United Kingdom reported. Meanwhile, the United States and the United Kingdom are opposed to caps on pay.
Economic Analysis: Although Stiglitz brings up good points, he may have been embellishing his arguments somewhat. There’s no doubt that major reforms are needed when it comes to systemic risk, the size of institutions, bank capitalization, and how banks’ compensation plan affect risk. But it’s somewhat of a stretch to argue that the financial problems facing the world’s major economies are bigger now than they were one year ago, at the outset of the crisis. As a result of the infusion of public dollars, the U.S., Europe, Asia and other regions clearly are in a stronger financial condition today than they were 12 months ago. The problem is the global economy remains in danger of a repeat. The rules must be changed to limit both systemic risk and change the psychology of institutions that believe the government will and must bail them out if they fail. Investors, obviously, know there are no quick and easy solutions to this problem. There will be winners and losers. But solutions must be found. Put another way, if unchecked excesses continue and government intervention is required again, so much of the private banking sector will become public that the term “capitalist economy” may very well become meaningless.
The Post asked foreign policy experts whether President Obama should maintain a focus on protecting the population and rebuilding the country, or on striking terrorists. Below are contributions from Jane Harman, Kurt Volker, Gilles Dorronsoro, John Nagl, Ronald E. Neumann, Meghan O’Sullivan and Carl M. Levin.
Thanks to Major C
AMP Morning Stand-To 26SEP09
Afghanistan: WP Op-Ed:
(Click here to view article>)
En esta vida hay que ir a uno como le dé la gana, y si las hijas de Zapatero se visten así de góticas, por que no se van a vestir igual delante de Obama? Pues claro que sí, basta ya de hipocresía y aparentar lo que uno no es. Y si hay gente que critica su forma de vestir, pues que les den y que se miren ellos mismos en el espejo que ya tienen bastante.
El montaje era obvio que alguien lo haría, es la suerte de vivir en un pais con libertades.
It’s been almost a month since I’ve left Chicago (I was a grad student at Northwestern University in nearby Evanston). It’s a great place and I had a great time there. From time to time, I’ll share my thoughts about Chicago’s people and neighborhoods, from Humboldt Park to the Englewood neighborhood in the city’s South Side.
Sweet Home Chicago: the Pilsen neighborhood
For some Chicagoans, Pilsen is just another neighborhood, home to some of the city’s Hispanic residents. But for others, Pilsen is known for the numerous murals and paintings scattered around the area. They’re everywhere: on homes, schools, even the mass transit stations.
A few muralists live in Pilsen, attracted by the art throughout the neighborhood. And some, such as Mexican native Hector Duarte, are also immigrants, hoping to express their creativity and vision in their new home.
Back in June, I profiled some of Duarte’s art, and the messages behind them, in a video slideshow for the Medill School of Journalism’s project on immigration in Chicago.
sollte der unwahrscheinliche fall eintreten, dass da draußen jemand ist, der noch nicht im südwesten der USA urlaub gemacht hat, dem würde ich meine erfahrungen bei der planung gerne weitergeben.
und damit sind wir schon bei der ersten erkenntnis: wir sind wohl eine minderheit. bei den reisevorbereitungen sind mir unglaublich viele leute begegnet, die auch schon dort waren. das steht wohl bei jedem, der was auf sich hält, ganz oben im notzizbuch “urlaub im südwesten der USA”.
ehrlich gesagt, hat mich diese erkenntnis etwas geschockt und auch den ersten elan aus den planungen genommen. mein gott, mainstream.
aber was soll’s, wenns halt auch einfach schön ist…und diese vielen leute, deren eindrücke und ihre begeisterung beim erzählen, hilft auch sehr.
das beste informationsmedium heutzutage ist ja doch das internet. dort findet man schon extrem viel (wahrscheinlich auch weil eben jeder schon mal da war;-)). aber aus dem ganzen wust stechen dann doch auch immer wieder spitzen raus. und die bei weitem höchste spitze in diesem fall war das amerika forum. hier findet man eigentlich alles, was man braucht. die meisten fragen sind schon beantwortet und auch sehr, sehr gute routen sind schon beschrieben. hier kann man gut mixen und sich aus zwei, drei routen dann seine eigene individuelle zusammenstellen (so haben wir das gemacht). sollte dennoch mal ein detail offen und fraglich sein, einfach einen tread aufmachen und fragen. mir wurde sofort super geholfen. wirklich spitze!
aber auch klassische reiseführer haben wir uns angeschafft. hier finde ich besonders zwei sehr gelungen. zum einen der reiseführer von Stefan Loose “Kalifornien” und zum anderen das etwas dickere reisehandbuch von Hans-R. Grundmann “USA der ganze Westen”. ergänzt werden diese beiden durch den leicht abfallenden reiseführer “Kalifornien & Südwesten USA”.
ja und abschließend hilft natürlich auch google. generell und im besonderen bei der routenplanung. wahnsinn ist vor allem wie viele straßen in amerika schon abgefilmt wurden… ich glaube wir sind die route schonmal fast am pc abgefahren…
Day 3:
Mondays are blue, but a different kind of a blue when you wake up in a new country and a completely new city.
Agenda was set. We were seeing 3 apartments, then checking out nani’s school and figuring out the city. Big tension. I don’t know where what is!
Well, I’d forgotten how exciting it is to discover every little corner of the city… To unravel the folds of the character that makes up a city, to create memories at little places or monuments and to slowly fall in love with it’s charm.
In the scorching heat, we lost our way. And in losing ourselves we found little things about South beach, Miami quite amusing.
So anyway. My sense of apartment scouting had gathered rust too. Nanchan made all the calls and scheduled meetings. The first apartment was a little room available 10 blocks from nanis school. We rang the bell and a south American man dressed in a lungi answers the door. Pictures of Ganpati Bappa, Shiva and Buddha greet us along with a wafting scent of agarbatti. Hello, we walked just 10 blocks, how did we end up in India? Apparently, the house was a yoga center with meditation rooms and a huge Radha Krishna idol. ‘we serve vegetarian prasad’ the dude announced. Alright, I looked at nani and we walked out.
She didn’t travel halfway across the globe to live in a wannabe Indian surrounding. So that’s where we said om shanti and moved to the next house. The next one was pretty. It had a courtyard, a good neighbourhood and boy, what floored nanchan was the cute lil fat cat! Nani loved it. Hell, I loved it. Having a nice roommate makes a huge difference too. And that’s why I thought this was a good option.
It was almost 4 and we hadn’t managed to find the time to eat. Snacking kept us going. Thank u mommy
The third apartment was our last stop.
‘i promise u, after seeing that apartment, we will eat, ok?’ nanya assured me. What, after walking 30 odd blocks through the day my feet were blistered and the stomach was hungry.
So we dragged ourselves down another 8 blocks to see the next one. The neighbourhood was dodgy, one of the roommates I thought was a junkie. Dude! I was worried. Nah, my little sister cannot live here. But I didn’t want to influence her decisions but nani almost agreed. Thank god!
What followed was the most satisfying meal I have ever eaten.
After all the walking, my spicy Italian sub tasted like heaven! Yummm… We walked another 10 blocks and made it back into our hotel room. Funny how a hotel room starts feeling cosy after 3 2 days! Nani took back to craigslisting and I crashed.
Another day, another city. At least we knew our avenues and streets… Sigh, being the older one and pretending to know your stuff is a tough act to pull. Wish me luck?
Irans Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad hat bei der UN-Generaldebatte in New York erneut für einen Eklat gesorgt. Aus Protest gegen seine israelfeindliche Rede verließen mehrere Delegationen den Saal, unter anderem die USA und Deutschland. Im Streit um das iranische Atomprogramm schloss Russlands Staatschef Dmitri Medwedew nach einem Treffen mit US-Präsident Barack Obama Sanktionen gegen Teheran nicht mehr aus.
Ahmadinedschad griff in seiner Rede Israel scharf an, wobei er das Land nie beim Namen nannte, sondern nur vom “zionistischen Regime” sprach. Er warf Israel unter anderem “unmenschliche Politik” gegenüber den Palästinensern vor. Diese seien Opfer von “Völkermord”. Den Juden warf der umstrittene iranische Präsident vor, “eine neue Form der Sklaverei” aufbauen zu wollen. Dabei würden sie versuchen, die USA und die Europäer für ihre Zwecke einzuspannen. Ganz offensichtlich mit Blick auf die USA prangerte Ahmadinedschad zudem jene an, “die mehrere tausend Kilometer vom Nahen Osten entfernt sind” und ihre Truppen in die Region sendeten, “um Krieg, Blutvergießen und Terror zu verbreiten”.
“Es ist enttäuschend, dass Herr Ahmadinedschad einmal mehr hasserfüllte, beleidigende und antisemitische Rhetorik gewählt hat”, erklärte der Sprecher der US-Vertretung bei den Vereinten Nationen europäischer Seite verließen nach Angaben aus Diplomatenkreisen neben Deutschland auch Großbritannien, Frankreich Italien, Dänemark und Ungarn den Saal. Auch die Delegationen aus Argentinien, Costa Rica, Australien und Neuseeland zogen sich zurück. Die israelische Delegation hatte die Rede Ahmadinedschad von vornherein boykottiert. Der iranische Präsident hatte erst in der vergangenen Woche für weltweite Empörung gesorgt, als er in einer Rede in Teheran erneut den Holocaust leugnete.
Im Streit um das iranische Atomprogramm forderte der Westen von Teheran derweil bis kommende Woche ausführliche Auskünfte. Die fünf UN-Vetomächten und Deutschland erwarteten bei den Gesprächen am 1. Oktober in Genf “ernsthafte Antworten” von Teheran, erklärte der britische Außenminister David Miliband im Namen der Sechser-Gruppe in New York. “Das iranische Atomprogramm sorgt weiter für eine ernsthafte Beunruhigung der internationalen Gemeinschaft.” Deshalb müsse der Iran endlich alle offenen Fragen beantworten.
* Chavis: “All the money in the world” isn’t enough to help poorly run schools
* Author: I turned “worst middle school in Oakland” into a top-scoring school
* D.C., Detroit, L.A. produce poor results at extraordinary taxpayer cost, Chavis says
* Obama is right to require accountability in return for reform money, Chavis says
By Ben Chavis
Special to CNN
(CNN) Editor’s note: Ben Chavis is the co-author with Carey Blakely of “Crazy Like A Fox: One Principal’s Triumph in the Inner City.” Chavis received his doctorate in education and philosophy from the University of Arizona and served as principal of American Indian Public Charter School for seven years. Chavis has also worked as a real estate investor. Currently, he is replicating the model he established at American Indian Public Charter School in various schools throughout the U.S. and Canada.
(CNN) — Teachers unions and politicians are constantly claiming that K-12 public schools need more money in order to produce good academic results. But does the data support the argument that our schools need more money to succeed? The Oakland Unified School District had a budget of $602 million for the 2008-2009 school year, according to Katy Murphy, an education reporter with the Oakland Tribune.
That budget, which includes $77 million spent on consultants, means that the district spends an average of $16,270 per student! What have we, the public taxpayers, received for our exceptionally generous financial support of the Oakland public schools? According to the California Department of Education, the district’s reported 2008 California Standardized Test scores show: 1. Of 707 eighth- and ninth-graders who took the California Standard test for general math: 1 percent tested advanced, 5 percent tested proficient and 94 percent failed by testing below grade level. See details about K-12 schools, teachers » 2. Of 2,506 ninth- and 10th-grade students who took the California Standards test in algebra: 0 percent tested advanced, 3 percent tested proficient and 97 percent failed the test.
How is it possible for a public school system to so liberally spend more than half a billion dollars and still fail to educate 94 percent or more students of all racial backgrounds? Does anyone believe providing more money to these public school systems will enhance these students’ academic performance in mathematics? During my principalship at American Indian Public Charter School, we spent less than $8,000 per student, proving that schools did not need more money. We served a student population that is on average 98 percent minority, with 97 percent receiving free or reduced-price lunch and many who are non-English speakers and from single-parent families. AIPCS students spend three to four hours a day working on mathematics and English-language arts. In 2009, they excelled in academics, physical fitness and any standardized test that they were given.
The hard work of these students and staff has paid off with virtually all of our eighth-graders testing advanced in algebra, including 100 percent of our eighth-grade black students, Mexican-American students and American Indian students. Before I became its principal, people called American Indian Public Charter School the zoo. The neighbors hated it. They couldn’t stand the behavior of the students, who, with little supervision or control, wreaked havoc in the area. Unfortunately, the students who decided to attend the school did not receive the academics and structure they so direly needed. The school was in many ways a failure, a joke, a sham.
When I took over as principal in 2000, it was the worst middle school in Oakland. I told the board I would take the job only if they let me go my own way and do what I thought was best. I implemented a golden rule at American Indian Public Charter School for staff, students and families: If you act like a winner, you’ll be treated like a winner. If you act like a fool, you’ll be treated like a fool. The charter school is now one of the top-scoring schools in the state and is nationally recognized. The United States spends more money on public education than any other country in the world. Yet, we still have a secondary public education system that ranks with Third World countries in preparing our children in English-language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
Washington, D.C.; Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; Kansas City, Missouri; and numerous other cities throughout the United States are producing the same poor academic results at an extraordinary cost to the taxpayer and a tremendous academic loss to our students and country. I believe all the money in the world would not be enough to improve schools run by incompetent public school administrators. We need proven leaders who can prepare our children to be competitive members in a free-market society. The American public has been conned into believing that public schools need more money. Have you ever met a public school administrator who said they have enough money? President Obama is moving in the “right” direction by reforming public schools to be held responsible to the American public in return for more money.
It’s very clear that most Americans want to ensure that accountability be attached to the stimulus money that is being awarded to all institutions, including public schools. Next time you hear school officials or politicians begging for more money, ask them how large the district’s budget is and how many students are enrolled in their district. Then you do the math. After all, it’s your money they want to take. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ben Chavis.
Personally, I don’t think anyone should ever approach anything as if money is an absolute solution to a problem. It is a matter of effectively using resources (in this case, money) most appropropriately given the situation’s particular circumstances. It’s riduclous to compare the highly volatile and problematic schools with those that are historically and culturally more affluent. It would be like a Canadian criticising Kenya for wasting all that foreign aid.
epay, a Division of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT), a leading electronic payments processor and distributor, today announced the extension of its product portfolio to offer transport solutions in Australia, UK and Poland.
Utilising epay’s payment technology and extensive worldwide network of retail locations has presented road users and public transport commuters with alternative and convenient payment methods for road tolls, congestion charge and transport tickets.
Queensland Motorways in Australia implemented free-flow tolling on two of its busiest motorways in an effort to reduce traffic congestion, improve travel times and enhance safety on the road. Traffic users are able to pay for their road toll through any selected epay retailer including Caltex, BP and United Petroleum, by adding value to an existing toll account through a swipe card transaction or by purchasing a ‘pass’ before or after their journey – the pass can be activated on the day of purchase or backdated by up to three days to cover travel already completed. All passes are valid for 30 days from activation.
‘epay’s experience and extensive network of retail locations made them an obvious choice to work with. Established locations, proven technology, support and marketing experience means we can confidently grow our distribution network quickly and efficiently as demand grows,’ said Queensland Motorways CEO Phil Mumford. ‘Working with epay has enabled Queensland Motorways to access a proven system of point of sale retail terminals, as well as a global network of support, technology and market experience.’
‘For a trip across the Logan and Gateway motorways, it’s expected it will save up to 10 minutes in travel time. When our AU$1.88 billion project is complete in 2011, motorists can expect to save another 15 minutes.’
In the UK, epay has been awarded an exclusive five year retail contract with Transport for London (TfL) to enable motorists to pay for the Central London Congestion Charge at any participating epay retailer across the UK. From 31 October 2009, drivers can pay the charge at newsagents, convenience stores and petrol stations, either in advance or on the day of driving within the charging zone.
In one of Poland’s major cities, commuters use a contactless, stored value, smart card to travel on public transport – it can be used to pay for car parking too. Commuters can add credit to their cards at epay retailers which have been equipped with contactless card readers. The retailer simply selects the required ticket type on the epay terminal. The card is placed over the reader and the value is loaded instantly.
Gareth Gumbley, epay Chief Executive Officer said ‘we are constantly striving to deliver workable end-to-end solutions for our clients and it was a natural progression to extend our electronic payments portfolio to cover the transport sector. Here we leveraged our worldwide network of retail locations, where we already offer a range of products and services including bill payment, mobile top-ups, digital content and gift cards – to build and deliver solutions for local transport applications. Our retail network includes major international retailers, national chains as well as independent stores to give us excellent coverage. Together with our proprietary payments technology, we’re able to fully support and deliver many POS applications and transactions.’
epay, a Division of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT), a leading electronic payments processor and distributor, today announced the extension of its product portfolio to offer transport solutions in Australia, UK and Poland.
Utilising epay’s payment technology and extensive worldwide network of retail locations has presented road users and public transport commuters with alternative and convenient payment methods for road tolls, congestion charge and transport tickets.
Queensland Motorways in Australia implemented free-flow tolling on two of its busiest motorways in an effort to reduce traffic congestion, improve travel times and enhance safety on the road. Traffic users are able to pay for their road toll through any selected epay retailer including Caltex, BP and United Petroleum, by adding value to an existing toll account through a swipe card transaction or by purchasing a ‘pass’ before or after their journey – the pass can be activated on the day of purchase or backdated by up to three days to cover travel already completed. All passes are valid for 30 days from activation.
‘epay’s experience and extensive network of retail locations made them an obvious choice to work with. Established locations, proven technology, support and marketing experience means we can confidently grow our distribution network quickly and efficiently as demand grows,’ said Queensland Motorways CEO Phil Mumford. ‘Working with epay has enabled Queensland Motorways to access a proven system of point of sale retail terminals, as well as a global network of support, technology and market experience.’
‘For a trip across the Logan and Gateway motorways, it’s expected it will save up to 10 minutes in travel time. When our AU$1.88 billion project is complete in 2011, motorists can expect to save another 15 minutes.’
In the UK, epay has been awarded an exclusive five year retail contract with Transport for London (TfL) to enable motorists to pay for the Central London Congestion Charge at any participating epay retailer across the UK. From 31 October 2009, drivers can pay the charge at newsagents, convenience stores and petrol stations, either in advance or on the day of driving within the charging zone.
In one of Poland’s major cities, commuters use a contactless, stored value, smart card to travel on public transport – it can be used to pay for car parking too. Commuters can add credit to their cards at epay retailers which have been equipped with contactless card readers. The retailer simply selects the required ticket type on the epay terminal. The card is placed over the reader and the value is loaded instantly.
Gareth Gumbley, epay Chief Executive Officer said ‘we are constantly striving to deliver workable end-to-end solutions for our clients and it was a natural progression to extend our electronic payments portfolio to cover the transport sector. Here we leveraged our worldwide network of retail locations, where we already offer a range of products and services including bill payment, mobile top-ups, digital content and gift cards – to build and deliver solutions for local transport applications. Our retail network includes major international retailers, national chains as well as independent stores to give us excellent coverage. Together with our proprietary payments technology, we’re able to fully support and deliver many POS applications and transactions.’
Please visit us for credit card processing merchant account services (USA, Canada & Europe) :
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Funny, right? I mean, sure – it’s exaggerated to hell and back, but it rang just a little true in its ridiculousness, huh? But in the end, it’s irrelevant, just another slab of opinions that make up the very identity of what it means to be American. We all have such opinions, and the right to exercise them is the sole reason that there is a debate over health care and its future in this country. For if we did not have the ability and right to air our own thoughts, there would be universal health care or there would not be – no debate either way, just what the Washington decided – no opinions means no dissenting opinions.
As I said before, the airing of the opinions is not only at the heart of the health care debate, but of America. And in the end, each individual opinion is irrelevant – it is what it is, with no true power to sway the debate one way or the other.
With that in mind, and even with the knowledge that in the end it’s irrelevant – here is my opinion on the health debate. It’s a simple opinion, based on (potentially false) the belief that I have stripped away many of the ideas that splinter through the opinions of others.
My opinion is that universal health care is not only the right thing for this nation, but the responsible one on behalf of our government.
How did I come to that opinion? Easy enough – I asked myself whether or not, in the beautiful country of America, home of the free and the equal and the dreamers, should the luxury of health be afforded to its citizens.
Oh be sure, health care is not a right. It is a luxury, as are roads, education, and security, things that are never outed as being luxuries, but imagine the outcry should any of those cease to be offered. And there is part of a simple argument for universal health care – the notion that “rights” are not necessarily anything but the those held within a person or on a field of morality. Neither of those things are in the design of functioning government unit, though they are so ingrained now that we believe they are. Rather, a government is a body that presides over laws, rules, regulations; none of which are rights.
So disconnect the term “right” with “health care” or “roadways” or “education” – none of those things are inalienable rights when held in terms of government. Morality? Maybe. But government makes no claims are morality, nor should it. And once rights are removed from the government equation, evaluate universal health care.
But we can’t. In America, rights are the government. Or, equivalently, rights are what the government decrees as rights. Why doesn’t this shock the American public? Because we have indoctrinated in us the idea that America is larger than all other things. “Rights in other countries are the same as rights in America…we’re better than that.” And so let’s be better than that with health care! Let’s make health care the right that it isn’t. Let’s make it the luxury that truly demonstrates why America is the greatest country in the world.
Moving to the next argument against health care – economics (how the hell are we going to pay for it?) To this, I say, forget about the money. We as citizens are 100% fine with our outrageous military spending – spending that is frivolous at best, as money is wasted every single day fighting a meaningless war in Iraq and patrolling the borders. But it’s our safety people say, as if that budget stopped September 11 from occurring. Fact is, unless we cut our spending to that of Chile (which I am in no way advocating), the people of this nation will be as safe as possible. No amount of military spending would repel an initial attack on America if those attackers were truly intent on hitting this nation.
So cut the budget! Not only can we fund the entire health care plan but slicing the military budget in half, but we could lower overall taxes, pave our roads, and have enough left over to still be the largest military spender by far. Don’t believe me? Look at some of the facts:
US military spending accounts for 48 percent, or almost half, of the world’s total military spending
US military spending is more than the next 46 highest spending countries in the world combined
US military spending is 5.8 times more than China, 10.2 times more than Russia, and 98.6 times more than Iran.
US military spending is almost 55 times the spending on the six “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) whose spending amounts to around $13 billion, maximum. (Tabulated data does not include four of the six, as the data only lists nations that have spent over 1 billion in the year, so their budget is assumed to be $1 billion each)
US spending is more than the combined spending of the next 45 countries.
The United States and its strongest allies (the NATO countries, Japan, South Korea and Australia) spend $1.1 trillion on their militaries combined, representing 72 percent of the world’s total.
The six potential “enemies,” Russia, and China together account for about $205 billion or 29% of the US military budget.
[source: http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending]
I am going to rest my version of that case and move onto the next point of contention: the private sector effect.
What will capitalism become if the government offers a public option? How will they compete? First and foremost, I’m not sold on the idea that competition is the only good thing for public. Yes, capitalism usually leads to lower costs and better services, but not always. After all, look at the financial system, run rampart and through and through corrupt. Or the current insurance industry. It’s so outrageous that it actually detrimentally affects doctors and patients.
But excusing capitalism and its possible shortcomings – isn’t the government the perfect competition? Think of it as a slightly bigger Wal-Mart. And while Wal-Mart isn’t the greatest thing around for culture, no one argues about its capitalist nature. But then the problem comes up that at some level, the government could acutally incur no true costs (thanks to taxes), driving all competition out of business and then not be pushed to offer excellent service. Valid point. To combat this, my mind would focus on only one thing – the power of the population. When did everyone forget that in America, we have a voice! We can rebel, we can step back and knock down on politicians if we so choose. So if we are taxed to death in order to provide funding for a fledgelings public option, step up America and do what your forefathers did. Nobody said that just because things are one way at the present, they should stay that way. In fact, Americans are built on the foundation that a statement such as that is inherently false.
And the final argument against universal health care my mind fostered was the belief that care would suffer, that people would be lined up around a block to see a practitioner or that the level of care itself would be poor. These fears are pure media propaganda, propaganda that isn’t even promulgated most effectively. For if this was true, how come the British people or the Canadians or the French speaking out in either their own countries or in this one? If it were true, every news station would have a Brit on talking about the failures of the health care system. But can you name the last time this happened? I cannot. Rather, we see Americans on the news telling their own terror tales of health care issues and denied procedures. Remember, the United State of America – the land of opportunity – is the only industrialized nation not to offer health care: If the care in those other countries is so poor, why do we have shorter life expectancy’s?
All these arguments for and against universal health care are still irrelevant. There is only one relevant factor in the discussion: is America willing to forgo the fundamental values it was built open – that it is a land built on being different, being better than the rest of the world – in order to save some money or save some face in an argument? I hope not.
After all, the arguments are opinions. And we know what those are just like…
[note: this article has not been edited]
JOSEPH S. NYE
Il National Intelligence Council degli Stati Uniti prevede che il dominio americano sarà «molto diminuito» entro il 2025, e che la superiorità americana (e il potere militare) saranno meno forti nel sempre più competitivo mondo del futuro. Il presidente russo Dmitri Medvedev ha definito la crisi finanziaria 2008 un segno che la leadership globale dell’America sta volgendo al termine. Il leader d’opposizione canadese Michael Ignatieff ne conclude che il potere degli Stati Uniti sia tramontando. Come possiamo sapere se queste previsioni sono corrette?
Bisogna stare attenti. Dopo che la Gran Bretagna perse le sue colonie americane, alla fine del XVIII secolo, Horace Walpole disse che era diventata un paese «insignificante come la Danimarca o la Sardegna». Non riuscì a prevedere che la rivoluzione industriale avrebbe dato alla Gran Bretagna un periodo di ancor maggiore ascesa. Roma rimase dominante per oltre tre secoli dopo l’apogeo del potere romano. Che cosa significa esercitare il potere nell’era dell’informazione globale del XXI secolo? La saggezza popolare ha sempre ritenuto che prevale il Paese con l’esercito più forte, ma nell’era dell’informazione a vincere può essere lo Stato con un passato migliore alle spalle. Oggi è tutt’altro che chiaro come sia misurato l’equilibrio di potere, e tanto meno come poter sviluppare efficaci strategie di sopravvivenza.
Nel suo discorso inaugurale nel 2009, il presidente Barack Obama ha affermato che «la nostra potenza cresce attraverso l’uso prudente; la nostra sicurezza deriva dalla giustezza della nostra causa, dalla forza del nostro esempio, dalla tempra, dall’umiltà e dalla moderazione». Poco tempo dopo, il segretario di Stato Hillary Clinton ha detto: «L’America non può risolvere i problemi più pressanti da sola, e il mondo non può risolverli senza l’America. Dobbiamo usare ciò che è stato chiamato smart power, l’intera gamma di strumenti a nostra disposizione». Smart power: la combinazione del potere di comando e del potere di attrazione.
Il potere dipende sempre dal contesto. Oggi è distribuito secondo un modello che assomiglia a una partita a scacchi tridimensionale. Sulla scacchiera in alto, il potere militare è in gran parte unipolare, e gli Stati Uniti sono destinati a rimanere l’unica superpotenza ancora per un po’. Ma, sulla scacchiera di mezzo, il potere economico è già multi-polare da più di un decennio, con Stati Uniti, Europa, Giappone e Cina come attori principali, e altri stanno acquistando importanza. La scacchiera in basso è il regno delle operazioni transfrontaliere che avvengono al di fuori del controllo governativo: comprende diversi attori non-statali, come ad esempio il trasferimento elettronico di somme di denaro ben più grandi di alcuni bilanci nazionali e, all’altro estremo, terroristi che trasferiscono armi o hacker che minacciano la cyber-sicurezza. Questa scacchiera comprende anche nuove sfide, come le pandemie e il cambiamento climatico.
A questo livello il potere è ampiamente diffuso, e non ha alcun senso parlare di unipolarità, multipolarità, egemonia o qualsiasi altro cliché. Anche a seguito della crisi finanziaria, il ritmo vertiginoso del cambiamento tecnologico è probabile che continui a guidare la globalizzazione e le sfide transnazionali.
Il problema per il potere americano nel XXI secolo è che ci sono cose che rimangono fuori controllo anche per lo Stato più potente. Sotto l’influenza della rivoluzione informatica e della globalizzazione, la politica mondiale sta cambiando in un modo che impedisce all’America di conseguire da sola tutti gli obiettivi internazionali. Ad esempio, la stabilità finanziaria internazionale è vitale per la prosperità americana, ma gli Stati Uniti hanno bisogno della collaborazione di altri per garantirla. Il cambiamento climatico globale, anche, interesserà la qualità della vita degli americani, ma gli Usa non possono gestire da soli il problema.
In un mondo in cui le frontiere sono più che mai permeabili per tutto, dai farmaci per le malattie infettive al terrorismo, l’America deve contribuire alla costruzione di coalizioni internazionali e istituzioni per affrontare le minacce e le sfide comuni. In questo senso, il potere diventa un insieme di somme.
Non è sufficiente pensare in termini di potere sugli altri. Si deve anche pensare in termini di potere per raggiungere gli obiettivi. Su molte questioni transnazionali, gli altri possono contribuire a realizzare i propri obiettivi. Il problema del potere americano nel XXI secolo non è il declino, ma il non riconoscere che anche il Paese più potente non può raggiungere i suoi obiettivi senza l’aiuto degli altri.
Glenn Beck thinks President Obama is better for the country than John McCain would have been, he said in an interview with Katie Couric to air at CBSNews.com Tuesday evening.
“I think John McCain would have been worse for the country than Barack Obama,” Beck told Couric in the debut episode of her new web show, @katiecouric.
Beck’s comment came in response to Couric’s question about Hillary Clinton, who Beck said he may have even voted for had she been the Democratic nominee against John McCain.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Beck said, “I think I would have much preferred [Hillary Clinton] as president and may have voted for her against John McCain.”
He described McCain as “this weird progressive like Theodore Roosevelt was.”
The full interview airs at CBSNews.com Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
Secondo indiscrezioni di giornata il video dell attentato di giovedi scorso dove hanno perso la vita sei paracadutisti italiani sarebbe stato filmato dopo l esplosione dell autobomba dal Caporale dell aereonautica militare Ferdinando Buono
Buono, da sotto uno dei mezzi militari, riesce a di girare un video per alcuni minuti con il suo telefonino. Le immagini risulteranno non nitide.Si sentono gli spari e i rumori della guerriglia .
Ambassador Husain Haqqani’s latest games protecting Blackwater mercenaries
Pakistani media exposes–hounds Xe Worldwide (Blackwater) spies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shMCrTxG9O4
Teeth Meastro hs submitted an invitation to Pakistanis. We reproduce that here.
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
With all the wheeling and dealing by our country’s leaders compromising on all national issue only to ensure that their own stay in power is secured it does seem that our very own leaders elected / burecratic and military have unleashed yet another wrath unto the people of Pakistan by allowing the menacing extra-military force called Blackwater to establish a strong foothold in Pakistan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1HUSdhLC60
Blackwater or recently known as Xe is a rogue military force comprised of ex-military personnel that has had a very bad reputation of being instrumental in a number of assassinations and armed bullying in Iraq and Afghanistan and it appears that they are now being welcomed into Pakistan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g940CT61-sw
This is OUR country, and there is no justification to import a team of non-Pakistani militia to come into Pakistan and establish themselves for any reason what so ever. The excuse that is being thrown around is that they are entrusted with the elite task of protecting the interests of the American Embassy in Islamabad, which I believe is hogwash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqM4tKPDlR8
As responsible and patriotic citizens of Pakistan I believe we as a team can out-fox our corrupt leaders in exposing this menace, this same organization played havoc with the lives of Iraqi nationals, let them not trample over us. We can wield power in numbers, literally found at every corner of the street in Pakistan, we as patriotic citizens of Pakistan can be an invisible force that chooses not be be trampled by an external force trying to run our lives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seJSrwawwtk
What can you do?
Help document all their locations across Pakistan on a Map hence making it public knowledge, at Map.Pakvoices.net, this I believe is a noble thing to do since they’re definitely a security risk for us Pakistanis and the least patriotic thing that we can do is point out these rouge militia [NOTE: All submissions will need to be verified before going live]
Help take pictures / videos of any encounters you may have with this militia, spot them on the street, snap a picture and post them on either on Youtube / flickr [without unnecessarily exposing yourself] you can also submit them as an incident at Pakvoices or email to iReport@Pakvoices.net
You can also symbolically join the Facebook group EXPEL Blackwaters & US marines from Pakistan
More importantly do join the effort to spread the word making more and more Pakistanis become aware of this increasing menace in Pakistan, a few good suggestions have been suggested by Talkhaaba
Please NOTE: All submissions made to the PakVoices.net website will go through some degree of verficiation to ensure correctness before going public. Dr. Alivi of TeathMeastro
ISLAMABAD – While not denying the news, official spokesman of the Foreign Office Thursday declined to comment on reports about Ambassador to USA Hussain Haqqani’s letter written to Foreign Secretary as well as the Director General of ISI saying, “It is purely an official matter”.
During the weekly Foreign Office briefing, spokesman Abdul Basit was asked whether or not the Ambassador had deliberately leaked the official classified communication as was reported in a section of media. Thus by staying mum over the issue it could be implied that the spokesperson did not deny the leak as was reported.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw_MwVxdZus
It transpired from the briefing that US AfPak policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan would be amongst the most contentious issues to figure in the scheduled meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and his US counterpart Barack Hussain Obama in New York on September 24.
President Zardari had already publicly denounced the US AfPak policy ahead of proceeding on his US visit. Thus it has given credence to the impression that the nearly six-month-old US AfPak policy has already has many question marks.
Answering a question, the spokesman said that Pakistan has already rejected the terminology of AfPak and conveyed its point of view to Washington.
“Since Pakistan and Afghanistan are two different countries with different cultures and situations, therefore Pakistan has rejected this terminology”, Basit said.
He said on the Western border there are various problems including terrorism and added that Pakistan has been taking steps to tackle these issues very seriously.
The spokesman said Pakistan would not allow any foreign troops including the US to launch any military operation inside Pakistan.
He said Pakistani forces are capable to fight the terrorists and militants and they had proved it in the recent operation against such elements in Swat and other areas.
He rejected the allegation on Pakistan for causing instability in Afghanistan and said in fact Pakistan itself is suffering from the spill over effect of terrorism from Afghanistan. The Nation.
Arrestati a Denver dai federali, tre estremisti islamici che a detta degli investigatori stessi progettavano degli attentati potenzialmente pericolosi negli USA.Un cittadino del Colorado, suo padre e un presunto complice sono le persone incriminate e accusate di testimoniare il falso in merito alla preparazione di un’attentato nel territorio USA.I sospettati sono Najibullah Zazi, 24 anni, che lavora come autista,suo padre, Mohammed Wali Zazi, e infine Ahmad Wais Afzali, che vive a New York.
I, ________________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere to the following:
I will complain about the destruction of 1st Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 1st Amendment Rights.
I will complain about the destruction of my 2nd Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights by legally but brazenly brandishing unconcealed firearms in public.
I will foreswear the time-honored principles of fairness, decency, and respect by screaming unintelligible platitudes regarding tyranny, Nazi-ism, and socialism at public town halls.
I pledge to eliminate all government intervention in my life. I will abstain from the use of and participation in any socialist goods and services including but not limited to the following:
Social Security
Medicare/Medicaid
State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP)
Police, Fire, and Emergency Services
US Postal Service
Roads and Highways
Air Travel (regulated by the socialist FAA)
The US Railway System
Public Subways and Metro Systems
Public Bus and Lightrail Systems
Rest Areas on Highways
Sidewalks
All Government-Funded Local/State Projects (e.g., see Iowa 2009federal senate appropriations–http://grassley.senate.gov/issues/upload/Master-Approps-73109.pdf)
Public Water and Sewer Services (goodbye socialist toilet, shower, dishwasher, kitchen sink, outdoor hose!)
Public and State Universities and Colleges
Public Primary and Secondary Schools
Sesame Street
Publicly Funded Anti-Drug Use Education for Children
Public Museums
Libraries
Public Parksand Beaches
State and National Parks
Public Zoos
Unemployment Insurance
Municipal Garbage and Recycling Services
Treatment at Any Hospital or Clinic That Ever Received Funding From Local, Stateor Federal Government (pretty much all of them)
Medical Services and Medications That Were Created or Derived From Any Government Grant or Research Funding (again, pretty much all of them)
Socialist Byproducts of Government Investment Such as Duct Tape and Velcro (Nazi-NASA Inventions)
Use of the Internets, email, and networked computers, as the DoD’s ARPANET was the basis for subsequent computer networking
Foodstuffs, Meats, Produce and Crops That Were Grown With, Fed With, Raised With or That Contain Inputs From Crops Grown With Government Subsidies
Clothing Made from Crops (e.g. cotton) That Were Grown With or That Contain Inputs From Government Subsidies
If a veteran of the government-run socialist US military, I will forego my VA benefits and insist on paying for my own medical care
I will not tour socialist government buildings like the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
I pledge to never take myself, my family, or my children on a tour of the following types of socialist
locations, including but not limited to:
Smithsonian Museums such as the Air and Space Museum or Museum of American History
The socialist Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monuments
The government-operated Statue of Liberty
The Grand Canyon
The socialist World War II and Vietnam Veterans Memorials
The government-run socialist-propaganda location known as Arlington National Cemetery
All other public-funded socialist sites, whether it be in my state or in Washington, DC
I will urge my Member of Congress and Senators to forego their government salary and government-provided healthcare.
I will oppose and condemn the government-funded and therefore socialist military of the United States of America.
I will boycott the products of socialist defense contractors such as GE, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Humana, FedEx, General Motors, Honeywell, and hundreds of others that are paid by our socialist government to produce goods for our socialist army.
I will protest socialist security departments such as the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, TSA, Department of Justice and their socialist employees.
Upon reaching eligible retirement age, I will tear up my socialist Social Security checks.
Upon reaching age 65, I will forego Medicare and pay for my own private health insurance until I die.
SWORN ON A BIBLE AND SIGNED THIS DAY OF ____________ IN THE YEAR ______________.
The ongoing discussions between Iran, Pakistan and India, regarding the so-called Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project (IPI) are again heating up. International news sites have quoted Iran’s ambassador in India Seyed Mehdi Nabizedeh as stating that Tehran is only willing to offer India a limited time to reach a decision regarding the total deal. The IPI pipeline will transport gas from Iran to India through Pakistan, and is seen as crucial to Indian energy needs. The last days, news has emerged that Iran and Pakistan are inclined to sign a deal for the technical operations of the gas transfer deal for the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline by the end of this month. Both sides have indicated that they will be signing the latter after in June a bilateral deal for the proposed 1,724-mile IPI natural gas pipeline was signed, in which Pakistan has agreed to buy 750 million cubic feet per day from the South Pars gas field in Iran to generate electricity under the terms of a 25-year deal. If a new deal is signed, the latter would mean that first gas could be transported to Pakistan within the next 4.5 years.
Iran is the second point of receiving Iranian gas. For Tehran the latter is of vital importance as it would mean that Iran for the first time ever would be able to export a main portion of its overall gigantic gas reserves (2nd in the world after Russia) to international markets. At the same time, it would bring in the necessary hard currency to invest in other economic areas, as the country is feeling the increased negative repercussions of the current sanction regimes of the US, UN and EU. The Pakistani deal with Tehran is a major step forward, but the main market at present is still India, the second largest economy in Asia. The last years, increasingly the last weeks, Tehran has put pressure on India to confirm or deny its role in the project. It now seems that the official patience with India is over, Delhi needs to come to a conclusion on the latter. However, internal and international politics are playing its part. India does not want to affront the USA to much, especially when taking into account that India and the US are setting up major military cooperation which includes nuclear assistance. India is seen by the West as a potential force to counter growing islamic fundamentalism in the old ally Pakistan. For India it also is of importance to squeeze as much out of the Iranian deal as the Indian economy is yearning for increased energy supplies. Some analysts also have warned that if India is not decisive enough, Pakistan would be willing to link its gas infrastructure with China, as the latter is more than willing to take gas from Iran the coming years.
Washington opposes the project because of its potential to provide an economic benefit to sanction-strapped Tehran. The latter vision, presented in most news analysis, is still viable but should somehow be taken with a bit of salt. Iran’s position is still strong, the new Washington administration looks not able to set up a viable anti-Iran policy. Obama is playing two main cards, sanctions and reapproachment it seems. India is now stuck in the middle, no real options are clear. The only thing really is hurting Delhi is that Iran is at present the only viable gas option it has. The economic growth of India is under threat if no additional gas volumes (pipeline or LNG) are being sourced to counter demand growth. At the same time, it can be argued that IPI could contribute to regional security as Iran, Pakistan and India would depend on each other more.
Some other issues are also still involved, such as disputes over transit fees. The Indian government has said the project is feasible, but needs to be financially viable with assured supplies. India’s position at present has become stronger as overall global gas prices are under pressure, LNG also has shown a decline in value. Iran and India should be able to reach an agreement, as both sides increasingly are depending on each other. Delhi also understands that if it waits too long, Iran could be reaching an agreement with European parties for supply to the European market (via Nabucco). This could be very negative for Asian markets in the long-run. Financial issues can be solved reasonably easy. Iran and India could sign an agreement if normal (current) gas prices are being taken as basis for discussion. If India is also able to reach a security agreement with Pakistan, necessary as all the gas will go via Pakistani soil, no real obstacles any more exist. In the end, Washington will not put its current friendship with India at stake as long as Pakistan become a viability to all. India’s Petroleum Minister Murli Deora had said they were very close to signing the deal. Analysts now only have to take the backseat and wait for an unexpected breakthrough. Gas will reach India, only the price and security issues need to be solved. Both can be dealt with as history has shown before.
The Economist has a scathing leader on Obama’s failure to give any form of resistance to the protectionist forces in the US.
In many ways the concluding sentence says it all:-
Given everything that is at stake, his decision not to exercise it amounts to an act of vandalism.
Quite. The reference being to the discretion not to acceded to the request for tariffs. As the article points out cheap tyres will be sourced from elsewhere, not a job will be saved, but entirely the wrong signals will have been sent and yet again the world will have seen a so called leader who does not lead, who panders to special interest groups again and again.
The Associated Press reports today that “experts” at the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency now “are in agreement that Tehran has the ability to make a nuclear bomb and is on the way to developing a missile system able to carry an atomic warhead, according to a secret report.”
The document says Iran has “sufficient information” to build a bomb and says Iran is likely to “overcome problems” on developing a delivery system, according to the AP.
In February, the IAEA reported that Iran had not converted the low-grade uranium that it has produced into weapon-grade uranium. “The Austrian Press Agency quoted an IAEA expert as saying that the uranium substances that Iran has produced at its Natanz enrichment facility have been carefully recorded and remote cameras have been installed to supervise part of the stockpile,” The Hindu reported on February 22.
Iran has denied accusations by the United States and its allies that it has been engaged in a clandestine nuclear weapons program.
In August, Iran indicated it would continue to co-operate with the United Nations nuclear agency, a foreign ministry spokesman told the BBC. Hassan Qashqavi said that UN inspectors were allowed access to Iran’s nearly complete nuclear reactor at Arak. “All our nuclear activities have been within the framework of the agency and the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)… ElBaradei has always confirmed Iran’s co-operation with the agency,” Qashqavi told reporters.
Earlier this month, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei condemned allegations that the agency is withholding information on Iran’s nuclear program. In “a thinly-veiled reference to recent Israeli criticism. ElBaradei was reacting to increasing Israeli pressure on the Vienna-based agency that coincides with the nearing of a September deadline set by the United States to pressure Iran into nuclear talks,” Earth Times reported on September 7. In his latest report on Iran, ElBaradei said the country had been more cooperative in letting his agency monitor the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz and a heavy water reactor under construction.
Israel accuses ElBaradei and the IAEA of “dereliction of duty” and claims he deliberately withheld incriminating information on Iran’s nuclear plans in a report published in late August.
The IAEA document in question was apparently released by the agency today.
In response, Iran attempted to enlist the support of developing countries at the IAEA for a proposed ban of attacks on its nuclear sites. “Tehran wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to pass a resolution prohibiting armed attacks or threats of armed attacks on nuclear facilities in operation or under construction. But the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), comprised of developing countries, refused to support this proposal, leaving open the question about the support Iran could get at the general meeting,” the AFP reports today.
On September 16, Newsweek reported that the U.S. intelligence community believes Iran has not restarted its nuclear-weapons development program. “This latest U.S. intelligence-community assessment is potentially controversial for several reasons, not the least of which is that it is at odds with more alarming assessments propounded by key U.S. allies, most notably Israel. Officials of Israel’s conservative-led government have been delivering increasingly dire assessments of Iran’s nuclear progress and have leaked shrill threats about a possible Israeli military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities,” Mark Hosenball writes.
Israel has insisted for years that Iran is developing nuclear weapons and has threatened to attack the Islamic republic. “Israel is drawing up plans to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and is prepared to launch a strike without backing from the US,” The Times Online reported in December, 2008. Ehud Olmert, then Israeli prime minister, reportedly asked the US for a green light to attack Iranian facilities as recently as May, 2008.
On September 16, the globalist Bipartisan Policy Center released a report calling for “crippling sanctions” on Iran and said if sanctions fail “the White House will have to begin serious consideration of the option of a U.S.-led military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.”
In April of this year, Israel indicated its military is preparing to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead. “Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” a defense official told The Times Online.
Russian PM Vladimir Putin has warned Israel and the United States against attacking Iran. Putin said any attack on Iran would be “very dangerous, unacceptable” and would lead to “an explosion of terrorism,” the BBC reported on September 11. “I doubt very much that such strikes would achieve their stated goal,” he added.
Earlier this week, former UN ambassador and leading neocon John R. Bolton said sanctions against Iran will fail. He said that “whatever momentum there was for additional sanctions on Iran … has now disappeared,” Bolton said during a panel discussion Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
In August, Bolton said a military strike against Iran will be the only way to prevent Iran from attacking Israel. He also predicted Israel would attack Iran before the end of the year (see the following Russia Today video).
In 2007, Bolton said “that he saw no alternative to a pre-emptive strike on suspected nuclear facilities in the country,” according to the Jerusalem Post. In addition, he called for the assassination of Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Increasingly, it appears Israel, the United States, or both countries will attack Iran. It is significant that the IAEA has now changed course and believes Iran is working on a nuclear weapon and a delivery system. Such developments make an attack more likely and probably before the end of the year as Bolton has predicted.
Ziua trecuse greu. Parca timpul se incapatanase sa stea pe loc. Ajunsese prea devreme. Inima ii batea sa-i iasa din piept. Delayed. Se uita mecanic la ceas 23:40. Ar fuma o tigara. In spatii inchise nu se fumeaza, nu se mai fumeaza. Grozav. Acum s-a gasit sa ninga.
Se uita la chipurile oamenilor. Toti asteapta. Unii asteapta sa plece, altii asteapta ca si el. Dar el inca nu stie ce inseamna fericirea sa astepte alt om, altul decat el. Alt om! Iese afara. Aerul rece ii taie fata si-l trezeste din visare. Nu se gandise la nimic, venise mecanic. Ii trecea acum prin cap ca putuse macar sa ia o floare. Se vedea pe el cu o floare in mana asteptand. Oricum nu-i plac florile. S-ar fi putut insa agata de ceva, ar fi putut deschide o conversatie. Toate i se pareau banale, stupide, nepotrivite. Statea acolo cu ochii atintiti la zapada ce cadea neincetat. Vazuse clipa asta de atatea ori. Acum, in fata situatiei, totul parea insa ireal. Nu stia cand trece timpul. 1:30am. Chipuri straine incepusera sa apara. O vede de departe, surazatoare, pasind vioi. Parca toata vremea asta care trecuse o facuse mai frumoasa. Ii vedea parul jucand in bucle largi pe umeri. Pardesiul verde intredeschis il lasa sa-i ghiceasca silueta. Sa o imbratiseze? Sa o sarute? Se opri langa el, arborand un zambet larg. Ar fi putut sa opreasca timpul, atunci, in loc.
- De ce-ai venit?
Intrebarea il lovi in moalele capului. I se parea iar ca viseaza. Duse mecanic mana la telefon, reciti mesajul primit. Se gandi la sticla de vin pe jumatate plina ramasa langa pat din seara trecuta. Isi dorea acum sa o fi baut pe toata. Se uita in jur sa vada daca o mai astepta cineva. Nu, nu era nimeni. Atunci ce teatru e asta, fiinta?!
- Hai afara, as fuma ceva.
Se indrepta spre iesire. Pentru o clipa i se facu teama ca nu o sa-l urmeze. Si ce daca nu ar fi venit?! Auzii pasii ei in spatele sau. Se aseza in acelasi loc unde cu putin inainte o astepta. O privi. Se gandea ca are frumusetea chipului ce se stie iubit. Inca o data inima i se stranse. Isi aprinse o tigara. Se uita la tocul cizmei, desena ceva in zapada. Privirea ii urca incet pe corp. Nu stia daca e un vis, sau un cosmar. O vedea scotand din geanta un pachet de tigari.
- Ai un foc?
Poate ca ochii ii jucau feste, pentru ca o stia ca nu fumeaza. Ii aprinse mecanic tigara. Dar tu pari a altora Niciodata doar a mea A nimanui Se gandi iar la sticla de vin neterminata. Ii privea degetele albe ce tineau delicat tigara.
- De ce-ai venit?
- Mi-ai lipsit. Am venit pentru ca-mi apartii.
O privi cum isi stinge tigara in zapada.
- Hai sa mergem, te iau cu mine.
Se asezase cuminte in dreapta lui. Mersera in tacere tot drumul. Se pierdeau in noapte. Cateodata intorcea capul spre el sa-l priveasca. Ar fi vrut sa-i ghiceasca gandurile. Zapada cadea necontenit. Noaptea parea mai alba. Opri masina. Acum urca treptele incet in spatele lui. Deschise usa. O lasa sa intre. O vedea asezandu-se incet in fotoliu, vrand parca sa nu deranjeze nimic in jur. Pentru prima data ii zambi cald, ca si cum isi amintea, isi amintea tot. Isi stranse picioarele cu bratele facandu-se tot mai mica. O privea ca pe un bibelou fragil, pe care l-ar putea sparge in orice clipa. Era aceeasi si totusi cum trecuse timpul si peste ea! Ii simtea suflet greu, ii intuia resemnarea. Era frumoasa si trista. Sau tristetea era toata il el?! Incerca sa se apropie de ea.
-Stai acolo! Vreau sa mi te amintesc!
Se rezema de pragul usii privind-o in continuare.
- O buna parte a viselor mele au luat forma si nu vad o piedica majora nici pentru viitor,dar stiu ca as fi renuntat si m-as fi intors in prima zi cand m-ai chemat. Oricat as fi fost de departe. Acum, cand nu mai existi, am inteles ca nu puteam sa am totul. Daca ar fi sa aleg din nou, stiu ca as opta pentru tine.
You can write a book on the unintentional homoeroticism in sports, but I’m not going to do that here. You can also write a book about heterosexual white men and their fascination with the myth of black male sexuality and how it applies to sports. This myth that their ancestors created to dehumanize black men is the same one they now harbor an envious contempt for.
“So what they have large penises and sleep with white women, they’re stupid and all they can do is dunk a basketball! Not to mention most of them are thugs anyway.”
It’s that infamous Black Buck stereotype that has straight white men almost salivating over Dwight Howard’s physique while they wonder what lies beneath. It starts out lovingly, but the minute Dwight does something untoward the hatred comes flying out. Like I said, you could write a book, but I won’t. I’ll just try to get it done with a few hundred words. Oh, and don’t let this race stuff bother you. Of course not all white guys think like this and not surprisingly some black men think this same way. They too have fallen for the myth and may wonder why they do not possess what the universe is supposed to endow all black men with. Why do you think many young black men overcompensate? They have to add that layer of swagger to obscure matters. Yeah, I’m exposing this. What are you gonna do? Chop me up and feed me to the poor! Sorry, just watched The Departed. All right, enough meandering, just come inside already. HOT MAN ON MAN ACTION
Before the retirement debacles sports fans and sports media alike could not and would not stop gushing over Mr. Favre. But when he started to behave like millions of other humans do they turned their backs. Why do heterosexual men act like jilted lovers when it comes to their sports heroes? It’s kind of gay.
It seems that in the surreal world of professional sports it’s okay for a man to ogle another as long as he does so in a manner that is not overtly sexual. But what’s not overtly sexual about this:
They may be talking about how his physique and how it will help him play the game, but I wonder what’s going through their heads when they reference the different parts of his body and how well he moves. Probably a little of that sexual envy I spoke of earlier. Look, I’m not trying to “gay up” the game guys. It’s already there. I’m just exposing the hypocrisy at work. Also, the dynamic at work here evolved from this:
Not comparing the two outright, one is like fire, the other water, but just like everything else dynamics evolve too. It also explains why the SEC dominates college football. They just know how to pick ‘em down there.
THAT NAME’S GOT MY DADDY’S BLOOD ON IT!
Now this one is fascinating. A surname means everything to a man. So much pride, blood, sweat and tears drip from every last letter. It is what they are reduced to when they joined armed services or play sports. Their unique first names are thrown out the door in favor of their more common last names that they share with relatives and non-relatives alike.
When a man gets married his wife takes on his last name, they have a few kids and it his name you see on the doormat. Now if this name means so much to them why are they so quick to celebrate another man’s name? And it’s not just the jersey on their back, they go to games to see this man and root him on just like cheerleaders sans pom poms and short skirts of course. They even defend him against detractors with great passion. Just listen to sports talk radio. It’s the heterosexual male equivalent to gossip rags. Now I am not judging these guys for this. Frankly, I find it wonderful. I just wish your average fan was more aware of the earth-shattering irony present when they make ridiculous homophobic remarks.
Late Show with David Letterman
They’re auctioning off a dinner with Sarah Palin. The starting bids are $25,000. They say now that for an extra thousand dollars she’ll actually shoot the main course
The Jay Leno Show
According to The Wall Street Journal, Walmart will now pay its employees electronically. It’ll still be in pesos . . . but electronically.
The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien
Everyone watched Jay Leno’s new show at 10. Of course, Jay really did a great job adapting to the 10 o’clock time slot: He told jokes, aired some comedy pieces, then solved a murder and caught a predator
Osama bin Laden has released a new audio recording slamming the president, America, Israel, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And then at the end when he’s really worked up, he yells, “And Beyonce has one of the best videos of all time!”
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Osama bin laden released a new 11-minute tape where he calls President Obama “powerless” in the war in Afghanistan. That was for the first six minutes . . . he gave Taylor Swift the last five to finish her acceptance speech after she was cut off by a rude Kanye West.
According to a new survey of all the social-networking sites, Twitter had the highest percentage of older users. In fairness, most of them just kept creating new accounts because they forgot their passwords.
Twitter also had the highest percentage of users who called their kids and said, “OK I signed up. Now what do I do?”
Il presidente USA Barack Obama impegnato in questi giorni nella stesura e nella realizzazione della nuova riforma sanitaria americana per illustrare e spiegare alla popolazione USA il suo progetto colpito nei giorni scorsi e tutt’ora da importanti critiche, oltre a comparire nelle più importanti reti televisive USA (ABC,NBC) tranne Fox News,farà la sua comparsa anche nella popolarissima trasmissione “Talk Show” di David Letterman.
After breakfast and check out we returned to the South Rim Visitor Centre to spend some more time at the Canyon to see it in the daylight. It was a bit of a disappointment therefore that the weather was slightly overcast and without the stimulating sunlight to create shadows and contrasts this seemed to leech the colours and the life from the rocks.
It might not have been colourful but it was still an awesome view as we stared down one and a half kilometres to the bottom of the gorge, a hole so deep that can take two days to reach on foot by the official trails. And it wasn’t so peaceful this morning either as there was a continuous buzz of helicopter activity taking trips out over the canyon. The helicopters used to drop into the canyon for a closer look but after a number of accidents caused by rising thermal currents this have now been stopped. From the viewing platform we were looking over the fabulously named Granite Gorge and along Bright Angel Creek which led directly to the North Rim Visitor Centre on the other side which although only fourteen kilometres to the north needs a journey of over three hundred kilometres to get there. The view just went endlessly on and on and was so infinately panoramic that it was almost impossible to fully comprehend the scale of the barren wilderness stretching out before us. To get a sense of perspective it is worth remembering that you could fit Dartmoor National Park in Devon into the Grand Canyon National Park five times and still have a bit of spare left over. When it was time to go the coach took us out along a road that followed the line of the canyon with further viewing opportunities and then we parted company as our route took us first east and then north across the Painted Dessert passing Marble Canyon, which is the beginning of the Grand Canyon, and towards our next destination, Lake Powell.
I have to say that this was a very well organised coach tour and every day we all had to rotate our seats clockwise by one position so that over the course of the fortnight we all got a chance to sit at the front of the coach for the best possible view. This arrangement suited Mum down to the ground because being the gregarious type she does like to chat and this provided her with the chance to talk to someone different every day. Dad always sat by the window which gave Mum the aisle seat and the ultimate chatting opportunity. Today a woman sat opposite and produced from her handbag a book the size of a medieval manuscript and on spotting this Dad, who had a sharp sense of humour, turned to us and whispered ‘she’s got no chance!’ How right he was and Mum ran through the full repetoire of anecdotal stories and not a page of the book was read. At one point Dad turned to us again and predicted, ‘It’ll be the cat tale next’ and because he knew the exact sequence of stories he was spot on.
Lake Powell is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River, on the border between Utah and Arizona and is the second largest man made reservoir in the United States after Lake Mead, storing thirty cubic kilometres of water when full. It was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon by the construction of the controversial Glen Canyon Dam, which also led to the creation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which is a popular summer destination for tourists. The reservoir is named after the explorer John Wesley Powell who explored the full length of the river in three small wooden boats in 1869. Construction of the dam started in June 1960 and the last bucket of concrete was poured in September 1963. Over four million cubic metres of concrete were used to create the dam which is two hundred and sixteen metres high and cost a hundred and fifty five million dollars and eighteen lives to build, which was a lot less than the one hundred and four deaths that were caused by the construction of the Hoover Dam further down river thirty years earlier. The dam has always been controversial, many opposed its construction in the first place, some associated with the decision to build it now think that it was a mistake because it has spoilt the environment and the Glen Canyon Institute is an organisation which even today continues to advocate for decommissioning.
We visited the dam and walked from the visitor centre to the other side of the gorge and then we took the elevator down inside the dam to view the hyro-electric generators. Back on top the sun was coming out now and we took the short journey into the town of Page for lunch. Page is a new town that was created in 1957 to house workers and their families during the construction of dam and the site was obtained by the government in a land exchange with the Navajo Indian tribe. I hope they had their wits about them and didn’t get fobbed off with somewhere useless!
There was not a great deal to hang around for in Page and after lunch the coach took us over the Glen Canyon Dam bridge which is nearly four hundred metres long and about two hundred and fifteen metres above the Colorado River. Before the bridge was built it was an almost three hundred kilometre drive to the other side of the canyon. Over the bridge we followed a road along the western side of the water and stopped off soon after to take a cruise on the lake from the Wahweep Marina. This is easily the best way to see Lake Powell because most of the features that define the lake, the sheer cliffs, intricate narrow gorges, twisting canyons and towering mountains are inaccessible from the road and the shoreline and can only be fully appreciated from the water. It was only a short cruise but it was fabulous because the sun was shining and the water was a calm but vibrant cerulean blue and the boat took us close to the marbled rocky sides of the lake and into the narrow canyons beyond. I am not sure about the debate over whether creating this lake was the correct thing to do or not but today I simply enjoyed the experience of cruising over the water bathed in sunshine under a big blue peaceful sky.
After returning to dry land we boarded the coach for the journey to the city of Kanab back which was over the State border into Utah. Vance the driver gave us a very precise estimated time of arrival and there was no reason to doubt this because this was something that he was very good at and no matter how far he was driving he could very accurately predict journey times. This was because the roads are nothing like those in the UK where it is almost impossible to predict a journey time with any real degree of accuracy because of congestion and the ever present road works but here in the USA they were free flowing and a pleasure to be driving along. The scenery was as barren and empty as it had been all day but it was less dramatic than it had been earlier and we were looking forward to arriving at our destination and getting the beer out.
We arrived in Kanab in the late afternoon and the sun was still shining so after we had checked in and carried out the regular housekeeping duties we went out onto the terrace and enjoyed a cold beer in the motel’s outdoor hot tub joined by our two friends with the extensive travelling bar. This was very relaxing and after a good chill-out we enjoyed some more beers together and later went out for our evening meal. The only really interesting thing about Kanab is its association with the movies and specifically westerns and the town is known locally as ‘Little Hollywood’ because in the 1940s and 1950s a great number of ‘B’ movie cowboy films were made here and the bars and restaurants are extensively decorated with photographs of old film stars and stills from their films and every old hotel has a list of the stars who once stayed there. Most of the films are long since forgotten but two that I remembered were El Dorado starring John Wayne and The Outlaw Josie Wales starring Clint Eastwood but best of all I was pleased to see that the TV series The Lone Ranger, one of my particular favourites, was filmed here. Dad was a keen fan of the western genre and he was happy to be surrounded by all of this film memorabilia and he especially enjoyed the sets and the photographs in all of the stores and bars in the town. We still didn’t buy a Stetson though!
