Morning Campers

post from Whatever on 05 November 2008 11:51:00 PM. © Whatever

An esteemed reader recently commented from the chilly cabin of his little boat,

"Having spent most of my twenties in a false economic bubble, led by the cynical greed of right wing politics, witnessing ten years of a Howard government and eight years of Bush war mongering, it's truly an exciting time. Being able to witness this from the USA has been truly amazing - congratulations USA, congratulations world."

And I have to agree that, despite my 'outside of the box' election readings that turned me into more of a cynical bastard than usual, it truly is an amazing time for America, and the world.
For not only does this President have a little colour in him, but he's also lived for a considerable time beyond his own shores.
And for somebody like what I is, who has lived abroad for a number of years too, this is certain to influence his approach in foreign affairs. I think he'll be more likely to see the 'human' side to other countries, as opposed to lumping entire peoples together under a 'regime' and then bombing the fuck out of them, but I woke up feeling optimistic this morning because I don't have to teach tonight, so I could be wrong on this.
Yep, this is where I hold out the most hope for change happening.
In the field of foreign affairs: the only field that truly interests me when it comes to having to think about the USA.
Otherwise I don't really give a toss about politics cos I usually have better things to do in life, like shagging and travelling.

But back to the president-elect.
For sure, Obama is inheriting a right old mess. Probably the biggest mess than any incoming President has ever had to deal with. Ever.
But if y'all are going to give him the chance he deserves - and he deserves all your support because he likes dogs - then you have to accept that he's not going to be able to do much to help the impending economic gloom. It's just too big for him. For anybody. Even for God.
He'll be able to twiddle a few things here and there but in the big picture all he's going to be able to do is offer you your self-respect back; make you proud to be American again.
And he can do this by slowly but surely retreating from foreign shores. Bringing the troops home. Sending no more out. Getting rid of the drones. Banning soft drinks.
Foreign policy.
Yep, this is the area where Obama has the chance to bring hope, change and recovery. You'll just have to forgive him, and any other President who would have taken office for the next 4 years, for not being able to do all that much with the economy. It's got to run its course, times will be tough, but in the end a better way to do business will prevail, and you'll all go to human heaven and run in fields of green, under skies of blue, and I'll go to animal heaven, cos I love animals.
I'm tigressing.
Forget the economy. It's wild right now and not ready for taming for at least the next 2 years, but withdrawing troops, reducing spending on the military, focusing on home affairs- like health and education- now that's where he can make a difference, and it's where he can put America back on the map, as a country that does more rights, than wrongs. And boy, have there been a lot of wrongs done over the past ~~hundred~~ few years.
So I'm an Obama fan until he fucks up on the world stage.
There. I said it.
It wasn't so painful after all.
p.s
He's so lucky to be the person who can turn America around. He could go down in history as being the greatest president ever.
Ever.
Imagine having the chance to do and be that!

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Pinoy Celebrities sprint across the Philippines
in Ready, Set, RORO Interisland Race

post from Philippine Travel Blog on 05 November 2008 10:46:25 PM. © Philippine Travel Blog

Are you ready for this? Ten TV and sports personalities will join in the upcoming “Ready, Set, RORO!” DBP Interisland Race - Year 3, an action-packed, 6-day exhilirating outdoor adventure race which will pass through eight interesting destinations in Visayas and Luzon via the Central Nautical Highway from November 7-12, 2008.This unique adventure race will [...]

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Election Day

post from New Mexico PhotoJournal on 05 November 2008 07:56:00 PM. © New Mexico PhotoJournal

Sunset on Election Day, several hours before Barack Obama won the Presidential Election.

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Links for 2008-11-04 [Digg]

post from writing travel on 05 November 2008 07:20:29 PM. © writing travel

Nation Finally Shitty Enough To Make Social ProgressAfter emerging victorious from one of the most pivotal elections in history, president-elect Barack Obama will assume the role of commander in chief on Jan. 20, shattering a racial barrier the United[...]

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Holland Park Tube's Obama Celebrations

post from Going Underground's Blog on 05 November 2008 06:58:00 PM. © Going Underground's Blog

Great to see that some staff on the London Underground appreciated Barack Obama's victory

This was taken by Andrew Grill today at Holland Park Station.

Great spot.

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ons.html

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More news on corruption in Iceland.

post from Iceland photos - videos - and more on 05 November 2008 05:58:00 PM. © Iceland photos - videos - and more

More is coming up these days here in Iceland.
The education minister ,who is also the vice chairman of the Independence Party ,had a big stock in Kauthing Bank ,and her husband is working there.
So did she have a part in what happend when the goverment took over the Banks ?
Few days before ,the Bank decided ,that they ,few at the top,that had bought stocks in the Bank,and took loans for it at Kaupthing Bank,did not have to worry,the Bank would not seek the personal liability for loans.
So they did not loose any money.
And CEO of the biggest union in Iceland ,is on the board of directors,and took part in the deciciun making.
And now they are investigatin,if that was illeagal.
If so ,then employes of the bank could be facing jail time of up to 6 years.
People are getting very angry here in Iceland

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http://iceland-dori.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-news-on-corruption-in-iceland.html

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Officials fear Obamas victory could hurt Tokyos
2016 Olympic chances

post from Japan Probe on 05 November 2008 05:19:44 PM. © Japan Probe

Officials in charge of Tokyo’s Olympic bid are afraid that U.S. president-elect Obama could promote the rival bid to bring the 2016 games to his hometown of Chicago: “Mr. Obama is popular and good at speeches, so things could get tough for Japan,” said Tomiaki Fukuda, a senior JOC executive board member.But Ichiro Kono, the [...]

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China finds tainted Japanese soy sauce and coffee

post from Japan Probe on 05 November 2008 05:19:28 PM. © Japan Probe

Food inspectors in Northern China claim to have examined food imported from Japan and found dangerous levels of arsenic and copper:The Guangdong Inspections and Quarantine Bureau said on its Web site Tuesday that its inspectors in the city of Tianjin discovered that Japanese soy sauce contained arsenic levels five times higher than permitted.The product safety [...]

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Russian Masters EX

Russian leaders + anime-style opening music = Russian Masters EX[via Zaeega]—Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

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