open Democracy News Analysis - north america - Comments

blogger on "Barack Obama’s poisoned shirt"

blogger — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:34:32 +0000

I am a big Obama supporter and pleased he got in especially now with the new making home affordable act.

Harry Davis on "Barack Obama’s poisoned shirt"

Harry Davis — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:09:37 +0000

The Nobel committee had a tough one this time. Maybe the prize is a bit of a poisoned chalice, but who else in the world would you give the peace prize to?

Kiprotich Arap-Ruto on "Barack Obama’s poisoned shirt"

Kiprotich Arap-Ruto — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:38:57 +0000

President Obama has been and continues to be successful as a inspiring symbol of hope, both in USA and Around the world.

I would say that hope can result in either superficial or fundamentation and charismatic change(s). And, the process(es) of change can be spontaneous and immediate/instanteous or gradual.

Writing fie Open Democracy News Analysis, Godfrey Hodgson, the director of the Reuters' Foundation Programme at Oxford University, has a good and non convincing analogy about Greek "shirt of Nessus" myth preserved in the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses - a tale for the times - compared to President Barack Obama's 9 October 2009 Nobel peace prize.

It takes time to roll-back the ills of the many years of Bush rule in America and around the world. Let alone the time and energy required to set and achieve how awesome goals for the USA and manking in general. So being a black President is not change enough for me. I am black, but I would like to see improvement in soc-economic status of the havenots in America and around the world.

Withdrawing from Iraq is inconsequential for me, because there was no business in having to invade Iraq in the first place. The resources being used to "fight terror" and to keep the fight in the Arabic countries, like Afghanistan is disheartening and disturbing to say the very least. And I could go on and on about strategic areas of improvement that could siginificantly place Barak Hussein Obama and his lovely family in a much more favourable position of leadership around both in USA and the world.

- Comment by: Kiprotich Arap-Ruto, Canada - Email: kenruto@hotmail.com

Franco Munini on "Barack Obama’s poisoned shirt"

Franco Munini — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:36:12 +0000

It never ceases to surprise me how blind USAmericans are about the rest of the world.
Oreama was supposed to represent hopes and change not only for the US, but for the rest of the world, too. Only a few knew that he was not going to be able to deliver all the rosy future he was promising... and the worst part is that HE HIMSELF was one of them.
I wrote about this:
http://elsoberanomanda.blogspot.com/2009/08/oreamas-role-in-usrael-psychowars.html
He knows the beast from deep inside. He just accepted the role of Judas, raising good feelings and hopes as a masquerade for the powers to continue predating everything. He just plays his role, as any useless, powerless USAmerican president.
So, this award is a poisoned shirt on peace. The guys in Norway lowered any preconceivable standard on it, so it has become a fake tin badge that gives no honors whatsoever to its recipients.
Now, imagine what Oreama could do if he really wanted, and how the US and the rest of the world would benefit from it if he had what it takes.

bladdaow on "Rid Europe of ‘tac nukes’"

bladdaow — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:21:07 +0000

Good. It's been a long time coming but we definitely need to rid ourselves of such destructive weapons.

Not logged in on "Letter from Motor City "

Not logged in — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:54:08 +0000

Perfect article to help me put my vision for urban farming into perspective--Xavier Moore, Peacenick Nonprofit

Charles Shaw on "Letter from Motor City "

Charles Shaw — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:15:23 +0000

An exceptional piece, and a kind of paean to the creative potential of human beings in times of adversity. As an urban artist the last 20 years, I have seen artist's renaissances in Chicago, Boston, New York and San Francisco. They always led to gentrification, and the ultimate expulsion of the artists from the neighborhoods they rescued and made safe and hip for the yuppies. In Detroit, there is the potential for artists to revive, and retain, significant sections of the city. The Burner community is strong there, and they are naturally inclined to build. Bravo to all there. This is truly amazing work, and incredible writing.

* * * * * * *

Charles Shaw

Author/Activist

Editor, The Dictionary of Ethical Politics

Anonymous14 on "The plague spin of New Orleans"

Anonymous14 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:20:33 +0000

AH1N1 even though it is pandemic, No need to worry about it.It is just like a regular fever and flu.I have a friend and his kid got this AH1N1 and after three days his kid is ok.Just treat it like a regular fever.

Travis,
max international australia

Ross Perlin on "Letter from Motor City "

Ross Perlin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:50:43 +0000

A nice piece today over at the New York Times Magazine.... The city has played a significant role not only in the development of African-American music, culture, and religion (and fittingly it's home to the US' most comprehensive museum on those subjects), but has also had a major socioeconomic impact.

hikarius on "Letter from Motor City "

hikarius — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:27:32 +0000

It's a shame that Detroit has been unable to reinvent itself. The last time I was there I was amazed at how dead the city felt. Property values are practically non-existent and the number of vacant buildings is astounding. I think it's sad that the residents haven't taken better care of the city and done whatever it takes to attract new businesses to the area

DeanOR on "Letter from Motor City "

DeanOR — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:17:18 +0000

I lived much of my life there. The deterioration is actually much sadder and more extensive than described in this post. But there have always been great people there, and there still are. I'm not one of them. great or otherwise. I couldn't take it any more, and I was ready for the young person's adventure of seeking a new life elsewhere. The causes of the decline are many and are found in the history of America, not in simplistic racist caricatures of black people or white people. Despite the decline, there are great works of art there, universities, medical centers, and more - and a spirit that persists under the hardest conditions.

bigC on "Letter from Motor City "

bigC — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:50:59 +0000

<b>Its sad beyond belief but the plain fact is black people
cannot create or maintain modern civilization.</b>

It's sad and beyond belief that such a racist comment could be published here. Suggesting that the condition of the people of Haiti or Switzerland (or Detroit) has it's cause in some imagined racial characteristic of their respective populations is the kind of nonsense which you'd expect from a pretentious fraud like Buckley.

The plain fact is that anyone intellectually deficient enough to mistake his racist banalities for wisdom is unlikely to have the capacity to comprehend the forces that create or maintain modern civilisation.

Swiss Civilization on "Letter from Motor City "

Swiss Civilization — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:43:41 +0000

Thanks for the racist troll, Scotta. Here's a sample of Swiss civilization:

Beginning in the late 1970s Nestlé (a Swiss-based corporation) began to attract global criticism for its infant-formula marketing policies, especially those conducted in developing countries. Public outcry peaked with the Nestlé boycott of 1977 which (though suspended for several years in the mid-1980s) remains in effect today. Nestlé is the most boycotted company in the world as a result.

The thing about Haiti is that it has been perpetually invaded and colonized, first by Europeans, then by Americans. Remember the US-backed Coup D'etat in September 1991 against President Aristide?

What we're seeing in Detroit is the final result of corporatism. Always trying to stay ahead of its own waste stream, failing to innovate and relying instead of corporate cronyism, multi-million dollar lobbyists, and ultimately corporate welfare when it outplays its hand.

Westley Heine on "Chicago: tale of two cities"

Westley Heine — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:32:46 +0000

Mr. Charles Shaw,

How have you been? This is Wes Heine, the creator of that short film "Trail of Quetzalcoatl" with Daniel Pinchbeck. Thank you again for your help with that project. I'd like to repay you with a new venture.

I am on the board with a group called Wicker Park Nights. We are planning and event entitled: AN END OF DAYS; THE RESURRECTION OF THE ARTIST IN ALL OF US.

It will take place inside a very large, and recently abandoned, church in Wicker Park. There will be art and live music as well as speakers.

I always liked you columns, and at the showing of Zeitguist I thought you were a great group speaker. I'd like to officially invite you to do speak at this event (date still pending). I'd leave the subject to your discretion, the theme is broad, but basically what you feel are some signs of the times and how the world is rapidly changing.

You can learn more at:

http://wickerparknights.com/

Hope to hear from you soon,

- Wes Heine

PS
How is your book going? & feel free to use you work in the lecture if you wish.

I had a brief appearance in Conscious Choice last year:
http://consciouschoice.com/2008/02/oor_infinigon0802.html

earthgecko on "The plague spin of New Orleans"

earthgecko — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:08:11 +0000

This is an interesting piece Jim, it does highlight how invincible we feel, however the world case changed since those days, and changed fairly dramatically.

We know that the next pandemic is inevitable, not a matter of if but when. Therefore, assuming that everything will be alright and we will "overcome" is a fairly optimistic and in some way a naive way of looking at the situation. This is not to say all is doom and gloom. Just that a measure of caution may be required. If the next pandemic is a real killer the death toll will be incredibly high, orders of magnitude more than anything of civilisation has seen before. This is not based on any medical statement, but on our current rapidly evolving social systems, which rapid they may be, still lags behind our more rapidly evolving world

Our current defense plan against this virus is mostly based on Tamiflu (oseltamivir) which ironically H1N1 has been developing a very fast resistance to since 2007 (WHO reported) and last year achieved 100% resistence to strains in South Africa and Australia reported by Dr Niman and even the CDC on 10 Jan 2009 reported that 98% of their H1N1 samples from 25 states tested were resistant and many more.

So even if the cures do become more effective, whether we have the time and infrastructure to develop them, mass produce them and distribute them, is unfortunately a question that will only be answered when it happens.

Our recent handling of a number of disasterous events has shown us that we are vulnerable to systematic breakdown. It may even be arguable that our current social systems are too vast, complex and interconnected to actually respond to, let alone deal with a crisis on a national or global scale. Not that there is anything that we can necessarily do about that. I think if fate plays us one of those cards, all our optimism and ingenuity may be found to be lacking.

However, on a brighter note, I do believe we will bounce back, only different and yes New Orleans may bounce back as well.

We should never underestimate the power of evolution. We often forget that evolution does not only create, it is also a very powerful destructive force as well.