Political Observations

A friend forwarded an article from Yahoo News..

Obama win forces Brazil to take a tolerance check - Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_obama_effect

"tolerance check".

It is not that they don't tolerate black people. there aren't black people in positions of power to ensure and enforce and even reverse the disproportionate economic and opportunities disadvantages some people experience and is manifested in terms of race.

Obviously different countries have different histories; because the US didn't really have a lot of opportunities for blacks to rise out of poverty and powerlessness, a groundswell of activity outburst in the 60s to demand these things. in Brasil, they had a lot of the same opportunities from earlier so there wasn't the same development of movement, that "fierce urgency of now".

The increase in median household income in Harlem was propelled by white people — theirs went up by 52 percent. Among Harlem’s black residents, income rose by 9 percent.

— Census Shows Growing Diversity in New York City - NYTimes.com

From 2000 to 2007.

From “European Crass Warfare”, NYTimes article at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/opinion/15krugman.html

you can’t have a coordinated European effort if Europe’s biggest economy not only refuses to go along, but heaps scorn on its neighbors’ attempts to contain the crisis.

so the socialism can't be just one state, it must be all states- The Communism! Latvia is the new Argentina: that certainly provides perspective. So much for the "stronger economies" of the EU deriding the PIGS (Portugal Italy Greece & Spain): gains and profits go to the "stronger economies"; losses must be shared by all. Does this sound familiar?

"Capturing Osama bin Laden is something we clearly would love to do," he said. "There are 30 days left."

Dick Cheney, interview on ABC News

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html