Kings and Ministers

As Saudi king's, Abdullah, had visit Britain, many protests and boycotts were carried out. The shown of anger over arms trade and human rights was the main reason.

The Saudi monarch and his most senior ministers will be the guests of the Queen at Buckingham Palace during a visit that will include a ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade, two banquets and meetings with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Prince Charles.

Documentary words.

One thing I do like a lot in English television is the several documentaries which are shown and demonstrate quite well the real truth...or at least is what we are hoping for...

According with an article at The Guardian newspaper, it has been claimed by a BBC documentary that Britain backed US plans for Ba'ath party clearout in Iraq.

It also claims that Britain failed to challenge the US government on one of the most controversial aspects of its disastrous post-invasion policy in Iraq in crucial meetings.
Senior ministers and officials have attacked the Bush administration for its failure to plan for the aftermath of the war, arguing the US ignored their misgivings about the decision to ban members of the Ba'ath party from the new government.

Apparently, Further allegations about US-UK relations in the run-up to war emerged yesterday with claims the then US secretary of state, Colin Powell, and foreign secretary Jack Straw held a secret meeting in August 2002 because they believed the momentum towards war was getting out of hand.

If this is true, it seems that UK-US relationship is much more stronger than we actually think it was!

Will the new prime minister apply the same type of political actions?

Sweet end

42 blogs done!!!!!!!! and what a better way to end this series of blogs than talking about CHOCOLATE instead of wars, AMERICA, blood, PRESIDENTIAL, propaganda, BRUMA, Clinton, IRAN, Iraq, etc.

This article, also from today, is about rivalry between leading chocolatiers.

Barry Colenso has an enviable reputation as a real-life Willy Wonka and he adventurously expanded Thorntons' range. Well, it seems like Hotel Chocolat discover Colenso on CCTV "methodically gripping several chocolate selections at one of their shops.

He doesn't know what motivated such dramatic sabotage, but visiting rivals' stores to cast a close eye over their latest confections is commonplace in the secretive, combative world of high-end chocolate.

Image....chocolate fights, chocolate "blood" everywhere and then apologies and chocolate hugs!

How sweet the world would be if instead of money and mean acts we only had chocolate and sweets to through at ourselves? :)

Dalai Lama and the city

Today Dalai Lama is in America, and China expressed anger today at America's red carpet treatment of the Dalai Lama and warned that plans to honour him would seriously damage relations with Beijing.
Despite Chinese protests, President Bush was scheduled to meet Tibet's exiled spiritual leader later today at the White House.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a political exile bent on establishing an independent Tibet. He claims he only wants greater autonomy and is waging a non-violent campaign for greater rights for his six million people.

I reckon that Dalai Lama is trying to evoke peace to the world and went to the place where they learn how to take peace away! Maybe he should teach something to Bush and his fellow company!

Special Report

Today is a full day of news!

This morning I read that US is pressing Palestinians and Israel to find an agreement.

The US yesterday urged Israel and the Palestinians to work to overcome their differences before an international conference next month.

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, travelled to the West Bank town of Ramallah to try to persuade the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to narrow gaps with Israel on a "declaration of principles".

Trying to find a common ground between these two countries who have been fighting since always is a bit late now, taking into account that US is Middle East first enemy!

Putin

In today's news Vladimir Putin warns US against military action on Iran.
The Russian president warned the US not to use force against Iran in the current nuclear dispute. Any military intervention in the Caspian Sea area would be unacceptable, Mr Putin declared as he attended a five-country regional summit in Tehran.
Is there some Russian interest behind this warned? Or is just and interest of the well-being of Iran as a country and not as a nuclear power?

No rest to Middle 'Est'

This piece in "El Pais.com" it is about the Al Qaeda video shown this last 11/9.

We normally think that these type of videos are found by CIA or other types of secret services, but we are wrong, as the last video was found by US Internet addicts who don't stop the hunting of terrorist links in Internet.

There are private companies who are dedicated to pursue Al Qaeda and which help the government as well. SITE is one of them and Rita Katz, Site director, said that because of these Internet addicts a very good source had close a window and now it will be even harder to find Al Qaeda links.

Wall Street TV

Changing from articles about presidential candidates to TV propaganda's, I found this business article interesting.

It is about US Fox TV who made a Fox Business to bring finance to the people. Business news bursts on to US televisions today on a channel that vows to change the way viewers think about finance. It will be available in more than 30m American homes, the Fox Business Network promises to serve "Wall Street and Main Street" with shows focused on making money, finding success and even, according to the pre-launch website, happiness...this is exactly what Americans need....more focus on making money and success. Do they forget that Hollywood is a product of that idea?

Scary facts

Yesterday's piece on "The Guardian" about US presidentials could scared a little bit and makes us wonder if is going to be any change on the US foreign affairs.

It says that Hillary Clinton would not mind to use violence against Tehran.

Clinton moved to secure her position as the most hawkish Democrat in the 2008 presidential race, saying she would consider the use of force to compel Iran to abandon its nuclear programme. If Iran does not comply with its own commitments and the will of the international community, all options must remain on the table," Ms Clinton said.

Are Bush ideas of attacking other governments influencing Clinton's?

Tv millions

One of the last week's piece in 'El mundo' newspaper was about the 2008 USA elections.

It appears that the propaganda for these presidentials is already worth in more than 2.000 millions just on TV propaganda.

As CNN marketing and publicity statistics note, in America, political propaganda on TV is vital, thus this year's it will be around 2.100 millions of euros.

USA and Israel

This article found in 'El Pais' is about US affirmation that Israel did attacked a nuclear reactor in Syria.

Accordingly in the White House the objective and aim of this attack, in September 6Th, was to destroy a possible atomic house, same as found before in North Korea.

This attack was done because, as CIA and Mosad had "discover", Syria was planning a nuclear programme.

The interesting fact is that in the middle of Bush administration, politicians objected on this premature attack saying that it was not necessary, at least now!

If no one wanted this attack...who choosed then? Is this the so-called American freedom of decision?

From 'el pais'

Checking other newspapers is a good way to observe how differently societies perceive same news.

I normally read 'El Pais' Spanish newspaper, so as I was surfing in their website I found this interesting headline as it is related to US (or EEUU in Spanish), and yet this exactly new was not in my regular newspaper, 'The Guardian'.

The article is mainly about a document on Turkey and a certain criminal record during IWW. It seems that Turkish military commander chef made a warning to US as they don't have a favourable opinion about the past happening.

Apparently this document shows that US congress made a resolution on what happened to thousands of Armenians in hands of Turkish while the IWW was happening.

The concern here is that US is actually saying, accordingly with the document, that Turkish government did not have any pity on them and killed thousands, and now, the Turkish government is very concern that US said this, as their relationship can be seen as ruined. At the end of the day, Turkey is the only country which has good military relationships with US, and if US agrees with this document there relationship will change.

Do you remember the Al Gore film about climate change? I do remember the boom that cause this film, but I also keep in mind that this climate change has been an issue for many many years, since the first media news a decade ago started talking about the hole in the Ozone layer.

Today's news says that the former US vice-president Al Gore and the UN climate change panel will share the 2007 Nobel peace prize for raising awareness of the risks of climate change, the Nobel committee announced.

Mr Gore is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted," the committee said. He has consistently said he is not interested in running again for the White House, insisting he can be more effective in the fight against climate change outside mainstream politics.

The other presidential candidates - Hillary Clinton, in particular - have so far disappointed environmental activists by shying away from promising aggressive action to deal with America's contribution to climate change.

Actor and President

In several TV shows and movies we see US presidents physically similar with previous presidents, illustrating a personage with grayish hair, tough and with the air force one airplane at his disposal any moment.

Accordingly with this article now we do not need to pretend anymore, as a true Hollywood actor is running for president!

Fred Thompson, a former senator and actor, made his declaration on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

He has appeal to Republicans who find the three leading candidates - Romney, Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain - insufficiently conservative, but the formal announcement of his candidacy has been pushed back amid staff shake-ups and questions about his work as a lobbyist.

Thompson is mainly concerned about illegal immigration and the progress of the US policy in Iraq.

I cannot stop wonder what the others candidates are might be wondering! Competing against an actor with tremendous experience...

I guess American society must like it! If Schwarzenegger is already in the political power, why not another one?

Fame and Power

Few days after the previous blog about Fred Thompson's qualifications for the US presidency, along came another article on this matter.

Is mainly about fame and if is a fast-track to power?

Fred Thompson's qualifications for the US presidency are more impressive than most. He's a former Senator with a good line in rock-jawed machismo. If he's this good at acting the part of a government official, it seems natural to conclude he'll be good at it in real life. Plus, his hair looks freshly shampooed and he's got great teeth.

These days, fame is not only about films and shows, but a new term of media had been improved and is being used in a different way. Currently YouTube electioneering and prime-time TV debates are a new way of doing politics, and it reassures us to know that our parliamentarians have at least made the effort to be aesthetically pleasing.

Perhaps we're naturally more cynical about the power of fame... look at Ronald Reagan! Anti-communist? Anti-Nuclear? What is that when you can be in a movie kissing famous ladies!?

Hundreds a head!

You know that famous sentence that we said to our children:"eat everything because there is children dying in Africa with the lack of food"? I used to hear even worse, with pictures of Somalian kids, and I used to think; I should go and eat all of it, look at these children, just flies and nothing else! ...well... it seems that US does not care about nutrition issues, as they have a lunch in London which costs £500-a-head, the same as $1,000!!!

This article about foundraising methods among US presidential candidates is about this, a day in the life of a candidate ... three PMs and a £500-a-head lunch.

Republican presidential frontrunner came to London and brought their campaigns, particularly because there are an estimated 200,000 Americans living in the UK, out of around 6.6 million worldwide.

Money, of course, was the most obvious explanation for the presence in Britain of the Republican frontrunner: tickets to the Mandarin Oriental lunch cost $1,000 each each (£500), or $2,300 with the bonus of having your photo taken alongside Mr Giuliani

Bill Clinton is due to hold an event for his wife, Hillary, in Windsor next month, two weeks before Michelle Obama does the same in London for her husband, Barack. The Republican Fred Thompson came earlier this year.

So much money to the same type of people! and there is still others who are in deep debt to these 'biggest' countries.

I reckon that if instead of spending this thousands of pounds in luxury lunches, they gave this money to others...maybe this debt would be better balanced.

Selling presidents

So that it seems fame sells, or at least rises status or improve opinions!

In this article from last month, we understand that in every presidential campaign several famous people, being mostly actors and singers, support their favorite candidates.

The greatest endorsement anyone could get is in this case Oprah Winfrey, the wealthiest African-American. Oprah is selling Obama, and this weekend Winfrey will set a precedent by hosting a political fundraiser at her 42-acre, $50m estate outside Santa Barbara. The recipient of her largess - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama - could see as much as $3m (£1.5m) flow into his campaign as a result. Even Stevie Wonder is understood to be among the performers booked for the event.

At CNN's Larry King, Winfrey, said: "My money isn't going to make any difference. My value to him - my support of him - is probably worth more than any other cheque that I could write." And with these simple words Winfrey could make a difference for Obama in his efforts to catch up with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front runner.

Money calls money, and a president = power comes along!

Prises raising and Patience failing...

Everyone is aware of the risk that Americans have in what it comes to health care.This article is one of the many proves of this concern!

It claims that health care and insurances in America are rising costs, and Americans are also being aware of this failure so they are losing patience with they failing system.

As we go to a hospital waiting room, same as in Europe, we can notice people watching TV while awaiting for their turn, a two-month-old baby, people with chemical burns brought in after a fight with the police, patients with asthma and diabetes, but none of these people have access to adequate medical care, unlike in Europe. And then there is the doctor who says that it is people's fault to be in this critical state, as they don't come in until their health gets to a critical mass.

I guess America is between two extremes: the ones who live in Hollywood and can afford benefits, high insurances, even a visit of a doctor, but then there is the rest (80% population I would say) which cannot afford assistance, such as elderly who cannot even afford prescriptions.

America spends more money on prevention and treatment of disease than ever before, yet it is falling behind on such basic indicators of health as infant mortality and life expectancy.

The US health care system is considered a dysfunctional mess," writes Ezekiel Emanuel, chairman of the department of clinical bioethics, in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

If even doctors find this true, why not start changing the health care environment, instead of being concern only about Global warming as environment problem?

Money, Money, Health!

In Clinton's campaign, she unveils an universal health plan.

The article claims Hillary Clinton setted out an ambitious $110bn (£55bn) plan to introduce universal health care in the US more than 10 years after her earlier failed attempt.

Her main Democratic rivals, Barack Obama and John Edwards, also propose to introduce universal health care, though there are differences.

Will she actually change this concerned health plan? If Clinton wins, I would like this matter to be true, and have my few American friends with a doctor visit if they required it!

US not enough.

As we read in this article from September 22Th, US candidates follow money trail to London. Specially Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama are seeking for funds in UK. The main reason is because expatriates are a big source of campaign dollars.

Two spouses of leading Democratic presidential candidates - Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama - are to visit London next month to try to tap into an increasing source of campaign funds from Americans living abroad.

Apparently UK and Europe are very much seek by Americans, but living in a new European and more cultural perspective the expatriates,or also known as immigrants, still care about their country and they agree donations are significant for the increasement of their favorite candidates.

In the first six months of this year, US expatriates donated $471,000 (£235,000) to presidential candidates, a report by the Centre for Responsive Politics said, nearly as much as was donated in the entire 2000 election season. Most of the money was raised in London, which accounted for $270,000 of the total

By law, only US citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) are allowed to contribute to election campaigns. But the 4 million to 7 million Americans living overseas have emerged as an increasingly important source of funds.

As a result of this impressive donations, the money is to improve campaigns, but, as we observe in the article, with the race for the White House in full swing, candidates need to pay for television advertisements, private jet travel and staff.

Pay tax in England...spend them in US!

Failure or not?

In days of presidentials and competition, time is an essential word.

As we read the newspapers and articles about US candidates and their moves, we read in "The Guardian" that time is running out for the making of a black President Barack Obama's campaign has stubbornly failed to gather momentum, while Hillary Clinton powers ahead.

It seems that time running out is not the only dilemma, but also the rivalry and opposition between Obama and Clinton.

Not only Obama is doing the possible and the impossible to get the many followers as he can in his campaigns, but also his wife, Michelle, is having as well something to say as she is shaping up not just to be Obama's first stand against Clinton.

Will Bill Clinton also say or do something?

Everyone is invited anyway...

Romney and the money.

A good way to check who is running for US president as well as to check how are they moving around to obtain votes and appreciation is having a list of names, and also ensure how much money are they spending.

This article is about campaign funds, and where they are being provided from.

As we read, the campaign teams of US presidential candidates are today expected to begin revealing the extent of their fundraising in the year's third quarter. The last days were accompanied by aggressive bids to build bank accounts ahead of an expensive stretch of media advertising.

Questions such as how much money has Mitt Romney, a multimillionaire, lent his campaign? Are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton leading the pack in fundraising? Has Republican John McCain turned the corner and stabilised his fundraising? Did Fred Thompson, turn the popular support he enjoyed before becoming a Republican candidate into hard cash?

Can former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani maintain the pace he set in the second quarter as the Republican best able to raise money from individual donors?

Will John Edwards remain on track to meet his goal of raising $40m (£20m) by the end of the year? Will Democratic senators Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd raise enough to keep them in the race? As for the New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, he announced yesterday that he had raised $5.2m.

These are the names, but is really the money from their own pockets or fundraising? Perhaps American Nation should agreed how much are they going to "donate" to these fellows and companions candidates, as we would not like to have the same mistake as George W. Bush... maybe the rest of the world should also vote, yet, no more money is needed! If not, ask Iraq and the oil and money which has been "taken away" all these last years!

New York, New York!

Is from common knowledge that some cities in North America do not seem as Americans in what concerns to habits and population type. This fact occurs especially to San Francisco and New York.

In the article I found in "The Guardian" newspaper from last week, it was exactly this issue media had been talking about.

New York is known as a liberal and different city, but New Yorkers are starting to believe the front running presidential candidates show that the US is no longer polarised between heartland and coast.
As the article claims, New Yorkers like to think of their home town less as a city than as a nation unto itself. They refer to the country in which they reside as little more than a geographical accident of little relevance. "I don't live in America," they'll tell you. "I live in New York."

New York is an impressive and distinctive global city. For us Europeans it has more in common with London, Paris or Rome.

But why is this important?Politically, the last seven years have made New Yorkers feel particularly estranged from their fellow Americans.

Now presidentials are "coming into town", Clinton is one of the presidential candidates, and New yorkers wonder whether they have a senator or not.

In what comes to other candidates for US presidentials, things are tougher for Giuliani. Thrice married with two estranged children, he has a much harder job selling himself to a base dominated by Christian conservatives. But Giuliani's candidacy is entwine with 9/11. His performance in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks is what earned him the title "America's mayor", Time's Person of the Year and 78% approval ratings even a year later.

The candidates are now coast-to-coast to win votes and appreciation. Every city from North America is trying to decide, or maybe will just go with the flow, but New York has a tough decision. Yet, the city is more in tune with the rest of the country than it's ever been! Which one will they prefer?

Fundraising

Clinton camp trumpets as she is leading at the fundraising!

In the beginning of this month, an article at "The Guardian" explains how Hillary Clinton has solidified her status as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination yesterday, surpassing all her rivals in fundraising to bring in $27m (£13m) for her campaign in the past three months.

Clinton's campaign is about the income of funds provided from performances in TV debates, schools, and by showing that America is ready for change.

This fact is not so pleasant for republican frontrunners, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, which are believed to have raised less than half of what Ms Clinton took in, or about $10m.

Different views for different countries

These days everyone is interested about organic food, organic products, ecological matters, recycling, new energies, and even renowned companies are getting very much into this environment issues. A good example for this is the french company Lóreal, which bought The Body Shop business in order to have an organic view inside their corporation.

I found especially interesting the following public article at "The Guardian" website.

It claims that the German government continues to promote renewable energy with energy and resources. Its policy of increasing the use of alternative supplies had created 235,000 jobs in 2006, twice as many as in 2004.

It also said that the Italian government announced incentives for households and business to boost solar energy, and Australia announced £4.3bn worth of support for small businesses to go green.

This article reflected what countries are intending to do in order to go for more ecological matters, all of them instead US.

Apparently, the 'only' problem concerning US is their dilemma with healthcare.

The plight of the millions not covered by insurance are a central feature. The American Medical Association (...) launched a "voice for the uninsured" advertising campaign in states that will hold early primaries.

And while John Edwards and Barack Obama proffer schemes for reforming insurance and cutting the cost of premiums, Hillary Clinton is concern about having a federal government plan.

At the end of the day, America is not one of the worst countries when it comes to polluting the atmosphere!! (??) Why should they be concern then?

The first gentlement

As the headline claims, Bill Clinton first (...) was president, then he reinvented himself as an international humanitarian, and now Clinton is on the campaign trail on behalf of his wife.

On a whistle-stop tour of Europe, he tells why America should vote Hillary - and what he'll be doing if she gets in.

The great irony of Bill Clinton's international popularity and Hillary Clinton's domestic popularity is that they are due, in no small measure, to the near-universal unpopularity of George Bush. And it doesn't require too many leaps of logic to argue that Bush is only there in the first place thanks to the failures and disappointments of Clinton's time in office, scarred as it was by failures in the Middle East and elsewhere and, of course, by Monicagate.

No more words needed!...they mere politticians!

Farewell Mr Bush!

George W. Bush is a joke!

Now that America is going for presidentials, everyone is saying a joke about Bush, which shows how much American press is also turned against the president.

As the article in "The guardian" shows, the nation joke now is: "What's the difference between Iraq and Vietnam? George W Bush had an exit strategy for Vietnam."

It seems a whole public has turned completely against George W, even in rock solid Republican states. And Lewis Libby, the former chief of staff of the vice-president, has been convicted of perjury and other offences.

Almost after 5 years of war, now American media and nation claims that the invasion of Iraq was "a war not to defend our nation, but to validate an academic theory".

It was about time they understand it! Lets have a change then!

Innocent deaths

The massacre of hundreds of villagers in 1968 that became a symbol for American brutality in the Vietnam war is very much known, but the fact that it is happening again it gives us a ghastly feeling.

This newspaper article is about Marines who may face trial over Iraq massacre as troops had shot 24 unarmed civilians.

If in Vietnam war thousands of Innocent's were killed, in this generation's war, the village is Haditha, north-west of Baghdad, where US marines killed two dozen Iraqi civilians, including 11 women and children.

The ironic part of this war-chronicle is that the Pentagon also fabricated tales about a wounded and captured private, Jessica Lynch, that were later debunked.

People lying in the streets, bleeding, and the ones who watch it are also hurt! Iraqi soldiers come to rescue their people and a little girl shouts saying 'Why did you do this to our family?' And one Iraqi soldier tells, 'We didn't do it. The Americans did.'...

Marines and Civilians

It is interesting how power can remove accusations and moral sense.

The article is on the case against US marines involved in one of the most infamous incidents of the Iraq war, the killing of civilians at Haditha in 2005, which appeared to have fallen apart last night. US marines are likely to avoid murder charges over killing of Iraqi civilians, and a Sergeant may be accused of lesser offence.

Seventeen civilians, including women, children and seven alleged insurgents, were killed at Haditha, about 150 miles north-west of Baghdad, and this has became the incident and the most serious case of an alleged war crime by US troops in Iraq, and yet, everyone is free to go!

Brumas and US

Burma's confrontations and attacks are an international concern and not just a local dilemma.

"The Guardian" website article is about US envoy to meet Burma's leaders.

As we read closely, the most senior US diplomat in Burma was due to meet the regime's leading figures today to deliver a robust message over the brutal crackdown after the government made a surprise offer to talk to detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

When peace is tried to be placed and nothing is agreed apart from deaths of innocents, international action should be done. Maybe now US could actually help... not just with conversations but with aid conducts!

Hilary, me and dupree!

Candidates for US presidency are conscious that anti-Americanism is rising and this image needs to be restored.

As we read in this article, Bill Clinton says that Hillary wants him to restore image of US. If Hillary Clinton wins the US presidency, Bill Clinton will be given the job of repairing America's damaged international reputation.

Mr Clinton says, "ordinary US voters in the heartlands are concerned about who would be most likely to restore America's standing in the world" in the wake of the Iraq war, lack of action on climate change and other policies.

Is the meaning of 'ordinary US voters' the same as 'civilians'? Why using the term ordinary? Don't they normally vote for their choices in their own country? Is just happening now because they realise the type of society they broadcast to the rest of the world?

Far away torture?

In May 2003, an article at "The Guardian" newspaper talked about certain concerns linked to the manner in which US is looking away to the tortures being done to prisoners, especially political prisoners, in Uzbekistan prisons.
An example of this was the sentence of Abdulkhalil, a 28-year-old farmer who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for "trying to overthrow the constitutional structures". After a while, his father had to go to the prison hospital and see how is son had his head battered and tongue swollen because of the lack of water.
Many are victim of Uzbekistan's security service, and an independent human rights groups estimate that there are more than 600 politically motivated arrests a year in Uzbekistan, and 6,500 political prisoners, some tortured to death.
The concerning issue is also that US is funding the condemned! In 2002, Washington gave Uzbekistan $500m (£300m) in aid. Intelligence services and the police are saying that this repeatedly tortures are being used as a routine investigation technique.

... and then they want to fight terror/terrorism...