(Mental Break) Anti-American in North and South Korea

*This clip below contains foul language.





This clip is from Japanese media. It shows both North and South Korean propaganda against America. The first propaganda by the North repeats "Bushi, ak" which means "Bush, evil."
The South Korean propaganda is the most interesting one for me, since I actually have heard the song when I used to live in Seoul during my childhood. I remember kids at school singing the song with joy.
Having American father and a mother who was educated in America allowed people to see me as an American instead of a Korean; and it have got me into many conflicts at school especially around 2002. I always believed that South Korean and America are brothers
I have not heard about any other popular propaganda after this one so I am relieved. Also the fact that South Koreans are becoming more and more open minded about countries such as Japan and America is making me feel safer about Korea.

I do not mean to offend any one with the harsh language of the clip. I thought this was interesting because despite the great diplomacy between the South Korea and the U.S., the citizens of South Korea carry such hate toward a country that helped us get to where we are today.

Bomb Blasts Shake Swedish Capital

This is another sad news about terrorism. This Saturday, a terrorist suicide bombing has created horror in downtown in Stockholm. The news have reminded the world once again about the danger all the U.S. supporting countries are in. There were two injuries and one death.
 The picture shows the corner of Olof Palmes Gata and Drottninggatan in central Stockholm where the car bomb exploded.

Around 5 p.m. local time on December 11, SÄPO and Swedish news agency TT received violent threats in the form of emails and sound files. Ten minutes later, a white Audi exploded in the very heart of Stockholm's shopping district, where Christmas shopping was in full swing.
Only a few minutes later and a couple of blocks away, a man that SÄPO has since called a "terrorist" set off a bomb strapped to his own body, killing himself, but injuring no one else.
The bomber, Iraqi-born Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, said in his threats to TT and SÄPO that he was targeting Swedish civilians because of Sweden's participation in the war in Afghanistan as well as the country's non-response to the Muhammad cartoons drawn by a Swedish artist that caused widespread protests in the Muslim world.

 The fact that the terrorist was angered by not only Sweden's involvement in the war in Afghanistan, but also a cartoon of Muhammad, shows that it is not only the government and military who should be careful. The terrorists are also triggered by the media, such as cartoons in this case. This is an alert for everyone. The terrorist society can be angered by many things that seems like a joke to many other people.
This concerns me about the media of America, where many things including the Muslim has been used for humor and entertainment.

Wal-Mart Tries Again for New York City Store

Wal-Mart, the invincible retailer is trying to expand and expand through out America. Their next destination is the New York City, or they are trying to get there. With all the opposition, from the local community, it seems like it is going to take a lot for Wal-Mart to root down in New York and go on with their domination plan.

The New York City Council was supposed to hold a hearing this Tuesday about a renewed campaign by Wal-Mart to open its stores in the city.  “We needed a bigger room,” the Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, said. “We heard from unions all across the city, small business leaders from across the city. It’s a growing list of people.”
Wal-Mart, an inescapable part of the retail landscape just about everywhere except in New York City, twice retreated on efforts to open stores in the city after fierce community opposition.
Now it is back, and mounting an aggressive campaign to crack the country’s largest urban market. Wal-Mart is looking at properties in each of the five boroughs and has hired Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s former campaign manager, Bradley Tusk, to help coordinate its lobbying efforts.
Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate, predicted, “They’re not going to find it easy to get serious public support.”
“As you reap,” Mr. de Blasio added, “so shall you sow, and they’ve had a really bad history. You can talk to people across the spectrum and they’ve all heard something about the problems of Wal-Mart.”

 The fact the the hearing was pushed for later shows that the issue and the conflict is expanding. This is not an easy thing for Wal-Mart to back down because New York City can be one of the most significant city for their future profit, considering the big population in the city.
Despite the fact that Wal-Mart is the country’s largest private employer, they have been criticized by the labor groups about the wages being too low and its benefits being insufficient.
This is a big war between Wal-Mart and the citizens of New York.

China extends selective RRR hike for 3 months

To explain reserve requirement, to people who are not familiar with it, just like me, it is a regulation by central bank that holds money from commercial banks. The more money the central bank hold, less money flows in the economy. The more money the central bank hold, it usually means there is too much money flowing in the economy. China has recently extend the reserve which was suppose to expire this week. The reserve will continue for another three months.

 

The move affects six of the country's biggest lenders, including Bank of China (3988.HK) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (1398.HK), the sources said.
With the extension of the selective increase, which had been initially ordered in October, the required reserve ratio will stand at a record high of 19 percent for the country's biggest banks.
"There are only about two weeks left before the end of the year, so it's not that likely that the central bank will announce or implement further RRR hikes. That's why it is choosing to extend the selective ratios," said Lu Zhengwei, chief economist at Industrial Bank in Shanghai.
The decision to extend the selective reserve requirement increase will lock up about 180 billion yuan ($27 billion) in deposits that the banks would otherwise have had available to lend.
Consumer prices soared past forecasts to a 28-month high in November and showed signs of spreading beyond food prices, putting pressure on the government to ratchet up its monetary tightening.
China officially raised banks' required reserves for the third time in a month on Friday. It has used selective increases twice this year, targeting banks that have been especially heavy lenders or that are systemically important.

 All the economists' spotlights are on China. China is trying to cool down the inflation and this regulation will decrease the money Chinese can spend. I am curious how this campaign will affect other counties, especially America, knowing that Chinese and American economies are intimately related.

Salmonella-tainted eggs linked to U.S. government's failure to act

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that cause about 1.4 million food illness and about 500 death annually in the U.S. It is one of the most common bacteria that causes infection. Salmonella is usually transmitted by consumption of food, especially contaminated with animal feces. Salmonella is most common on raw meat and eggs which is a very common food. There for, it is really easy for the bacteria to spread. This month, the largest recall of egg of the history of U.S. stressed the Public health officials.

Public health officials closed the books this month on an outbreak of salmonella illness that had sickened more than 1,900 people since May and led to the largest recall of eggs in U.S. history.
Two Iowa egg farms drew most of the blame, triggering a congressional investigation, a federal criminal probe and several lawsuits filed by victims.
What has not drawn much scrutiny is the role of the federal government, which recognized 20 years ago that salmonella in eggs posed a public health threat. Although federal inspectors have closely monitored meat and poultry production for the better part of a century, they have largely ignored eggs, another staple of the American diet. It was not until July, well after the recent outbreak was underway, that the government's first rules on safe egg production took effect.

This article is a good warning to the public. It is warning the people to wash their hands and cook their eggs completely. As an individual who consumes egg daily, this makes me aware of the issue that could not only effect me but my family. This raises a question: If a country like America, where nutritional information is very well organized and foods are strictly examined, has this big Salmonella issue, how many people suffer from salmonella infection around the world?
I hope this is an effective lesson for the federal government and examination of eggs or any egg products become more strict.

Indonesia death toll reaches 300 with more feared after twin disasters

Mother nature has not been kind to Indonesia recently. After two, not one, natural disasters, tsunami and earthquake, Indonesia have lost more than lives. The fear and anxiety in the nation rises as the emergency response is at the limit now.

Rescuers discovered 282 bodies in the remote Mentawai islands, which were inundated with a 3 metres (10ft) wave when the Pacific "ring of fire" fault line ruptured on Monday night causing a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. World Vision, an aid agency, estimated more than 500 people remain unaccounted for and 7,000 households have been affected.
Around 800 miles away on the island of Java, rescuers scouring Mount Merapi, which erupted on Tuesday, said they had so far discovered 30 bodies, including an 83-year-old man called Maridjan who watched over the volcano's spirits.
As the weather cleared over the Mentawai island chain the true scale of the devastation caused by Monday night's tsunami became apparent. The tectonic fault that caused the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 which killed more than 200,000 people had ruptured again, triggering a giant wave that devastated parts of the island chain and killed hundreds.
The break in the poor conditions that had prevented the remote islands being reached by boat allowed the first cargo plane loaded with tents, medicine, food and clothes to land, but it also bought grim news of the human cost.
The National Disaster Management Agency said most of the deaths occurred in Pagai Utara and Pagai Selatan districts. Officials said hundreds of wooden and bamboo homes were washed away in more than 20 villages, displacing more than 20,000 people. Many were seeking shelter in makeshift emergency camps or with family and friends.
Eight Australians, an American and a New Zealander arrived in the Sumatran city of Padang and told of the moment the wave struck their anchored boat.

As I posted an article about Haiti's cholera pandemic, it is depressing and fearful how two major natural disaster happened so quickly one after the other. Mother nature is something you can not tame, and all we can do as human beings is to clean up the mess after. This reminds me of the 2004 tsunami that killed numerous people. I hope Indonesia recovers soon, it is a beautiful country with no doubt. It seems like angry mother nature loves to visit poor or third world countries. I am now wondering what Indonesia could have done in order to lower the rate of death.

Myspace concedes to Facebook, changes focus

Social Networking, is one of the factor that makes the current generation unique. Facebook, the representative of the culture has changed the way of communication through out the world. We can not only see famous celebrities with facebook but also politicians as well. Until Facebook rise in power, Myspace was the way. Recently, Myspace has been showing many efforts to compete with Facebook, the king of soc
 ial network.
 

Myspace, once a leader in social networking before the ascendancy of Facebook, is trading its social networking focus to target the music, celebrities, movies, television, and games that Gen-Y'ers love the most. The company announced on Wednesday that it is launching a beta site that will be based on this shifted focus.
"This marks the beginning of an exciting turning point for Myspace. Our new strategy expands on Myspace’s existing strengths—a deep understanding of social, a wealth of entertainment content and the ability to surface emerging cultural trends in real time through our users," said Myspace CEO Mike Jones in a statement.
The new site design is certainly a major improvement aesthetically, as Myspace has adopted a Windows Phone-esque tile view in addition to a complete rebranding (including dropping the capital 'S'). The layout is designed to emphasize discovery and sharing of favorite bands, actors, and more. Highly active users will be designated as "curators"—Myspace's parlance for tween and teen arbiters of taste. Users can also earn Foursquare-like badges that are displayed on their homepage or along with the content they share.
Myspace was acquired by News Corp. at the height of its popularity, which plummeted in subsequent years as Facebook became the top social networking site. Last year it eliminated one-third of its US staff and two-thirds of its international staff in an attempt to keep money from bleeding out as it continued to lose users.
The change in focus hones in on the areas where Myspace has been most successful—promoting bands and other celebrities to an increasingly young membership. That strategy won't ever put Myspace in the same running as Facebook for a wide audience, but it could prove successful enough to keep News Corp. from further regretting its purchase. Ars readers as a whole may longer care one whit about Myspace, but chances are your kids still do.

The social networking culture is not a joke or an amusement. Today, it has become one of the most powerful influence to the society which is a surprising and fascinating fact. But it seems like social networking does not have its limit, becoming even more and more significant as more people from all over the world is being involved. At this rate, social networking will surely influence the government and politics. This article also shows that the social networking sites are becoming more and more competitive. Is this the start of the social network war? We can only question for now.

So Halloween is almost here

Happy Halloween :)

Rand Paul supporter apologizes for stepping on activist's head

 Tim Profitt, a supporter of Ran Paul, a Kentuky republican running for the U.S. senate, has blackened Paul's name. Profitt stepped on the head of a liberal activist, pinning her face to the sidewalk when she was on the ground out side the debate in Lexington. The story spread fast and it has effected the race, negatively for Paul.

However, soon Profitt apologized to the public.

A supporter of Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rand Paul is apologizing after he was seen on video stepping on a liberal activist’s head.

Tim Profitt, a volunteer with the Republican’s U.S. Senate campaign, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the camera angle made the scuffle Monday night appear worse that it was. He criticized police for not stepping in and says other supporters warned authorities about the activist.
Paul has cut ties with Profitt, of Paris, Ky., who allegedly assaulted a liberal activist during a rally Monday night in Lexington, his campaign announced Tuesday afternoon.
Paul had been criticized earlier in the day for not denouncing the attack strongly enough, but the new statement said Paul is “extremely disappointed in, and condemns” the actions of what it called a supporter.
“The Paul campaign has disassociated itself from the volunteer who took part in this incident, and once again urges all activists — on both sides — to remember that their political passions should never manifest themselves in physical altercations of any kind,” the statement said.
The incident happened as Paul arrived at the Kentucky Educational Television studio on Cooper Drive in Lexington for a debate with Attorney General Jack Conway, his Democratic opponent.
Lauren Lizabeth Valle, 23, an activist with MoveOn.org, tried to get close to Paul to give him a fake award portraying him as a tool of big business, as the group has done elsewhere.
However, at least two men in the crowd grabbed her and pushed her down. Profitt put his foot on her shoulder and shoved down forcefully on her neck and head.
Police are investigating the incident as a fourth-degree assault

 Soon, Paul campaign removed Tim Profitt as one of the coordinators and take him off the events.
This was a huge disaster for Paul, because people know Profitt not by his name, but the fact that he is "the supporter of Rand Paul."  This shows how this election race is not at its peak of excitement. I wonder how bad this incident will affect Paul's position in the campaign.

U.S. campaign takes on anti-gay bullying in school

Recently, the hate crime against homosexuality has been the hottest topic; Many suicide cases caused by discrimination of homosexuality has been featured to the public, causing many attention to the issue. Obama administration is now launching a new campaign in order to prevent many discrimination and bullying at school, including gay bullying. The administration have advised the many educators that students are protected by the federal law from discrimination

The advisory from the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, to be made public Tuesday, does not break new legal ground, officials said. But the officials described it as the federal government's most comprehensive guidance to date on how civil rights law applies to the sort of campus situations that in some cases have led persecuted students to commit suicide. President Obama is expected to help promote the initiative.
"We've got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage," Obama said in a video posted last week on the White House Web site.
"Our goal here is to provide school districts, colleges and universities with details about when harassment can rise to the level of a civil rights violation and what they should be doing about it," Russlynn H. Ali, assistant education secretary for civil rights, said Monday. Ali wrote the advisory. As an example, Ali noted in the advisory that a gay student might withdraw from school activities after being subjected to anti-gay slurs and other intimidation. If the school reprimands the perpetrators to stop the bullying, her advisory said, that would not necessarily be enough to ensure that students are free from harassment based on gender stereotypes. "The school had an obligation to take immediate and effective action to eliminate the hostile environment," Ali wrote. 

It is good to see the federal taking a step to promote discrimination free zone, especially for the school. Considering public school as a miniature version of the society, this is a big win for not only the gay people, but everyone in the society. Every single students deserves a fair environment for their education and the minorities do not deserve any hate crimes or harassment. This made discrimination and bullying an illegal act against the federal power, and I hope this takes a positive influence on the education and the society as a whole.

Amid Cholera Outbreak in Haiti, Fear and Misery

Haiti is the country of sorrow and violence. Not only being one of the poorest country in the world, Haiti has gone through tremendous numbers of political violence. Haiti has experienced a great earthquake in the beginning of 2010. On top of that, Haiti is now facing the cholera pandemic. Cholera is an infection of small intestine that causes severe diarrhea; It is fatal.

The cholera outbreak, with 259 deaths and more than 3,300 confirmed cases counted as of Monday morning, has so far been contained to the region around the epicenter — the central rural areas around the Artibonite River.
But the capital, Port-au-Prince, is tensely preparing for its arrival in the densely populated slums and tent camps of earthquake survivors. Treatment centers are being established, soap and water purification tablets being distributed and public safety announcements stressing hygiene.
“It travels with the speed of lightning, I’ve heard, and it can kill a person in four hours,” said Jean Michel Maximilien, a camp leader, on Sunday. “So of course we are all on edge.”
The Haitian government reported optimistically on Monday that the epidemic might be leveling off.
"The situation is beginning to stabilize,” Gabriel Thimothee, director-general of the Health Ministry, said at a news conference. “Since yesterday we have registered only six new deaths."
Officials emphasized that no new cases have originated in the capital, according to Associated Press. But health experts cautioned that the danger remained high.

Although the epidemic could leave off, this could soon spread to other regions and even other countries. Also, many Americans spend their money and resources in order to help Haiti and now there is a new reason. Haiti is a country of hardships after hardships. It seems like mother nature is messing with Haiti. I hope the situation soothes as soon as possible before it spreads further and further. When a country faces a big problem of a disease that could spread fast, even America has to be alert.

Michelle Obama "The most important choice is to get involved"

     Michelle Obama, America's first lady is leading numerous supporters.

On Barack Obama's official youtube channel, she made a speech today, promoting democracy and people's involvement in this November's election.

This video makes me content the fact that Obama administration is making an approach like this.

This reminds me of Franklin Roosevelt, how he used radio as his way to talk to the people.

Obama is using Youtube, which is a prominent web community in America.

During the Roosevelt's time, America was going through a big hard ship, and today, America is also going through a similar hardship.

At least it shows that as a leader, Obama couple is trying to interact with us, in a way that many people do today.

Which Party Do I Belong to?

The following are your scores. They are based on a gradual range of 0 to 12. For instance, a Conservative/Progressive score of 3 and 0 will both yield a result of social conservative, yet 0 would be an extreme conservative and 3 a moderate conservative

Conservative/Progressive score: 5
You are a social moderate. You think the progressive movement is overall well meaning, but sometimes it goes too far. On issues like abortion and affirmative action, you see the negatives of both extremes on the issue. You probably value religion, but at the same time you think it should still stay separate from the government

Capitalist Purist/Social Capitalist score: 5
You are a Moderate Capitalist. You support an economy that is by and large a free market, but has public programs to help people who can't help themselves or need a little help. Pretty much you believe in the American economy how it currently is.

Libertarian/Authoritarian score: 5
You're a Moderate. You think that we all have certain inalienable rights that must be protected, but that sometimes laws need to be made to protect the majority's lives or quality of lives. You might think that the 2nd amendment isn't necessary anymore because letting everyone a gun is extremely dangerous to the community. You might also be against illegal drug use or public pornography because of its possible harmful effects to society.

Pacifist/Militarist score: 7
You're a Moderate. You think that in very rare occasions, the United States should invade a country in order to make the world better by spreading democracy or ending a tyrants rule. You also think that defense is very important, and we shouldn't lower the defense budget. You think that, while the Iraq War probably was a mistake, that we can make the world a better place by sticking with it and spreading democracy in the middle east.

Overall, you would most likely fit into the category of Republican

Currently, after 69449 submissions, the average Conservative/Progressive score is 5.98, the average Capitalist Purist/Social Capitalist score is 6.72, the average Libertarian/Authoritarian score is 5.51, and the average Pacifist/Militarist score is 4.58

Very interesting.

It's a bit unexpected.

Judge halts 'Don't ask don't tell' policy

     Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a military policies that enforces the military not to ask any service members to ask their sexualities. This article is about the latest change in that policy. The policy has been halted.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips in California marks the first time that the controversial policy - which forbids the military to ask about a service member's sexual orientation but retains a ban on gays serving openly - has been halted.
Leaders of the group that brought the suit celebrated the injunction, the latest in a series of recent court rulings that expand the rights of gay Americans to marry and serve in uniform.
"This decision is also a victory for all who support a strong national defense," said Christian Berle, acting executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. "No longer will our military be compelled to discharge service members with valuable skills and experience because of an archaic policy mandating irrational discrimination."

This original policy originated from homophobia among the soldiers. Homophobia is caused by fear and ignorance that highly relies on conception that only women and men belong together. Homosexuality is natural, just rare. In the wild, homosexual animals are often found.
This is a good step for stronger gay rights. We are making progress.

Family Fight, Border Patrol Raid, Baby Deported

     Immigration; Probably the most talked about issue in America, especially in the north west coast. This article from the New York Times presents an unfortunate story of a mother and a daughter.

A few days before her daughter Rosa’s first birthday, Monica Castro and the girl’s father had a violent argument in the trailer they all shared near Lubbock, Tex. Ms. Castro fled, leaving her daughter behind.
Ms. Castro, a fourth-generation American citizen, went to the local Border Patrol station. She said she would give the agents there information about the girl’s father, a Mexican in the country illegally, in exchange for help recovering her daughter.
Ms. Castro lived up to her side of the deal. But the federal government ended up deporting little Rosa, an American citizen, along with her father, Omar Gallardo. Ms. Castro would not see her daughter again for three years.

“She was sent to Juárez, which is now the most dangerous city on the face of the planet,” said Susan L. Watson, one of Ms. Castro’s lawyers. 

The mother and child reunion, at the United States Consulate in Ciudad Juárez in 2006, was rocky. Rosa, then 4, did not recognize her mother and did not want to leave her other relatives.
“She was crying,” Ms. Castro recalled. “I started talking to her in Spanish, and she started yelling. She would hit me with her doll. She kicked me. She didn’t want anything to do with me. She wanted to be with her grandmother.”

 I do not understand how Ms. Castro could not keep her baby from being sent away. My father is a first generation American and my brother and I could stay in America with no problem although my mother is Korean.
I agree with Ms. Castro for the reasons why she sued the government. The agents had no legal rights to deport her daughter, a child of a fair American citizen.
When the daughter finally reunites with her mother, she does not even recognize her or want to be with her. It is a sad reality. I hope this never happens to any body.

A Fishing Paradise, Now With A Deadly Reputation..

     Falcon Lake, so called the "Fishing Paradise" of Texas, is also straddling the border with Mexico. This article reports the latest tragedy at the lake, involving an American's death by piracy.

As a prolonged conflict between drug dealers and the government has eroded civil order in Mexico, gangs of armed thugs in speedboats have begun robbing fishermen and tourists on the lake.

Last week, gunmen in three boats reportedly shot and killed an American as he and his wife toured the lake on Jet Skis.

The shooting has strained tense relations between the Texas authorities and the Mexican government. A week after David M. Hartley, 30, was reported shot in the head, the Mexican authorities have yet to find a body or any trace of his watercraft.

On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican running for re-election, sharply criticized the Mexican government as being slow to investigate the episode. He also denounced the Obama administration as not having provided more National Guard troops to patrol the border.

“Frankly, these two presidents need to get together with their secretaries of state and say, ‘What are we going to do about this?’ ” Mr. Perry said.

This is not only Texas' problem, it is America's problem. America and Mexico already has a tricky relationship due to immigration problems. This will definitely ignite the problem and the friction between the two nations worse.

America was triggered by the American's death in the sinking of Lusitania, to enter the World War I. It is hard to relate those two facts but we can not deny the fact that America, as a country, can make bold decisions over few Americans' lives.

Also, piracy is a big problem all over the world, not only Falcon Lake. The piracy is spreading and the sea is becoming more and more unwelcoming.

Short film, City Paradise by Gaelle Denis (Mental Health Break)

This short film is called City Paradise by Gaelle Denis.

Since my last post was a bit depressing, I decided to have a mental break for the next post.

This short film was one of the finalist of 3rd Annual Now Film Festival.

I consider this film really good. I think the film did a great job on expressing a dream scape through out the film.

When ever I want to give up on becoming an artist, this is one of the stuff I go back to in order to be motivated again.

US grandmother set to be executed

Teresa Lewis is the first woman to be executed in nearly a century for killing her husband and her stepson. There are other women in the nation waiting for their sentence and Lewis' death can influence the decisions. There are 60 women who are condemned and 18 of them are in California.

NAACP leaders reach out to gay rights groups

This article from the Washington Post, shows an interesting new partnership. Gay rights issue is probably one of the most boiling topic in the nation. Now, the NAACP, one of the largest ethnicity organization in the world stepped in to support the gay rights.

The outreach has been steered by former chairman Julian Bond and the group's president, Benjamin Jealous. Both men are supporters of same-sex marriage rights, though the NAACP's national board has taken no stance on the issue. 

Jealous, who is helping to lead a march for jobs and justice in Washington next month, will be in New York on Wednesday night to encourage members of the city's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center to attend the rally. 

"The NAACP is opposed to discrimination in all its forms," Jealous said in an e-mail, adding, "We recognize that many of our members are also members of the LGBT community, and just as the LGBT community counts on us to stand with it for basic civil rights protections, so we count on the LGBT community to stand with us in our unified struggle for the broader civil rights agenda."

 NAACP's support is a great benefit for the gay community and NAACP themselves. They are both promoting opposition to discrimination and their partnership will help both of them as organizations. Different group, same goal. The gay community is earning more and more support as time goes. NAACP's support also shows how far the gay community has come so far fighting for their rights.

Obama's closest advisers, likely to leave in White House shuffle

Today, America is facing a time where decision making is critical. Especially, the president's decisions. President Obama has been relying on his advisers almost for two years now. However, that will change soon as White House Staffs are being shuffled soon and Obama will be surrounded by new people.

 

As one of his advisers bluntly put it, the president "doesn't like new people."

Like it or not, he will soon be surrounded by them as an expected staff shuffle will

deprive Obama of two of his closest aides and an influx of replacements will take their places within the West Wing. 

Obama will soon lose other top advisers. His chief economic adviser, Lawrence H. Summers, announced that he will return to Harvard, where he is a professor; Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina is expected to join Axelrod in Chicago; and national security adviser James L. Jones is said to want out by the end of the year. 

 According to this article, Obama is known to dislike "new people." As his reliable source changes, his decision can be influenced differently. Not only that, the fact that he is losing his economic adviser, during this recession, is a big change. However, the article also mentions that it seems Obama has already chosen his new advisers. Will the advisers help the president differently? What will happen to Obama's next move? All we can do is watch.

Visiting Ground Zero, Asking Allah for Comfort

 

In the book, Hot, Flat and Crowed, the author Thomas Friedman criticizes ignorance of modern Americans. The most hot issue around this year is the nation's relationship to the Muslim community and awareness of terrorism. This article shows a good example of why people need to distinguish the religion and the violence.

“I like to go down there and pray and see the place and remember,” said Mrs. Traoré, a native of Ivory Coast who came to the United States in 1997. “When I go there, I feel closer to him. And him to me. I pray for him, too.”

When she prays, she calls God Allah. Mrs. Traoré, 40, says praying in the pit feels entirely natural, even if some of those standing with her — widows and widowers, parents and children — blame her religion for the destruction of that day. “That’s not fair,” she said. “It’s not because of Allah that these buildings fell.”

Islam is a highly misunderstood religion today. The terrorism created fear and many people are blinded with ignorance. That makes the war with the terrorists more challenging. We must know our enemy before we fight them. They are not the religion. It is true that the towers collapsed by the terrorists under the name of Allah but that can not be a fair reason to generalize all the Muslims out there. That is like generalizing that all the priests are pedophiles.

Pastor Cancels Koran Burning After Defense Secretary Calls

In the book, Hot, Flat and Crowed, the author Thomas Friedman points out the reality of "where the birds don't fly" referring to the American society. This article from the New York Times shows how close we got to putting ourselves in danger.

 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who set the world on edge with plans to burn copies of the Koran on Sept. 11, said Thursday that he had canceled his demonstration.

But the global controversy he started — drawing pointed criticism from President Obama and an array of leaders, officials and celebrities in the United States and abroad — stirred new questions and concerns even as he announced its end (which he later in the day threatened to retract.)

Mr. Jones said he called off the burning in return for a promise to move a proposed mosque in New York City to a new location far from ground zero.

That supposed deal, announced here on the lawn of Mr. Jones’s church, does not appear to exist.

This cancellation of Koran burning just saved numerous lives of innocent people. A media showing the world a white American man burning the most sacred book of Muslim? Would trigger more anger from the Muslim people all over the world and this can be the b

est tool for the terrorists to recruit more terrorists. This is a global relief.

On Clean Energy, China Skirts Rules

In the book Hot, Flat & Crowded, one of the author Tom Friedman's focus is on China and green energy.  This is a great approach to what many people including Friedman wants: the greener world and industries.

CHANGSHA, China — Until very recently, Hunan Province was known mainly for lip-searing spicy food, smoggy cities and destitute pig farmers. Mao was born in a village on the outskirts of Changsha, the provincial capital here in south-central China. 

Now, Changsha and two adjacent cities are emerging as a center of clean energy manufacturing. They are churning out solar panels for the American and European markets, developing new equipment to manufacture the panels and branching into turbines that generate electricity from wind. By contrast, clean energy companies in the United States and Europe are struggling. Some have started cutting jobs and moving operations to China in ventures with local partners. 

According to the article, Changsha used to have a "smoggy" stratosphere. Now Changsha, or China is changing. The big red country of manufacturing and monster factories are slowly becoming more friendly with the whole earth. At this rate, China might catch up with U.S. and out run the green energy race. I am eager to see China reforming their cities to be more green. Because it is China, that would be a great, big step to the greener earth and world economy.

Germany Extends Nuclear Plants’ Life

In the book "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas L. Friedman, Friedman demands the alternative, and greener energy in order for better life on earth, and to reduce our "addiction" of gasoline or "fuel from hell."

  

BERLIN — The German government has decided to extend the life spans of the country’s 17 nuclear plants while alternative energy sources are developed, a move that is also likely to create windfalls for both power companies and strained government coffers. 

The decision comes at a time when several European countries, including Italy and Sweden, are reconsidering long-held policies against nuclear power, not only to develop new sources of energy but also to combat climate change.

The greener energy, eco-friendly culture is not only the common people's pop culture but it is the newest international solution to many problems we are facing today and we will face tomorrow. In Europe, this new culture seems to flourish, and the government is very cooperative. One of the new green energy with many potentials is the nuclear power. It is the energy that was once rejected by the U.S. government. As the nuclear power spreads more, there is a possibility that the U.S. government will think twice about this type of energy. Although, Italy and Sweden are considering a long held policies against the nuclear power, the nuclear power has no carbon amission. It is something definitely better than gasoline yet it is something that should be strictly controlled. 

Chinese Officials Call for Less Friction With U.S.

In the book Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman, the author signifies China's relationship with America and their changing world.

Two White House officials — Lawrence H. Summers, the director of the National Economic Council, and Thomas E. Donilon, the deputy national security adviser — held meetings in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday that were aimed not at fashioning new pacts, but at maintaining a dialogue that had been strained at times in recent months.
“Strategic trust is the basis of China-U.S. cooperation,” said Dai Bingguo, a Chinese state councilor who met with them, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao told the two Americans that China and the United States should not view themselves as rivals, according to the Chinese state news media.
American and Chinese officials have been trying to lay the groundwork for a state visit to the United States this winter by President Hu Jintao, and for the resumption of contacts between the two countries’ militaries. China suspended military contacts last winter to protest a White House decision to proceed with arms sales to Taiwan. Beijing officials regard Taiwan as a renegade province.

I have not really payed attention to the news or China until this assignment. Now that I pay attention to the news, I see that China is taking a big roll in this fast-transforming world. As a considered world super power, (or is it now?) America needs to be careful with their relationship with China. This is a surprising approach from China considering that the world expects some sort of economy war between China and America. (Although, I believe it is going on right now.) If the Chinese officials are trying to make a friendship instead of a rivalry between U.S., it is clear that they are also expecting a soft approach from the U.S.
This also shows that China is also being careful of this relationship. Many people thinks of China as a reckless country, but China is a strong country with a big brain. They have factors that we, as a country lack.

Greener Facebook?

In Thomas L. Friedman's writting, Hot, Flat and Crowded, He scolds pollution and demands better environment for our future generation. This is another unique approach to his wish.

Environmental activist organization Greenpeace just won’t get off Facebook’s case for planning to invest in a data center facility that happens to be powered by “dirty coal-fired electricity.” The latest development is that the Greenpeace Executive Director Kumi Naidoo has sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking him to reconsider its planned facility in Prineville, Oregon, which uses power from Pacific Power. As evidence that Facebook SHOULD be interested in this issue, Naidoo points to the Facebook: Unfriend Coal page, which actually has close to 600,000 followers right now. Greenpeace appears to be wanting to guilt Facebook into reconsidering its position by pointing to what other huge forces in cloud computing are doing right:

“Other cloud-based companies face similar choices and challenges as you do in building data centers, yet many are making smarter and cleaner investments. Google, for instance, entered into a long-term agreement with a large wind power producer earlier this month. It has demonstrated that it is not only possible to prioritize the purchase of clean energy, but prudent as well.”

Facebook is something that symbolizes our flat world. If you have a computer and internet connection, talking to anybody in the world is no problem. Facebookis one of the cloud-based companies, very popular, having more than 500 million users. Facebook using a dirty coal electricity is in fact shocking and unexpected since the main trend of the day is "eco-friendly". If Facebook goes by Greenpeace's suggestion, this would be a great advance, knowing that Facebook is a huge company.

China Growth Merely Moderating?

In Thomas L. Friedman's book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, He mentions China many times, the country growing its economy faster than anybody.

The mixed picture reflected the uncertainties haunting the global economy. U.S. unemployment and household debt remain high and the country’s property market is still fragile. At the same time, much of the Asia-Pacific region continues to stand out with buoyant, although moderating growth.

Growth in China, which this year leapfrogged Japan to become the second-largest economy in the world, behind the United States, has been supported by a giant government stimulus package and ample lending by state-controlled banks.

The pace of expansion in China has somewhat moderated in recent months, as the government has instructed banks to lend less and as various tools designed to curb speculative investments in the soaring property market have stalled excessive price increases in the sector.

But the manufacturing data on Wednesday, which gave the first insight into how the economy performed in August, showed that the modest slowdown of the past few months had not become a worrying decline.

This article shows how the world is observing China very carefully, and patiently. China is a country that interests and shocks people with their very fast growing and government controlled economy. When the world is facing a big recession, the attention rises even more, people curious of how China will react to challenges that a country can face during a world wide recession. All though this article have mention the decline was "not worrying", This is still something fascinating knowing the past economy rush of China. Something like this "little decline" can happen any time and it might not matter, but it is good to watch China and its unstoppable economy.

When Rare Earths Get Rarer

In the book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Tom Friedman, he encourages green technology, something that will free us from oil/gasoline dependency and for a better environment and future.

During the summer break, China’s commerce ministry cut export quotas for so-called rare earth elements by 72 percent for the second half of this year.
This has serious implications. Rare earth elements are playing a rapidly growing role in our drive toward a high-tech, low-carbon economy, in everything from batteries for hybrid and plug-in cars to catalysts in energy-efficient light bulbs.
The rare-earth element terbium, for example, can cut the electricity demand of lights by up to 80 percent, while fractions of dysprosium can significantly reduce the weight of magnets in electric motors. Rare earth elements also have found military applications.
China holds the largest reserves of rare earths and is responsible for over 95 percent of their current global production. Beijing is well aware of the importance of these strategic resources. In 1992, Deng Xiaoping noted that “the Middle East has its oil, China has rare earth.”

This is very interesting and exiting, knowing that China is a big, big manufacture in the world. If China succeeds at this green technology plan, because it is China, the the whole world can benefit greatly from it. This can expand our possibility of energy use and other researches of green technology. This is another stepping stone for low-carbon, high tech economy which the world desperately needs.