September 2008 Archives

Perfil newspaper - 27th September

Last week we attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Argentinian delegation was there too. The schedule of the president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in the Big Apple was full of meetings and events.

During our week in Los Angeles we visited the Seismological Laboratory. We talked about how they are trying to get ready for a big earthquake in Southern California, among other topics.

Perfil newspaper - 28th September

Leobardo Estrada is an expert on ethnic and racial demographic trends. Currently he is a member of Barack Obama´s transition team. In this article professor Estrada analyzes the importance of the Latino population in the elections.

Lehman Brothers was among the five biggest American investment banks, but it could not survive the ongoing credit crisis. What led to the demise of a 150 years old institution? How did the workers bear the fall of Lehman Brothers? The WPI fellows visited the bank in New York and talked to it's chief US economist. Andras a filed a story on this visit to his news organisation.

Yoko Ono was the first.

I saw her at a function at the United Nations five years ago.

From that moment, the UN to me became a place where you took it for granted to see the world-famous figures filing past.

This year, my collection started with Sergey Lavrov, the outspoken Russian foreign minister, rushing up the 46th street. He spent more than twenty years at the Soviet, then Russian mission at the UN and must know New York so well that the current permanent representative, Vitaly Churkin, could barely keep up behind him (no wonder he was eventually not chosen to replace Lavrov last year).

A moment later, a Norwegian TV reporter was bringing her country's prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, to a live interview at the press island on the First Avenue. He had to squeeze through between the two sections of the police fence but did not seem to mind.

Once he finished and left, a bigger group of people breezed through the concrete barricades. Kevin Rudd, the relatively new prime minister of Australia, almost touched me as I was fiddling with my notebook atop the concrete block.

Then there was Miguel Angel Moratinos, the Spanish foreign minister, and Lamberto Dini, a veteran Italian politician.

And I could have been forgiven had I not noticed Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft. Only people turning their heads alerted me towards this understated billionaire philantropist.

Others could probably be forgiven if they were thinking nothing about a lone man standing patiently outside the main entrance while a lone journalist was anxiously trying to revive the microphones on his video camera that for the first - and last - time stopped working, precisely at the worst possible moment. The man was Valdas Adamkus, the Lithuanian president, and the unfortunate journalist was me.

The next day, the first was Lech Kaczynski, the Polish president, materializing almost out of nowhere in from of me as I was entering the building through the media entrance. Largely pushed to the sidelines even in his domain of the foreign policy by an assertive prime minister, he was rushing to the riverside spot where Polish journalists had already set up their cameras.

A day later, it was Boris Tadic, the president of Serbia, who I nearly bumped into on that same 46th street. He had been announcing the UN debate on the independence of Kosovo to the Serbian television journalists just moments earlier.

Then Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, suddenly appeared from the UN cafeteria. Do the world leaders also find that the food there is rather good and inexpensive?

Stories like this are plentiful from anyone who finds oneself in the crowd of thousands of people converging on this yearly talking shop.

An Asian minister falling asleep in an important meeting, a South American president pointedly ignoring journalists' questions, someone nearly stumbling over a president from the Middle East who would soon show thumbs-down to the US president's speech, someone else missing that shot of herself with a prime minister from a European power rushing past.

Too many leaders are gathered in one place for everyone of them to stay in the same cocoon of exclusiveness that surrounds them back home.

Except, maybe, for some African dictators who enjoyed the largest security detail, plushest hotels, noisiest motorcades and teams of yes-men, and seemed never to land from their high orbits onto the soil of ever-rushing, cosmopolitan and ignorant New York.

You face "rafters" trying to reach Florida's coast. We in Spain face "pateras" braving the Strait of Gibraltar's strong currents to reach Andalusian land (where the policy is sending them back home even if they get dry feet). We have a wall of shame too, raised at the border between Ceuta and Melilla and Morocco. So, despite being so different US and Spain deal with the phenomena of immigration in quite a similar way: by putting up a determined fight against it.

 

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Immigration has been intensified through raids and deportations, especially in North Carolina and Iowa. According to a 2007 Urban Institute report, the number of undocumented immigrants arrested in workplaces increased more than seven-fold from 500 to 3.600 between 2002 and 2006. In Spain, deportations are very common since the very beginning of illegal immigration in the 1990s. Like US and other European countries, we even have specific prisons for holding undocumented immigrants for days before deporting them.

 

But Spain has a shorter experience than US in dealing with such a high rates of immigration. We still have to pass through some stages that you have already left behind. Associate professor of Urban Planning at UCLA School of Public Affairs, Leo Estrada, pointed out one difference: "Here (in US) the spirit of tolerance is very high and what happens in Europe is that the spirit of tolerance is very low. It is a matter of time."

 

Even though he did acknowledge some "tensions" between different groups in US, he was sure that its longer history of accommodating these differences make things easier here, especially in California. I am not pretty sure whether this co-existence is so good in all the states, but what is true is that in Spain we do have some problems that we need to fix.

 

Ignorance and some kind of fear of losing their national and cultural identity bring people in my country to do such ugly things as protesting against building of a mosque in their neighborhood. And giving immigrants the worst jobs and the lowest positions in our society.

 

And I think this is one thing that US does better: giving them a chance. As Estrada told us, undocumented immigrants are able to set up and run small businesses here or even get some good jobs. Therefore, from the very beginning they really have a chance to get better living conditions than in their countries, which many undocumented immigrants in my country can't say. And which is, actually, the only thing that they are looking for. The only reason for them to jump into a raft, into a "patera", or over a wall.

Once it was the defining issue of the presidential campaign, but the failing economy took its place. Still, the war in Iraq is going to be one of the major tasks of the next president. Andras filed a report to his news organisation on the warplans of the candidates. 

History is a strange thing.

It has allegedly ended in certain parts of the Western world, but not in others.

It still accounts for some of the deepest cleavages among nations and peoples -- democratic nations, that is, which are said to have never been at war with each other.

The Holocaust Memorial Museum is situated close to the historical monuments that are always full of people in the capital of the nation that constantly refers itself back to its history -- however short and shallow it might seem from across the ocean.

People do cry in those dark and menacing halls.

But the powerful exhibition also refers to another part of the Western civilization where history has not ended.

Central Europe, though now part of the common values-based communities such as the European Union and NATO, is the place where historical wounds have not healed yet, and scores with the past have not yet been settled.

This is what sets it apart from the rest of Europe.

Central European leaders still bring up historical injustices as arguments in international negotiations (a taboo for Western European counterparts). Candidates win elections using what observers say are Luftwaffe eagle-like logos and Nazi torch-like lit rallies. The appeasement by most of the Western Europe when a major power invades its neighbor seems all too familiar here to not bring back memories of the haunted past.

The tragedy of the Holocaust also seems much more fresh here rather than in the Western Europe which is in the process of relegating it to the realm of painful history and moving on to the "ever closer union".

This is partly because the Central European countries are constantly criticized for failing to account to their past, and partly because Holocaust was only one of the great calamities that befell this part of Europe. Guilt felt elsewhere in Europe is often overshadowed here by the victimization of the past.

In a sense, while Western Europe moves to the post-modernism of the twenty-first century, not only America still professes the realpolitik of the centuries past, but also the Central Europe is not ready -- justifiably or not -- to move to the end of history.

The fact that the latter two now have to confront another power that seems stuck in the nineteenth century will probably make ties even stronger -- however much the goal of bringing Central Europe to the fold of post-modern politics of the Western Europe and building Europe "whole, free and at peace" seems desirable.

The alliance between the two therefore is probably much more than a political calculation of the day, and this is why, to the annoyance of the Western European leaders, countries from the US-described "new Europe" intentionally waste opportunities "to keep their mouth shut" about their ties to America.

The "new Europe" is, in fact, old, as is America. The "old Europe" is new.

He is a fourty-something African-American lawyer who started his career as a community organizer in the Midwest and went on to win the Democratic party nomination after bruising primaries.

And he won the elections.

Oh, and he is a Muslim.

Keith Ellison talks confidently and enthusiastically about policy proposals during his first term in Congress ("I feel like I've been effective"), his opposition to the war in Iraq and foreign trips he was invited to by the administration - not least because he is the first Muslim in the US House of Representatives.

But the talk constantly drifts to the subject of who he is, rather than what he does.

"It took me a month to understand what's the big deal" about being Muslim, he says about his primary campaign that eventually resulted in a victory in a district where Muslims make up only three per cent of the voters. The race energized thousands of new voters and Jewish organizations endorsed him rather than a Jewish competitor.

Ellison, who converted to Islam when he was 18, claims that voters are more interested in policy proposals of the candidates rather than their religion.

But the legislator who took the oath on a Koran skirts the issue of whether a Muslim can be elected president in the foreseeable future, and is vague about what advice he could offer Barack Obama to dispel the internet claims he is a Muslim. He also admits fears among conservatives that he opened Congress doors to more Muslims.

Religion still seems to be an elephant in the room.

But in the small office of Ellison, it is easy to spot a bigger elephant.

While there are few visible sign of his religion, numerous pictures of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks tell you what might be really important. "America got race wrong from the very beginning," says Ellison.

The first African-American member of Congress from Minnesota claims he does not dream of homogeneity, and implies that it is neither possible nor desirable: "We don't seek to create a color-blind society".

This is a brave admission that the real tolerance - of the kind where people no longer notice race (or religion for that matter) rather than claim that they tolerate 'the others' - is a long way off.

It is also a brave admission from someone who was elected in an overwhelmingly white district, likes to talk about policies instead of his exclusiveness, but still decorates his office with the civil rights iconography, that race is a political issue.

Thus, in the end, Keith Ellison might have some advice to Barack Obama.

Explosive development of information and communication technologies during the last decade is changing newspapers and affecting their profitability. But it is not going to kill them just like development of television failed to kill radio, says a majority of dozens of distinguished American journalists and academics that World Press Institute (WPI) fellows have talked to during the first half of their program in 2008.

 

But the crisis of journalism in US threatens to seriously hurt not only newspapers but all the media, including the new ones. There are two major symptoms of this crisis experts say.

 

First is the decrease of depth in reporting stories and covering events. Choosing the subject of interest to the media has become influenced much more by pure economical criteria (in order to bring fast profits to the new corporate owners of media) than by the public interest. This results with more and more media in US becoming the yellow- tabloid like.  

 

The second symptom is political polarization of the media. Some of the experts say that it was always possible to see the color of the political party through the reports of American media. But the majority agree that it is becoming more and more obvious which media are left and which are right oriented.

 

Pulitzer awarded journalist and former WPI executive director John Ullmann reminded WPI fellows of the very essence of being a journalist. "It is not the editor, it is not the publisher- IT IS THE PEOPLE WE ARE WRITTING FOR!!!" hollered Ullmann while lecturing about the ethics of journalism in his distinguished and engaging style.  

 

Just like the newspapers- quality, in-depth and objective journalism will not die despite the hard times as long as there is one reporter who doesn't forget who he/she is really writing for.

 

WHO DO YOU WRITE FOR?!!!- Ullmann- or some others like him- will keep asking the students and young journalists. FOR THE PEOPLE!!!! They will howl back in the Marine Corps style.

AND YOU SHOULD NEVER FORGET IT!!!       

Two years back from now, when I was applying for this program, the U.S. capital market was on its fast track of flourishing with financial innovations competing to make their debut, seducing global funds into buying the U.S. financial products and  providing profuse liquidity for this market, as a result the DJI (DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX) was pushed higher and higher. By then I was wondering how, the American financial market could win that magic power, and what experience China could learn from it. 

Now that I am on the American soil, all the financial news I hear every day is about the subprime mortgage crisis, the government's taking over of the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and the avalanche of the Lehman Brothers' and Merrill Lynch's shares. The U.S. market, as well as the global economy, was stricken by a series of bad news, just like the hurricanes that trod on the America one after another. 

Arthur J. Rolnick, Senior Vice President and Director of Research Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis said, the phenomena that are taking place in the world's biggest economy is nothing but normal economic cycle, so people don't have to make all the fuss. In the long run the American economy will keep its head up on a beautiful upward curve. As in his opinion, the economy will pick itself up as soon as early next year, well back to its booming gear. 

However, this curve of history makes no sense at all to people - unemployment, investment loss, and resale of their houses are the very reality that does make sense to them. 

Therefore, when I was listening to those fantastic future pictures described by the two US presidential candidates, I was more interested of where does all the cash needed to realize the dreams, and what are the concrete measures to spur the economic growth. It's just not as simple as dealing with a 17-year-old pregnant daughter. 

Henry Paulson said in a July remark that there were limited tools we could use in resolving the problems in the American financial market. Sounds familiar? It's the same comment our Chinese central bank officials often make. 

Next week, we will meet with the IMF officials in Washington. I do want to know whether or not they are facing the same situation that trapped many countries in the global financial crisis a decade ago. And a week after that, we will visit the headquarters of the Lehman Brothers - hope it's still there on the Wall Street, safe and sound.  

But the question I would pose now, when I'm finally here, has been totally changed from what experience, to what lessons, can China learn from the America.

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee fired up her party, and gave a momentum to John McCain's campaign. But will it be enough for winning the election or Palin's staunch conservativism will divide the electorate and therefore help the Democrats? More details in the report Andras filed to his news organisation.

WPI Fellows were invited to talk and exchange ideas in an open forum hosted by Geoffrey Cowan, University Professor and director of the Center on Communication Leadership on September 11. Sarah Palin, media coverage of the elections and american journalism have been some of the topics of the discussion.

It was love at first sight. I was taken by his blue eyes and that impish smile. And wonder of wonders, he took the seat in front of me in the much-delayed flight from Minneapolis to Los Angeles.

As I gave him furtive looks, he played along. After an hour of hide-and-seek, he peered through the space between the seats and asked: "Wanna see something cool?" And as I smiled, he said: "I have a Garfield comic." Wow, my favourite character, but what a time to forget the dog's name. "That's Oddie," he said helpfully. Oh yes of course. He looked at my magazine and asked: "What you got there... Show." I reluctantly parted with my copy of Time showing John McCain and his pearly whites. Thankfully, he thought it was cool.

I asked: "You know him?" Of course, "John McCain," declared Drew Jason. Impressive. Very impressive. At least for a five-year-old. "He is running for the President. My daddy will vote for him," he said embarrassing his father by openly giving away his voting preference. He didn't stop at that. As he showed his transporters and drew rainbows for me, he revealed a peculiar family situation. He said his Mom was voting for Barack Obama - something his mother confirmed instantly. "No, not McCain for me," she admitted.

A white woman declaring that though her husband would vote Republican, she would not mind going for a Liberal. In the same family. So much for the doomsdayers and Bradley effect proponents. Maybe... just maybe... America will surprise itself on November 4.

 

In the last Sunday edition of Diario Perfil you can read two of my stories: A GOP Convention chronicle and an interview with Jason Poblete, who is a Latin America Advisor to McCain Campaign.

 

The show has ended but Americans could still hear noises echoing through the Xcel Energy Centre. Security, taxes, war and change were only some of the most mentioned words during the 39th Republican Convention held in St Paul, Minnesota last week. Nothing will be the same after the four days of speeches and evening parties.

Inside the centre, not matter how spontaneous the speeches seemed, a teleprompter was there to show that there was no improvisation. Moreover, journalists were sent remarks from the speakers speeches ahead of delivery.

Outside, was a complete different story - "Bush, McCain is the same, the only difference is the name", chanted people during a rally on the first day of the Convention. Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce in the United States says, "Senator John McCain has always had a honesty policy with the people. Their positions are very clear and there are times when people disagree with their own party".

Spoilsport. Despite Gustav threatening to stop the show, on day two the convention picked up pace. By Thursday, the final day of the convention, only a few delegates visited the Hurricane Center and their main purpose was to take advantage of the free notebooks. However, the Health Care Centre was much more successful. Scout Thielen, one of the doctors said they had a lot of work. "This is like a small city and we have all the same troubles - stress, fainting or hydration," he said. During the four days they handed out more than 300 band aids to help some Republican women who had problems with their new or high heel shoes.

First Person. Alan Duff, a business man and one of the 44 Colorado delegates was delighted with the political meeting. It was his first time at a party national convention. He was also lucky:   his seat was close to the podium. This because, he told, the organizers arranged for delegates from swing States like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Colorado to sit closer to the stage. But delegates from democratic States were not given good seats. "Look, over there, close to the door, you can see the delegates from Illinois", Duff added with a big smile.

Last weekend the American newsmedia took a break from the presidential campaign after intensive coverage of the major parties' conventions. Not that they had no stories to pursue on Barack Obama or John McCain. The reason was that they bumped into a new one that involves so much money that is practically impossible to imagine: trillions of dollars.

The story that filled the frontpages of Monday's papers was the announcement on Sunday by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that the U.S. government is taking over the two mortgage companies, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. These two firms own or guarantee 5.4 trillion dollars in mortgages, which covers about 84 percent of all new home loans in the United States. The takeover would potentially cost hundreds of billions for the American taxpayers, but the government argues that the whole financial system would have collapsed without this step.

The financial world was watching this announcement very closely and perhaps nervously, but it was also defining the WPI's fellows first working day in L.A. On Monday we went to the office of Bill Dallas, who was the chairman of First Franklin, a lender company that was involved in the mortgage business. In his energetic, dynamic presentation he provided us with an insider's point of view on the reasons that led to the current crisis.

The so-called credit crunch is a very complicated problem, but the bottom line is pretty simple to understand. Dazzled by the rising houseprices, the players in the mortgage market have given loans to people who had no stable financial background, and when the prices started to decrease, the bubble burst.

Probably the most astonishing element of the whole crisis is that it happened with the assistance of the major banks; financial institutions who have the brightest and the best paid economists and analysts of the world. Bill Dallas gave a very simple explanation for this. "Why did this whole market blow up?" - he asked, and then immediately answered his own question: "because of greed".

Now the American taxpayers are going to pay the price of this greed. The government is going to introduce new regulations to prevent another crisis like this, but no one should take such a promise for granted. As Bill Dallas argued, the business is driven by cycles, and this crisis is just a product of them. So if this cycle ends, it will just bring the beginning of a new one.

During the Republican National Convention I wrote several stories, about 15, but I have only uploaded three of them on this blog. Most of the stories were reports of the main speeches, but here you can read the GOP's previous story, that I wrote on August 31st, which explains that McCain will have to distinguish himself from George W. Bush during the convention but without rejecting completely the most conservative heritage of his party. As you will see, it is mainly based on a presentation by the University of Minnesota´s Lawrence Jacobs. 

The second sample is a story about the real beginning of the GOP, after Gustav, on Tuesday (September 2nd), and it explains that after having cancelled all the speeches the day before, the convention finally started amidst in the controversy about the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's daughter. It contains some quotes from republican delegates at the convention. In general, they say that it is a personal issue and give their opinion about Palin.

The last story uploaded is about McCain's speech. The headline says that McCain vows to change the United States if he becomes president with quotes from his acceptance speech. 

On the last week, I wrote several stories about Republican National Convention for Zero Hora, which you can see below (they are in portuguese). I also did some stories for Gaúcha, the major radio station in my city. Those stories you can listen on my blog, which is called Por Dentro dos EUA - in English, Inside the U.S. - also in Portuguese.
For me, covering the RNC was a hard work but also a huge personally and professionally experience. This was a chance in a lifetime and I think I enjoyed as much as I could.

1st - 9/1/08
Hurricane puts clouds on McCain's party
Republican National Convention opens this morning with the shade of hurricane Gustav
Click here to see the full story

2nd - 9/2/08
Convention of the Republican Party begins in silence
The arrival of Hurricane Gustav in New Orleans forced the Republicans to rewrite the script of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul (Minnesota)
Click here to see the full story

3rd - 9/3-08
Gustav lives, Bush arrives
The American president, George W. Bush, spoke to the audience via satellite. He was the star of the second day in the Republican National Convention, after the passage of hurricane
Click here to see the full story

4th - 9/4/08
VP has her night
Last evening, the star of the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul was the candidate for VP on John McCain's ticket, Sarah Palin. The governor of Alaska made her speech on the Republican National Convention and captured the attention
Click here to see the full story

5th - 9/5/08
Economy, the biggest challenge for McCain
During his speech of acceptance of the nomination for the presidency, on the end of the Republican convention in St. Paul, Senator, former prisoner of war, emphasized his love for the country
Click here to see the full story

The Pioneer, September 5, 2008

Tracing the bumpy road to John McCain's final anointment as the Republican Party's nominee for the President of United States of America -- the highest constitutional post in the country. The Republicans are now using his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam to the hilt, especially so after his very public amnesia about the number of houses he owns.

 

http://epaper.dailypioneer.com/THEPIONEER/PIONEER/2008/09/05/ArticleHtmls/05_09_2008_010_001.shtml?Mode=0

The Pioneer, September 5, 2008

 

How she came out of nowhere and became the cynosure of all Republican eyes. Meet Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, mother of five and John McCain's running mate.

 

http://epaper.dailypioneer.com/THEPIONEER/PIONEER/2008/09/05/ArticleHtmls/05_09_2008_001_013.shtml?Mode=0

It was the same bus route on the University Ave this afternoon, and I had a gentle pat on my shoulder. "Are you a local," a girl who sat behind me asked and, learning that I was from Europe, went on with what sounded like a tinge of disbelief: "and you simply got on this bus?"

I am not sure she was referring to the fact that we were the only white people on the bus but it instantly made me recall a couple of articles about race that I had read this morning.

"'We just disagree' that race will be a factor in the election", Obama campaign spokesman Nick Shapiro is quoted by the USA Today.

Numbers published by the New York Times might account for this confidence: among Democratic delegates at the Denver convention, 23 per cent were black, almost double the national share of the black population. They were surely cheering the first African-American candidate on a major party ticket, but is this sentiment shared by those "bitter" white working-class Democratic voters?

Thus for all this professed confidence from the Obama campaign, race in this election still is what Donald Rumsfeld would call an "unknown unknown," along with some "known unknowns" such as Hillary Clinton supporters' vote and, to somewhat lesser extent, conservative vote.

That is why the Democrats might not be totally sincere about the race issue even if their candidate does everything to skirt it. They must know that while the country might have moved forward, ignoring race would be at their peril. But they might also feel somewhat helpless to foster enough "change" before November 4.

And that is why election surprises might be in store.

She was hardly known a few days ago, and now the whole republican America is in love with her. John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin has given a very energetic, dynamic speech on the third day of the Republican National Convention. She set the tone for a tough campaign. More details in the report Andras sent to his news organization.

The Pioneer, September 4, 2008

The Republicans got down to business with political speeches and offensive attacks on the "inexperienced" Barack Obama

http://epaper.dailypioneer.com/THEPIONEER/PIONEER/2008/09/04/ArticleHtmls/04_09_2008_010_002.shtml?Mode=0

The Pioneer, September 4, 2008

It is party time at the Republican National Convention. Though it is arguably a smaller affair compared to the Denver show of Democrats, RNC has a popular corner hidden on the lower level of Roy Wilkins stadium. There is free food and booze.

A sad reminder of the big bad world is a donation box for victims of Hurricane Gustav kept in the middle of the place. 

More than 38 million men, women and children are living in poverty in United States of America (USA) - one of the richest countries in the World. The percentage of children growing up in poverty is increasing from 15.6% in 2000 up to 17.1 % in 2005. (www.census.gov has the latest analyzed data for 2005 with some projections for 2008.)

 

Growing up in poverty means less chance for the child to graduate from high school and more of a chance to become a number in USA crime statistics, according to Arthur J. Rolnick, Senior Vice President and Director of Research in Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

                           

But the fact that millions of Americans are poor doesn't seem to be a big deal to the majority of American voters, since that issue is not in the focus of the presidential campaigns of either the Democrats or Republicans. Will a middle class American be forced to replace his 6-liter engine SUV for a car that does not consume as much gas? That seems to be a more important subject than the existence and future of Americans in need.  

 

The cost of gas is much more present in media coverage of the campaign than the quality of public education and poverty issue together. In a country where people still pay less than a half the price for the gallon of gas than, for example, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). One gallon of diesel in BiH costs approximately $ 8 and the average monthly wage in 2008 is $ 576.

 

Stories about Barak Obama's half-brother or about the sexual life of Sarah Palin's daughter are all over the news during the elections, as if there are no bigger and more important issues for American citizens. How about the quality of public education?

 

Issues affecting the middle class are instead the main topics of the elections. The middle class is the majority of votes for the candidates. But according to economic expert Rolnick, the middle class is doing just fine. Despite the recession, the middle class is not stagnating. And occasional recessions are normal in every healthy economy, Rolnick said.

 

A lot of Americans may argue about this and disagree. But focusing on the form rather than on the essence seems to be a common characteristic of media and politics in the US. This is also true in BiH, despite huge historical, cultural and economical differences between these two countries.  

The Pioneer, September 2, 2008

Hosting a political convention means big bucks for the city. India has nothing like it. The only event that comes closest to the enormity of a political convention is the Indian wedding -- just the kind you see in Bollywood masala movies.

http://epaper.dailypioneer.com/THEPIONEER/PIONEER/2008/09/02/ArticleHtmls/02_09_2008_001_012.shtml?Mode=0

September 3, 2008

 

I am neither black nor white. I am somewhere in between. What the Americans might call "coloured" and back in my country India "sunburnt". Please don't go by my profile photograph: Its thankfully very airbrushed.

 

And why am I telling you this? Well, it seems that it does matter in United States of America. A nuclear superpower, one of the fastest and ever-booming economy which will elect its 44^th President in November seems to be struggling with a fundamental issue: the colour of skin. God Bless America!

 

It seems strange that a country which has always taken pride in being a "role model" for the world is struggling with race. When one watches the Barack Obama vs John McCain slugfest from a distance, it seems a regular tough fight with issues like economy, inflation, unemployment, war on Iraq, climate change and nuclear proliferation.

 

At least it seemed so from India. It did not look like a fight between a Black and a White man. Social scientists and political observers see the same trend. Lawrence R Jacobs, Director, Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at University of Minnesota, says there are scientific studies which show that Democrat candidates have not done well with white men. They still have to gauge whether Obama does worse than any other white Democrat candidate. As you see there is no precedent so far of a Black man running for the highest constitutional office. Jacobs doesn't mince any words: "Race is a big factor."

 

It sure is. Why else would a motley group of WPI fellows - all different shapes, sizes, colour and nationalities - enter a bus on University Avenue and face rude comments from African-American passengers like "Please don't stand close to me, I might pick your pocket." Or "I have never seen so many white people together. They must have run away from Mexico."

 

OUCH. Correction: I am sunburnt. Not white. And quite comfortable in my skin.

 

How the Twin Cities are getting ready to the Republican Convention?

Perfil Newspaper / August 31st

The Excel Stadium is going to be surrounded by official and unofficial protesters. St. Paul Police is taking note on the incidents in Denver. Aproximately 45,000 delegates, volunteers and journalist are going to enjoy Minneapolis and St. Paul, a prominent area that is the home to 19 Fortune 500 Companies. The republicans are focused on catching the media attention, but they will have to battle with hurricane Gustav. 
 

 

The focus of the Republican Convention in St Paul had to change quickly on Monday as hurricane Gustav struck the Gulf coast. All anyone could think of and talk about in the United States and across the world is Gustav.

When news of Gustav first broke, the Republican strategy gurus worked fast to change the programme so as not to seem insensitive towards the devastation that was sure to come. And on presumptive presidential candidate John McCain's orders, the festivities were toned down as it was 'inappropriate to celebrate while the natural disaster hit Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. 

But then Gustav was not the only sidetrack of the convention. The Grand Old Party (GOP) has another challenge - as if John McCain's choice of running mate - 44-year-old Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska - wasn't enough to get the tongues wagging. Palin's 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. This came to light after rumours surfaced that Palin's four-year-old baby who has down-syndrome was actually her daughter's child and that the governor faked the pregnancy. Palin's values and her parenting skills have now come under scrutiny.

Another scandal rocking the Palin's is that she has hired a lawyer as Alaska investigates the firing of her public safety commissioner. She hired a lawyer three weeks ago to act on her behalf as state legislators investigate whether she abused her power in firing the state public safety commissioner for refusing to fire her ex-brother-in-law, who's a state trooper.

So, instead of the Republicans having one big party in St Paul and them getting maximum media mileage like the Democrats did in Denver, they're rocked by these storms (hurricane Gustav and Palin's family issues). The question now is, will the Republicans weather their storm?

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