The United States is the most admired country globally thanks largely to the star power of President Barack Obama and his administration, according to a new poll.
It climbed from seventh place last year, ahead of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan which completed the top five nations in the Nation Brand Index (NBI).
"What's really remarkable is that in all my years studying national reputation, I have never seen any country experience such a dramatic change in its standing as we see for the United States for 2009," said Simon Anholt, the founder of NBI, which measured the global image of 50 countries each year.
He believes that during the previous administration of George W. Bush the United States suffered in the world ranking with its unpopular foreign policies but since Obama was elected, and despite the recent economic turmoil, the country's status has risen globally.
"There is no other explanation," Anholt said in an interview, referring to the impact of Obama.
The global survey, conducted by GFK Roper Public Affairs & Media, involved 20,000 people in 20 rich and developing countries around the globe. They were asked to rate 50 nations in categories such as culture, governance, people, exports, tourism, landscape and education.
Canada took the biggest hit in the latest survey, falling to seventh from fourth place, while China climbed several spots to 22nd, which Anholt believes in due in part to the successful staging of the Olympics.
What follows is simply my oppinion:
I don't know about you, but one of the reasons people voted for Obama was to change how America was viewed in the world and something that has been much derided as apologism on the right has actually been a success in shaping Americas image as not only a positive force in the world but one that is now admired again rather than resented. There can be no doubt that the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Global Financial Meltdown, Torture, and Freedom Fries hurt our global image. There can also be no doubt that Obama has succeeded in improving how other nations view America for the positive.
I think that this is an important acknowledgement this week, when people in our own nation are so up in arms over our leader being awarded a global honor and accusations he has done nothing to earn it.
Since taking office global approval of America rose faster than the approval of any other country in this studies history. France, Russia, and China came to the table in real negotiations with Iran which opened itself up to weapons inspectors and shared uranium enrichment, real progress away from a nuclear armed Iran. Russia came back to the table for renewal of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and further nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The G20 under Obama gave one trillion dollars for economic aid to the IMF as well as allowing the IMF to create and sell bonds for the first time to offer economic development to the third world to help weather this recession and aid in the fight against global warming there.
Ask yourself what the right did in that time? Ask yourself why a nobel peace prize for our president is an insult? Why is it bad that Americas image abroad hasn't just returned to what it was before Bush but has actually improved by leaps and bounds? Why is it that when America was a symbol of hope under Kennedy or even Reagan it was camelot and a shining city on a hill but under Obama it's socialist? Ask yourself simply why?From Reuters:
The United States is the most admired country globally thanks... more
The president is Reagan, and the date is November 14, 1988. Reagan talks about how wrong things were before he came into office, and how well he was doing as president. He promoted his theory of tax cuts, wanting a balanced budget amendment, line item veto, and promoting gun purchases by “responsible citizens.” And then Reagan applauds himself for supporting “Negro colleges and universities.” And no word that this was vetted ahead of time to give parents an opportunity to opt out.The president is Reagan, and the date is November 14, 1988. Reagan talks about how... more
Corn ethanol? Just how much do they owe the corn industry and Monsanto? Do they realize there is a food crisis going on? And yet, they support MORE corn ethanol that has already been proven to contribute to climate change? And they are still supporting "clean coal!" There is no such thing as "clean coal." This proves they are totally out of touch with the true urgency of cutting Co2 emissions. To say they will have carbon sequestration up and running by 2016 is misleading. We spew 70 plus million tons of global warming pollution into the atmosphere EVERY DAY. Do they even comprehend what that will amount to by 2016? So what good are their "green jobs" making solar panels if people will still be able to get dirty coal energy cheaper? Where is the aggressive stance on movng us to cleaner energy? All I see are the same markers being paid to campaign contributors over caring about the environmental and health effects of burning fossil fuels and also in clearing land to grow corn for fuel instead of food!,0,6179879.story
Corn ethanol? Just how much do they owe the corn industry and... more
(I'll preface this post by explaining that it does come from a media advocacy organization therefore I won't be reposting the editorial elements of this article in its summary however I'll be providing my own based on the facts of the data on news coverage which speak for themselves.)
This week has brought to us what sadly may prove the worst humanitarian crises of a generation. Struggling U.N. aid workers have discussed that as bad as the southeast asian tsunami was this is proving frustrating in new ways as there are no longer any functioning beurocracies with more than ten government ministries either damaged or destroyed and the U.N mission itself severely damaged and personnel displaced. The Haitian government has said that they fear as many as 100,000 are dead and that the total may be much worse.
In the face of this crises, the leading conservative media outlet in America has chosen to devote only seven minutes to Haiti over its top rates shows compared to its rivals including MSNBC which were shown to have devoted more than two hours. Fox's headline detailing the presidential response read, "President Obama Reacts to Haiti Earthquake Faster than Christmas Bomber." Upon the announcement that the Obama administration had accepted Haiti's request to give Haitians in America temporary protected status, an immigration policy designed to respond to natural disasters or war the headline read "Obama Moves to Grant Amnesty to Haitian Illegal Aliens." On the same topic a fox news guest and sitting congressman suggested that all Haitians in America should be immediately deported and forced to become relief workers.
Rush Limbaugh first stated that Obama was responding quickly to appeal to his black light and dark skinned constituency. Then, in response to a caller said that "Americans already give to Haiti, its called the federal income tax." When a caller brought up what his mother was doing to help limbaugh replied, We've been helping them for thirty years and its all come to nothing. In 1994 Limbaugh had this to say about Haiti. "We are there because the congressional black caucus want's it. Our only interest in Haiti is that they make baseball bats." Previously this year Limbaugh criticized Obama for ordering the killing and capture of somali pirates stating a white president killing an African child would be treated differently.
Glen Beck mirrored the Fox Headlines by complaining, that he believed that the presidents reacted quickly to intentionally divide Americans. While Pat Robertson of the 700 Club Said that Haitians were cursed because their slave revolt was a deal with the devil to rid them of the French and they had suffered misfortune throughout history as a result.
Fox did respond to the criticisms of its coverage, with two minutes devoted to it on their editorial program Red Eye. Thats a third of the time they had previously spent covering the disaster on their editorial programs. Calling the group responsible for the study disturbed, and then playing a supposed animated reenactment of the organization talking about the study which ended with one of the two characters representing the media advocacy organization soliciting the other for gay sex.
I'll judge Fox and the rest of the conservative media through their own rubric: "We Report You Decide." Please let me know what decision you reach on this fair and balanced news coverage of more than 100,000 killed, three million made homeless and the two million children among the affected. If you believe I am fabricating these reactions I will post each individually for your edification.http://mediamatters.org/blog/201001150038
(I'll preface this post by... more
They came to celebrate the life of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole.
Prince Kuhio established the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, which has evolved into Hawaiian Homelands.
Guarding over the lands of Hawaii is something Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa continues to do to this day.
"That these so called ceded lands have never been ceded, and the other so-called government lands were the Hawaiian Government lands, not the United States government lands,” said Princess Abigail Kawananakoa.
It's an ongoing fight.
A little more than a month ago lawyers for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs argued against the state in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as to the fate of ceded lands.
“She is correct when she says that the ceded lands, a large part of those lands were crown lands. So the idea that they were ceded doesn't sit well with her, for good reason,” said Sen. Clayton Hee.
Should the state be allowed to sell such lands?
The debate brought hundreds to the state capitol last month in support of Native Hawaiian rights.
And while it is the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is challenging the state, Kawananakoa didn't mince words when it comes to OHA.
“This government controlled organization with no transparency, restrictions accountable to anyone is a disgrace, and should be investigated and restructured,” said Princess Kawananakoa.They came to celebrate the life of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole.
Prince Kuhio... more
What do the above all have in common? You got it! Diarrhea of the Mouth! Over the top does not begin to describe this one!What do the above all have in common? You got it! Diarrhea of the Mouth! Over the top... more
Congress has approved $8 billion for high-speed-rail lines that, according to advocates, will make traveling by train faster than driving. But for high-speed trains to live up to their potential, planners also have to consider how long it takes to get to your destination after you get off the train.
That's the kind of story mass transit advocates hate to hear — and it provides a cautionary tale as cities and states vie for federal money to build higher-speed-train lines. In North Carolina, leaders hope to upgrade existing tracks to allow trains to go more than 30 percent faster. But Pat Simmons, the head of the state rail division, knows it will take more for travelers to choose the train instead of their cars.Congress has approved $8 billion for high-speed-rail lines that, according to... more
The Madam Senator needs a muzzle. Open Mouth Insert Foot anyone. Who let the dogs out again? I think the Brigadier General worked hard for his position too! We pay the Senator's salary and health care program. She works for us. Did she forget that? Apologize to the General and quit bashing our generals! Enough Already -The Madam Senator needs a muzzle. Open Mouth Insert Foot anyone. Who let the dogs out... more
Asian-Americans more liberal than other racial/ethnic groups
by Jeffrey M. Jones
PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup Daily tracking data reveal that Asian-Americans tend to be more Democratic and much less conservative than the general population in their political views.
These findings are based on aggregated data from Gallup's 2009 Daily tracking survey, including interviews with more than 4,000 Asian-Americans. For the purpose of analysis, respondents are categorized as Asian-Americans if they self-identify their race as Asian.
"Asian-Americans tend to be less religious than those in other racial or ethnic groups."
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Asians made up 4.5% of the U.S. population in 2008, and so, Asians rank as the fourth-largest racial or ethnic group behind whites, Hispanics, and blacks. Still, the number of Asian respondents in a typical public-opinion-poll sample is generally too small for analysis. However, the larger samples from aggregated Gallup Daily tracking provide an opportunity to examine the political dynamics of the Asian-American population.
Overall, 41% of Asians identify politically as Democrats, 41% as independents, and 16% as Republicans. As a result, Asians are above the national average in terms of the percentage of political independents (37% nationwide) and Democrats (34%), and below average in terms of the percentage of Republicans (27%).
One can compare the political leanings of Asians with those of the other major racial and ethnic groups by looking at the percentage of each group that identifies as Democrats or leans Democratic (after initially identifying as independents) versus the percentage that identifies or leans Republican. On this basis, Asians are not as Democratic as blacks, somewhat more Democratic than Hispanics, and much more Democratic than whites.
Read the total article, see all the graphs, etc., by clicking on this link:
Tea Parties were an expression of our freedom of speech. They were to let our leaders know that there has been too much too fast too furious. Too many bills like the 1100 page pill passed without being read. 60,000 plus pages of the tax code. Confusion. Compromising our national security. Generally, too many out-of-control things happening at once. We do not have a disease called Mutated Disaffection toward our nation. Most of us love our country, and pay taxes, and want to do what is right. We are not radicals, racists, etc. While there are probably some extremists on both sides of the fence, the majority of us are average citizens.Tea Parties were an expression of our freedom of speech. They were to let our leaders... more
Editor’s note: On Friday, NPR reported that the deadly swine flu “combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before,” thus leading us to suspect it was cooked up in a lab.
Swine flu panic is spreading in Mexico and soldiers are patrolling the streets after it was confirmed that human to human transmission is occurring and that the virus is a brand new strain which is seemingly affecting young, healthy people the worst. Questions about the source of the outbreak are also being asked after a public health official said that the virus was “cultured in a laboratory”.
“This strain of swine influenza that’s been cultured in a laboratoryis something that’s not been seen anywhere actually in the United States and the world, so this is actually a new strain of influenza that’s been identified,” said Dr. John Carlo, Dallas Co. Medical Director (video clip here).
Was this a slip-up or an admission that this new super-strain of swine influenza was deliberately cultured in a laboratory and released?
Alarming reports are now filtering in about people catching the illness who have had no contact with pigs whatsoever. These include a man and his daughter in San Diego County, a 41-year-old woman in Imperial County and two teenagers in San Antonio, Texas. In fact, in all U.S. cases, the victims had no contact with any pigs.
Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County’s public health officer, told KPBS “We have had person-to-person spread with the father and the daughter,” says Wooten, “And also with the two teenagers in Texas, they were in the same school. So that also indicates person-to-person transfer.”
“Dr. Wooten says it’s unclear how people were exposed to swine flu. She says none of the patients have had any contact with pigs,” according to the report.
Although the situation in the U.S. looks under control, panic is spreading in Mexico, where 800 cases of pneumonia in the capital alone are suspected to be related to the swine flu and the virus has hit young and healthy people, which is very rare with an flu outbreak. Despite the danger of a pandemic, the U.S. border with Mexico remains open.Editor’s note: On Friday, NPR reported that the deadly swine flu “combines... more
~y2010m1d23-Is-Haiti-is-just-one-of-the-many-poor-countries-that-the-US-uses-for-their-own-gain-and-interests~y2010m1d23-Is-Haiti-is-just-one-of-the-many-poor-countries-that-the-US-uses-for-their-... more
WE'RE OUT OF THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE, but here comes the back half of the storm. A lot of people think that we've seen the worst of the housing crisis. They're talking about green shoots and glimmers of hope, when they should be back in the storm shelter, preparing for a flood of inventory that will overwhelm the markets and produce another round of falling prices
For the past few months there has been a semi-moratorium on foreclosures. Most institutions with delinquent mortgages didn't foreclose. The signs that blanket many neighborhoods have been posted by a fraction of the lenders. Now the rest of the banks are rushing to get their properties on the market.
As a Florida real-estate broker who works with bank asset managers to dispose of foreclosed properties, I get a good view of this market. From December 2008 through mid-March 2009, the number of asset managers calling to discuss REO (real estate owned) properties on their client banks' books dropped by more than 80% from the level at which it previously had been running. In the past two months, however, asset managers have been busy, with most interested in how many properties we could handle at once.
Law firms for banks are once again lining up to file foreclosures and to process evictions. The asset managers we work with have warned us to expect a flood of properties, beginning in early June. This will hit as the number of potential buyers continues to dwindle. Builders, traditional sellers and investors who entered too early are already loaded with REO properties.
ALL OF THE OBAMA administration's attempts to revive, resuscitate and shock the housing markets into recovery have failed. Potential buyers can't purchase homes when they are losing their jobs, regardless of how attractive the credits and mortgages are. The price of homes will continue to fall until the properties are affordable for potential buyers.WE'RE OUT OF THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE, but here comes the back half of the storm.... more
Randy of Houston Texas brings his 1934 Ford Coupe to Southwest Rod and Custom for Pete to finish it out RIGHT! After visiting with Randy, Pete finds out that he has lost a son in the Iraq war to a Suicide Bomber, and decides to do Randy a big favor. Pete decides to build a Dedication Hot Rod in Memory of 1st Lieutenant Jeremy Ray. Watch the upcoming videos. This car is going to be one mean machine.. Support Gold Star Families....Check out SWRNC on "YOUTUBE" To get the WHOLE STORY!Randy of Houston Texas brings his 1934 Ford Coupe to Southwest Rod and Custom for Pete... more
The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the CIA, the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and three other government agencies on Tuesday for allegedly refusing to release information about how they are using social networks in surveillance and investigations.
The nonprofit Internet rights watchdog group formally asked more than a dozen agencies or departments in early October to provide records about federal guidelines on the use of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr for investigative or data gathering purposes, according to the lawsuit.The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the CIA, the U.S. Department of Defense,... more
You have 4 Days left to call your representative!
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8 Republicans who voted for Cap and Trade
The following republicans voted FOR the largest tax bill ever passed by a session of Congress.
Any good work they have done has been for naught. Unless they change their votes by the deadline, Wed, July 2nd, they will for ever be a member of the Cap and Tr8tors.
HR 2454 RECORDED VOTE 26-Jun-2009 7:17 PM
BILL TITLE: American Clean Energy and Security Act
Contact their local office as they are not in DC and home on vacation.
Mary Bono Mack R (CA)
Mike Castle R (DW)
Mark Steven Eirk R (IL)
Leonard Lance R (NJ)
Frank LoBiondo R (NJ)
John McHugh R (NY)
Dave Reichert R (WA)
Chris Smith R (NJ)You have 4 Days left to call your representative!
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8 Republicans who voted... more
Can you imagine an America without a strong middle class? If you can, would it still be America as we know it?
Today, one in five Americans is unemployed, underemployed or just plain out of work. One in nine families can't make the minimum payment on their credit cards. One in eight mortgages is in default or foreclosure. One in eight Americans is on food stamps. More than 120,000 families are filing for bankruptcy every month. The economic crisis has wiped more than $5 trillion from pensions and savings, has left family balance sheets upside down, and threatens to put ten million homeowners out on the street.
Families have survived the ups and downs of economic booms and busts for a long time, but the fall-behind during the busts has gotten worse while the surge-ahead during the booms has stalled out. In the boom of the 1960s, for example, median family income jumped by 33% (adjusted for inflation). But the boom of the 2000s resulted in an almost-imperceptible 1.6% increase for the typical family. While Wall Street executives and others who owned lots of stock celebrated how good the recovery was for them, middle class families were left empty-handed.
The crisis facing the middle class started more than a generation ago. Even as productivity rose, the wages of the average fully-employed male have been flat since the 1970s.
The United Nations is proceeding, with President Obama’s acquiescence, to implement a global plan to create a new international socialist order financed by global taxes on the American people
The Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development that begins today will consider adoption of a document calling for “new voluntary and innovative sources of financing initiatives to provide additional stable sources of development finance...” This is U.N.-speak for global taxes. They are anything but “voluntary” for the people forced to pay them.
The most “popular” proposals, which could generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue for global purposes, involve taxes on greenhouse gas emissions and financial transactions such as stock trades.
The document was agreed to at an informal meeting of expert “facilitators” and was made available on June 22 at 3 p.m. It is doubtful that any changes will be made to it.
The conference was postponed from June 1-3 to June 24-26 at the U.N. in New York. While the “outcome document” has been watered down somewhat from the previous version, it still reaffirms attainment of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals, which would require the payment of $845 billion from U.S. taxpayers. A commitment to the MDGs was a stated objective of the Global Poverty Act, which Barack Obama had introduced as a U.S. senator. It requires the U.S. to devote 0.7 percent of Gross National Income to foreign aidThe United Nations is proceeding, with President Obama’s acquiescence, to... more
First it was cattle. Then it was pets. Then Mexicans. Now the tribal areas of Pakistan where the CIA is equipping Pakistani tribesmen with secret transmitters to call in airstrikes targeting al-Qaida and Taliban militants. A drone, guided by the signal from the chip, destroys the building with a salvo of missiles scattering body parts everywhere. Will Americans and the rest of the "free world" be next? Long perceived as a crazy conspiracy theory, radio-frequency identification chips (RFID) have surreptitiously penetrated every aspect of society and may soon literally get under our skin for full-spectrum control. Back to Orwell ... "The future is now" as Burghardt admonishes!
What Pentagon theorists describe as a “Revolution in Military Affairs” (RMA) leverages information technology to facilitate (so they allege) command decision-making processes and mission effectiveness, i.e. the waging of aggressive wars of conquest.
It is assumed that U.S. technological preeminence, referred to euphemistically by Airforce Magazine as “compressing the kill chain,” will assure American military hegemony well into the 21st century. Indeed a 2001 study, [1], brought together analysts from a host of Pentagon agencies as well as defense contractors Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton and the MITRE Corporation and consultants from ThoughtLink, Toffler Associates and the RAND Corporation who proposed to do justFirst it was cattle. Then it was pets. Then Mexicans. Now the tribal areas of Pakistan... more
April 26 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. economy will continue to contract “for some time to come,” said Lawrence Summers, director of the White House National Economic Council.
“I expect the economy will continue to decline,” with “sharp declines in employment for quite some time this year,” Summers said today on “Fox News Sunday.”
The International Monetary Fund, which held meetings last week in Washington, cut its forecast for each of the Group of Seven economies for this year and next. The IMF, established in 1944 to aid countries in financial crisis, said the U.S. economy would shrink 2.8 percent this year and have no growth in 2010, with unemployment rising to 10.1 percent.
Summers said the economy will pick up as manufacturers rebuild depleted inventories and consumers replace aging cars. “These imbalances can’t continue forever,” he said. “When they are repaired they will be a source of impetus for the economy.”
Texas Instruments Inc., the second-biggest U.S. chipmaker, said April 20 that customers have begun to increase orders after reducing inventories.
Summers said the Obama administration is “on a path toward containment and toward building a path toward expansion,” he said, adding that “even sharp plans take time” to work, perhaps six months or more.April 26 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. economy will continue to contract “for some... more
