Barack Obama’s Historic Nomination Speech (US Democrats)

‘
Denver (Colorado) – August 28, 2008

Excerpt - We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work … Full text at TPM.com
_

Multicultural Blogs - update

‘
transatlantic daily NEWS "International Stuff" [Introduction]

NATO–US–EU–Russia ▪ Saakashvili’s Background ▪ Punishment ▪ Embarrassment

Caucasian States & Provinces ▪ Socratic Juristic Debate ▪ Ethics

Caucasus Conflict Debate ▪ Ukrainian Issue ▪ Disenchantment ▪ Humanism (gbs)

Caucasus Region ▪ Russian Politics ▪ Independence Ambitions ▪ Community

Press Club on Caucasus Conflict ▪ Mikheil Saakashvili ▪ Gwen & Dolls

Press Club (~Abkhazia) ▪ Olympics ▪ Joe Biden ▪ Dominion Day ▪ Grain Usage

EU & Russian-Georgian Conflict ▪ The Obamas ▪ Olympics Fashion
_

NATO - USA – Russia \ Eastern and Western European Interests

'
Condoleezza Rice stated on August 18: NATO must “deny Russian strategic objectives, which are clearly to undermine Georgia's democracy, to use its military capability to damage and in some cases destroy Georgian infrastructure and to try and weaken the Georgian state.”

Eastern European countries have largely followed America’s line, fearing that a resurgent Russia is once again a direct threat to their interests.

In contrast a group of west European countries, notably France, Germany and Italy, is anxious to avoid greater confrontation with Russia. Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, strongly criticised Russia’s actions this weekend, even as she stood beside Mr Medvedev in Sochi, a Russian coastal resort near to Georgia. She said that Russia’s response to Georgia’s (ill-considered) attack on South Ossetia was both “disproportionate” and “unreasonable.” But German dependence on energy from the east - roughly half of the 80 billion cubic metres of gas consumed in Germany each year are now piped from Russia - encourages others, such as her foreign minister and the former chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, to seek a more emollient line. Mr Schröder told Der Spiegel this week that Europe should “maintain a strong relationship with Russia”, adding that “there is not a single critical problem in world politics or the global economy that could be solved without Russia.” … Economist.com
_

Multicultural Blogs - update

‘
transatlantic daily NEWS "International Stuff" [Introduction]

Russian-Georgian War ▪ Beijing Olympics ▪ Evolution Theory (vs. ID)

Russian-Georgian Conflict ▪ Paul McCartney’s Kiev Concert ▪ Kruszelnicka

Caucasus War ▪ Tbilisi Museum ▪ Hayes ▪ Rockefeller ▪ Fuel Economy

Russian-Georgian EU Peace Plan ▪ Management Message: Power of Belief
_

Georgia agreed to modified Russian Peace Plan

'
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili said today they had agreed to a modified version of a peace plan with Russia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a halt to military operations in Georgia on August 12 in support of the plan proposed by Sarkozy, who flew to Georgia after meeting Medvedev in Moscow.

"It is a political document. It is an agreement of principles ... and I think we have full coincidence of principles," Saakashvili told a joint news conference with the French president.

Sarkozy said the text would be presented to a meeting of European Union foreign ministers today so they could throw their weight behind it. It would then provide the basis for a U.N. Security Council resolution. … Reuters
_

Multicultural Blogs - update

‘
transatlantic daily NEWS "International Stuff" [Introduction]

Tupelo Bauhaus ▪ Jaleo ▪ Gaulois ▪ Colombia Fashion Shows (Medellin)

Prof. Durwen & Ureda ▪ Fashion Metropolis ▪ Ukraine’s Viktor Yushchenko

Henry VIII (Tudors) & Law ▪ Pre-Olympics ▪ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Hubris ▪ Russian Novel ▪ Tea Party ▪ Presidential Campaign ▪ Pakistan

Tokio Hotel Nomination (MTV) ▪ Gas Saving ▪ Jib Jab ▪ Smearing Obama Fans

China (Bush & Sarkozy) ▪ Musharraf (Pakistan) ▪ Ukrainian Crimea Rave

Olympic Opening Ceremony ▪ Ossetian War ▪ Gulag ▪ Great Adventures
_

Beijing (CNN) - Emotion kicks off China's Olympics

'
Fireworks, athletes and pageantry on a scale never before seen in the Olympics opened the Summer Games in Beijing on

08.08.08

[∞∞∞]

as the Asian nation kicked off the biggest and most scrutinized Games in history.

Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the the Olympics officially open, retired Chinese gymnastics champion Li Ning was carried through the air to light the Olympic cauldron and pyrotechnics exploded throughout Beijing as the crowd of 91,000 at National Stadium cheered wildly.

It was a stunning display from the nation of 1.3 billion people. Some media observers believe the Opening Ceremony may be the single most watched television event in history... More at cnn.com
_