That’s right, there’s now an organisation called Business for Diplomatic Action whose goal it is to “see the day when America is once again admired as a global leader and respected as a courier of progress and prosperity for all people” – admittedly a big goal considering that much of the world’s poverty and chaos only exists becuase of failed self-centered America-centric foreign policies by the US government.
Amongst the focuses of the organisation are attempts to dispel the stereotypical view of foreigners that Americans are (and I quote) : “arrogant, loud and unwilling to listen, and a threat to their national cultures”.
I believe that’s a bit harsh : not all Americans are loud and obnoxious, although you will find a fair share of them backpacking around Europe and Australia… and you probably don’t have to look hard. Just a few quick tips from me: we’re not blind nor deaf nor thick – you don’t have to glow, shout, or be blunt. We may speak with funny accents but heck so do you, so get over it. And finally, yes, some people have two taps – now for crying out loud it’s not the end of the world. Things may be done differently abroad and that doesn’t make you superior.
If you can handle that then you’re doing good. Now just remember to bring wads of cash, and spend it on our economies.
Now here’s a novel concept: the guys at Rebar fed a meter for two hours in downtown San Francisco and rented a parking space where they setup a temporary park. Expensive as it was for a bit of grass, they managed to add 24,000 square-foor-minutes of public space and contributed a significant amount of greenery to what is normally a rather grey part of town.
They even give details on how to setup your own PARK(ing) … check out their website for more!
Those who missed George Galloway’s statement to the US Senate about allegations he received money from Saddam through the oil-for-food programme can view the full hearing video, streamed by the BBC. Or read the full transcript.
I wouldn’t vote for him, and I didn’t join his party. But nonetheless, his oratory skills have shown once again and made a complete fool of the US senate – more specifically, senator Norm Coleman. Whilst i’m in no position to side with either party, it is clear that Coleman should have better prepared his allegations and found more substantiated evidence. As it stands, Coleman looks nothing short of amateur in his proceedings and only shows that some US politicians would still stand by US pride and patriotism over rational well grounded decision making.
Update:
I don’t aim to form a personal opinion of Galloway nor start a debate here – but Harry does print a copy of the statement released by the Charity Commission regarding Galloway’s statement on his excellent blog. Much of his posts in the surrounding week also contain interesting comments against Galloway.
The Socialist Worker on the other hand has an interesting article on how they forged the case against Galloway.
