Mar 15, 2012

Syria? yes Syria


The situation in Syria is critical since one year ago.
But during the last week Al Asad forces have started a slaughter in regions like Homs and Idlib.


Those attacks are against the called ‘rebels’ (maybe as Libia ones).
Battle tanks and heavy artillery is used actually to kill lot of people (including ladies and children).
Day-by-day newspapers and TV take  images of dead people and buildings completely destructed.
But Syria is alone in the world?
UN named a former general secretary to talk with Al Asad in Damascus and look for a solution but during the last days nothing happened.


Security Council Meets on Situation in Libya
Pic: http://bit.ly/wEX9TO United Nations/Mark Garten

Security Council of UN talked many times about Syria, but two countries dont want to act (Not refferring military).

Latin american presidents (very-very far of Syria) support the President that only says the dead people is because of terrorists.

International Community will be the whitness of  more than 8.000 people killed in Syria? countries around the world will forgot that Syria crisis is in a high point?

Mar 6, 2012

'Super tuesday'

By A.J. ND citizen.
I consider myself to be a republican voter.  Where I live in North Dakota, USA, we are agricultural and oil minded people.  These are the two industries that make up most of our communities.  There isn't a real republican canidate that stands heads and shoulders above the rest.  I think it will be between Romney and Santorum, with Romney eventually winning the republican bid.  Historically republicans in office help the industries fore mentioned.  I do not believe we have a potential republican canidate strong enough or popular enough, to "knock" the democratic leader / president Obama out of office.  We are lucky that our political party retains majority in the house of representatives.

Feb 17, 2012

Falkland or Malvinas Islands?

During the last weeks Argentina restarted a controversy around the islands located near this country in the south Atlantic Ocean.

Fernadez's government decide to take some decisions around agreement reached 30 years ago when the american country became in war with United Kingdom.

Taking into account Argentina’s decision, prime Cameron gov. decide send a destroyer. Later Prince William travelled to the islands in a mission.

Cristina Fernández decided to go to the United Nations to report british reaction.

Then, its true that this year is the 30th aniversary of Falkland/Malvinas war. But what is the intention of both governments? Repeat the secenes that already happened?

Both countries are in different continents and their army forces are really different, also their allies. So, someone will react? Someone is waiting for the reaction of the other country?

Falklands, Malvinas, two languages, two (very, very, very) different points of view.

Feb 3, 2012

Experience flying on the world's largest passenger aircraft.

By: Brandon Lee Jun Yao, student.

I vividly remember it being in December 2009 that I first sat the A380 on a Singapore Airlines flight. It had been over two years since the first commercial flight on that airplane (Singapore to Syndey, October 2007), but the plane was spick and span. As I boarded the plane and was greeted by the world-famous cabin crew, I thought about how the national carrier of such a small country like Singapore got to where it was. Also, I felt extremely lucky that I had the opportunity to see the world, and in the process, having a safe and pleasant ride on an engineering marvel.

As I got to my seat, in economy class, things pretty much looked the same. As a gadget lover, I was pleased to see a USB port next to the inflight entertainment screen in front of me. This allowed me to use my then iPhone 3GS (in airplane mode, of course) without the fear of landing in London with a flat battery. In this connected world, more thoughtful features like these will be necessary in order to stay competitive. Indeed, some airlines around the world already offer in-flight WiFi, with many others planning to do so.

I wish I could give a more in-depth review, which I believe is possible given the opportunity to fly First or Business Class, which have private cabins, and other luxurious features. What I can say though, is that facilities and features are only part of the picture, and a memorable service experience on the flight may be even more important. Singapore Airlines, in my case, definitely lived up to their reputation and delivered a well-coordinated performance on the long flight to London. In this tight economy, maybe airlines should pay more attention to their "economy" class, even though the lion's share of revenue actually comes from business and first class.

Jan 21, 2012

Obama, looking for his presidential reelection

Barack Obama was elected in 2008 as the 44th US president.
He was elected looking for big challenges in his country after George W. Bush time. Two wars (Afghanistan and Irak) and the most important thing: a big recession that put in bankruptcy many important and historic companies.

Photo of Barack Obama
The White House web page.

Obama arrived to the White House after he did a good job as US Senator.
During the last 3 yeras he did good things and in other things he tried but he couldnt obtain the purposed goals. What about Guantanamo, what about some reforms?
Now is time to ask if he is the better candidate of Democratic Party to run for President next november?
Republicans are deciding nowdays who will be their candidate.
Obama can do a good job if he is elected in november.
9 months is a good time to see if this is true or not?
Check out his web page.

.....................................................................
Obama's Narrative.
(Taken from: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/11/obama%E2%80%99s-narrative/)

Mixing historical perspective, personal reminiscence, and psychological analysis, Harvard Law School Professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr. kicked off a three-part lecture series titled “Understanding Obama” Tuesday at the Barker Center and sponsored by the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research.

“Barack Obama is a brilliant man — a really brilliant man — and sometimes that gets in the way of politics,” said Ogletree, the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law and director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice.
In Tuesday’s talk, “From Barry to Barack,” Ogletree focused on Obama’s childhood, schooling, and early career, tracing the role race and religion played in forming his character.
Ogletree covered what has become common knowledge about Obama’s upbringing, infusing the facts with fresh insight. The future president was born in Hawaii to a white American mother and a Kenyan father. “In each stage of his life, trying to understand race has become increasingly difficult,” Ogletree said.
Obama’s sense of racial identity came largely from his mother. “She was instrumental in telling him who he was,” Ogletree said. She told her son about his father’s struggles to improve his life; she brought home books on the civil rights movement. His father, whom Barack met only once, gave him his name, but called himself  “Barry,” as did young Obama until high school age. Ogletree showed a slide of the poignant inscription “King Obama,” drawn decades ago in a schoolyard’s wet cement by a youngster grappling with an absent father.
Ogletree described how Barry, now Barack, searched for a religious community in Chicago and found a connection in the church of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. There he was brought to tears by a sermon on “The Audacity to Hope.” Obama changed the phrase for his book, “The Audacity of Hope.”
Ogletree, who knew both Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, when they studied at Harvard, emphasized that Barack was an excellent student but had to be “pushed and pulled” to run for president of the Harvard Law Review.
“He was not always highly regarded by people when he was president,” Ogletree said.  “He believed then as I think he believes now that he can bring everybody together. And is that a benefit or is that a challenge in some respects? He allowed people of every political perspective to be editors on the law review and write what they wanted to write about. And some of the most conservative people respected him because he was smart and he had the judgment to say that what they wrote would be accepted because it was well-written even if he disagreed with it. He was deeply committed to bringing folks together.”
Ogletree played a video of a 1990 rally for Harvard Law Professor Derrick Bell, who announced he was taking an unpaid leave of absence to push the Law School for more diversity. The image was blurry and jumpy, but the voice of the young man who introduced Bell was unmistakably that of the future president. “Of course, we hid this during the 2008 campaign; I don’t care if they find it now,” Ogletree said.
A more significant development came after Obama graduated Harvard in 1991. He could have been a clerk for the Supreme Court; he could have easily gone to a big law firm with a big salary. He and Ogletree even talked about the options, and Obama said he wanted to go back to Chicago to be a community organizer.
“I thought about it and I said, ‘Barack, yes, you can,’ ” Ogletree said amid huge laughter. He added, to an even bigger laugh, “Barack has never given me credit at all.”
So Obama went back to Chicago, and eventually won a Senate seat. In 2004 in Boston, he gave a career-defining speech at the Democratic Convention, again sounding the theme of bringing people together. “It really was to be a defining speech about who was Barack Obama,” Ogletree said.
Audience members, however, questioned the effectiveness of the president’s efforts to unite people, and Ogletree acknowledged: “When you think about the stimulus package, health care, the jobs bill, there is something remarkable about watching other presidents do what they thought was right, even against congressional reaction, to put it in their face to get something done.”
He predicted, however, that the Supreme Court will uphold most of Obama’s health care plan and that the term “Obamacare” will become a positive not a pejorative description.
Asked, “What keeps him together? What is his core?” — or as Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, interjected, “What makes the brother tick?”— Ogletree cited Obama’s efforts every night in the White House to eat dinner with his family and to read about 20 of the thousands of letters he receives. “He is still really learning how to be a great president,” Ogletree said.



Jan 15, 2012

Raid Dakar, more than a Rally

2012 - Argentina/Chile - Personal
Dakar Official logo. http://www.dakar.com
Since 2009 the Dakar was transferred from Europe and Africa to South America. The landscapes changed (not radically) but Sahara dessert is kind of diferent of  different of Atacama dessert and Andes Mountains.


Raid Dakar was born in 1979, 33 years ago. Cars (Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Hummer, MINI, BMW, Renault, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Peugeot, Citroên, Toyota), motorcycles (KTM, Yamaha, BMW, Jincheng, Cagiva, Aprilia, Honda), trucks (Iveco, Kamaz, MAN, Tatra, Hino, DAF, Merecdez Benz) and quads (Yamaha) compete around 15 days each begin of the year across 8000 kilometers.

Dakar is a Off road endurance race and most of the vehicles are modified. During the history of the race there are lots of incidents and some drivers died. Its important to remark that the organization prepare a good test each year taking into account the geography.

This is the most difficult car race in the whole world. Only professional drivers can do the most important goal: arrive to the end.

http://www.dakar.com