In the closed society of Iran, seen through the eyes of screened and heavily guarded media outlets it seems all is well yet the recent problems that have surfaced with the elections have renewed interest in the darker side of the Middle Eastern country that has scorned the West through the supposedly proclaimed winner President Ahmadinejad. Staunchly criticizing the West for meddling in the affairs of others, he has stood strong against any actions by the West against his country, that is in turmoil due to the dubious election results that again landed him in power. But he is seen as a lone pawn in a country that is ruled by strict religious leaders who impose the law through self-appointed people working to enforce laws at whatever cost. (more…)
Recent protests in Tibet, whose people have been fighting long for freedom from the Chinese who have ruled with an iron fist many have died as result of protests calling for freedom from the communist state. Now comes the Urumqi region, where majority of the population again strive to attain freedom from the government’s oppressive rule, deaths continue. Much like the few other authoritarian states that dot the world, the things that happen within their borders remain unknown to the rest of the world, in a land where not being Chinese assures a government spy or informant hot on your trail, watching your every move and reporting it to the secret police, sending you off at the slightest hint of actions not to their liking. (more…)
President Obama has won the election and is in control, or is he? Much speculation has been raised on his experience and actions during this early years of his presidency which would be a difficult time indeed. The Recession is taking its toll on the economy and not even the might of the Federal Bank may solve the problems being faced by the US economy. His team has their hands full in coming up with solutions to the ever growing problems they have to solve and they have do do it quickly for even the mightiest companies have been hit so hard they may not have enough time before they collapse as they go down on the domino effect as the sub-prime market collapse ripples globally.
In the rest of the world, governments are looking to the US for inspiration for they are the biggest economy on earth, what they do may give clues to what they can achieve and what may be too far fetched for their capabilities. Global banks collapse and multi-national firms file for bankruptcy, seems the economic troubles of this year are just beginning to take their toll as we ride through this recession. The world is facing even more pressure from global warming as economies try to enforce laws that will help make the earth last longer. But even with such pressing issues, the world seems to be trying its best, just hope it’s good enough to make it count.
画像転載元: s.wsj.net
金融危機はアートの世界にも深刻な影響を与えています。 売り上げは少しずつ減少し、価格の相場は下落し続けています。 明らかに、 好調な市場 は過去のものになりつつあります。以前までは、富裕層の間では絵画などの芸術作品を所有することが常識でした。サザビーやクリスティーズといった超一流オークションでさえ、美術品が売れ残ることが多くなっています。アメリカのサブプライム問題の影響が世界経済に広がりだして以来、多くの専門家がアート市場の苦境を予言していました。アート市場が金融危機の影響をまともに受けている原因としては、その主な顧客がヘッジファンドや個人資産家であることが挙げられます。 しかし、驚くべきことに、美術品の価格は高く保たれています。これは、ロシアや中東の顧客が今回の金融危機の影響をほとんど受けていないことが原因のようです。
It will be a fight indeed, the fight to fix the US’s struggling economy. President elect Obama has begun putting together his economic team who would form his cabinet and advisers as he prepares to take office January 20, 2009 in what would be hailed as the most expensive inaugural event ever dwarfing the budget of previous presidents. His team is working to boost the reach of the bailout proposal which is to be used by them to re-structure and fix the economy. Vice President Biden is also hard at work trying to lobby for the proposed additional money from the Federal government but they are in for a rough ride.
News of misspending of previous bailout funds are starting to surface and congress won’t make it easier this time for the new presidency. They are trying to get the money out of the banks and into the pockets of the ordinary American as fast as they could. Just hope it comes in time to make a difference for people are still losing jobs, homes and just about everything in what has been seen as the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression.
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The three Bali Bombers, one of them called, The Smiling Bomber eventually gained sympathy from the Muslim community and seemed to be regarded as Islamic martyrs due to the governments mishandling of the case. The convicted three had the chance to appear in several TV stations and urged the viewers to retaliate for their pending execution. The images of the convicts praying mainly fueled the sympathy of the masses. The three who were executed confessed to have planned and assisted in the Bali nightclub blasts on October 12, 2002. Others say that due to the government’s delays in the execution of the convicts, it raised expectations and kept militants in the spotlight. Although some critics believe that the sympathy for the three will fade in a short time.
Image Source: s.wsj.net
Money woes also hit the art market. Sales has been slowly grinding to a halt. Prices sagging. It has obviously ended the market’s boom. At that time, paintings and other art works are must have commodities for the rich. Even in Sotheby’s and Christie’s, many of the art works have gone unsold. Many observers foretold the art world’s crash ever since the subprime mortgage crisis in US began to affect economy around the world. Art market is directly with the crisis due to the fact that the art buyers were hedge fund and private equity millionares. But amazingly, prices stayed high mainly because partly, Russian and Middle Eastern buyers were virtually protected from the crisis.
In the past, stars like Barbra Streisand and Jane Fonda actively campaigned for their favored political parties. It’s nothing new, as celebrities often try to use their fame and their considerable clout with the public, to influence voters. But this year’s presidential campaign will probably go down in history as having the most celebrity participation of all time. Stars like Oprah, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson & Ben Affleck, to name a few, have all voiced their support for Democratic candidate Barack Obama. And now comes a music video by will.i.am, singer of The Black Eye Peas, “Yes We Can” and “We are the Ones” that are based on Obama’s speeches.
The songs, that were originally released in YouTube and Dipdive.com, feature cameos by several celebrities who support Barack Obama. “Yes We Can” even won an Emmy for Best New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment, and won a Webby Award for will.i.am as “Artist of the Year”. It is now being promoted as a viral video on Obama’s campaign website. You can check out more about the songs in Wikipedia.
Image source: ww.news.yahoo.com
People’s look upon for the Republican presidential nominee has worsen across-the-board since September, an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll showed Friday, with McCain losing ground in how favourably he’s seen and in a long list of personal merits voters seek in White House contenders.
Perceptions of Obama have enhanced or remained steady. Beyond views of the two rivals’ character traits, McCain faces another trouble — Obama is more trusted on the economy, the contest’s commanding issue, including a 15-percentage-point edge for better grasping how the raging financial crisis is upsetting people.
Obama’s image has been sturdy even as voters’ views of the overall campaign have tumbled downhill since September. The portion of people saying the contest excites them has sunk to 32 percent while those calling it frustrating have grown to 41 percent — and in both cases, six in 10 of those whose feelings have worsened are McCain backers.
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has elaborated on the government’s new position on the climate change issue which has gained world wide attention from media. Japan will host G-8 summer this year, which will seek a way to discuss climate change. The proposal is entitled “Cool Earth Promotion Program.” This is definitely worth listening to.