Today’s Talk

February 27th, 2007 by CD

I heard on CNN yesterday that Bush is secretly asking the Pentagon to draw up war plans against Iran.  Well, I guess it’s not so secrete anymore.  I will have to see if I can find the transcripts to post it on this site.  But in anycase, Today’s Talk will feature an article that the Associate Press did on Hans Blix. 

In the article Hans Blix blasted the U.S. lack of diplomacy towards Iran and compared the U.S. to its old days of colonialism.   Blix criticized the demands by the U.S., that first Iran must suspend enrichment and then there will be talks where ”they will explain what the Iranians will be given.”  Hans Blix further went on to say that ”This is in a way like telling a child, first you will behave and thereafter you will be given your rewards…. ‘And this, I think, is humiliating. The Iranians have resisted all the time saying, no, we are willing to talk, we are willing to talk about the suspension of enrichment, but we are not for suspension before the talks.”

And let’s make it clear, Iran has never said its intent is to make nuclear weapons like N. Korea.

February 25th, 2007 by CD

The Times reported:

Some of America’s most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defence and intelligence sources.

There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,” a source with close ties to British intelligence said. “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.”

A British defence source confirmed that there were deep misgivings inside the Pentagon about a military strike. “All the generals are perfectly clear that they don’t have the military capacity to take Iran on in any meaningful fashion. Nobody wants to do it and it would be a matter of conscience for them.

We all know that even if the generals would say that the military doesn’t have the capacity to go against Iran, Bush would probably just fire them like he has done in the past.  In anyeven, this article was very interesting to read and I just thought I would bring it to your attention.  Your thoughts, comments?

February 22nd, 2007 by CD

It is very interesting to see why people who left their native land do not return.  In some cases it is because of the economy in other cases it is political reasons.  My roommate who is Chinese has no intention of going back to China.  I really should have interviewed him for this post but prehaps another time.  In any case, Today’s Talk will feature the topic of why Chinese who left their homeland do not go back. 

The Chinese society has changed a lot but for some the change is not enough.

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February 21st, 2007 by CD

I am going to continue to write and inform my readers of the problems we face in terms of global warming.  It is my belief that we won’t actually start to worry about global warming until Manhattan is under 100s of feet of water.  Of course, by then it will be too late. 

In any case, another very good documentary, The Denial Machine, is available for all to view.  It shows of course how Exxon has manipulated the public along with many other interesting facts.  Let’s be smart about this and remember how the Tobacco industry said “tobacco wasn’t harmful to your health…”  What was that all about?  It was all about money.  Today, it’s all about money still.

So with that, The Denial Machine documentary shows how fossil fuel corporations have kept the global warming debate alive long after most scientists believed that global warming was real and had potentially catastrophic consequences. It shows that companies such as Exxon Mobil are working with top public relations firms and using many of the same tactics and personnel as those employed by Phillip Morris and RJ Reynolds to dispute the cigarette-cancer link in the 1990s. Exxon Mobil sought out those willing to question the science behind climate change, providing funding for some of them, their organizations and their studies.

Watch The Denial Machine

February 19th, 2007 by CD

How much do you know about Iranian culture and their social settings?  Well, the BBC had another well put together program on the daily lives of the Iranian people.  This program aired on BBC a couple days ago in which Rageh Omaar embarks inside Tehran to see what problems and struggles ordinary people face.  This program will give you an inside look at culture within Iran as well as some of the political atmosphere between Iran and the U.S.

As the rhetoric continues between the U.S. and Iran, this should be a piece that is watch by all.  By understanding nations that are different from us, we can have a better respect for ideologies that is different from ours. 

The program is entitled “Inside Iran.” Run time 1hour 30mins

Rageh Omaar embarks on a unique journey inside what he describes as one of the most misunderstood countries in the world, looking at the country through the eyes of people rarely heard - ordinary Iranians.

It took a year of wrangling to get permission to film inside Iran but the result is an amazing portrayal of an energetic and vibrant country that is completely different to the usual images seen in the media. A country of contrasts

Rageh soon discovers that Tehran is a complex place and uncovers a city of extremes of wealth and poverty, where some people survive on less than a dollar a day and others shop till they drop in glitzy shopping malls.

Iran is a country that bans women from riding motorcycles but where 60 per cent of the student population is female. It is also a youthful place, with two thirds of Iran’s 70 million population under the age of 30. Local stories

Rageh meets with local people to hear their personal stories and feelings about the current state of affairs in Iran. There are stories of taxi drivers, wrestlers, business women, people working with drug addicts and the country’s leading pop star and his manager - the ‘Simon Cowell’ of Iran.

Rageh Inside Iran transcends images of angry demonstrations and burning flags to reveal a country that isn’t without its problems but which is also fascinating, dynamic and hospitable.

Watch Inside Iran

February 18th, 2007 by CD

The year of the pig has finally arrived.  The Chinese and Vietnamese (Tet) New Year are celebrating in grand style.  The year of the pig is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity. But this time it is a golden pig year, which happens once in six decades.  Vast numbers have been on the move to be with their family for celebrations.  Carnival dragons have been on parade and fireworks have been lighting up the night sky in Beijing and elsewhere.  So make sure you eat lots of dumplings and enjoy.  To all my friends around the world….Happy New Year Chuc mung nam moi!  

• The pig is the last of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac
• Pigs symbolise good luck, but also turbulenc
• 2007 is the year of the fire (golden) pig
• Babies born in Golden Pig years are believed to be particularly lucky

February 16th, 2007 by CD

A fascinating broadcast was shown on BBCTV a couple day ago on vulture funds.  Vulture funds - as defined by the International Monetary Fund and Gordon Brown amongst others - are companies which buy up the debt of poor nations cheaply when it is about to be written off and then sue for the full value of the debt plus interest - which might be ten times what they paid for it.   In many cases as seen in the broadcast, this simply put keeps the third world from improving their economy and social standings.  It won’t be surprising that many of these companies that buy up the debt are not only located in places like Washington, D.C. and New York but that they have ties to the U.S. government.

Download the 15min video here

February 14th, 2007 by CD

This is a follow up to my December 31st article on how the Bush administration has at every opportunity denied and scrabbled Iran’s attempt to seek diplomatic relations with the U.S. in addition to trying to find a way out of the conflicts with Israel.  As I said numerous times, the U.S. does not want to talk to Iran they want to attack it.  Well, I certainly encourage you to read the December 31st article then follow up with this one below. 

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