World News Desk – November 6, 2008, http://www.realtruth.org/news/081106-001…
INTERNATIONAL
World Reacts to Historic Presidential Win: Celebrations erupted across the world as American citizens elected Barack Obama to be the 44th president of th  United States.

U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) comes out to greet the crowd, along with his wife, Michelle, and children Malia, 10, and Sasha 7, at his Election Night Rally in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois, Nov. 4, 2008.
Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT

Newspaper headlines from Azerbaijan to Argentina speculated about what kind of changes a presidency under Mr. Obama would bring to the world, who has been viewed as a global denizen and force of international unification.

Chandra Bhan Prasad, a prominent Indian author: “This is America’s second revolution, and Obama’s victory will boost the esteem of the underprivileged social classes and ethnic groups the world over” (Washington Post).

Samir Saadi, a Saudi journalist: “Given Obama’s name, his background, the doubts about his religion, Americans still voted for him and this proved that America is a democracy,’ he said. ‘People here are starting to believe in the U.S. again’” (ibid.).

Viktor Yerofeyev, Russian novelist: “The choice of an African American president in the United States overturns the whole idea of the stiff and conservative America. This means that America did wake up. This means that America is again open for free and democratic values. America has once again become a good model to emulate. It has again become a great country” (ibid.).

Kenya, the nation from where Mr. Obama’s late father was born, even declared a national holiday to celebrate the U.S. senator’s victory to the “most powerful office on earth” (Daily Nation).

Many world leaders were equally optimistic.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: “Senator Obama’s message of hope is not just for America’s future, it is also a message of hope for the world as well” (Washington Post).

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen: “Barack Obama’s remarkable personal story—allied to his eloquence and his huge political talents—sends a powerful message of hope to America’s friends across the world” (ibid.).

Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission President: “I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal. For the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world” (Jerusalem Post).

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev: “Russian-U.S. relations are historically an important factor of stability in the world. They are of great and sometimes, of key importance for resolving many pressing international and regional problems…We are confident that it is necessary to step-by-step enhance cooperation between our countries on a wide range of issues on the world agenda, but also to really promote bilateral interaction in all areas” (Itar-Tass).

French President Nicolas Sarkozy: “By choosing you, the American people have chosen change, openness and optimism…At a time when all of us must face huge challenges together, your election raises great hope in France, in Europe and elsewhere in the world” (AFP).

Kenyan Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka: “It is exciting for Kenya not only because of continental attachment to President-elect because of his roots in Kenya but because Obama victory is a harbinger of good tidings especially for our tourism sector” (Daily Nation).

Chinese President Hu Jintao: “The Chinese government and I myself have always attached great importance to China-US relations. In the new historic era, I look forward to working together with you to continuously strengthen dialogue and exchanges between our two countries and enhance our mutual trust and cooperation on the basis of the three Sino-US Joint Communiques, with a view to taking our constructive and cooperative relationship to a new high and bringing greater benefits to people of our two countries and the rest of the world” (China Daily).

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: “The historical election of an Afro-descendant to rule the most powerful nation of the world is a symptom that the epoch change that has been gestated from the South of America could be knocking the doors of United States” (Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias).

BBC News also outlined the “Top 10 foreign challenges for Obama,” alluding that there could be “problems in new areas of al-Qaeda activity, especially Algeria and Somalia” when he takes office.

Although most government officials were excited about the historic win, several tried to be realistic.

The Jerusalem Post: “‘We are not the first priority,’ one senior diplomatic official said, reflecting the consensus thinking in the Foreign Ministry. According to this thinking, the new president will first need to tackle the economy, the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, the tension with Russia and a worsening situation for the U.S. in South America—the U.S.’s ‘own backyard’—before tackling the Middle East conflict.’”

Der Spiegel also featured a series of commentaries from various European leaders about what they want to see under the new president-elect.

Margot Wallström of Sweden, the vice-president of the European Commission: “The U.S. has been particularly successful in creating growth and jobs, and maintaining competitiveness through technological innovation rather than low labor costs. The EU on the other hand has brought forward an ambitious climate change package and works hard to promote social justice. As we have seen in Scandinavia—where the concept of the flexicurity seems to have been born—it is possible to combine economic growth with social justice…I believe the era of U.S. unilateralism is over, and that partnership with Europe has become a central plank of U.S. foreign policy.”

Democrats in the United States were equally elated about Mr. Obama’s win.

 Please note the timing - this is a post-US Presidential Election Event.

From  <apereira@ucla.edu>

An amazing “Dear All, Hope this finds you well.”

My friends, I have extraordinary and exciting news !

Thanks to my good friends in the USA and in Germany,
the State of Hesse, Germany, Ypsilanti Shadow Minister for Economy & Environment Dr. Hermann Scheer,
elected Member of the Bundestag (German Parlement) since 1980, is coming to

UCLA Los Angeles                           

Sunday Nov 16 2-4pm

for a presentation and discussion about sustainability and renewable energy
with faculty, students and public.

***

Dr. Scheer is responsible for initiating Germany’s change to a 20% renewable energy program
already in progress and 90% or so in a few more years to come. It’s extraordinary !

Dr. Scheer is a first class VIP, a world leader, who has won numerous prizes, including the “Right Livelihood Prize”, the alternate to the Nobel Peace Prize. His doctorate is from the Free University in Berlin.

A German film crew is coming with him to shoot the event which will be turned into a worldwide historical documentary.

This is a unique and extraordinary opportunity for UCLA, the community, the School of Engineering, and the Mechanical and Aerospace Dept. The IOE, The Institute for the Environment at UCLA already offered to help (Prof. Tom Smith and Tammy Allen), and reserve the La Kretz hall for sunday Nov 16 2-4pm (350 seats).

I’ll have a flyer and a press release in a day or two. I wanted you to be the first to know to be part of  this historical moment. More details to come soon.

I will try to get free parking for the event at UCLA.

Could you please help a little too, forward to all interested and help organize ?

Cheers and … eat local organic.

–
Tony Pereira, MSME, EIT
UCLA ME PhD Candidate
MCL Lab Manager
(310) 206-8157

Friday, Nov. 7, 2008

Japan asked to join new Arctic shipping regime.

By KEISUKE OKADA, Staff writer, The Japan Times online.
Japan should join hands with the United States and other Arctic states in ongoing multilateral efforts to create a new shipping regime in the Arctic Ocean, a U.S. official said Thursday in Tokyo.

International cooperation is vital to ensure that shipping in the Arctic is “safe, secure and reliable,” according to Mead Treadwell, chairman of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, an advisory body to the president and Congress.

As a result of receding sea ice, caused by global warming, the Arctic is expected to open up for global shipping in the future. This will present strategic options for Japan’s industry in light of shorter shipping routes from Japan to Europe via the Arctic Ocean, Treadwell said at a media conference in Tokyo.

The eight-nation Arctic Council, established in 1996 as a high-level intergovernmental forum to promote cooperation among Arctic states, is currently working on an Arctic marine shipping assessment, due to be completed in 2009, according to Treadwell.

Aware of the strategic importance, China and South Korea have already joined the Arctic Council as observers and Treadwell recommended that Japan do likewise.

Aside from its potential for shipping, the Arctic is surfacing as a new battleground for energy resources. In August 2007, Russia stunned the world by planting its national flag in a titanium capsule on the seabed beneath the North Pole, causing other Arctic states — the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway — to scramble for a share of a potential new oil bonanza.

Life near a city park can be as healthy as out in the country: Green space can cut health problems linked to poverty.

By Steve Connor, Science Editor, The Independent.
Friday, 7 November 2008

The links between serious illnesses and poverty are well established, but this is the first time scientists have systematically shown that the health gap between rich and poor can be halved with the help of green spaces.

Proof at last: living near parks and woodland boosts health, regardless of social class. Access to green spaces, whether they be rolling chalk downs or simple playing fields, has an independently beneficial impact on health and health-related behaviour which counteracts the effects of poverty and inner-city deprivation, the research by scientists found.

The links between serious illnesses and poverty are well established, but this is the first time scientists have systematically shown that the health gap between rich and poor can be halved with the help of green spaces.

When all deaths were analysed, the gulf in health between the rich and the poor in the greenest areas of Britain was roughly half of that observed in the least green parts of the country, according to the findings published in the medical journal The Lancet.

The difference between those living in the greenest and least green areas was largest when looking at deaths from circulatory diseases.

However, the scientists found that living near green space had little effect for death from lung cancer, which is only weakly linked with exercise; or for death by self-harming.

The authors of the study, Richard Mitchell, of Glasgow University, and Frank Popham, of the University of St Andrews, believe that the findings are strong enough for planning authorities to consider making green spaces available on grounds of health and wellbeing.

The two scientists assessed the entire population of England under the retirement age – a total of 41 million people – and obtained the cause of death for 366,348 people who died between 2001 and 2005 to analyse the links between fatal illnesses and access to green spaces.

“Populations that are exposed to the greenest environments have the lowest levels of health inequality related to income deprivation,” they said.

“Evidence suggests that contact with such environments has independent salutogenic effects, for example, green spaces independently promote physical activity.

“However, the effect of green space is not solely based on promotion or enhancement of physical activity. Several studies have shown that contact (either by presence or visual) with green spaces can by psychologically and physiologically restorative, reducing blood pressure and stress levels and possibly promoting faster healing in patients after surgical intervention.”

They conclude: “The implications of this study are clear: environments that promote good health might be crucial in the fight to reduce health inequalities.”

In an accompanying commentary article in The Lancet, Terry Hartig of the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Sweden’s Uppsala University, writes: “This study offers valuable evidence that green space does more than pretty up the neighbourhood; it appears to have real effects on health inequality, of a kind that politicians and health authorities should take seriously.”

Dr Mitchell, who is based at the university’s department of public health and health policy, said: “We would encourage the Government to consider carefully what their policy on green spaces is and to bear this research in mind when planning urban areas for the future.”

EU leaders to debate new model for world finance - 07.11.2008 - 09:15
—————————————————————————-
EU leaders are meeting in Brussels on Friday to have lunch, with an
overhaul of the international finance system the sole item on the menu.
France has tabled five key priorities that should be translated into
concrete proposals within 100 days from a G20 summit in mid-November, which
will see global economic players discuss the same topic.

 http://euobserver.com/9/27060/?rk=1
Obama and EU to reinvent global politics, pundit says - 06.11.2008 - 09:55
—————————————————————————-
The Obama Administration will play a big role in “reinventing” the
international system, especially on the financial side,  in strong
partnership with the EU, US foreign policy expert David J. Rothkopf said on
Wednesday.

 http://euobserver.com/9/27054/?rk=1
——————–

EU leaders to debate new model for world finance
RENATA GOLDIROVA

November 7, 2008, EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU leaders are meeting in Brussels on Friday (7 November) to have lunch, with an overhaul of the international finance system the sole item on the menu.

France - currently sitting at the EU’s helm - has tabled a three-page document consisting of five key priorities that “should be agreed no later than on 15 November,” when global economic players meet to discuss the same topic in Washington.

The French priorities seek regulation of all aspects of financial markets.  

The priority list, seen by EUobserver, suggests that no market segment, territory and financial institution, including hedge funds, should escape regulation or supervision.

It urges obligatory registration of the rating agencies; the convergence of accounting rules; and a review of the way in which the fair‑value rule in financial institutions is applied.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should also be given primary responsibility to recommend the necessary measures to restore confidence and stability as well as the necessary funds and the appropriate instruments to support countries in difficulty, Paris says.

The French EU presidency wants to see all five priorities translated into “concrete, operational proposals” within 100 days from a G20 summit in mid-November.

The summit, hosted by the US, will bring together the G7, the EU and 12 other major economies: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.

The three-page paper to be discussed by EU heads of state and governments is a shorter version of a document - labelled International Financial Architecture - that was discussed by EU finance ministers earlier this week (4 November).

At the time, French finance minister Christiane Lagarde said the French initiative enjoyed “massive support” among member states, except for a suggestion to “encourage an internationally co-ordinated response to the macroeconomic challenges to come.”

This point was objected to by countries such as Germany, one EU diplomat told EUobserver, as it could imply a possibility to shape economic policies above the national level.

According to another diplomat, some ministers expressed concerns about potential over-regulation, with Sweden reportedly objecting tight regulation of hedge funds. “We should not turn financial markets into steady waters,” the diplomat said.

———————-

Obama and EU to reinvent global politics, pundit says
VALENTINA POP, 06.11.2008, The EUobserver from Washington DC.

The Obama administration will play a big role in “reinventing” the international system, especially on the financial side, in strong partnership with the EU, US foreign policy expert David J. Rothkopf said on Wednesday.

A former trade offical in the Clinton administration and a consultant on foreign affairs and emerging markets, Mr Rothkopf was talking from Washington during a video-conference organized by the Brussels branch of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an international think-tank associated with the US State Department.

President Barack Obama is likely to visit Europe in the first months of his mandate.
“President Obama will play a bigger role in re-inventing the international system than any other president before in past decades,” Mr Rothkopf argued, with a number of organisations and treaties badly needing an “update” or to be replaced altogether – ranging from the stalled Doha round of trade talks known to the non-proliferation treaty, as well as outdated bodies such as the G7 or the International Monetary Fund that don’t include the emerging economies such as China.

US-EU relations will “clearly” improve, with a second trip to Europe probably taking place in the first months of his mandate, Mr Rothkopf said.

The tendency of the Democratic Party to be “more comfortable” with multi-lateralism and listening to its European partners will also contribute to improving relations, he said.

But there was also a “necessity” for this partnership to improve, Mr Rothkopf argued.

“We can’t do things alone, we need partnerships and burden sharing. I would expect a debate within NATO about a broader role and sense of burden sharing,” he said, mentioning Afghanistan as an example where European help is needed.

“Problems within Europe are going to have an impact on this as much as US obligations are, to the extent that the EU is divided on some of the big issues of the time and on the nature of the common foreign policy and common defence policy,” Mr Rothkopf added.

New global financial regulator and IMF reform

Mr Rothkopf emphasised the need for a global financial regulator – something the G20 meeting in Washington on 15 November is still unlikely to agree upon, with the outgoing Bush administration opposing this idea and the Obama team yet not in charge.

But G20 leaders would probably agree to meet again in the first months of 2009, when both the creation of such a body, as well as the reform of the IMF could take a more concrete shape.

He spoke of a “regulatory renaissance” and of of “fusion capitalism”, by which he means seeing European and Asian visions of capitalism and how markets are to be regulated take greater prominance on the international stage, and not just the so-called Washington Consensus. Yet on the down side, Mr Rothkopf warned against “blazing new trails on protectionism” that would isolate economies and only aggravate problems.

In terms of what a global financial regulator would look like, Mr Rothkopf mentioned the EU as an example of “creating super-national structures,” while also noting the problem of enforcement. “Getting everybody in a room and agreeing on principles is easy – this is what we are probably going to get on 15 November – but next year we’ll see whether we’ll get institutions that have the ability to enforce new global standards on the international financial markets. That’s going to be the challenge,” he said.

Any financial agreement would also foresee a leadership role for the US, in coalition with the EU and other countries, Mr Rothkopf projected.

From:        info at csmworld.org
Subject:     Invitation: CSM events on climate, trade, business in Nov 2008
Date:     November 6, 2008

Dear Colleagues,

As we gear up to the climate talks in Poznan (Poland) in December 2008, CSM is delighted to announce the following upcoming events in London and Delhi in November.
Please refer to our website for further information and registration details.

Kind regards,
Sumana Das

WEDNESDAY 12TH  NOVEMBER

‘Climate Change, Trade and Innovation: Chinese and Indian Perspectives’

Venue: Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), London. Time: 5:00pm - 7:30pm

In partnership with Chatham House, Tomorrow’s Company and Chinadialogue.net

Description: China and India and the world’s rising economic giants. What role can they play in building a positive agenda on trade and climate issues? Come and hear from two experts from the region: Professor C.S. Kiang, Peking University Environment Fund and Mr Rajeev Dubey, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Further information & registration details: Programme Agenda - http://www.csmworld.org/public/pdf/Chath…, Invitation - http://www.csmworld.org/public/pdf/CH-In…

MONDAY 17TH NOVEMBER

‘Indian Business & the ’Global Deal’ on Climate Change – An information session’

Venue: Hotel InterContinental, The Grand, New Delhi. Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

In partnership with Businessworld

Description: ‘In 2009 world governments will agree a Global Deal on climate change in Copenhagen. A successor to the Kyoto Protocol, this will mean changes to the CDM and the context for carbon markets. Come and hear what it will mean and how to build a progressive Indian business agenda for the process.’

Further information & registration details: Invitation - http://www.csmworld.org/public/pdf/csm_b…,

Registration Form - http://www.csmworld.org/public/171108pro…

FRIDAY 21ST NOVEMBER

‘The Tata Group - An Indian icon’s response to the sustainability and climate change challenge’

Venue – London, RSA (tbc)  Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

An event under the ‘UK-India Leadership Platform on Climate Change’

Description: The Tata Group is one of India’s legendary industrial houses. A household name in India, the Group is now known internationally through its acquisition of brands such as Corus and Tetley Tea and for its launch of the Nano car. Come and hear how the Group is addressing the joint challenge of sustainability and climate change.

Further information & registration details: Registration Form - http://www.csmworld.org/public/211108pro…

——————————————-

 sumana at csmworld.org

CSM - Kolkata Office :

39 Hindusthan Park

Kolkata 700 029, India
*  info at csmworld.org
( +91 33 2465 5898/5711/2/3
, +91 33 2465 5650
Delhi : +91 11 2352 6000

Bangalore : +91 98451 89383 London : +44 7866 600607

 From:    mfriedman at dupontcirclecommunications….
Subject:    24-Foot Wall of Messages from Thousands Worldwide Congratulating Obama
Date:         November 5, 2008 11:43:28 AM EST

 Avaaz.org, the largest online activist community worldwide.  “The spirit of this moment from Paris to Beijing to Rio de Janeiro is a global ‘yes we can.’”

The Message Board contains a letter, on display with thousands of colorful personalized messages, family photos, candles, and flowers, that reads:

As citizens across the world, we congratulate you on your election, and celebrate your campaign commitments to sign a strong new global treaty on climate change, withdraw carefully from Iraq, double aid to fight poverty, close Guantanamo prison and end torture.  No one country or leader can meet the world’s most pressing challenges alone, but working together as one world in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation, yes we can bring real and lasting change.

 http://www.avaaz.org/blog/en/, which shows people from around the world expressing their eagerness for the United States to rejoin the world community.

###

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Subject: Mr. President Elect - Now The Bad News - You Won!  The Whole World Expects You To Perform A Transformational Miracle - Something Like Walking On Water.

Bravo America - We can say this now with certainty - it was not a mirage - Barak Hussein Obama’s Color was fading as the election time was nearing.

More and more white American’s given the choice to elect Obama or McCain realized that Obama is just like them - he had white grand parents who helped in his upbringing in predominantly white top schools the kind of schools they wished they could have attended. However, they realized also that Obama has a further advantage over them, he was culturally exposed to other worlds also - and with the collapse of the American economy, and the clear signs that America is now dependent on a plethora of cultures and colors, he may indeed have that important advantage over McCain, who though held in a Vietnamese prison, clear to all, did not learn anything from that experience, and willingly stepped into the Iraq puddle, caused by the same industrial interests, that gave the US and the world, that old Vietnamese swamp.

The good Americans know that a name does not make a man. They also feel that they were taken by the moneyed class and that much of the above-the-table anti-Obama arguments were contrived. Like their fathers or grandfathers generation when the best were “commies” and the worst were the “McCartyites, there was nothing wrong with having now casual association with folks that tried to ration differently their way at a time that the leadership of the country failed them. This is clear about the reformed Ayres & Dohrn couple, and I am now also more lenient about Wright, who it turns out was not even on the list of direct enemies compounded by the Anti-Defamation League.

The outgoing White House saw the world in Black & White. The New White House will see the world in shades of gray - and perhaps, after a while, some intellectual will stand up, and declare for all to hear, that time has come to change the name of that carbon clad building (this thanks to the insistence to be fossil fuels addicted, of the outgoing residents of the building) and call it rather the Gray House in recognition that policy is the art of compromise in a very varied world.

So, Mr. President Elect, we hope someone will show you these notes, and you feel then that you are not alone - that many people, even though they did not say this earlier, feel for you and like you. Those are the real good news!

The real bad news are that out of the Bushes you get a world that is short of trees and it is now for you to start planting the needed ideas, and the needed majestic trees, of all kind, that eventually will make the country truly great again, and help the whole world - because America does not stand-alone. As we said earlier today - Europe is waiting to renew its special relationship with a USA leader, and much of the rest of the world will love to see the rising of a benevolent leadership in what is still the major power of the world, though brought down to its knees - as beggars - because of the misdeeds of that above mentioned moneyed class.

———

Watching the TV pundits at election time, we know that 62% of the voters thought that the main problem now is the economy - then in highly decreased figures follow Iraq (10%), terrorism (9%), health care (9%), and energy policy (7%).

We trust that you will take the topics of energy policy, including all what revolves on climate change issues, and the health care topic, and use the opportunity given to you to turn those areas into the lever that will help straighten out the economy. This is the essence of your mandate and we are ready to bet that you will be using your great gift of possessing such great gray matter, and finally unwind the country, and the world, from the addiction to oil that was imposed on all of us by your predecessors. This will also help make great strides in solving the remaining main issues - that of terrorism and that of Iraq. And remember - 93% of those that voted for you showed optimism that under you the economy will improve - only 6% felt that nothing will change.

Further, remember - somewhere above 72% of the first time voters voted for you. When only the young first time voters were noted - the figure was even higher. While 78% of the voters said that age was an important factor in the way they voted, when it comes to the question of race the results are even more interesting:

From among those that said that race was an important part of their decision-making, in for whom to vote, it was 55% that decided to vote for you; on the other hand, from among those that stated that they were color blind and race was not important in deciding to vote for you - the figure was 53%. This leads to the clear conclusion that many whites, specifically in the first group, actually voted for you as a statement that they had it with the thinking of previous generations - they wanted to see change, and race is reintroduced by them in a positive way - right there - on purpose.

Also, what strengthens further your position is the reaction overseas. Not just the great happiness and pride shown in Kogelo, Kisumu, Kenya - but all over the world. To see on TV the people of Beijing saying OBAMA - they never went out of their way chanting BUSH - brings the point home that there is goodwill out there to work with you. They will honor you for who you are as long as you allow a modicum of respect for them also - The world is hungry for an American President that is open to consider all interests  rather then being a hunter for natural resources, and show of disrespect for the havoc this drive for resources causes to the local folks “over there.”

Yes, there is a yearning for “transformational” change and “generational” change, and a return to CAMELOT - something like a Camelot II led by a gray Kennedy that can make everyone feel younger and transformed.