Super Tuesday Redux

In case you've missed it, we are in the midst of an election year. Because there has been little enlightened on the campaign trail--except Obama's electric elocution--the subject of Presidential hopefuls has not often graced these pages. However, Super Tuesday brought all the political pundits out en masse. As a collective, they gathered too much information about too little, with plenty to keep the 24 hours news merrily circulating. Having said that, these gems did stand out:

1. The fact that we have the first global candidate ever in Barack Obama has enlivened the coverage of this campaign overseas and gotten many more interested in our political process. We noted in a previous blog that Barack has very proud Kenyan relatives. Now his Irish cousins on his mother's side are speaking up as well with a hardy drink at the pub. Barack did not return phone calls to admit or deny these assertions, but I'm sure he wishes they could vote.

2. Speaking of overseas, the Brits have taken a liking to Barack as well, particularly David Cameron, head of Britain's Conservative Party. Yes, that's the CONSERVATIVE party. Mr. Cameron speaks, like we have, of how inspiring are Barack's oratory skills: "I'm enjoying watching Barack Obama. I think he's a brilliant speaker; I think his optimism and sense of hope for the future is inspiring a lot of people. It's great to see." The WSJ goes on to say that "a person close to Mr. Cameron said he is watching the US election 'closely,' and that it is Sen. Obama's meteoric rise that has most impressed him." Him and Hillary both.

2. The Democratic Convention is in Denver this year and to celebrate the event JW Marriott at Cherry Creek is offering two packages commemorating the contenders through August. Listen up, you might not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime offering: "Guests choosing the Hillary Clinton Package start the morning with a speed walk through Cherry Creek North and Denver Country Club neighborhoods. Guests receive a $50 Cherry Creek North gift card and a chocolate treat at turn-down--one of Mrs. Clinton's self-professed guilty pleasures. Prices start at $249 per night, not including tax." We won't ask what one of Bill's guilty pleasures might be, but then he's not running, is he(?)

Now, if you are of the Barack persuasion, here's what the Barack Obama Package has to offer: "Two guest passes to the Denver Athletic Club and dinner at the Prime 121 steakhouse. Then it's back to your room for a viewing of 'Lawrence of Arabia,' one of Mr. Obama's favorite movies. Prices start at $299 per night, not including tax and gratuity." Both obviously include a room, in this case a deluxe model, whatever that means. One might think that for the prices charged and the lame accouterments provided, appearances by the candidates would be in order. In lieu of that, but in distant second place, I suppose the staff could situate an autographed picture of Hillary or Barack on your pillow with the turn-down service. Sweet dreams.

3. On that same note, the Horseshoe Bay Resort in the Texas Hill Country is offering a package to celebrate President's Day later this month as well as the elections. For only $149 a night from February 14th through 19th, you get a one bedroom luxury villa. That's all. But in order to get this discounted rate, there is a catch: to qualify, guests must have the same last name as one of the U.S. Presidents or 2008 Presidential hopefuls. The management must be expecting a run on the place because the offer was just announced yesterday in the WSJ. So, how many Huckabee's do you think will be calling? Or, I was thinking, with all the money Ron Paul has in his campaign fund and no place to spend it, he might just take the resort up on the offer himself. No one could argue that he has the same last name as a 2008 Presidential hopeful.

4. Angela Merkel, the Prime Minister of Germany, took WSJ to task for calling her Ms. instead of Mrs. It is reported that she wanted the same treatment given to Hillary Clinton by the newspaper, which was more than happy to comply. We will have to keep an eye out to see if all reports on Mrs. Clinton call her, well, Mrs. Clinton. Used to be Ms. was hip, but that must have changed when I had my back turned.

5. On the eve of Super Tuesday, the WSJ informed its readers that Mrs. Clinton got emotional again when speaking to female voters at Yale University where she went to law school. While talking about health care, she is quoted as saying, "Well, I said I would not tear up. Already we're not exactly on that path." The next day the Yale Daily News endorsed her opponent. I guess sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

6. In the better late than never category, President Bush announced his administration's intentions to save 480 trees by e-publishing the 4-volume, 2,000 page, $3 trillion federal budget. It will be available free on line for the first time. According to the OMB and reported in WSJ, "The change is expected to drive down demand for hard copies, sparing an estimated 20 tons of paper, or 480 trees, and saving tax payers about $1 million over five years." (Actually, giving credit where credit is due, this administration has been adamant in requiring a change-over to electronic submission of material relating to it. So, for those readers who think nothing good has come out of DC in the last 8 years, this enlightened initiative has received little fanfare but has pushed the government into the 21st century electronically and probably saved millions of trees in the process.)

And finally, before we leave this covey of politicians behind, I would like to send them a few words of advice: take the high road, OK? Self-deprecating humor is so much more flattering than ad hominem diatribes about the other guy or gal, as the case may be. Besides that, the world may be getting to be a better place to live, as recounted in The Economist on January 26th:

"The number of very poor people in the world is falling fast. Some 135 million people emerged from destitution between 1999 and 2004 a 'stunning' sign of progress that owes much to the growing control of people in developing nations have over their own fertility. There have been huge gains in access to public services such as clean water and corresponding improvements in child-mortality rates. These advances can also be attributed to economic growth, which has been spread fairly evenly across the globe. There are twice the number of fast-growing countries today than there were from 1980 to 2000. Living standards are getting a boost from another development--a decline in wars and in deaths from violence. While terrible violence persists in such places as Sudan, Congo and in parts of the Middle East, the overall toll is dropping" (WSJ, 1-26/27-08.)

The magazine concludes that the pervading sense of doom is overwrought. So, candidates listen up. Negativity has a price, particularly when used to illustrate views that are less than truthful for political gain. Stay positive and truthful. So far, we have exactly one candidate who even comes close to that. Would anyone like to join him?

Of note: Marie Huffman contributed the beautiful sunset picture at the beginning of this blog. Thank you!

Today's Weather Report: 20 degrees and lightly snowing in the morning even with the sun shining. The sun was glorious to see. Terrible tornadoes ripped through the South last evening and Racine expects 18 inches of snow today.

1.21.2009

WSJ reports that a bumper sticker seen around DC these days reads "1.21.2009." That, of course, is the day the Bushites leave town and most likely the Clintonites resume power. I can hear the heralding trumpets already. Someone asked me recently why I didn't spend time in this blog dissecting the political scene, which I follow closely. My enigmatic response: it's as important what's NOT here as what is. Frankly, what's happening on the campaign trail is altogether un-enlightening and seems to be delaminating more every day. Even Barack, whom I have praised in this blog for eloquent and uplifting speeches, does not seem immune from wallowing in the mud with the other Presidential hopefuls. And, what's more frightening, I don't think we've seen the worse of it yet. In about October, the nation will need to be put on life support for all the blood-letting that's going to be had between now and then.

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But, having said that, the inescapable Little Voice speaks up to this Observer-in-training who is inevitably responsible for every thought, word and deed.

Little Voice: "Hey, Susan, what is that negative recording doing in your head? It certainly got MY attention. I thought you'd have been past that kind of thinking by now. You KNOW it's always darkest before the dawn--and that includes happenings in your U.S. political scene, as well. For a moment you might have forgotten the inevitable sequence: inertia to movement to chaos/crises to enlightenment/revelation. I'm sure if you put aside your emotions, you would see that we are simply in the crises phase. Keep looking without discouragement and enlightenment will follow. You might think of it like a really painful delivery; you had one like that a quarter century ago--you remember. And look what came after, that beautiful baby girl!"

Susan: "You sure don't make it easy on a person, do you? You never let me wallow with all the others for long. Darn! OK, OK. I get it now. Instead of railing at the present crop of bruised candidates, I will just have to create a list of what my ideal President might be like; what attributes he or she might have; and what responses, reactions and thoughts. Is that better?"

Little Voice: "Now you're back on track. You are not one of my most enlightened students, but you are one of the most persistent. Your new, enriched response will definitely get your negative energy on this weighty matter moving in a more positive direction. If more people did this, it might change the whole outcome. But at this moment, we're looking forward to seeing your list. Bring it on."

Susan: "I'll do my best, but will ask for ideas from others if they think I've missed something relevant. It would certainly be impossible for me to list everything. But with the contribution of others, we might get closer."

BUILDING AN IDEAL PRESIDENT
The Enlightened Profile

Demonstrates a life that has been given to selfless service
Successful and proven leader in whatever field chosen
Learned, good intellect but not overly so
Down-to-earth/realist/humble
Genuinely compassionate
Knows the meaning of gracious-loving-kindness and shows it
No entrenched ideologies, including religious
A good orator/uplifting/a sense of humor
Demonstrates an ability to inspire
The ability to move people and get something done
A respectful peacemaker
A warrior when the call arises/fearless (wimps need not apply)
Good character that has undergone a measure of painful experiences/
willing to talk about those honestly
Non-critical nature yet good analytical mind
Diplomatic in dealing with others, particularly in disagreement
A political will that empowers the populace--globally
Demonstrates an understanding of cooperation as opposed to competition
The ability to be "fluid in adjustment but undeviating in aim"
Creative/visionary yet practical
Demonstrates the ability to chose like-minded people with whom to serve
Creates policies in line with these values and attributes
with an understanding of unity in diversity,
of the importance of sharing resources globally, and
of this nation's place in the broader scheme.

Little Voice: "Well, that's a good start. At least you have a template against which to judge the various candidates. But, I've got to run. Someone from the John Edwards campaign is in need of assistance today. He's having a meltdown because his candidate is stepping aside. Between this and a few in the Guilliani camp, I'll probably be kept running all day. Ah, you humans, how you love your trauma dramas. Adieu!"

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Well, now I feel better having gotten rid of that negative political energy. The Little Voice demonstrates so much wisdom--too bad it often takes a kick in the pants to get me moving in a more enlightened direction. Guess that's what it means to be evolving. On another note: yesterday I read the February 2008 National Geographic cover to cover. Every article was better than the next, and I would highly recommend buying a copy if you don't already get it at home.

Particularly enlightening was the cover story on the Black Pharaohs of Egypt who ruled for a short time in the 700 BCs. Apparently, historians have been less than candid about these intrepid warriors, builders and rulers because of past racial prejudice, and I applaud NG for setting the record straight. Also included were articles on potential future western US water wars; the Hazaras of Afghanistan, a little known ethnic group previously persecuted and killed by the Taliban for being Shia Muslims; and a beautiful photographic essay depicting a Japanese poet's journey in the 1600's. This is an eclectic group of articles, but ones that I would bet will keep your attention riveted to the pages.

Daily Weather report: -20 degrees with a -50 degree wind chill. Not a day to sun outside, even though the it is shining brightly without a cloud in the sky. Quite different than the 47 degrees we had a mere two days ago.

What's TV Got To Do With It?

Sometimes when looking through the newspaper, it's a challenge to find any information on enlightened change. The journalist's motto, "If it bleeds, it leads," leaves little room for enlightenment. Blood and guts always gets the news headlines--unless it's a slow news day, of course. Then we might hear about someone's cat up a tree. In any event, yesterday's newspaper was one of those unenlightened days. I had almost gotten through the whole WSJ without a hit--something that has never happened--but decided to read "World Bank's Priorities On Power Overlook Poorest." The World Bank's poor record regarding accountability and corruption would at least give me news to read, even if not for this blog, I thought. What a surprise, then, to find embedded in this article a nugget of lighted change!

The power in the headline referred to electricity and how funds from the World Bank were supposed to pay for rural electrification. As is usual with these WB projects, the energy grids in the developing countries rarely extend to remote areas. But when they do, the WSJ reports "that the advent of electricity can change centuries old patterns. Villagers use the electricity first for lighting and second for TV." What really got my attention was the following finding:

"The latter [TV use] is associated with a reduction in family size--a long sought goal. The median rural family had 0.6 fewer children after electrification than before. The report cites two possible explanations for how television might achieve this. One is that villagers learn about contraception by watching soap operas and informational programs. Then 'there's the leave me alone, there's something good on TV argument'. '

Amazingly, surveys found that the sex education aspect of TV viewing was the reason for fewer kids. In the developed world, we take for granted the sex education we receive in school and the freedom we have to express ourselves sexually. But this is obviously not the case in the undeveloped countries. The Nobel Laureate in Economics, Amartya Sen, would not be surprised by this uncovery. Back in 1999 he said in his book Development As Freedom that in Bangladesh birth rates were lowered when girls and women began attending school. Note this, it was NOT the contraceptive programs that made a difference in birth rates, but rather the general education after which many of the women got jobs.

Along this same line, an enlightened contributor sent an article regarding the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) which is run by a spunky gal with a doctorate from the University of Cambridge who has made ending female oppression her life's work, according to Ladies Home Journal, June 2006, p. 140. Noeleen Heyzer is quoted as saying: "When you're looking at issues of ending violence against women, normally you work at it from an angle of victimization. WE look at it from the perspective of empowerment. If you empower women economically, they will not be as vulnerable. I believe we can abolish violence against women the way we have abolished slavery."

Those are strong words coming from a UN staffer but this executive director, who has been campaigning since 1994 exclusively for women, puts money where her mouth is: "Less than 10 years ago, rapists in Peru and Costa Rica could avoid criminal prosecution by offering to marry their rape victim. Thanks to lobbying efforts by UNIFEM, these laws have been repealed."

Genital mutilation is another problem on which UNIFEM works, and February 6th is proclaimed as the UN's End Genital Mutilation Day to bring the matter to the attention of the public. An unforgettable article a few years back in WSJ brought my attention to the horrendous consequences of the practice that often disabled the girls who undergo the procedure, and infection was rampant. The cult-like cutting was performed by locals with simple tools and often left the women scarred for life, both physically and mentally. Some of the fortunate ones came to the US for repair, but many not so fortunate have died. UNIFEM has worked extensively to change this outdated tradition and, because of its efforts, many countries have now banned the practice, including Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast and many others.

UNIFEM also understands that having money empowers poor women. One example of its enlightened and innovative economic efforts include: "In tsunami-devastated Indonesia, UNIFEM provided immediate financial support to craftswomen, allowing them to weave protective hats that were in big demand by newly arriving relief workers seeking refuge from the hot sunshine and in turn helped to stimulate the shattered local economy."

It appears Ms. Heyzer strongly believes that education is key to ending the "slavery" of women in male dominated societies for it was the impetus behind the history-making launch of a radio station in war-torn Iraq: "Support from UNIFEM enabled the launch of Radio Al Mahaba, Voice of Women, the first non-government women's radio station in Iraq. The station's programming features female human rights stories by volunteers and journalists." Given Ms Heyzer's dedication to right human relations, this global female empowerment movement is certainly in good hands. This article was proof that one outspoken voice like hers could make a difference, especially when it had the backing of the United Nations.

Having said that, empowerment as the result of economic advances benefits all peoples, not just women, a fact that was highlighted in the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom (410 pages, $24.95 available at 1-800-975-8625.) The summary of the index findings as noted in WSJ on January 18, 2008 concluded: "The freest 20% of the world's economies have twice the per capita income of those in the second quintile and five times that of the least free 20%. In other words, freedom and prosperity are highly correlated." Freedom apparently neither expanded nor contracted last year, and the numbers changed little. However, there were bright spots such as Chile and El Salvador but Egypt was a shining star with the most improved economy in the world, jumping from 127th to 85th. Mauritius was in second place and moved into the top 20 out of a total of 157, with 5 not rated. Interestingly Iraq was in the latter category along with Sudan and Congo Democratic Republic.

In this same summary, the French journalist Guy Sorman, who wrote a treatise entitled Globalization is Making the World a Better Place, was quoted as saying: " 'Globalization is one of the most powerful and positive forces ever to have arisen in the history of man.' It fosters economic development, moves countries from tyrannies to democracy, sends information and knowledge to the most remote corners of the globe, reinforces the rule of law, and enriches culture." One could argue that this is NOT the case, but would have to confront what appears to be an inevitable global movement toward freedom, even if accomplished incrementally through individual nations as they lift themselves out of poverty.

And finally, as Russia finds its place among the powerful democracies of the world, it is opening a think tanks dedicated to studying western democracy. The WSJ reports that "a prominent lawyer said President Vladimir Putin endorsed his plan to open monitoring offices in New York and Paris to study the US and French political systems and recommend improvements" (1-18-08, p. A7.) That seemed like a rather ballsy move, but Putin might have been feeling confident having just received TIME's Man of the Year Award. Among other things, Anatoly Kucherina, the think tank's founder, will look at the US's election system that choses a President based on electoral rather than popular votes and the compatibility of capital punishment with democratic principles. For years some Western democracies have had such think tanks making recommendations to the USSR/Russia. It might be fair and reasonable to have the tables turned as Russia finds its voice these days. The scrutiny might reduce some of the appearances of arrogance exuding at times from various Western democracies. Or maybe not. We will see.

An enlightened seed thought regarding nations concludes this blog today. We have to remind ourselves that what appears on the surface to be chaos is simply the growing pains of nations who are evolving just as we are evolving as individuals. It is predicted that all nations will participate in the achievement noted below and specifically that the United States, Russia, Britain and France have a destiny to fulfill before these triumphant glory days arrive:

"An innate urge in man reaches out toward divinity; the individual then becomes a man of goodwill and also a spiritual aspirant and one who loves God (according to his own particular definition) and, therefore, loves his fellowmen. . .What is true of individual man is eternally true of nations and for them also the same hope of illumination and of future spiritual triumph and glory is predicted" (The Problems of Humanity, A.A. Bailey.)

Tomorrow we turn to a few enlightened topics concerning the the Middle East. Yes, I did find some, and they are stacking up actually. Stay tuned.