International Revelations

US tweets Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:33:00 +0000

New post on the US, Iran, Twitter and implications for social media at www.sarahjlwest.com

This blog has moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:16:00 +0000

This blog has moved (and expanded!) to www.sarahjlwest.com

See you there!

Tut tut tut...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:33:00 +0000

G20..

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:28:00 +0000

As you might have realised...I love political cartoons. In the run up to the G20 this weekend I found these 3 cartoons that all picture the scene. They come from 3 different countries which makes it interesting to see different perspectives on the power balance in the world right now.

From the UK (Kal @ The Economist)

The US is already defeated by "recession" and admits now that it cannot do it alone. It is

interesting here that the leaders are not personified.

From Spain (Dragan)

Obama is moved to the fore-front with the task of stopping the recession single handedly with the other leaders cheering him on (somewhat) but from a distance hiding behind the G20 conference.

From South Korea

Quite a different perspective - not focusing on the task in hand but instead refers to the perceived balance of power. Obama has his back to the G20 which looks relatively pathetic and irrelevant next to him.

I would LOVE comments on this one...so if you are usually a ghost reader this is the post to come out :-)

Pyongyang Pizza...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:46:00 +0000

According to a Japanese newspaper, the first Pizzeria has opened in North Korea. Pizza is apparently one of Kim Jong-Il's fave dishes and he has spent many years perfecting he perfect pizza to feed his starved totalitarian state including flying in chefs from Italy to teach the North Koreans.

I am wondering how he found these chefs in Italy?

International Woman's Day in Geneva...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:32:00 +0000

I took this photo whilst shopping in the market today...I actually don't think that this was a joke!

(Translation - For the Day of the Woman - Promotion on Brooms 4CHF)
(c) Sarah J.L.West

Update : Brown and Obama meet...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:40:00 +0000

So they met...and to be honest nothing much happened. Their meeting only lasted 30 minutes followed by a working lunch to brainstorm how to fix the economy. Downing Street dismissed suggestions that Mr Brown's visit had been downgraded by Mr Obama after it emerged there would not be a formal joint press conference. Quite disappointing really.

Obama re-iterated the special relationship and how it was going to get stronger...but they probably need to spend some more time together for that! April 2nd is when they are next due to meet at G20 to discuss the world economy with what Gordon Brown thinks is a common agenda.

Obama also mentioned that what Brown and him had in common were "spectacular wives and wonderful children". Scraping the barrel slightly I feel...

Cartoon Credits: Steve O'Brian at The Economist

No Oasis in China...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:15:00 +0000

This news story caught my eye this morning....

The band Oasis have been made to cancel 2 gigs planned in China. The band have been deemed 'unsuitable' by the authorities after they found out that Noel Gallagher had played at a Free Tibet concert in the US in 1997....that is 12 years ago!

This is a shame for the people of China as these are the bands that they will never see....

The Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Sonic Youth, Beck, Foo Fighters, Fugees, U2, Alanis Morissette, Radiohead, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Blur, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dave Matthews Band, Wyclef Jean, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Run DMC, Blondie, Tracy Chapman, The Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, and Björk...

Hang on...Bjork did play there last year and shouted "Free Tibet"during a song - now I understand. So freedom of speech and expression clearly wasn't part of China's Olympic coming out party.

Brown and Obama....

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:48:00 +0000

Six months ago I wrote a blog post speculating about the future of the "special relationship" between the US and the UK when the new leaders came to power.

So now we know that it is Brown and Obama....and they are going to meet for the first time in their new roles at the White House on the 3rd March.

I put the success of the special relationship down to 3 things...and this is how they stand for these two.

1. Common Party

- Match...as much as it can be. Obama the Democrat and Labour Brown. Although, immediately after the election it was quite amusing to listen to Brown and Cameron squabble over who should be Obama's new BBF, David Miliband quite quickly wrote in a newspaper article after the election that Obama ‘shares the same progressive values as Gordon Brown’ and that the two leaders would ‘help solve the world’s problems together’.

2. Common Enemy

- In this instance I would re-frame this to common issues. For both Obama and Brown the immediate issue is how to face the weakening domestic and international economy. This is something that Obama is keen to get right as the first impact of his reign and Brown could be useful in advising him - suffering similar issues but having more experience in this realm as former Chancellor of the Exchequer.

3. Common Personality

- Hmmm it is here where in my mind they could not be any different. We hear of he "Obama cult of Personality: but he reminds me a bit more of Blair. Young, Enthusiastic, Charismatic, Charming, Smart in contrast to Brown; Smart but Somber, Quiet, Bumbling, Worried. I have the feeling that Obama could overpower Brown leading to less equilibrium in the relationship.

So let's see what happens next week at the White House.

p.s note the ties in the photo! Labour is a Red Party and Democrats is a Blue party....were they both trying to please each other? hee hee

Should I be scared....?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:18:00 +0000

I Just received an email saying:

Hi, Sarah West (sarahjlwest).

DowningStreet (DowningStreet) is now following your updates on Twitter.

Weirdest email I think i have ever received!

Question is...do I keep my twitter post UK Gov friendly or do I throw in some "Ner ner ner ner ner...you are going to lose to Cameron...ner ner ner ner ner"?

Breaking News...an American leaves America

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:06:00 +0000

I am not sure what I am going to write in this post before I write it...but for some reason this news story made me crack up laughing today.

I went over the BBC news to see what was happening today...and I see **Breaking News** "Obama Makes First Foreign Visit"...oooh exciting I think...where has he gone? Venezuela to see what Chavez is up to? Iraq to see the troops? UK to meet Gordon ad re-kindle the special relationship?

No...he has chosen is first "overseas" visit to....Canada.

Now don't get me wrong, I am British Canadian as I was born in Canada, but come on...be the interesting exciting guy that you promised to be! I guess as a non American that supported Obama for his international outlook and the fact that he has a passport meant he would have chosen somewhere else first...

Or maybe I am just amused that this earned the tag **Breaking News**....

G7 or G&T...?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:11:00 +0000

Similar to our friend Sarkozy's show at the G8 last year, Japan's finance minister has been called out for looking a little "tired and emotional" at the G7 conference.

This has led to calls for his resignation but the minister claims it was just cold medicine that made him slur his words. Hot toddy anyone?

Generation Y

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:16:00 +0000

Overall, The first month of 2009 has been somewhat full of distraction for me...change of career, skiing and flu have been the main reasons!

However, blogging is not forgotten and will be resumed this week.

In the meantime I wanted to point you to a new project of mine...

I am Generation Y is a new social network aimed to connect Generation-Yers to share content creation and connect.

Have a look and join! All goes.

2008...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:19:00 +0000

2008 has been a status-quo altering year without a doubt. Here is my world event Top 10 quo altering events of 2008 (not in order!):

1. Global Economic Crash

What started as a credit crunch soon snowballed into a global economic crisis as Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy and the US government bailed out AIG. Similar bail outs were witnessed across the pond in the UK and it was the strangest Christmas period ever with retailers forced to enter a sale war to survive Noel - some survived, some didn't resulting in doors being closed forever shortly after Christmas. In the stock-market shares plummeted both in the western world and emerging markets. At the end of 2008, the Eurozone, the US and Japan are all in recession. Iran & Russia were quick to blame US egoism as the cause of the crash and to call for a more multilateral regulation of markets (obviously including themselves). Although not being the final nail in the coffin of the US hegemony - it will be tough to recover to the same status as before the crash...which leads me to the next point...

2. Barack Obama Elected

The expectations of this "change agent" are immense - but he did bring it all on himself! 2008 will be remembered for the year that America voted in a black president who led a ground breaking marketing campaign. I feel good about it...most of the world feels good about it..let's hope he does not disappoint.

3. Mumbai Terrorist Attacks

Co-ordinated attacks were launched against two 5-star hotels, the city's largest station, a movie theatre, a hospital and a Jewish Centre by hooded, heavily armed gun men killing more than 150 people and injuring more than 300. Indian Prime Minister Singh said of the attacks that they had "external linkages" pointing the finger to Pakistan or Al-Qaeda. This event will have both internal and external implications. Internally it will not help existing rifts between Hindus and Muslims and is sure to impact the election of 2009. Externally the event will further strain Indian-Pakistani relations which in turn will not help Obama in closing down the war in Afghanistan.

4. Israel/Gaza/Hamas

They are at it again. Another issue to keep Obama busy when he steps in as President...you can read more about it over at Foreign Policy Watch.

5. European Union Setback (another...)

Ireland voted NO against the Lisbon Treaty, the successor to the EU Constitution rejected in 2005. It was meant to come into effect in Jan 2009...the future is still uncertain and I think that there have been other things to worry about and fix since it was rejected in June...such as recession.

6. Electoral Chaos

Kenya, Zimbabwe, Japan and Thailand have all had electoral upsets and chaos this year. In Thailand, the PAD will keep protesting until they get someone that they like that is not related to Shinatwa. In Japan, Fukada resigned in frustration at not being able to implement policy. Kenya was ravaged by violence following a disputed presidential election, leading to the formation of a fragile government of national unity in April. Finally, Robert Mugabe won a presidential run-off election in Zimbabwe after his opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, who won the first round, pulled out because of intimidation. A power-sharing deal gave the prime minister’s job to Mr Tsvangirai. Conditions remained miserable for most Zimbabweans; inflation (officially) ran at hundreds of millions per cent and cholera swept the country.

7. China's "Coming Out Party"

The oppression of free speech at the games regarding Tibet amongst other stories kinda ruined the party. China still has a long way to go to become a real threat to the US.

8. Castro Cuba

Fidel handed the reigns to his younger brother...but Raul must be still thinking about the reforms to be made...or waiting for his brother to pop his clogs.

9. Russia

Russia talked the big talk this year...but no-one is quite sure who's words they are - Medvedev or Putin. What is for sure is that in 2009 Russia is not going to give Obama and easy ride.

10. Wars

Priorities swapped again...now Afghanistan is more important than Iraq....but neither are finished....or show any signs of...

and finally.....GOODBYE BUSH!!

Who Are You?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:53:00 +0000

A bit of an off-piste post here...but after 6 months of treading the water of the blogosphere I have decided to stay...and to also put blogging as a higher priority in 2009...so watch this space!

I am continually amazed of the science of the blog and the fact that people that I have never met read my content or pass by once in a while. I greatly appreciate all the comments on the blog and emails that I receive but as an experiment I saw on another site I want to extend my hand slightly further and directly say...

"Hello, my name is Sarah....pleased to meet you! And your name is...."

Do you blog also? What do you blog about? Where are you from?

So PLEASE if you are just passing by - say hi! Leave a comment here or send me an email!

Sarah

Ahmadinejad' British Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:32:00 +0000

In the UK on Christmas Day at 3pm most people are sitting in front of the TV watching the Queen's Speech. There is however an alternative speech offered at the same time on a different channel offering a different view point at Christmas.

Today, Iran's president Ahmadinejad joined previous guests such as Sharon Osbourne, Jamie Oliver, The Simpsons and retired UK soldiers to give his "greetings" to the British Isles. President Ahmadinejad used the speech to attack world leaders for ignoring the teachings of Jesus Christ, who is considered a prophet in Islam.

This has caused outrage from many as President Ahmadinejad has previously called for Israel to be wiped off the map and described the Holocaust a "myth". He was also at the centre of a diplomatic stand-off with Britain last year, when Iran held 15 sailors and Royal Marines captured in the Persian Gulf. Channel 4 defends that it is merely offering a 'different point of view' to people at Christmas. There has also been international condemnation of the message especially from Israel.

Here is the speech. What do you think? The phrase "wolf in sheep's clothing' comes to my mind.

Jihadbook...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:12:00 +0000

It was recently reported that Al-Qaeda linked groups planned to use popular social networking site Facebook to launch a new wave of Jihad via applications and groups. Fox News claim to have single handedly stopped Facebook Jihad and thus further destruction by reporting to the Facebook moderators the phrase below in the missions statement of one group:

"Today we invade your sites, tomorrow your lands and homes, o you cross worshippers"

So really all thanks to Fox News for stopping jihad poking from ruining Christmas!

I want to continue this world peace initiative that Fox News have gratefully taken on and just wanted to make sure that we are safe from jihad-poking during the holidays and therefore I had a look on Facebook to see if there are any other groups pursuing an online jihad that would put the world at risk this Christmas and this is what I found:

1. Durka Durka Muhammed Jihad - a tongue in cheek group - who should perhaps be reported to the UK authorities as one of the "related groups' is "Jeremy Clarkson should be Prime Minister". A Jihadist coup?

2. The Jihad to Destroy Barney - maybe not a bad idea? But but not good news for Barney this yuletide!

3. Sexy Jihad - War currently being waged - watch out who pokes you!

4. All Redheads for Ginger Jihad - Mission Statement - "Redheads are already planning on dominating the World and I truly believe that someday it will happen, the only problem is, that some random redhead will decide there are too many of us, and wipe out half the population so he/she can be special again. Thus, the entire world will then go extinct...except a few special cases"

And finally my favourite....

5."I declared Jihad and all I got was this cave" ;-p

(On another note...Happy Holidays to all those that read my blog and have supported me over the last six months in starting it (especially my blog mentor over at m-cause) - all comments and emails that are made or sent are greatly appreciated! You can expect 2 more posts over the holidays - a review of 2008 and my predictions for 2009 which I will write in between turkey eating and mulled wine drinking in Scotland. In 2009 I have made the resolution to post at least twice a week so hopefully you will keep reading and commenting! Happy New Year! Sarah)

Well ain't that a kick in the head...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:31:00 +0000

You give a country free speech and they talk back... btw love Bush's "point" that he makes afterwards... profound. Also highly ironic full circle moment if you remember the fuss the US press made of the iraqi children throwing the shoes at the statue of Saddam.

Welcome to Super Obama World...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:40:00 +0000

Brilliant. Need I say more?? I could play for hours!

Trust me...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:50:00 +0000

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the armistice signed between the Allies and the Germans that ended the 1st World War in 1918. Whilst remembering today both those that lost their lives fighting for freedom and those that survived I got thinking about the subject of "trust" in warfare and more specifically in International Relations today.

The armistice that ended the 1st World War was signed at 5 am in the morning on the 11th of November with the agreement that the ceasefire would come into effect at 11 am. One can only imagine the difficulty at that time to communicate within 6 hours to all troops to stop the fighting at 11 am - but they managed, and bar one incident after 11 am where German Lt. Tomas, in the Meuse-Argonne sector was shot down when he went to inform approaching American soldiers who had not been told about the ceasefire that he and his men would be vacating houses that they had been using as billets, the two sides trusted each other tho just lay down their arms and walk away.

One must also not forget the amazing story of trust that happened at Christmas 1914 between German and British troops when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols, most notably Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The Scottish troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols. The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land" where small gifts were exchange—whisky, jam, cigars, chocolate, and the like. The artillery in the region fell silent that night and letters home to relatives tell of stories of a football match between the opposing sides- apparently ending 3-2 in the favour of the Germans.

Despite being in the midst of war I find these stories heartwarming and a testament to the real human character. However, it saddens me that tales like this are unlikely in todays world. Not since the 1st World War has conflict ended so smoothly or quickly. In the 2nd World War it took 4 months from Hitler's suicide until the Japanese surrendered after the dropping of nuclear bombs and this lead almost straight into the Cold War - more than 4 decades of mistrust.

Trust between states is imperative to sustain peace. As Andrew Kydd states in his book - Trust and Mistrust in International Relations - "The difference between war and peace can be a matter of trust. States that trust each other can cooperate and remain at peace. States that mistrust each other enough can wage preventive wars, attacking now in fear that the other side will attack in the future."

Unfortunately, for me, last weeks announcement on the eve of the US Presidential election symbolises the public disintegration of the "trust" that was established at the end of the cold war between Russia and the US. For a while now Russia has been un-trusting of the US's global missile defence system as they believe that it is an attempt from the US to assert military superiority over Russia. This myth is based on the notion that the United States or NATO could launch a first strike against Russia and its missile-defense system would be able to fully intercept a counterstrike of Russian missiles, thus guaranteeing complete military superiority over Russia. However, the planned missile defence system of 10 interceptors in Poland could only actually defend against 1 Russian missile of their stock of 2,000 warheads - therefore actually unless the US increase the number of interceptors to 2,000 - ino threat is posed to Russia.

With this in mind one must then ask why this week did President Medvedev announce this week his plan to place missiles in Kalingrad aimed at Poland or other NATO states - by which overtly threatening a new cold war and publicaly announcing the Russian mis-trust of the US? A strange move considering that the new president elect *could* have backed out of installing the planned system - but now is left with no choice to not be seen as being bullied by Moscow in his first weeks. And why did he chose to do it in the hours following the Presidents election? Most probably it is because of the suspicion from Russia towards the US of how it is going to act in the future with a new unknown president - therefore reflecting an attempt to influence US behaviour. I am sure that Russia hoped that John McCain would win the election as it would be sure that he would continue with strong anti-russia rhetoric and actions - giving Russia in their own eyes the freedom to continue with antagonistic and ambitious FP and defence plans against an aggressive US. By immediately igniting distrust of Russia in the new dovish president might turn him instantly to follow a more hawkish policy towards Russia as was operated by Bush - and for sure he will start now by not withdrawing "star wars" in a sign of resistance to Russian threats.

Obama has not yet responded to Medvedev's threats but there is unlikely an action that could build trust between the two states. On Remembrance day we rightly stop to mourn the loss of lives that were spent during the wars of the early 20th century fighting for the "freedom" that we enjoy today - but we should also mourn the loss of trust from the international arena resulting in the anarchy that underlies the relations between states today.

Crouching Armenian, Hidden Greek.....

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:53:00 +0000

Before the Pope decides whether to endorse the common ground between Muslims and Christians that was presented to him last Tuesday, he should stop the cat fights within his own religion.

From the BBC:

"Today Israeli police have had to restore order at one of Christianity's holiest sites after a mass brawl broke out between monks in Jerusalem's Old City.

Fighting erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion. Two monks from each side were detained as dozens of worshippers traded kicks and punches at the shrine, said police. Trouble flared as Armenians prepared to mark the annual Feast of the Cross. The Greeks blamed the Armenians for not recognising their rights inside the holy site, while the Armenians said the Greeks had violated one of their traditional ceremonies."

You can check out the video here...motion picture potential.....

Photo Credits : BBC

The BBC is copying me.....!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:08:00 +0000

Today when I logged on to the BBC news website I saw two articles...

A "not the election" quiz...quizzing people on what happened in the last days whilst we were watching the election.

And an an article entitled "Britain's Obama".

They conclude that even if it is a possibility in the UK it won't happen for a long time. In British politics stars do not rise over night but after years or even decades of hard slog. They do not however rule out the possibility and name tories Helen Grant and Shaun Bailey and Labour MP David Lammy (friend of Obama) asmthe most likely options.

However to talk about "Britains Obama' for me is not just a question of race or religion but a case of personality, charisma and a certain "x factor" that challenges the Status Quo. Britain's Obama for me would be a shooting star that revolutionises UK politics...The previous MPs do not embody this spirit as they are already entwined into the existing party policies and structures.

David Gustave is this man. BBC - watch this space....

What did we miss whilst we were watching the election...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:48:00 +0000

Remember what happened when the world was watching the opening of the Olympic Games...? Russia invaded Georgia!! Nothing so dramatic appears to have happened whilst we were watching the election...but as there is still 24 hour coverage here we better check...

Stuff that happened in the 24hours either side of the election...

A high ranking delegation of muslim scholars and christian clergy travelled to Rome to persuade the pope to endorse the common ground between muslims and christians to aid peace...they travelled on Tuesday...nothing heard yet.
Bomb blast injured 71 in Thailand and killed 1...separatist insurgents blamed...no news since but the blasts come days after the new prime minister (in the end Thaksin's brother-in-law!!) visited the area.
Omar Osama Bin Laden, one of Bin Laden's son asked for alsylum in Spain...it was later rejected.
Hamas fires multiple rockets into Israel hours after six militants die during an Israeli raid in Gaza.

and finally....

Russia's President Medvedev declares that Russia will put short range missiles in the baltic to counter a US defence shield in Europe....at it again when no-one is paying attention!!!!

Britain's Barack Obama......

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:03:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago The Economist concluded that Britain was a long way off from having it's own Obama story ... but I want to disagree. The Economist quoted "Whether Britain emulates his remarkable story depends ultimately on whether a non-white politician of similar calibre pushes himself forward." and I think I have met him.

David Gustave was recently included in the Evening Standards Top Influential Londoners of 2008 and having met him about 6 months ago his story and his character make a lasting impression.

His life story seems laden with issues of race, class, poverty, religion, inequality and delinquency and provides a reference for comparing the influence of individual and structural factors in helping individuals to escape poverty.

Raised in a white working class neighbourhood in London he was forced to confront racial abuse both physically and mentally from his neighbours and turned to his fists. Uninterested in his studies he left school at 16 and unable to cope with and abusive relationship with his father he left home. He spent the next 15 years trying to find a way to make a living, sometimes illegally. At 30, after a series of disturbing personal events something sparked in David to decide to change the course of his life. He enrolled in an adult education course in which he took A’ level and undergraduate equivalency courses. Among the external readers of a research paper he wrote for one course was an Oxford University professor who was impressed by his work. The professor encouraged him to apply to Oxford, and at the age of 32 he enrolled as an undergraduate.

Dave’s experiences, especially going to Oxford after having travelled a path that seemed to be heading anywhere but college, generated in him a deep interest in poverty and inequality. It was also whilst at Oxford that David converted to Islam, again generating in him a deep interest in the plight of the ‘other’. Many who become familiar with Dave’s life use it as a testament to what individuals, particularly those facing barriers to success, can achieve by simply trying harder. Dave however rejects this interpretation and, sees the improvement of public education and economic opportunity as the necessary focus for alleviating poverty and inequality on a large scale.

After Oxford, David rejected a scholarship to pursue a career at the Bar and instead tool the offer as a sign that he had the intellectual rigor to make a difference and decided to instead impart his knowledge at street level.

For the past 2 years David has been working at Kids Company, doing the kind of youth work where those who have 'been there and done that', try to stop others doing the same themselves.

“My whole life has been about trying to find social justice because I've lived my life as an outsider. And what I have seen tells me that we need to have a debate about what society means - how do we make it cohesive?” "Look at me today. I'm an example of the fluidity of identity. I'm British, I'm black, I'm mixed race and I grew up poor. I saw it all on the streets, the violence, the drugs and the crime. I'm working class and I went to Oxford, I converted to Islam. Today it's my religion that people use to define me - but all the rest is part of me too. I shouldn't have to choose - and I don't because I'm confident enough to be all of these things at once.”

David has already started to make a big impression in the UK and he is really one to watch out for after already being labeled in the Evening Standard as "the British Obama". Recently he has taken part in Channel 4 Debates on "Disarming Britain" alongside MPs and more recently been voted one of London's top influential people.

The Economist might have been correct that Britain is not ready yet for an Obama in the next election but they were not right in that there were no emerging candidates...watch this space on this Gentleman and let's discuss the point again in 2012.

Blogging around the World...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah from hecooksshetalks.com) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:06:00 +0000

Here are what blogger's are saying in the different corners of the earth about what is going on in their country...this week - Middle East:

Afghanistan:

Afghan Lord talks of the fear traveling in a US helicopter across the Taliban influenced area of Maidan Shahr that they might be shot down by the same missiles the US provided to the Taliban to fight the soviets.

Sanjar discusses the recent ban on music at weddings in Afghanistan and the power given to extremists in Afghanistan vs. freedom of expression.

Atash Parcha reflects on Ramadan and reports that pepsi imported from Iran/Pakistan killed three people over Ramadan

Iran:

Jadi has written about censorship in Iran of images from communist China.

Persia blogs that he has noticed in his library an increased number of students studying for TOEFL and IELTS exams presumably to move to the west.

Iraq:

Last of Iraqis blogs about the Iraqi government taking control of the Arab Sunni militia - known as Awakening Councils - in October and his related fears. He also discusses the irony of ramadan on the streets of Iraq and the hypocrisy.

Enjoy.....