Politics

Football And Politics In Catalunia

Perhaps it’s the lack of a Catalan side to support that causes even the most nationalist of Catalans to put divisions aside. Was this an interesting glance at the mechanics of perceived division?

It’s been said of the nationalist leaders of Catalunya and Spain’s other regions armed with claims to autonomy, that they’re out of touch with the woof and warp of mainstream society. Nationalist aspirations, some say, may have peaked.

Indeed the Catalan nationalist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) now holds only 21 seats in the Catalan Regional Parliament – far fewer than its counterparts in the current leftwing tripartite. But has football really united Spain? It never has the UK, which comes with its own deep-seated divisions. But then each of the UK regions with claims to self-government has their own football team.

Jane Elliot demonstrated irrational class systems based on arbitrary factors. Her bracing “blue-eyed/brown-eyed” exercise originated in the classroom, where first the brown-eyed children and then the blue-eyed children were made superior. As a result of this process of labelling, children of ’superior’ eye-colour both outperformed children of ‘inferior’ eye-colour and their usual selves, while children of ‘inferior’ eye-colour underachieved. This would seem to demonstrate the power of, in this case, white-dominated constructions of reality.

While Jane Elliot’s exercise has roots in tackling racism, there are other constructions of reality that cause irrational divisions and sometimes very real difference. Nation states are the latest entity of identity after tribes. Barcelona has long sought to exert Catalunya, which negotiated its autonomy alongside other regions following Franco’s death in 1975, as a nation. Regional expression and the Catalan language, banned for 40 years under Franco, have flourished. And Catalunya is recognised as a historic nationality.

But Barcelona-based regional power, supported by a significant percentage of the population, want greater autonomy including, among other things, greater powers to collect on taxes.

The drive for greater autonomy has done little to endear Catalans, often labelled as thrifty, joyless souls by the rest of Spain. In 2005, cava lost some of its sparkle during a Spanish boycott of Catalan goods by critics of the drive for Catalan independence.

Perhaps the Catalan support for Spain in the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship is a turning point. Or perhaps allegiances are constructions that unite or untie us as quick as you like. In football as well as political terms, Real Madrid is normally the archrival. Big league Spanish clubs have powerful local identities, which have often been used to reinforce social cohesion politically, while the national side has lacked style and success over recent decades.

But now there is style and success, and there is local representation: The national side draws heavily from ‘Barca’. And on Sunday 30 June 2008 at least, Barca crowds saw something of themselves in a Spanish national entity.

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Why I am Running for President: Special Victims Unit

When presidential candidates are asked why they are running they invariably say something like “I’m bursting with so much love for this great country and its people that running for President is the only patriotic thing to do”. These candidates are also quick to assure us that they do not simply love our country in the abstract, they love each and every one of us personally.

Of course our candidates are human (with the possible exceptions of Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton), so they do tend to love some of us more than others. While sometimes I feel a little bit slighted by this, I am comforted by the fact that politicians show special affection for America’s special victims. This is evidenced by the fact that every stump speech now includes a reference to a tale of at least one hapless citizen that provides the candidate with that extra motivation to soldier on to victory. Every presidential candidate nowadays is winning one for the “Gipper”.

George Gipp was just an unlucky football player. Today’s special victims have to have encountered evil forces that threaten the foundations of the republic. They also had to pass through metal detectors and encountered the candidate long enough to relate their tales of woe. This is more of a challenge than you might think, because listening closely and attentively to other people is not a skill that most politicians have in any great abundance.

It is also clear that not every victim’s tale of woe makes it into a candidate’s stump speech. We would never hear the candidates recount problems like, “your secret service detail had my car towed” or, “I don’t want to be photographed shaking your hand at this restaurant because the woman sitting next to me is not my wife.” Nay, such ordinary complaints do not warrant mention.

In order to make it into a stump speech as a special victim, a tale of woe cannot be trivial. It must be truly awful and most importantly it must underscore the correctness of the candidate’s campaign platform. Not surprisingly then, different political platforms call for different special victims. Republican special victims do not suffer the same woes as Democratic special victims.

From a Republican candidate you might hear about someone like this: ” I am running for President to help folks like Louella Farnsworth. Louella’s late husband Quincy was a great American innovator and entrepreneur. He invented the self fastening American flag lapel pin that I now proudly wear. Sadly Quincy’s company became the victim of a frivolous lawsuit brought by a rapacious trial attorney who falsely alleged that the pin was manufactured with trace metals that caused a rare but deadly skin condition”.

“Despite the frivolity of the claim, a punitive and compensatory damage judgment in excess of $100 million dollars was awarded and Quincy lost his company and most of his fortune. Disheartened and distressed by this gross miscarriage of justice, Quincy sank into a deep depression and died shortly thereafter”.

“Louella next suffered yet another calamity, this time at the hands of the IRS. Down to her last $50 million dollars in assets, she had to pay fully 40% in death taxes, leaving her not only heartbroken but nearly destitute. When I met Louella at a town meeting, with tears in her eye she pressed into my hand one of her few remaining $1,000 bills not taken by trial attorneys and the IRS. So ladies and gentlemen, I fight on not for myself but for those like the Farnsworths who were victimized by rapacious trial attorneys and the IRS”.

From the Democratic candidate you might hear about someone like this:” I am running for President for folks like Mavis Smith,a 70 year old former school teacher living on a fixed income in Cleveland. Last summer she was walking her beloved beagle, Bugle Boy, outside an abandoned chemical plant that had shut down and relocated to Mexico, costing Cleveland over 2,500 jobs. Her beloved dog accidentally waded into a toxic waste pool that the EPA failed to detect because of the administration’s war on the environment”.

“Bugle Boy was left gravely sick. Mavis dipped into her food budget to pay for the steep vet bills to save his life. Bugle Boy pulled through but several months later in an effort to economize Mavis bought a “Big Box” store brand of tainted dog food imported from China. And Bugle Boy died. I met Mavis a few weeks ago at a town meeting and she pressed Bugle Boy’s dog collar into my hand and told me not to forget. So ladies and gentlemen, I fight on not for myself but for those like Mavis Smith”.

Michael Sack Elmaleh is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Valuation Analyst. His book, “Financial Accounting: A Mercifully Brief Introduction”, has received wide critical acclaim. He has nearly 30 years of accounting and 10 years of teaching experience.His web site is understand-accounting.net

What Next For Bahrain?

Bahraini liberals have responded to the growing power of religious parties by organizing themselves to campaign through civil society in order to defend basic personal freedoms from being legislated away. Bahrain is a generally flat and arid archipelago, consisting of a low desert plain rising gently to a low central escarpment, in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain has been proposed to be at list part of Dilmun, a land mentioned by Mesopotamian Civilizations as a trade partner, source of raw material, copper, and entrepot of the Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilization trade route. Bahrains trade with India saw the cultural influence of the subcontinent grow dramatically, with styles of dress, cuisine, and education all showing a marked Indian influence. Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization of its economy to reduce the country’s dependence on oil.

Bahrain is an archipelago of 36 islands located off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain’s development as a major financial center has been the most widely heralded aspect of its diversification effort. Bahrain-Iran relations have been strained since the discovery in 1981 of an Iran-sponsored coup plot in Bahrain. Bahrain assesses heavy fines on visitors who fail to depart Bahrain at the end of their authorized stay.

Bahrain established closer ties with other Persian Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, in the early 1980s, and Bahraini territory was used by coalition forces during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Bahrain’s economy is very free for the Middle East, with higher scores than the world average in eight of the 10 factors of economic freedom. A strategic position between East and West, fertile lands, fresh water, and pearl diving made Bahrain historically a center of urban settlement. The Portuguese invaded Bahrain in 1521 in alliance with Hormuz, seizing it from the Jabrid ruler Migrin ibn Zamil, who was killed in battle.

As a result, most of the Dawasir were compelled to leave Bahrain and settle on the Arabian mainland as subjects of Ibn Saud. Women’s political rights in Bahrain saw an important step forward when women were granted the right to vote and stand in national elections for the first time in the 2002 election. This unique socioeconomic development in the Persian Gulf has meant that Bahrain is generally more liberal than its neighbours. It is too early to say whether political liberalisation under King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has augmented or undermined Bahrain’s traditional pluralism.

The University of Bahrain has been established for standard undergraduate and graduate study, and the College of Health Sciences operating under the direction of the Ministry of Health trains physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics.

Gordon Warre writes about world at large read more at cycling crazy and low fat foods.

What Has France’s New President Done For The Country

This surely cannot be a good time for any new bod in government to try and prove himself? A recession is threatening the world over and all leaders are being held responsible but take a closer look. This has to be one of the hardest jobs on earth and we all need to remember that, although the buck stops firmly with the leaders, they are only human and we all need to do our bit.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been greeted with mixed feelings. His popularity among the ladies is no secret and he is on his third marriage, two of which were statuesque models so he must have certain something. He has been ribbed for his fashion statements but surely this is of no concern to us? If he runs his country well and does his best for the people of France, why should anyone care what watch or suit he wears?

More important are his political views on how he can help the economy so that it doesn’t get sucked into the downward spiral of recession with no foreseeable way out. Sarkozy wants to revive the work ethic and this hasn’t been that popular. But at the expense of losing popularity he knows that hard work is essential to re-building the economy.

Sarkozy has also introduced the idea of French leaseback. Tax allowances on French leaseback properties are to encourage more people into businesses of their own. It also goes a long way to making the nation a nation of property owners, one of Sarkozy’s visions and not such an easy target with today’s property market like it is.

A French leaseback property will provide tax advantages to those buying property with a view to providing an accommodation service to others. It is a way of easing the housing situation for those in need, such as students and the elderly and provides the investor with a way of saving huge amounts on a property while leaving themselves with a retirement place for the future.

As well as the property advantages, it also encourages the work ethic and opens the way for foreign investors. Overseas residents who wish to invest in a French leaseback property are free to do so, enjoying the same tax advantages as the French and also having the added advantage of possibly providing jobs to the French.
Sarkozys opinions on immigrants have left the people of France divided. Whilst wishing to curb illegal immigration, he also wants to integrate skilled migrants into French society. I, for one, cannot see the problem in this and think he has the right idea.

Or, he could behave like the British and just let anyone in to do whatever they want and not contribute towards the good of the country.

The French premier’s understanding of immigration is obvious when you look at his background as the son of a Hungarian immigrant and French mother of Greek Jewish decent. He grew up in France, training as a lawyer but has typically British political leanings. Maybe this early education aided his attitude towards French leaseback which not only helps his own nation but foreigners who wish to invest in his country.

Known country wide as a hard worker, Mr Sarkozy is a fine example for any government to follow – not taking the easiest, most popular route but knowing his own mind and his own country and following his own ideas to the best of his ability. And surely this is why he got the job in the first place.

Political expert Catherine Harvey looks at the way President Sarkozy is using French leaseback opportunities to help his citizens and others.

Delta Force to New Orleans

If you are wondering why the United States can send troops around the world, but failed to respond to a domestic emergency in a timely manner, you are not alone. Expect the lack of planning for emergency relief, in the aftermath and devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina, to be the subject of a federal investigation.

The National Guard arrived in large numbers on Friday, September 2nd, but how is it possible that the poor people of New Orleans were left four days to fend for themselves? Doesn’t the United States have a rapid deployment force?
Yes, we do, and many large military installations are within an hour of the Gulf Coast, when traveling by air.
Many more military bases are within two hours of the devastation.

On Sunday, August 28th – one day before Hurricane Katrina landed on the Gulf Coast it was labeled a category 5 hurricane. So, what was the emergency rescue plan? Was anybody planning any rescue efforts on Sunday night?

As luck would have it, Katrina turned out to be a category 4 Hurricane. Can you imagine the devastation, if this storm had been worse? Some parts of New Orleans are 10 feet below sea level and a system of levees, normally, keeps the surrounding water out.

Referring to the Federal response for relief help, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said, “They don’t have a clue what’s going on down here.” Mayor Nagin’s remarks are an understatement. Logistically speaking, this is not as complicated as a relief effort to Somalia.

President Bush said, “A lot of people are working hard to help those who’ve been affected. The results are not acceptable.” He is not kidding; if we can airlift food and weapons to Afghanistan, why is delivery to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans a problem?

Paul Jerard, is a co-owner/director of Yoga teacher training at Aura Wellness Center. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher.
http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org