i thought they were getting along.

According to the NY Times, Miss Condie Rice had a showdown with Russian official, Lavrov at a meeting of the G8. Lavrov accused the Bush Administration of starting another arms race, just as in the Cold War. He also aggressively stated that if there were to be any resolution recognizing the independece of Kosovo, it would be vetoed...wow. not too new, the throwdown should happen soon. my money is on Condie...i still do not agree with Russia and their steps backward from democracy.

update: DAMN IT! friggin US and oil...making peace seem impossible.

so although the US has issued strong economic sanctions against Sudan in efforts to draw more attention to the region of Darfur, there is a HUGE loophole: OIL EXPORTS! thus, it seems as if this action will not help anything...FRIGGIN A. when there is hope, it seems as if it is immediately taken away. the American and international need for oil has only assisted in the sparking of violence in so many regions around the world.

YAYUH! way to go Bush - tightening sanctions against Sudan

Yesterday, President Bush announced that he is to tighten economic sanctions against the nation of Sudan due to its humanitarian violations because of the genocide occurring in Darfur. this is a step. a big one. but really, there could be so much more going on to stop the genocide. but at least we are really making a stand against what is going on there. hopefully we'll soon be making a bigger one. more aid needs to be sent, military support from countries like the United States is absolutely necessary. i really want this not to be another Rwanda. but i know that in a few years, we'll look back and regret not going in when we should have.

Bush gives a HELL NO to lowering emissions

In response to a German proposal to the US to lower greenhouse emissions, the United States has reponded angrily, stating that it is nearly impossible to cut down as much as Germany and other European nations have recommended. honestly, i just want to see how this global warming discussion will be in just one year with new leadership. the environmental changes that need to be made by our government seem to be shunned by our current government. just wait...i know they'll regret it when we're the only ones that still haven't signed the Kyoto Protocol. stubborn US!

high five for the little guy!

alright! so Macedonian Ambassador, Srgjan Kerim has been announced as the newly elected President of the United Nations General Assembly, the largest organ of the UN. i love reading this stuff in the news because it highlights the ability for the not so powerful countries to have the biggest say in organizations like the United Nations. now if only the US and other powerful counties would really pay attention to the work of the UN.

look out...it's a bird, it's a plane, no! it's CHINA!

Looking to expand its national space program, China has shown its interest to expand its own space program, without recognition from the United States. Because the United States has been excluding China from its international space program, China has announced that it plans to start its own program. It also states that China hopes its program will be able to foster hope for developing nations unable to start their own space programs by helping them initiate their own national programs.

What happened?! I thought the US and China were meant to be BFF! this just proves how much a threat and power China is truly growing to be. i swear in 10 years, we will be seeing China as the biggest power in the international community. the olympics, and now conquering space?! just watch out for China now...the world has seen nothing yet. well really though, cause China won't let anyone see anything.

Dubya and NATO Secretary General meet at the Ranch

During the weekend, the NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met with US President Bush at the Bush residence to discuss the current coalition that is struggling in Afghanistan, as well as the harsh criticisms and remarks that the Russian government has made regarding their relationships with NATO and missile planning.

well now that Russia has agreed to stop talking crap about them, they start talking back. i love the ideals that come with NATO, but honestly in order them to actually come true, its relations must embrace the policies of Russia. thus, it looks like this won't happen anytime soon. but, we'll see maybe Russia will just change its mind after all...pull a jk and not become the USSR. wait...maybe its too late.

FINALLY! bye bye Wolfowitz!

big bad Wolfowitz finally peaced out. he announced his resignation as the President of the World Bank after the board accepted his mistakes were made in good faith. all i gotta say is good riddance man. i've heard way too much about this guy for far too long! he needed to just go already. so aloha. get outta here man. the World Bank needs leaders stronger than that guy. honestly, the credibility of the World Bank as an international power has disappeared just because he wanted to hook up with some girl.

update: kudos to Condie!

The NY Times released an article stating that after Rice's meeting with Putin, Russia has agreed to stop the harsh language done by Russian leaders against the foreign policy decisions made by the Bush Administration.

alright so I know no one really loves Condie...but she really is such an intelligent indvidual. i admire her because she has shown that American women could make a huge difference in foreign policy. but still, i think a lot of it is due to the sexual tension between Condie and Putin =)

Condie swears that the US and Russia love is still alive

Condoleezza Rice is currently on her way to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to discuss US and Russia relations with focus on Putin's criticisms on the US' missile tests and plans. She insists that the relationship between the two countries has not gone back to that between the United States and the USSR during the Cold War. Instead, she states that their relationship is currently improving.

okay now you tell yourself that, Condie. really now. all Putin and Condie have been doing while apart is criticizing each other about their nations' foreign policies. we'll see how this works out. i'm sure they'll be civilized while they're in the same room in front of the cameras. but once apart, Putin will go back to calling Bush a Hitler, and Condie will go on to defend Bush. talk about passive aggressive...look at the sexual tension in the picture!

US wants to be BFF with China

The new commander of US forces in Pacific Asia has announced his goals in meeting with military leaders from China in Beijing. He hopes to further build alliances between the two military powers in discussing concerns over past missle tests from China and discussions over relations over navy forces and ports.

alright now the US really seems like its beggin for some love from China...and China absolutely loves it. i love this quote from Admiral Keating: "The improvement in China's military is significant," he said. "They are getting better. The equipment, the hardware that China is fielding, is improving." haha and therefore we need you to be our allies. please. pretty please?

Putin thinks that Bush=Hitler

in a speech to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany, Putin criticized the foreign policy of the United States by comparing it to that of the Third Reich. he focused on the unilateral action of the Bush Administration, stating that it seeks to replace the bipolar world of the Cold War with a unipolar world of the Iraqi War. wow i really never thought of it that way...mainly because i'm so not a Putin fan. although he does make a point, he also should put his foot in his mouth because he is pretty bringing the fascism and dictatorship that Hitler embraced himself. maybe they need to hug it out, cause honestly they both have a lot in common.

gotta love Bill!

The Clinton Foundation has announced that they have reached an agreement regarding generic treatments for HIV/AIDS. Former President Bill Clinton announced that generic versions of very expensive second-line drugs would be made available at a drastically lower price. His annoucement was made with Thailand's health minister, who as well as Brazil's health minister have broken the patent laws made by the WTO in order to offer cheaper versions of treatments. Because of this, death rates due to diseases like HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis have dropped drastically in each nation.

OMG. i really love me some Bill Clinton. this really could save so many lives, and draw so much more attention toward the topic of generic drugs. i love too that this highlights the work done by the health ministries of Brazil and Thailand who have essentially given rich pharmaceutical companies the finger in order to save lives. high five Bill. one step closer in saving the world.

Save the Children

Today, humanitarian organization Save the Children announced that the child death rates for those under the age of five in the poorest of nations have drastically decreased. The exceptions include the war ridden Iraq and certain areas in Sub-Saharan Africa that have been greatly afflicted by HIV/AIDS. The organization states that this improvement has been due to the work done by nations to improve health care, family planning, and hygenic values.

i really love this article because it shows that there is hope for nations that have allowed their policies to change because of the drastic poverty that has afflicted them. it also draws focus on the great problems that War and HIV/AIDS have caused in bettering the living situations for developing countries. this only means that we need a cure, and we need to find more peaceful ways to gain means. i still think that people in the US do not know enough about the poverty that goes on outside of out country. hopefully people could wake up see what needs to be done. we need to find cheaper treatments, have more focus on finding a cure for HIV/AIDS, and find a way to peacefully approach the problems in war ridden nations.

the fake stuff

so the NY Times posted an article today regarding the condition of generic drugs that are allocated in developing countries. it explains that in multiple cases, antifreeze and other poisonous ingredients have been found in drugs that have been injested by patients looking for cheaper forms of the treatment they need to survive. honestly, this is by far my favorite international studies topic to talk about because it explains so well the difficulties in keeping the balance between proper world trade and saving lives at the same time. generic drugs has become an increasing topic in the world that deals with HIV/AIDS because there is that question - Should rich pharmaceutical companies allow the technically illegal use of their patents in order for developing countries to afford life saving treatment? OR Should they be able to not allow the use of their patents in order for more income to come in in order for more research for a cure to occur? i feel as if this article kinda doesn't encompass the whole picture. the US people do not know how expensive treatments are to save lives, especially in the case of ARVs for HIV/AIDS. but it is true that there are dangers in the allocation of generic drugs...but what about the dangers of letting individuals die simply because treatment is unaffordable?

for once, we should just friggin listen to Al Gore.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued its final report on what must be done to stabilize the condition of the planet's temperature - start lowering gas emissions NOW. The report came after days and nights of deliberations from experts on the multiple factors of global warming. The main concern seemed to be a need to start finding ways for alternative energy in order to survive, as well as integrating the decreasing of greenhouse gases into international policy.

AMEN! how much warning do we need? If we do not take care of this now, we won't survive, our children won't survive, and our species will no longer exist. its funny how global warming used to be seen as a joke, and now it could be the biggest threat to mankind. the Kyoto protocol NEEDS to be overlooked...AND the United States needs to friggin get involved in saving the enviornment for once.