Wondering what rapper 50 cent is doing gracing the pages of this website? Well, as co-author of what is quickly becoming a business best seller, this book just couldn't be missed.                        Curtis James Jackson III is an American Rapper who has caused much controversy over his anti-social ways, his explicit album lyrics (Get Rich or Die Trying was his 2003 album shown above) and his public feuds. His drug dealing mother was shot when he was in his early teens leaving him to be brought  up by his grandparents.  Curtis... Full review »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:08 PM Comment

Tags: America, business, media, reviews

One of the most surprising announcements this week has been the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama. Even the White House seemed surprised when it handled the announcement from Scandinavia. I think that the decision was premature. He may yet turn out to be a worthy recipient but only time will tell. There were certainly other potential awardees and so there was no shortage of candidates. It is not that Obama was such an obvious front runner. The decision has been controversial across the political spectrum. Even the people who supported Obama in 2008 are dubious whether... Full article »

Tags: America, Asia, peace

Throughout history we have seen great business and political leaders soar to the top of their field before falling on their own sword due to a number of seemingly obvious bad decisions. Herbert Hoover became president of the USA after WW1 after gaining popularity as a great businessman and successful secretary of state. However the great depression put him off his stride and a series of bad economic decisions saw his downfall. Next take An Wang, the Chinese American inventor behind (among other things) the technology that made magnetic core memory possible. Wang empire grew from strength to strength throughout... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:15 PM Comment

Tags: America, business, economics

The passing of Edward Kennedy is the end of a special kind of era. For many Baby Boomers, their first introduction to the exciting world of politics was the Inauguration of his brother John as President in January 1961. Politics was then seen as an honourable profession with a belief that political leaders could actually work for the betterment of human society. People paid high taxes in those days (the highest marginal tax rate was 87cents in the US$ in the conservative Eisenhower years of the 1950s) and people could see via the New Deal and winning World War II... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 10:47 AM 1 comment

Tags: America

Former Goldman Sachs investment banker John Talbott shares with us the 86 biggest lies from wall street and sheds some light onto some of the possible causes of the current economic crisis. His book claims that the American economy was never as strong and robust as it was made out to be. That GDP growth over the past ten or so years has been mainly due to population growth and the fact that many spouses have now entered the workforce rather than through good management. He uncovers the truth that the powers moving America are from the corporate world rather... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:47 PM Comment

Tags: America, economics, media, reviews

Robert McNamara was one of the most remarkable figures in the US Government in the 1960s. He helped escalate the arms race - and then argued against it. He escalated the US's involvement in the Vietnam War - and then he later admitted it had been a mistake. He was a good example of how some people are often a lot smarter after they leave office than when they are in office. At least he was good enough eventually to admit he was wrong - many politicians go through the rest of their life in a state of denial. McNamara... Full article »

Tags: America, conflict

Rating:

• Currently 5

The US Government is plunging even more deeply into debt. Here are two short videos which set out graphically the continuing crisis. To try to make sense of a "trillion" dollars, if a person spent a US$1 million per day for every day since Jesus was born, then it would take until about the year 2737 to spend just the first trillion dollars. History of the Debt The US has always had a national debt. The first version was created at the outset of the American war of independence against the British (1776-1783). As soon as the fighting started, the... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 12:31 AM 1 comment

Tags: America, economics

                      There are clear signs the US is in a mid-season slump what with money worries, the middle east, a young inexperienced president and Arnie threatening to terminate California. It's time for their old mate Aussie to take on a coaching role and help them lift their game. The trouble is Americans are constantly being told by politicians and the media that they are the greatest people in the world living in the greatest country in the world and you can forget all the rest. Secure in that knowledge in... Full article »

Tags: America, Australasia, entertainment, sociology

The Color of Truth looks at the role the Bundy brothers played in setting American foreign policy. McGeorge "Mac" Bundy held the role of United Nations Security Advisor to presidents John F.Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and was best known internationally for his role in escalating the United States involvement in Vietnam. His brother William "Bill" Bundy was a member of the CIA as well as joining his brother in serving Kennedy and Johnson as foreign affairs advisor. Bill played a key part in the planning of the Vietnam war, a war that he had said "was a tragedy waiting to... Full review »

Posted by: Webeditor at 11:28 PM Comment

Tags: America, media, reviews

President Obama demonstrates his lightening quick reactions when a fly lands on him during an interview with CNBC news reporter John Harwood. See the footage here courtesy msnbc.com   Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 7:18 PM 1 comment

Tags: America

Project Censored is an organisation with a mission to "teach students and the public about the role of a free press in a free society - and to tell us the news that didn't make the news and why". The organisation was founded in 1976 by Carl Jenson in the USA and has been training students and the community and researching underreported news stories ever since. The organisation's web sites contains a wealth of information and links to some of those "news that didn't make the news" stories. To find out what stories have made the top 25 censored stories... Full article »

Tags: America, sociology

Rating:

• Currently 3

President Obama is being criticized by the discredited neo-conservatives - who took the US into war in Iraq in 2003 - for not doing enough in Iran. But he has the right policy. Obama knows that the Iranians have a long memory of US intervention in Iran - even if most Americans have long forgotten that history. The overthrow of the Iranian government just over 50 years ago was the first secret operation by the Central Intelligence Agency outside of the Cold War. It was one of the CIA's most successful operations and became one of the standards against which... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 9:46 PM Comment

Tags: America, Asia, business, Middle East

Barack Obama's Cairo speech this month has been one of the important of his speeches this year. He has tried to set a new tone for US relations with the Islamic world. Of course from a cynical point of view, one could question why any speech on Islamic democracy should be made in Egypt - which is far from being a democracy. The problem is that there is no country in the Arab world which is a democracy! At least it could be argued that Egypt is the most populous Arab country. Egypt is also interesting because it is undergoing... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 5:49 PM 1 comment

Tags: Africa, America, law, Middle East, peace

The following transcript has been sourced from the White House press office and can be viewed at the briefing room or by clicking here. If you would prefer to watch the talk it is available here. Please be aware that this video runs for 55 minutes PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you very much. Good afternoon. I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning; and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt's... Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 1:58 PM Comment

Tags: Africa, America, religion

Some very attractive photos of the Obamas have just been published. I discussed them with David Koch and Melissa Doyle on "Sunrise" last week. Among the points I made in the discussion were, first, that the US First Family is very much a family on display. Daughters Malia and Sasha are international celebrities in their own right. This is very different from Australia where the Prime Minister's wife may get some media attention but little media attention is given to the children. My guess is that most Australians could not provide the names the Rudd or Howard children. That side... Full article »

Posted by: Webeditor at 1:14 PM Comment

Tags: America

Pete Seeger from Wikipedia. Photo By Anthony Pepitone

Pete Seeger turned 90 yesterday (3rd May) and celebrated a lifetime of making a difference through song. This much loved folksinger is synonymous with the American civil rights movement - a cause that ruffled the FBI enough to have them ban his band "The Weavers". Down but not out Pete continued to sing his protest songs, entertain and inspire the public through his work. He has been a tireless peace and anti-war campaigner as well as taking on many environmental issues. One of his most successful was the cleaning up of the Hudson River and the subsequent passing of the... Full article »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 12:16 PM Comment

Tags: America, environment, peace

The election of Barack Obama is one of the most dramatic political events in recent history. It remains to be seen how well he does in office. But he has started with immense goodwill both at home and overseas. Opinion polls suggested that if Australians had been able to vote last November, at least 70 per cent would have voted for him. Full article »

Tags: America, business, reviews

The Columbine massacre took place 10 years ago. It was the worst school shooting in US history. It was not the worst shooting in an educational institution as such because a total of 33 people (including the gunman) were killed at Virginia Tech (a higher education institution facility) in April 2007. Full article »

Tags: America, conflict, law

Rating:

• Currently 3

I don't normally comment on movies but a political blog on world affairs should have something to say about the Oliver Stone "W" movie, starring Josh Brolin. Full article »

Tags: America, conflict, Middle East, security

For over fifty years the relationship between Australia and America has flourished. The alliance has bared fruit across many area's of life including the opening up and development of trade, allignment of national security and foreign policy and access to intelligence. Historian and writer Peter Edwards AM explores the relationship over the last fifty years and puts forward his thoughts and hypothesis for the future of this relationship. This paper can be downloaded at the Lowy Institute web site or can be purchased in hard back format. With the Australian-American relationship more of a political institution than a coincidental allignment... Full review »

Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 11:15 AM Comment

Tags: America, Australasia, economics, law, media, reviews