Be grateful for your job

It's too easy to complain about your present position, whether it be as a nightshift cashier in a supermarket or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, without appreciating how you got there. Where would we be without mothers taking in laundry so that their children could take piano lessons, or fathers working second jobs so that their children could attend college? Before you go any further, stop and give thanks for the contributions others have made in your life.

You say, "But things are not going too well for me right now." Perhaps, but when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers he couldn't possibly conceive that God would turn their evil intentions inside out and establish him as a leader to save the nation. The Bible records story after story where adversity leads to advancement and loss leads to gain. There's a master plan unfolding in your life. Be wise, take the lessons you've learned into the future God has in mind for you. When evil comes, be comforted in knowing that God is in control. The Devil may be stoking the fire you're in, but rest assured that God has His hand on the thermostat!

The story of Job teaches us that the Devil has to be given permission to attack us. So if God is allowing the attack, surely He's planning our victory. He wouldn't allow us to be in a battle we couldn't win! God looks for hand-picked people He can send into difficult environments, that He might be glorified. He makes all things "work together for good" (Ro 8:28) so don't be intimidated. Just keep your eyes open and see what God is up to!

This story talk about the young people who love buildings, cathedrals and something belong to a concept of architecture which I still dont know well ^^ I've just written by my sensibilities and I've written as a present to give someone who's falling in love or will fall in love.

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Hiroyuki has just came back home from his journey with a no-hair head.

-What's happened to you??-Asked his mother.

-Nothing.Okaasan, dont worry.In Thailand, Isaw Thai young was shaving their hair to be monk.I'm enjoyed.And I've done like them.Ah, Okaasan, they said the pagoda is very sacred.- Hiroyuki laughed when he was looking the astonishment in his mother's eyes.

Let him remember , how many places he has been to??When he graduated from university in Australia, he was pondering on what he should do: Stay at Australia or come back homecountry.With a little saving money, he decided leave Australia to visit Greece, France, England, Netherlands, Hongkong, Cambodia, Singapore,Thailand and eventually he is walking on streets of his 2nd homecountry - Vietnam. He will never forget the beauty of Greece, part-time jobs in cateen in Liverpool, Manchester United...What he has done to fulfil his ambition : watching beautiful constructions in the world.He taken so many photograpths because it's not only his own ambition but also the ambition of another special person.

***********************

How many years Ruby and Hiroyuki didnt see each other??Today, like a miracle, Hiroyuki's standing in here...Ruby couldnt believe in her eyes. Is she dreaming??Or she's got hallucination from the nostalgia about the time they've together...No!!It's not dream.This is Hiroyuki whom she fall in love.He's smiling and looking at her with peaceful eyes.His arms are waiting for her.He really came back to her!!!Ruby leant her head on his chest,her skinny fingers touched his hairless head.

-You dont have anything differently.No beard, and now, no hair.-Is any student who's good at literature and language put into words like you do??-Hiroyuki frowned.

-Haha no problem,these sentences are suitable for you.Ah, you're suntanned and thinner than me!!- Ruby overenjoyed

-Franch turkey, English hamberger, Thai foods, and spider, locust, cockroach in Cambodia ...are never as tasty as foods you cook.

-Maybe-Ruby smiled.

-And you??My confident girl, now you're famous girl arent you??

-Noway!!I'm not a star,darling!!-Ruby pinched his nose

-Ah, why didnt I know you can compose??Did you write for me??

They climbed up the stairs of the cathedral and sat on the last stair.

-maybe.Because you're wonderful man!!-Ruby laughed

-Uhm,but besides, you can dance, you can carry the things which's taller than you and heavier than me...How skillful you are!!- Hiroyuki put a kiss on her short brown hair.

Ruby smiled without saying a word.She herself never image she can do all that thing and do it well.

-I'm proud of you,Ruby.But you didnt say anything about me when you were talking on TV.Tell me the reason, my little Ruby.Dont you want me to be famous guy like you??-Hiroyuki joking

Ruby flushed " I dont want to share you with anyone.I want to hold you for myself"

-A ha ! Hontou desuka??? You're selfish girl, arent you??Okie, I will never share you with anyone too.I will hold you for myself in my lifetime.Next time, if I go to anywhere, I will let you at home.

just hearing the word " go", Ruby cant restrain herself from overenjoyed

-Where did you go??Which places you have been to??Tell me !! Tell me!!

-Hahaha, I have a present to you.But dont open it now.Let open when I'm not beside you.- Hiroyuki gave Ruby the photo album.

Ruby is studying at Faculty of Tourism, Hanoi Open University, but she love constructions in the world (it's the reason why she love a architect like Hiroyuki).Ruby's character is lovely contradistinction.Noone can image a confident and active girl like Ruby can be very tenderly in love.Sometimes Hiro asked her, but she has just shrugged and smiled :" because I'm a girl, like you're a guy" Hix, her answers always make him confused.Sometimes Hiro wonder if he wasnt Hiro and Ruby wasnt Ruby, perhaps they've never loved each other.Hiro love jazz,romanticism, classical beauty,Vietnam..Ruby love Rock Gothic, realism, modern beauty, Japan...their characters and their hobbies are completely contrast to each other.But they have same ambition: travelling around the world and watching constructions.It's pity that Ruby couldnt cancel her study at university and her part-time job in entertainment company to go travelling with him.But they're still too young.Someday, he will take her to places where she want to visit.But now, he just show her places he has been to through photos he has taken.The photos are not only place names but also his love for Ruby...

Another night at the last stair of the cathedral, Ruby leant on Hiro's shoulders.

-Hiro, tonight is too cold, isnt it???

-Yes,I see.Do you feel warm when I hug you??-Joked Hiro

-No, it's not like that.Another reason.-Ruby winked

-Coz you've got a big money from that entertainment company??

-Stll wrong!!

-I have no idea!!-Hiro shrugged

-Who gave me the album of many beautiful places??Who ate my foods with no complain??Do you know who's that??

-Oh, Coz of that reason, my girl???-Hiro kissed on her lips.Passionable.

-I will buy the copyright of this album, okie??-Ruby smiled, happied.

-Haha, that's a good idea!!!Strange idea!!!How much??My director??I'm jobless and I have no money, honey.

-It's enough for you to shave your hair in Thailand once more,my unemployed architect!!

-My Kokoro, I think it's enough for me to buy a handcuffs and inlay it with Ruby.Uhm, let me think, how about the word "H&R"-Hiro & Ruby???

-No, I want to engrave the word "EA", Eien Aishiteimasu, Em yeu Anh....-Ruby hold him tight.

-Oh, or I will buy a digital camera to take photographs about places where we will visit??And I will buy a SIM just only to call you every night, okie???

-No, I just want a normal camera-Ruby pouted, said.

-Oh, Hontou desuka???-Hiro overenjoyed laughed.

Hiro hold Ruby's hands, tonight is not too cold....

****************************

There're the roads which very long and very far, but there's the love which very close and very deep.like the journeys makes our geographical distance be further, but in truth, I'm very close to you.....

Mimerose Casimir, une jeune femme, a été présentée comme un «ex-zombie» au kiosque Occide Jeanty, le 18 novembre au Champ de Mars, devant des milliers de personnes. Souffrante, Mimerose Casimir s'était rendue au printemps dernier à Tiburon, localité d’où elle est originaire, racontent des membres de sa famille présents au Champ de mars lors d’une croisade de deux jours organisé par la Vihamo les 17 et 18 novembre. Mais sa famille n’allait plus revoir, jusqu’à aujourd’hui, cette jeune femme qui a laissé à son supposé décès trois enfants. La croyant morte des suites de sa maladie, ses proches l’avaient enterrée à Tiburon le 8 avril 2008 avant de rentrer à Port-au-Prince où ils devaient encore rembourser les dettes contractées pour ses obsèques. Mais à leur grande surprise, les parents de Mimerose allaient retrouver celle-ci dans les parages de Télé Haïti, au Bicentenaire à Port-au-Prince. Mimerose était en vie et revêtue de la robe mauve avec laquelle elle avait été enterrée sept mois plus tôt. Cependant, elle n’était dans son bon sens et ne pouvait pas relever la tête, ont fait savoir ses proches. Les membres de la famille de Mimerose Casimir l’avaient alors amenée chez le pasteur Joseph Maxo connu pour recevoir d’autres cas de ce type dans son bureau à Delmas, au siège du Vihamo. Depuis, Mimerose est dans ce centre où elle se remet petit à petit. «Elle parle peu mais mange beaucoup», indique le pasteur Maxo qui dit avoir prié pour elle dans les premiers moments. «Mimerose n’est pas tout à fait elle-même, elle a des allers-retours. Dans ses moments de lucidité, elle raconte qu’elle a été séquestrée et zombifiée à Tiburon, la ville où elle a été enterrée, et qu’elle aurait été vendue par son conjoint», ajoute le pasteur. Pendant sa détention, Mimerose dit avoir été contrainte de travailler dans des bus à Tiburon et dans d’autres villes du pays. Un traitement spécial lui a été infligé par ses «maîtres» pour obtenir sa soumission d’esclave. Ces derniers lui avaient fendu la plante des pieds à coup de lames de rasoir et l’avaient beaucoup battue, relate-t-elle. En témoignent ses nombreuses cicatrices. «Elle réclame tout le temps de retourner à l’école», indique le pasteur. Mimerose affirme s’être enfuie lors de l’incident au Cap-Haïtien en août dernier quand plusieurs zombies comme elle s'étaient échappés. Plusieurs entreprises à Port-au-Prince emploient ce genre de personnes qui ne demandent qu’à être libérées de leur condition, termine le pasteur Joseph qui projette de construire un centre de réhabilitation de zombies.

In my ongoing quest to get Americans to visit the rest of the world, I've decided to answer a series of questions about the continent I grew up in, which some people still refer to as Darkest Africa.

Question: I am thinking of going on a mission trip to Kenya, but my mother is against it, because she was watching the National Geographic channel the other day and found out that there are lions there. Is that true and how do I protect myself? -- Mike, New York.

Answer: Yes, there are lions in Kenya and most of them, as your mother may have told you, are big and hungry. Now you know why Kenyans are such good runners. You can protect yourself by wearing a good pair of running shoes and always carrying a spear. It's also wise to travel with a companion, preferably one who's slower than you. I don't mean to scare you, but most lions in Kenya are tired of eating local people and consider foreigners a delicacy. So please give your mother a big hug before you leave. And don't forget to write a will.

Q: My company has offered me a short stint in Zimbabwe. Before I accept, I have a couple of questions. Does Zimbabwe have any cities? What about electricity? -- Luther, Maryland.

A: There are no cities in Zimbabwe, only villages. Harare is the capital village. There's no electricity either, just something called electrivillage. Don't worry: It will provide enough light for your hut, as long as you remember to fill it up regularly with fireflies.

Q: My husband and I are traveling to Somalia next month. Do they accept credit cards there or should we carry cash? -- Jennifer, North Carolina.

A: Neither. Your best bet is to carry lots of shells. You can buy them at a crafts store or collect them at the beach. Five hundred shells will get you a room in a decent hotel, but if you want to stay in a first-class one, you'll probably have to shell out more.

Q: My friends and I will be visiting South Africa soon, but would also like to see the magnificent Victoria Falls in Zambia. Can we travel there by air? -- Josh, Washington.

A: Yes, you can certainly travel by air. Just get on a tree and keep swinging. You'll be there in no time. And you're right: the Victoria Falls is magnificent. It's like the Niagara on Viagra.

Q: I'm going to be spending two years in Uganda as a Peace Corps volunteer. I will have plenty of work during the day, but I'm not sure how to spend my nights. What do Ugandans do for entertainment? -- Donna, Connecticut.

A: Ugandans are just like other Africans. They entertain themselves by sitting in a circle around a fire and singing "Kumbaya." In some remote villages, they may even tell jokes about any foreigner in their midst. But if they start calling the event a "roast," be prepared to run.

Q: I am hoping to visit Namibia in a few months. Just wondered if I should take my cell phone with me. Will I be able to communicate with it? -- Nathan, Indiana.

A: You will certainly be able to communicate with it. Just use the buttons to make clicking sounds. Here's the key: one click means 'I come in peace,' two clicks mean 'Take me to your leader,' and three clicks mean 'No, I am not edible.'

La souveraineté alimentaire est un concept développé et présenté pour la première fois par Via Campesina lors du Sommet de l'alimentation organisé par la FAO à Rome en 1996 [1]. Il a depuis été repris et précisé par les altermondialistes lors des différents Forums Sociaux Mondiaux.

La souveraineté alimentaire est présentée comme un droit international qui laisse la possibilité aux pays ou aux groupes de pays de mettre en place les politiques agricoles les mieux adaptées à leurs populations sans qu'elles puissent avoir un impact négatif sur les populations d'autres pays. La souveraineté alimentaire est donc une rupture par rapport à l'organisation actuelle des marchés agricoles mise en œuvre par l'OMC.

Complémentaire du concept de sécurité alimentaire qui concerne la quantité d'aliments disponibles, l'accès des populations à ceux-ci, l'utilisation biologique des aliments et la problématique de la prévention et gestion des crises, la souveraineté alimentaire accorde en plus une importance aux conditions sociales et environnementales de production des aliments. Elle prône un accès plus équitable à la terre pour les paysans pauvres, au moyen si nécessaire d'une réforme agraire et de mécanismes de sécurisation des droits d'usage du foncier.

Au niveau local, la souveraineté alimentaire favorise le maintien d'une agriculture de proximité destinée en priorité à alimenter les marchés régionaux et nationaux. Les cultures vivrières et l'agriculture familiale de petite échelle doivent être favorisées, du fait de leur plus grande efficacité économique, sociale et environnementale, comparée à l'agriculture industrielle et les plantations de grande échelle où travaillent de nombreux salariés. La place et le rôle des femmes sont privilégiés.

La souveraineté alimentaire privilégie des techniques agricoles qui favorisent l'autonomie des paysans. Elle est donc favorable à l'agriculture biologique et à l'agriculture paysanne. Elle refuse l'utilisation des plantes transgéniques en agriculture


Notes et références:


↑ DECLARATION DU FORUM DES ONG ADRESSEE AU SOMMET MONDIAL DE L'ALIMENTATION [archive]
↑ texte de Via Campesina sur la souveraineté alimentaire qui a été distribué à Porto Alegre 2003 [1] [archive]
↑ Jeffrey Sachs & Andrew Warner, Economic reform and the process of global integration, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1995
↑ Johan Norberg, Plaidoyer pour la mondialisation capitaliste, Plon, 2003, p.99

La souveraineté alimentaire est un concept développé et présenté pour la première fois par Via Campesina lors du Sommet de l'alimentation organisé par la FAO à Rome en 1996 [1]. Il a depuis été repris et précisé par les altermondialistes lors des différents Forums Sociaux Mondiaux.

La souveraineté alimentaire est présentée comme un droit international qui laisse la possibilité aux pays ou aux groupes de pays de mettre en place les politiques agricoles les mieux adaptées à leurs populations sans qu'elles puissent avoir un impact négatif sur les populations d'autres pays. La souveraineté alimentaire est donc une rupture par rapport à l'organisation actuelle des marchés agricoles mise en œuvre par l'OMC.

Complémentaire du concept de sécurité alimentaire qui concerne la quantité d'aliments disponibles, l'accès des populations à ceux-ci, l'utilisation biologique des aliments et la problématique de la prévention et gestion des crises, la souveraineté alimentaire accorde en plus une importance aux conditions sociales et environnementales de production des aliments. Elle prône un accès plus équitable à la terre pour les paysans pauvres, au moyen si nécessaire d'une réforme agraire et de mécanismes de sécurisation des droits d'usage du foncier.

Au niveau local, la souveraineté alimentaire favorise le maintien d'une agriculture de proximité destinée en priorité à alimenter les marchés régionaux et nationaux. Les cultures vivrières et l'agriculture familiale de petite échelle doivent être favorisées, du fait de leur plus grande efficacité économique, sociale et environnementale, comparée à l'agriculture industrielle et les plantations de grande échelle où travaillent de nombreux salariés. La place et le rôle des femmes sont privilégiés.

La souveraineté alimentaire privilégie des techniques agricoles qui favorisent l'autonomie des paysans. Elle est donc favorable à l'agriculture biologique et à l'agriculture paysanne. Elle refuse l'utilisation des plantes transgéniques en agriculture

MUNGU AKUBARIKI (ANGELS OF AFRICA)

I LAY IN BED AND CLOSED MY EYES
I THOUGHT THAT I WAS DREAMING
NOW I STAY AWAKE EACH NIGHT
TO HEAR THE ANGELS SINGING

MUNGU AKUBARIKI MUNGU AKUBARIKI
GOD BLESS THE ANGELS OF AFRICA
MUNGU AKUBARIKI MUNGU AKUBARIKI
GOLDEN ANGELS DRAPED IN WHITE

I ASKED THE MAN WHO MADE THIS LAND
TO SET MY PEOPLE FREE
YOUR PRAYERS THEY WILL BE ANSWERED SOON
THE ANGEL SANG TO ME

(CHORUS)

DON'T LET THIS WORLD BRING YOU DOWN
HOLD YOUR HEAD UP RISE ABOVE
THINK OF THEM AND SING THIS SONG
IT WILL FILL YOUR HEART WITH LOVE

(CHORUS)

Words by Clarita Zarate
Music by Barry Finnerty and Clarita Zarate

Subject: Watch the all new Obama ad
Also available at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XywL8Xc7ko

How to get a job in the Obama administration

If Barack Obama inspired you so much that after voting for him you now want to work for him, there are thousands of jobs to be had in the new administration.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27476450/from/ET/
INBOX: Email 1 of 21

I came across this story early this morning. I don't know who wrote it. It is very beautiful:

The Betrothal of Snow Bird, Princess of the Seneca Indians


The only daughter of chief Bald Eagle and his wife, White Rock, was Snow Bird. As a young girl she played at the base of these towering rocks, often gazing at their topmost peaks and longing to be able to climb to the tallest of them. As a young woman, she became the most beautiful of all the maidens of the Senecas. Her rank and beauty brought many men from her tribe and neighboring tribes courting her. The rivalry caused her to face the serious problem of choosing a mate. When the day arrived to choose a mate, seven young warriors, all suitors for the hand of the Seneca princess, assembled in an open space and arranged themselves in a semi-circle facing the mighty rocks. The faint-hearted had dropped from the contest, not daring to face the ordeal to which they were sure they would be subjected. Silence reigned on all sides. This rush of expectancy was on all until the beautiful Princess Snow Bird clad in the royal garb of her tribe, moved swiftly and gracefully into the circle and faced her lovers. She lifted her hand and silence fell upon the assembled. Ever since I was a little girl, I have watched yonder rocks push their rugged summits into the heavens and many times I have longed to be able to climb to their topmost crags. There have I spent the happiest, the most enjoyable days of my life. Of all the Seneca Indians, I am the only one who has accomplished the feat. One day, about a moon past, I decided upon a contest, a trial of bravery and endurance. You will soon engage in this contest, and to the successful one of you, I will give my hand, my heart and my life."

Princess Snow Bird set out on the journey, followed by the seven braves. Upward they climbed, the sure-footed maiden always leading. As the climb became more and more difficult, three of the seven turned back, dispirited and disappointed. Another followed to the fifth pinnacle and then wearied of the struggle and gave up. A fifth man crumpled in a heap near the same pinnacle and was rescued from death by the fourth, who led him back to safety. The two that remained followed closely in the footsteps of the maiden. Finally, with renewed determination, they set out on the last and most dangerous stretch of the journey, the maiden as always, in the lead. At last she reached the summit and turned to look for her most persistent suitor. He was only a few feet below her. In this moment of waiting, his foot slipped on the ledge of rock. The maiden hesitated for a fraction of a second. Was he not the bravest and strongest of the Senecas? Where would she ever find his equal? So with the alertness and strength of her young arms, she caught the falling brave and drew him to safety and to herself. Long they sat together talking of their future, and then as darkness approached, the two lovers descended by the trail at the rear of the gigantic rocks. They stood before Chief Bald Eagle and White Rock. The great chief conferred upon his newfound son-in-law the authority to become his successor as chief of the tribe.

video link:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/barack-obama-democratic-c_n_122224.html

Transcript - Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech - Text - NYTimes.com
Here is the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/us/politics/28text-obama.html

In Big Shift, Latino Vote Was Heavily for Obama



By JULIA PRESTON
Published: November 6, 2008
Latino voters shifted in huge numbers away from the Republicans to vote for Senator Barack Obama in the presidential election, exit polls show, providing the votes that gave him unexpectedly large margins of victory in three battleground states: Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

Hey,

President-Elect Obama is hard at work getting this country back on track, but he's counting on input from all of us.

I just wrote in to share my vision for where President-Elect Obama should lead the country, and I thought you might want to do the same:

http://www.change.gov/yourvision

Thanks.

written by Barry Finnerty
A President Without Precedent

November 5, 2008

Unbelievable. What happened last night was unbelievable. A historic, cathartic moment that could possibly have redefined our country to ourselves and to the world. Barack Hussein Obama is now the president-elect of the United States of America.

After 8 years of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. After all the shameless lying, the cheating, the dirty tricks, the stolen elections, the war-mongering, the scandals, the stonewalling, the incompetence, the relentless attacks on our civil liberties and the Constitution, and the greatest transfer of public wealth to the private sector, that is to say, the greatest mass rip-off in the history of the world, there appears to be a glimmer of hope. Democracy just might not be dead after all.

Personally, I was one of the millions that were swept off our collective feet by the Obama phenomenon. The guy is brilliant. He is the most inspiring political speaker that I can ever remember hearing. He has an uncanny ability to appeal to the better part of human nature. To our intelligence, not our fears. To our sense of justice, not our prejudices. The part that knows we are all in this together.

His story is truly a realization of the American dream. He is not one of the children of money and power. This son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Africa has raised himself up from his humble beginnings, and in a nation where the deck was totally stacked against him, he has achieved the most powerful office in the world. Because in this increasingly multi-ethnic and multi-racial society, he is the embodiment of unity.

But wait a minute. How did this happen? Or, more specifically, how - and WHY was this ALLOWED to happen?

Because if the last two presidential elections proved anything, they proved that the right wing of American politics has the power to steal an election from right under the nose of the American people. And that with their corporate control of the media, they have the power to (largely) cover it up.

I was one of millions of people who was seriously afraid that they would do it again.
And get away with it. What is - or was - there to stop them?

Why, in this election, were the final results almost exactly the same as the polls predicted, when in 2004 the exit polls showed that Kerry had won both Ohio and Florida, and there was absolutely NO media questioning of the "official" results?

In most countries, the exit polls are a very exact science - usually within 1/2 of 1 percent - that insure that votes are being fairly counted. Why - in 2004 - were we asked to accept a 4-point differential without question? And why - with the exception of Robert F. Kennedy Jr's article in Rolling Stone - was there no major media coverage?

And let's not even talk about the 2000 debacle, in which the U.S. Supreme Court awarded the presidency to George W. Bush, while blocking a recount which by all impartial estimates would have proved that Al Gore had won Florida, and hence the election.

So here we are. November 5. 2008. With the amazing Barack Obama ... the first black, African-American President-elect of the United States. I have to ask, what persuaded the powers that be - the real powers behind the scenes, pulling the strings - to allow this?

Did our democracy just miraculously fix itself? Did the electronic voting machine
companies, which, as we remember, promised to deliver the election to Bush in 2004, suddenly put honesty above hackability? Were the vote caging, vote suppression, voter disenfranchisement, and other Karl Rove-style dirty tricks that worked so well for Bush in the last two elections just not good enough this time? Did the corporate media that reported on none of the above acquire a conscience? Was the organization that Obama built good enough, smart enough, big enough, and above all POWERFUL enough to stop them from stealing it again?

Well, maybe. I mean, the man won. And I think it's great. Stunningly, amazingly great. And one of the MOST important things that his victory represents is what it means to the world. The entire planet looks to America for inspiration and leadership. They want so badly to have an America that they can believe in again...
just like WE do. And having an American President with brown skin named Barack Hussein Obama might just take some of the fire out of the world terrorist movement. I think at the very least they (the terrorists) are going to wait and see.

All across the globe, in Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Europe, people are celebrating, breathing a collective sigh of relief, and most of all hoping that with this man things will really be different.

Think of it. After a guy who reportedly called the Constitution "just a goddamned piece of paper" we have a man who actually taught classes in constitutional law! Let us hope that Obama will work to undo the numerous violations of the Constitution that have occurred under Mr. Bush, many of them having been actually passed into law.

Let us also hope that Mr. Obama will recognize the need to show his country and the world that the extraordinary executive powers that were arrogantly asserted
under Bush and Cheney, mostly under the pretext of the "war on terror", are in themselves a threat to our national security because they undermine the foundation of our constitutional democracy. He needs to disavow those powers and return the government to its proper constitutional balance. And he knows better than most of us what that is supposed to be.

Barack Obama is an honorable man. Comparing him to what we have had for the last 8 years is like comparing intelligence to ignorance. Humility to arrogance. Honesty to utter mendacity. Compassion to indifference. And hope to despair.

He really made people believe in America again. That it CAN work the way it is supposed to. That democracy IS still real and alive. And people want SO badly to believe that. Here and all across the world.

And I think maybe the people at the top said, "You know what? It's more important for America to be perceived this way in the world than it is for us to fix the election again and continue our right-wing fascist agenda. We got away with it twice. We made hundreds of billions of dollars. The wars are still going on. He's not going to cut the military budget. We should be OK for a while. Three times in a row might be too much. There would be riots in the streets and we'd have to bring in the Army and it would make us look REALLY bad. Let the people have their vote... and let them have a real result... this time."

Illusion? Reality?

I would SO much love to believe that this election signifies a true comeback for democracy and the beginning of the end of the dominance of rich, greedy white men. But I think that might be a little too much to hope for.

That being said, I am very happy to call Barack Obama MY new President.

As it did for so many others, it even brings tears to my eyes.

Because the last years have been so hard. And I want to believe again too.