walking next to you...

yesterday, iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad spoke at columbia and well, that was interesting to read about. i myself am not a huge fan of the iranian president...due to a number of obvious reasons, especially his adamant support of holocaust deniers, but i did find it interesting that he was axed in the introduction offered by the president of the university. um...even if he is the president of iran, i think it is common courtesy that you do not insult a guest and well, he was invited to speak so that makes him a guest:) it was interesting that the university head made this country sound a little holier than thou...like we are all about love and justice and community and truth...ahahaha:) he seemed to think he had every right to slap the iranian president over the wrist in a very public arena. i have no opinion...i guess i am just stating the obvious...he is not right but neither are we in many things. i do believe we have plenty of unresolved issues here. plenty of things that make us very black sheep to the rest of the world. it just seems like we need to adapt a new way of dealing with "unlikables" here because if we don't WE will continue to be the "unlikables":)

anywho, he also addressed the UN today. i do not know if anyone tuned in to watch and hear what he had to share but you missed out if you didn't. well, he talked about religion quite a bit, his beliefs and such. he even talked about love and peace. and then he said the most interesting thing. he said his country just wants to have a "peaceful civilian nuclear program"...ahahaha:) oh, i did smile and laugh just a bit. since when is the creation of nuclear weaponry considered a peaceful civilian activity?

yesterday also, the UN hosted a climate summit in preparation for the real thing coming this december, where countries will bind themselves, commit themselves to bettering the world. it was a brilliant idea, i think. it presented an opportunity to discuss the crisis engulfing this planet. 150 nations attended the summit...the US president decided he would sit this one out [side note: al gore and arnold schwarzenegger were there to show they supported the cause]. the US is going to be hosting its own climate summit at the end of this week...i guess "voluntary climate change" is the approach it will be taking. hmmm... i am certain no country is looking forward to the proposed limits of gas emissions but all seem to be looking at the bigger picture...preservation of our already decaying planet. there is a world movement in the works to help slow down the damage already done to the environment. it is incredible that so many nations are willing to put everything aside for the cause of saving the planet... it makes sense though:) i don't know. it just seems like this country should want to take the necessary steps to create a more stable environment for the future generations but the actions being taken by our heads are not showing it.

side note: yesterday, myanmar experienced the biggest anti-government protest since 1988. monks decided to stand up for themselves and for the people by creating a peaceful protest. they chanted "democracy" as they marched through the streets. this protest was calling for peace for the people. freedom from government suppression. the monks were beaten and arrested for choosing to fight for their freedom. oh humanity...

ps...just in case you are not aware, "magna carta for sale"...it is being auctioned off in december for 20-30 million dollars. interesting...