• Why Iraq is NO reason to reject President Blair
• Why the Iraq Inquiry is not a reason to reject President Blair
• Chat of the day: Barack Obama and Herman van Who? Rompuy/

Have you seen the front page of the Daily Tory errr Telegraph today? No? Don’t bother, it’s not worth it. In fact, it’s worse than Dacre’s Daily Mail (can’t believe I am saying that).It definitely has to be the Telegraph which wins my Nobel Prize of Intellectual Antimatter for the best non-story of the week!

Sir Kennedy, who is supposed to reform MP’s expenses, is a close friend of Tony Blair’s former “spin doctor” Alastair Campbell. He’s so close to the former Prime Minister’s inner circle that he even went on holiday with him, Alastair Campbell, Neil Kinnock, Philip Gould and Jonathan Powell. Let alone he was a guest at Chequers, helped Alastair to prepare his evidence for the Hutton inquiry and failed as his telephone joker on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”(hang on, who cares about that when Alastair managed to survive the fatal judgment of Sir Alan Sugar on The Apprentice?).

Now, isn’t that a conspiracy? Doesn’t it put Sir Kennedy’s independence at risk? Doesn’t it imply that evil Tony Blair and his supreme master of spin are back again to manipulate the expenses reform? In the end, Tony’s words are Alastair’s words and so are Alastair’s words Sir Kennedy’s words?

The answer is a definite and resounding NO.

In fact, it’s a supreme and extreme example of opportunistic hypocrisy by the right wing press.

Tony Blair warned quite a while ago that the media has become a “feral beast”, obsessed with impact and more concerned about sales than balanced journalism and truth.

The dividing lines between tabloids, “quality” press and broadcasters are blurring and sometimes even disappear. So does the distinction between facts and opinion. As a reader, you are not required to make up your own mind anymore. The mainstream media feeds you with propaganda and factoids.

A prime example is the infamous row between Alastair Campbell and Jon Snow on Channel 4, in the light of the Hutton inquiry back in 2003.

Watch here:

(Btw,I don’t want to sound like a know-all, but isn’t it extremely funny that Snow disses Alastair over a spelling mistake which apparently wasn’t his fault, even though Channel 4 doesn’t seem to manage to write the name Alastair (NOT Alistair) correctly?LOL)

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It’s extraordinary how Snow tries to distort the facts in order to justify his anti war position.That’s the main problem about the whole Iraq debate. You can’t have a serious public discourse because so many journalists and broadcasters out there deliberately manipulate the facts. It is like a poisoned chalice. The media has become -almost chemically -dependend upon spin.Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell are the cardinal victims.

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If you are interested in the other side of the story, watch this episode of HARDtalk with Alastair Campbell where he explains the government’s relationship with the press and media.So very true.

“Unidad” by La Excelencia at SOB’s October 30, 2009 (Live, HD)

La Excelencia performing “Unidad” (from their “Mi Tumbao Social” CD) at SOB’s http://www.sobs.com, October 30, 2009.

MUSICIANS
Gilberto Velazquez (Vocalist)
Edwin Perez (Vocalist, Chorus)
Junior “Frodo” Beltran (Chorus)
Jorge “Jorgito” Bringas (Contra-bass)
Willy Rodriguez (Piano, Stage Camera Assistant)
Charles “Swing” Dilone (Bongo)
Jose Vazquez-Cofresi “Manos de Hierro” (Congas)
Julian Silva (Timbales)
Ronald Prokopez (Trombone)
Mike Engstrom (Trombone)
Miki Hirose (Trumpet)
Jonathan Powell (Trumpet)

Purchase CD: http://cdbaby.com/cd/laexcelencia2
Official Website: http://www.laexcelencia.net/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/laexcelencianyc
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Excelencia/9016301383?ref=search&sid=1069529407.2553080612..1
For “Unidad” Lyrics visit La Excelencia’s website: http://www.laexcelencia.net/unidad.html 

TECHNICAL STAFF
Ephraim “Pito” Gomez (SOB’s Light Technician)
Edwin Gashinsky (SOB’s Sound Technician)

SPECIAL THANKS
La Excelencia for allowing this video to be recorded
SOB’s Staff Members (Larry Gold, Kozza Babumba, Lizbeth Rodriguez, Wendy Trinidad, Papa Jube, Francisco Rosario, DJ Spike, DJ Medina)
Andres Padua of Hard Salsa http://www.hardsalsa.com 
Mariana Cruz (Camera Guarding)
The Audience
The Dancers
The Salsa Class Instructor 
Nydia Ocasio (Rumba Dancer) 

AUDIO & VIDEO RECORDING
Sandra Y. Kratc (Cameras, Video Edit)
Kamilo Kratc (Camera Assistant, Audio Engineer)
Mixing and Mastering at Soundworks Recording Studio http://www.soundworksrecording.com

AUDIO SIGNAL FLOW
SOB’s Microphones into Soundworks Recording Studio’s transformer balanced splitter into SOB’s stage patch board into Front of house mixer into Soundworks Recording Studio’s M-Audio 8 Channel Pre-Amp Converter into Digital Out into M-Audio Light Pipe Interface which then splits into a Mac Mini and another Light Pipe Interface which also goes into another Mac Mini.
Each computer uses Boom Recorder to save audio into 2 separate hard-drives.

VIDEO RECORDING
2 Tripods
2 Clamps
1 Mono-pod
4 SONY Mini-DV tapes for Set 1
4 SONY Mini-DV tapes for Set 2
2 Canon VIXIA HV30 HDV High Definition Camcorder for Brass section & Wide Angle
1 Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Autofocus Lens
for close-up shots
2 Canon Canon VIXIA HV40 High Definition Camcorder  stage camera facing the audience &  side stage angles on mono pod

One tripod was used facing the stage with Canon 5D, 2 Clamps adjusted on tripod’s legs for Vixia HV30
The other tripod was on stage with a Vixia HV40.  The mono-pod was used by audio engineer with the other Vixia HV40

VIDEO EDITING PROCESS
DAY 1:
Created a New Project using Final Cut Studio Pro 2
Captured footage for “Unidad” without rumba ending.  Aligned it to separated tracks and selected best moments for each camera.
Imported Video Clips recorded on Canon 5D into iPhoto, then dragged this to Capture Scratch folder then imported clip to Final Cut
Once in FCP exported clip

To be continued…

For those who have commented on the YouTube video, this what La Excelencia responded:

Yesterday, I came across an article in the Belfast Telegraph and couldn’t believe my eyes. I am used to all sorts of defamation, lies, libel and slander about Tony Blair. No news so far. BUT I rarely hear people questioning his achievements in Northern Ireland.

Judith Cole of the Belfast Telegraph seems to be an exception. In her article “Is it time to stop Blair-ing the lines over former PM’s legacy?” she denied that the peace process is one of Tony Blair’s great achievements. In fact she denies that there was/ is a peace process at all

“Er, let’s rewind a bit. Peace? What peace? A peace which saw, in July 2009, republican rioters launch a campaign of violence in north Belfast, Londonderry and Rasharkin. No fewer than 23 police officers were injured — blast bombs, petrol bombs, stones and gunfire were used by the angry attackers. Hardly a stable peace. Not one Blair should be proud of.”

I am wondering if she is incapable to understand or just too ignorant to understand that peace in Northern Ireland is indeed something Tony Blair can be proud of. Compared to the years before the Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland is a safe place to live nowadays. Of course, it is an ongoing process. That’s why it is called a PEACE PROCESS.

But the achievements so far are incredible. We see Peter Robinson and Martin McGuiness shaking hands and sharing power, the IRA ceased to exist, and Protestants and Catholics went onto the streets together to condemn the brutal and barbaric murders of the two soldiers killed by the RIRA this year. So if that’s not a peace process, what is it?

(Btw, your own paper seems to agree Mrs. Cole: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/the-miracle-of-belfast-13439656.html)

Besides, since two years, Tony Blair isn’t the Britsh Prime Minister anymore. Tragic but true. He has travelled to Dublin and Belfast regularly. He did so for over 10 years, on weekends or even at times of great pressure at home over Iraq. Bertie Ahern has acknowledged that once, saying: ‘For 10 tough years, he has spent more time dealing with the issues of the island of Ireland than any person ever could have asked any other person to do.’

Of course, Bertie Ahern was equally engaged.

How about Gordon Brown and Brian Cowan? If you are looking for someone to blame for the lack of engagement in the region over the last months, they may be the right candidates. I have hardly seen any of the two in Belfast or on mutual visits, either in London or Dublin.

Obviously, I am not the only one concerned with the lack of interest in the region. Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, declared yesterday that she will keep Northern Ireland firmly on her radar. In an interview she said that she had “spent many years in this — on this issue. I care deeply about the outcome. I know the players”. But she also acknowledged that “the continuing efforts toward finalizing the agreements in the Good Friday Accord are really up to the parties themselves, and certainly in consultation with the British Government and, to a lesser extent, the Irish government.” (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/hillary-clintons-vow-to-keep-northern-ireland-on-her-radar-is-no-bad-thing-14441779.html)

Listen Judith Cole, it’s up to the PARTIES, the BRITISH GOVERNMENT and the IRISH GOVERNMENT. Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern are no longer in office. It is not their failure, if there is any failure at all. They have put enough time and effort into the region. There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Bill Clinton and George Mitchell seem to agree (see video)

PS: I know this is an election broadcast of the Irish Republic’s Fianna Fail party and therefore biased. BUT neither Clinton nor Mitchell are members of FF. Clinton and Mitchell are both Democrats, FF is a conservative party!!!!!! It’s not about party alliances here but the simple truth that without Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern the Northern Ireland peace process would not have been possible.

Furthermore, I suggest Judith Cole to read Jonathan Powell’s book. (I assume she doesn’t know it, considering her insane article): “Great hatred, little room“. A must-have for anybody interested in the Northern Ireland peace process. Jonathan Powell was Tony Blair’s chief of staff and his chief negotiator in the peace process.

Btw, the book is called after a poem by William Butler Yeats:

Out of Ireland have we come,

great hatred, little room, maimed us at the start.

I carry from my mother’s womb a fanatic heart.

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Just a few other thoughts on Cole’s article:

You should NOT critises a person of whom you can’t even correctly spell the name of  : it’s ALASTAIR not Alistair Campbell.

Tony Blair has a lot more to offer than a big grin and expensive suits. Kosovo, Sierra Leone……..NORTHERN IRELAND-……….yes even Iraq…….

Dr. Kelly has committed suicide. Sad but true. It’s just silly to question the conclusion of the Hutton Inquiry, an independent body, which was even accepted by Kelly’s own widow.

………………….

jjj

Gestern habe ich im Belfast Telegraph einen Artikel gefunden und wollte meinen Augen nicht trauen. Ich bin allerhand Deformationen, Lügen, Verleumdungen und üble Nachreden über Tony Blair gewöhnt.  Das ist nichts Neues. Jedoch erlebe ich es höchst selten, dass Leute seinen Erflog in Nordirland in Frage stellen.

Judith Cole vom Belfast Telegraph scheint eine Ausnahme zu sein. In ihrem Artikel „“Is it time to stop Blair-ing the lines over former PM’s legacy?” bestreitet sie, dass der Friedensprozess in Nordirland zu Tony Blairs Erfolgen gezählt werden darf. Sie geht sogar einen Schritt weiter und stellt in Frage, ob es überhaupt einen Friedensprozess gab/ gibt.

“Er, let’s rewind a bit. Peace? What peace? A peace which saw, in July 2009, republican rioters launch a campaign of violence in north Belfast, Londonderry and Rasharkin. No fewer than 23 police officers were injured — blast bombs, petrol bombs, stones and gunfire were used by the angry attackers. Hardly a stable peace. Not one Blair should be proud of.”

Ich frage mich, ob sie einfach nicht in der Lage ist oder ihre Ignoranz sie daran hindert zu verstehen, dass der nordirische Friedensprozess tatsächlich etwas ist auf das Tony Blair stolz sein kann.Im Vergleich zu den Jahren vor dem Good Friday Agreement ist Nordirland heutzutage ein sicherer Ort zum leben. Natürlich handelt es sich um einen anhaltenden Prozess. Daher spricht man ja auch von einem FRIEDENSPROZES.

Die bisher erzielten Erfolge sind allerdings zweifelsohne erstaunlich. Wir sehen wie Peter Robinson und Martin McGuiness sich die Hände geben und zusammen regieren, die IRA hat sich aufgelöst, und Protestanten und Katholiken gingen zusammen auf die Straße um die brutalen und barbarischen Morde an zwei Soldaten durch die RIRA in diesem Jahr zu verurteilen. Also wenn es sich hierbei nicht um einen Friedensprozess handelt, worum bitte dann?

(Ihre eigenen Zeitung scheint das offensichtlich ähnlich zu sehen Mrs. Cole: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/the-miracle-of-belfast-13439656.html)

Abgesehen davon, ist Tony Blair seit 2 Jahren nicht mehr Britischer Premier Minister. Tragisch aber wahr. Er ist regelmäßig nach Dublin und Belfast gereist. Dies tat er über 10 Jahre lang, an Wochenenden aber auch zu Zeiten großen Drucks durch den Irak Krieg. Bertie Ahern hat dies einaml gewürdigt und gesagt: ‘For 10 tough years, he has spent more time dealing with the issues of the island of Ireland than any person ever could have asked any other person to do.’

Natürlich war Bertie Ahern gleichermaßen engagiert.

Was ist mit Gordon Brown und Brian Cowan? Wenn jemand nach Schuldigen sucht für den Mangel an Engagement in der Region in den letzten Monaten, dann sind diese beiden vielleicht die richtigen Kandidaten. Ich habe keinen von den beiden wirklich oft in Belfast gesehen und genauso wenig bei gegenseitigen Besuchen in London und Dublin.

Wie es scheint bin ich nicht die Einzige, die sich um den Mangel an Interesse für die Region sorgt. Hillary Clinton, amerikanische Außenministerin, hat gestern bekannt gegeben, dass sie Nordirland weiterhin sehr stark im Auge behalten wird. In einem Interview sagte sie: “I spent many years in this — on this issue. I care deeply about the outcome. I know the players”. Aber sie erkannte ebenfalls an, dass  “the continuing efforts toward finalizing the agreements in the Good Friday Accord are really up to the parties themselves, and certainly in consultation with the British Government and, to a lesser extent, the Irish government.” (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/hillary-clintons-vow-to-keep-northern-ireland-on-her-radar-is-no-bad-thing-14441779.html)

Höre Judith Cole, es liegt bei den PARTEIEN, DER BRITISCHEN UND IRISCHEN REGIERUNG. Tony lair und Bertie Ahern sind nicht mehr im Amt. Es ist nicht ihr Fehler, wenn es überhaupt einen gibt. Sie haben genug Zeit und Kraft in die Region gesteckt. Es gibt nichts für das sie sich schämen müssten.

Bill Clinton und George Mitchel scheinen das ähnlich zu sehen (siehe Video oben)

Ps: Ich weiß, dass es sich hierbei um ein Wahlvideo der irischen Fianna Fail Partei handelt und es somit parteiisch ist. Aber weder Clinton noch Mitchell sind Mitglieder der FF. Clinton und Mitchell sind beides Demokraten, FF ist eine konservative Partei!!!!Es geht hier nicht um Parteizugehörigkeiten sondern die simple Wahrheit, dass ohne Tony Blair und Bertie Ahern der nordirische Friedensprozess unvorstellbar gewesen wäre.

Im Übrigen empfehle ich Judith Cole Jonathan Powells Buch zu lesen (ich nehme an, dass sie es nicht kennt , wenn man ihren schrägen Artikel berücksichtigt): „Great hatred, little room“ ein must-have für alle die sich für den nordirischen Friedensprozess interessieren. Jonathan Powell war Tony Blairs chief of staff und sein chief negotiator im Friedensprozess.

Das Buch ist übrigens nach einem Gedicht von William Butler Yeates benannt:

Out of Ireland have we come,

great hatred, little room, maimed us at the start.

I carry from my mother’s womb a fanatic heart.

—————————————————————————-

Hier noch schnell ein paar weitere Kommentare zu Coles Artikel:

Man sollte KEINE Person kritisieren deren Namen man nicht mal richtig schreiben kann: er heißt ALASTAIR nicht Alistair Campbell

Tony Blair hat viel mehr zu bieten als ein breites Grinsen und teure Anzüge: Kosovo, Sierra Leone…..NORTHERN IRELAND…..und ja sogar Irak

Dr. Kelly hat Selbstmord begangen. Traurig aber wahr. Es ist einfach dumm den Abschlussbericht der Hutton Untersuchung, einer unabhängigen Kommission, in Frage zu stellen, welcher sogar von Kellys Witwe akzeptiert worden ist.

hj

Michael Ancram made an interesting point in the Commons debate on Gaza this afternoon. He claims to have spoken to Hamas leaders who are willing to acknowledge the existence of Israel. But argued that Israel’s behaviour has made it harder for these moderates to win support. A former Northern Ireland minister, Ancram said that progress only started to happen in Northern Ireland when the Americans became heavily involved and George Mitchell, the former US senator, took charge of chairing the talks process, making a long-term commitment to the problem. He says he would like to see the same thing happen in the Middle East.

While Andrew Sullivan makes a good case that Obama will make the Middle East wait, I wonder whether it may be worth Obama taking up Ancram’s suggestion and getting tips on doing so from the likes of Alastair Crooke and Jonathan Powell. This doesn’t mean promising to solve all of the Middle East’s problems overnight; not that Obama would be daft enough to make any such commitment. It does mean, however, a calm, sustained engagement with both the Israelis and the Palestinians from the very beginning of his presidency. No American President is going to get anywhere in brokering a Middle East peace with anything other than a long-term engagement and a far-sighted strategy. As Sullivan argues, his first priority can be fixing the American (and world) economy, but he needs to get the ball rolling in the Middle East early in his presidency, in a manner akin to that advocated by Ancram, if he is to achieve anything at all between Israel and the Palestinians over his first term. These things involve, for all sides, understanding, as Crooke says, “the people who it is hardest to understand”, which, inevitably, takes time.

Ya know, it is a rough world out there and when you are tracked as much as political figures are, you have to watch what you say or be called a liar. Clinton likes to stuff her shirt with all kinds of things, sniper fire in Bosnia, her elitists religion, and now we have her contributions to the peace process in Ireland! Sheesh, talk about an overactive imagination! And she never quite manages to pull of the sincerity thing for me. Hype and blather, smoke and mirrors, that is the Clinton campaign.

That the media doesn’t really call her on this crap is amazing to me. But considering most of it is Corporate owned, I guess it is to be expected. Still, do journalists even bother to check these things out from all sides anymore? Doesn’t it bother them that they seem like sheeple and not journalists? This is one of the reasons to support Free Media!

Reading this article today from AlterNet.org I was glad someone had really documented these things, not just relied on memory, like the Clinton campaign! That memory has proved to be ultimately fallible! Clinton’s latest snafu is this:

“Ultimately, the real credit for peace can only go to the brave people of Northern Ireland, as well as the leaders of Ireland and the U.K. But I also know that helping to advance the peace process and to achieve the Good Friday Agreement is one of my husband’s proudest accomplishments as President. And I too am proud to have played a role in that effort.”

~Smacks Forehead~ Oh, so that’s how it was, funny, historians don’t seem to remember it that way. According to author Paul Bew, a professor at Queen’s University in Belfast, there is a simple way to find out. He points to a new book called, “Great Hatred, Little Room: Making Peace in Northern Ireland” by Jonathan Powell. Powell was Tony Blair’s chief of staff back then so he ought to know. In the book Powell does mention Hillary Clinton, barely, by mentioning the following:

Look at the index of this book for “Hillary Clinton,” Bew told me. There is, he said, “only one reference to Hillary Clinton.” Bew was right about that. That one citation refers the reader to a tangential anecdote in which Powell mistakes a female Secret Service agent assigned to First Lady Clinton for a friend (Nancy Soderberg, a national security aide in the Clinton White House) and cheekily asks for a kiss.

So if Hillary had such a large role in this peace process, or even any role, how come no one involved remembers it the way her campaign does? Interesting. Another “misspeak” perhaps? Naw, she couldn’t be that dumb? I just don’t know about that Kool-Aid! When it addles your brains or makes you hear things unsaid in explanations, you have to wonder just why so many people would want to drink it.

Remember, those asserting to Hillary’s claim have an interest in her campaign. They aren’t being paid to tell the truth. They just want you convinced she’s the best one for the job and to that end, they will say and do whatever it takes to make that happen. They just can’t believe anyone would disagree with them openly. Especially the media. And rightly so apparently with the way supposed journalists fawn over the political figures. It is so very boring to watch. I know CNN’s Lou Dobbs finds this all amusing as hell, but I just find it shallow and insincere. Wish there was a way to make these Candidates really spill their guts and tells us what they really think instead of listening to them say what we want to hear.

And then there is all that experience that Hillary claims to have in leadership. Talk about stuffing your shirt! I direct you to this article in CommonDreams.org for further enlightenment…

To start with, for 14 of the 35 years that she’s counting, Clinton was a full-time corporate litigator in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Rose Law Firm. Further, for her White House years – aside from her work as chair of the President’s Task Force on Health Care Reform – she served as First Lady, not policy maker.

~OR~

While First Lady in Arkansas, she did, as she claims, help “transform the education system.” Teachers and others there agree that, as chair of a commission to re-write Arkansas’ deplorable education standards, she was effective. Among other things, the new norms raised teacher salaries and amounts spent per pupil, and reduced class size.

Since Arkansas ranked 49th out of America’s 50 states in most educational measurements, and dead last in the percent of students who went on to college, the base was so low that any gains would be good. But it’s a fact the numbers improved.

~OR~

Let’s start with her now-impassioned concerns for workers’ rights. This is surely an eyebrow-raiser, since her record on labor issues is roughly zero.

For example, she was on WalMart’s Board of Directors from 1986-1992, a company legendary for its low wages and union busting. Not surprisingly, her official biography omits this six-year stint.

So you see, there is a lot of padding going on in this campaign. So much so it is a wonder that she is believed at all! There goes that Kool-Aid again… It really does a number on reality checks it seems to me. No one seems to question anything about these candidates, or hardly anyone. Myself and a few others is all. I keep wondering what all these people are on in order to be so completely taken in. Rose colored glasses simply can’t explain this.

The article goes on to talk about issues inside Walmart, like how employees were threated with job loss, the closure of distribution centers, co-worker spying, and other illegal activities when the unions were trying to organize the workers to get better pay and health care. It is a must read on both Clinton and Walmart!

Come on Candidates, impress me, I dare you! So far I’m only being put to sleep by their non-statements and exhortations. Blah, blah, blah you just aren’t all that and the bag of chips you think you are.

Dieci anni di pace non sono bastati per convincere finalmente Londra che è tempo di ammettere le proprie gravissime responsabilità storiche sulla guerra che ha devastato l’Irlanda del nord per circa trent’anni. E’ quanto si evince dal libro appena uscito scritto dal diplomatico inglese Jonathan Powell, braccio destro e ‘uomo ombra’ di Tony Blair durante tutto il processo di pace anglo-irlandese. La versione della storia è purtroppo la solita di sempre: il governo inglese – con i suoi soldati e le sue forze di polizia che torturavano e ammazzavano civili – avrebbe svolto un ruolo di pacificazione. La guerra sarebbe stata causata soltanto dai soliti ‘terroristi’ e dagli ‘odi ancestrali tra le comunità irlandesi’. Un delirio che vale, manco a dirlo, anche per le 14 vittime della “Bloody Sunday” del 1972. Se non fosse tragico, sarebbe tutto da ridere. Sembra proprio che il tempo, tra i palazzi del potere di Downing street, sia trascorso invano.

Approfondimenti nell’articolo uscito oggi su “Avvenire”.