Thank you America!

[Georg R. Baumann]

To say I am delighted would be an understatement.

Thank you America!

Here is to hope and no more fear!

May be this is the start of change in many countries. Countries that suffer from the Bush induced right wing shift are a great many, and if this event has shown one thing, then this, here is an opportunity for change, and it is the people who can enable this to happen.

The "Sarkozy's" of this world better start packing their bags if this should proove to be the start of a major shift in world politics.

I sure do hope so, since long!

Peace!
Georg

 

[leonardobarreto.com]

Yes, thank you. I am not US citizen so can't vote, but the entire world is affected by what the American voters do or don't do.

But now Obama has to clean up the mess left for him...

 

[Ken Tanaka]

I think that most of us Americans are also very excited. I have never experienced the joyful buzz that I experienced last night surrounding the Obama rally here in Grant Park. People here finally have a reason to pick their heads up and be hopeful.

(The image is on my online gallery's front page, hence the title.)

 

[Daniel Buck]

Now let's just hope that Congress will back up Obama, the president will have a difficult time doing things if Congress does not work with him!

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

I think that most of us Americans are also very excited. I have never experienced the joyful buzz that I experienced last night surrounding the Obama rally here in Grant Park. People here finally have a reason to pick their heads up and be hopeful.

(The image is on my online gallery's front page, hence the title.)

Wow, I love that shot Ken!

About that instantaneous joy, not only in the US, but all over the world. I am sure a lot of people are extremly happy to end that dark period and let historians come to conclusions on that matter. I can say even here in rural Ireland, there is only one subject today, the change in America, and you can nearly hear the big sigh of relief people express.

I wonder how many millions watched that last night all over the world.

Yes Daniel, there is a lot to heal, a lot to fix and a tremendous amount of tolerance and trust needed to be able to do that. One thing is for sure, this has got to be the best ever protected president in history, too much is at stake. Hopefully people come back onto the ground soon, that "messiah effect" is doing no good, as it raises the bar to unreasonable expectations and would set him up for failure.

 

[Rachel Foster]

I'm so hoping some day we can move past the divisiveness of partisan politics!

 

[Asher Kelman]

To say I am delighted would be an understatement.

Thank you America!

Here is to hope and no more fear!

May be this is the start of change in many countries. Countries that suffer from the Bush induced right wing shift are a great many, and if this event has shown one thing, then this, here is an opportunity for change, and it is the people who can enable this to happen.

The "Sarkozy's" of this world better start packing their bags if this should proove to be the start of a major shift in world politics.

I sure do hope so, since long!

Peace!
Georg

Thanks you America,

Milk powder and flower, "Gift of the People of the United States of America" fed my family in bombed out Northampton in the U.K.

Thank you America for the food unloaded from ships and C130 cargo pains in every place where thre's famine or threat of starvation.

At an informal school in Nalusheke, Zambia, children collected their lunch of cooked bulgur wheat and split peas provided by the World Food Program. Evelyn Hockstein for The New York Times

Workers for the Food Reserve Agency, a supplier to the World Food Program, carried sacks of corn bound for Zimbabwe. The agency buys Zambian corn when there is a good harvest. Evelyn Hockstein for The New York Times
​

It may surprise cynics that Georg Bush for more than 3 years went against Agriculture and shipping interests and big charities to directly purchase excess grains from local warehouses.source

Sometimes, there is suspicion about the mixture of politics and aid.

Neutrality has never been far from the surface in relief work. When I was worked for the United Nations World Food Program in Somalia, we distributed 50-kilogram sacks of grain emblazoned with the American flag and ''Gift of the People of the United States of America.'' Somalis readily accepted the aid but it was clear that our professed neutrality was suspect. Source.

Thanks America for supporting health and opening your universities to students from all over the world.

Thanks America for daring to fight for freedom in a world full of conflicts where each good decision has known good and unknown bad consequences.

I do hope that we'll improve in how we respond to threats and manage to divert oil money to peace.

Asher

 

[Rod Witten]

Haven't you folks noticed that ranting about politics or religon cumulatively distorts your photographic vision?

Oh, excuse me, maybe that only happens in the United State of Utah.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Haven't you folks noticed that ranting about politics or religon cumulatively distorts your photographic vision?

Oh, excuse me, maybe that only happens in the United State of Utah.

Rod,

You might see my remarks on America's nature of generosity as "ranting"*. Photographers who hide in their comfortable homes or behind the lens are for sure photographers, as good or as bad as their pictures. Still there's more! Think of Cappa, Lange, Bresson and even the artist Audubon? I admire those who lift a lantern to see the ordinary and extraordinary, both good and the bad in what we we do and the world we dominate. I suggest that this is something we might also include in our own values.

The USA has always been generous. Obama beings out a new hope for sure, but then this country has a great character and this is needed to face the problems the world has. Hopefully the New Administration will harness this innate good qualities to work with others to tackle the issues that face us.

I'm a pragmatic optimist. My showing the generosity of the American people is to emphasize that core values here are not being changed with the new administration. Rather it's a hope for more focus.

Asher

*There's always a place for a shot of cynicism, however, I wish to show a long time characteristic of the people of the United States of America. I felt it was appropriate after reading the flippant opening post of this thread.

 

[Rod Witten]

Rod,

You might see my remarks on America's nature of generosity as "ranting"*. Photographers who hide in their comfortable homes or behind the lens are for sure photographers, as good or as bad as their pictures. Still there's more! Think of Cappa, Lange, Bresson and even the artist Audubon? I admire those who lift a lantern to see the ordinary and extraordinary, both good and the bad in what we we do and the world we dominate. I suggest that this is something we might also include in our own values.

The USA has always been generous. Obama beings out a new hope for sure, but the this country has a great character and this is needed to face the problems the world has. Hopefully the New Administration will harness this innate good qualities to work with others to tackle the issues that face us.

I'm a pragmatic optimist. My showing the generosity of the American people is to emphasize that core values here are not being changed with the new administration. Rather it's a hope for more focus.

Asher

*There's always a place for a shot of cynicism, however, I wish to show a long time characteristic of the people of the United States of America. I felt it was appropriate after reading the flippant opening post of this thread.

Asher,

I often ask Americans why they vote in light of the traditionally low rating that they give Congress and the Administration. Generally they respond with "its my duty as an American" or "I hope this time it will be different and something significant will actually be accomplished". Maybe we should recognize this blind faith and change the name of the country to the U.S. of Hope. I wonder what would happen if we held each voter financially accountable for the candidates they supported with their votes. Maybe under those conditions we would start holding the candidates accountable for their promises and actions. I find it unbelievable that we don't have a strategic energy policy or a properly funded Social Security Fund. It makes no differnces which party is in control, little of significance happens. It's good to be positive and have hope but occassionally couldn't we hold one of these clowns and their political party accountable for their failure. It boggles the mind to think of all the energy and money spent electing leaders that continually do essentially nothing significant for four years.

Now that's ranting - so much for shooting that wonderul snowfall this afternoon.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Well, Rod,

You cannot simply mention snowfall and not produce pictures! since you have snow and it's rationed in southern California, you have to show the pictures as penance for the rant!

You didn't comment on the good heart of people and that's what I was emphasizing and it's important!

Asher

 

[Rod Witten]

Well, Rod,

You cannot simply mention snowfall and not produce pictures! since you have snow and it's rationed in southern California, you have to show the pictures as penance for the rant!

You didn't comment on the good heart of people and that's what I was emphasizing and it's important!

Asher

Asher,

I have to agree with you about the generous nature (almost to a fault) of Americans. However, our soft heart has pushed us into a "third and forth chance" society.

As for the photo - If I had your address I'd send you a winter holiday card :=)

 

[Mark Holdsworth]

So, how's that change working for you now? Great economy we have and if these idiots continue the way they're going they'll single handedly crash the economies of your countries as well.

 

[Asher Kelman]

So, how's that change working for you now? Great economy we have and if these idiots continue the way they're going they'll single handedly crash the economies of your countries as well.

Well Mark,

The Greeks Spanish and other Europeans have been spending what they didn't earn too! It's just that it took longer for the truth to come out! All the Western societies are spoiled with materialism consumerism. The truth is that capitalism is still just an experiment. It has provided for rapid growth populations by mechanizing productions of resources. now, over 90$ of the population are unable to care for themselves without the complex economy supporting them. State workers, unions and special interests force decisions that aren't necessary in the long term interest of the country itself. We send our wealth and jobs abroad. This applies to Australia, New Zealand as much as France and Italy!

So what if there are setbacks! Without them we'd do the same wrong things for longer. We need to have disasters and scares to get us on the right track. Actually we do well. Most people in the West, at least, are fed, can get educated and if they have ambition, drive and talent enjoy a good slice of life.

Most people will live into their 70's and not die in war or of hunger. I think that's pretty damn good.

If we just get of dependency on oil and not export the work to Asia we'd all be better off and there will be less debt for the next generation to carry.

Otherwise, on the whole, I'd say everything is wonderful!

...and what isn't our fault anyway is not likely to respond to our point of view!

Asher

 

[Rachel Foster]

Since this is a photography forum, where are the photos?

 

[Asher Kelman]

Since this is a photography forum, where are the photos?

Rachel,

This part of the forum is for provocative thoughts & Images. It's a way of dealing with material which although important might simply be not what people are here for. So folk are warned and they can avoid it!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

It's important to state that "Thanks to America!" is something nice to hear from folk leaving here in the USA who appreciate how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy freedom, opportunity for our children and bounty. We don't expect or ask for thanks from anyone else. We just want folk to look at us as they do their own friends, family and countrymen and accept that we are just people and we are going to make mistakes and while we feel fortunate, we are just one part of the giant family of man. No one person is worth more than another as a life force.

Right now, a lot of folk in Haiti, Pakistan, Chechnya, Somalia, Sudan, congo, Zimbabwe, Kosovo, Palestinian Territories don't necessary wake up in the morning, as I do, thankful for our blessings and for being in a pretty supportive country. It's important to recognize that much of the world is not sharing equally in prosperity.

Great industrial Giants of Europe, USA, India and China seem to gobble up the worlds energy supply and water while other countries ,with more simple agricultural based economies, struggle at a lower level of performance. Although one might easily blame "prior colonialism" and also current "exploitation by industrialists and commerce" for obviously poorly performing economies, the core reasons may be far different. They may include a factor not often mentioned or considered.

The fact is that the West provided cheap food, clean water and antibiotics, and so helped feed a population explosion of epic proportions! So right now, the poor get poorer as they have even more surviving mouths to feed!

That cannot be blamed on anything but the clumsiness of progress. We have solved infant mortality and maternal deaths in childbirth, but this has just meant the poor have perhaps double or even triple the number of surviving babies!

That's a clumsy thing we have done. Still, I thank the USA

Asher

 

[Rachel Foster]

I know, Asher, I was refraining from posting a tart response. That was the best I could do.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Asher sir,

I quote you..'The fact is that the West provided cheap food, clean water and antibiotics, and so helped feed a population explosion of epic proportions! So right now, the poor get poorer as they have even more surviving mouths to feed!

That cannot be blamed on anything but the clumsiness of progress. We have solved infant mortality and maternal deaths in childbirth, but this has just meant the poor have perhaps double or even triple the number of surviving babies!'

Now that you seem to have identified the problem; what do you propose as a or the solution, my friend?

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher sir,

I quote you..'The fact is that the West provided cheap food, clean water and antibiotics, and so helped feed a population explosion of epic proportions! So right now, the poor get poorer as they have even more surviving mouths to feed!

That cannot be blamed on anything but the clumsiness of progress. We have solved infant mortality and maternal deaths in childbirth, but this has just meant the poor have perhaps double or even triple the number of surviving babies!'

Now that you seem to have identified the problem; what do you propose as a or the solution, my friend?

Fahim,

I only have the same question that you have. As a young physician working in Nigeria, countless dehydrated babies were saved. It made me feel great. I was helping. However, with no jobs, and too much education to want to work the land but not enough to escape poverty, the kids grow up divorced from tribal culture and open to the worst aspects of urban society. Even worse in Zimbabwe.

So I rewind the movie that I was in and don't feel I deserved the self-satisfaction I experienced. All we did s make more people suffer. The folk were not taught how to fish, just fed fish!

That is my dilemma and it's something I have not come to terms with. Naturally, villages were self-supporting, now it's more of a challenge. Birth control has religious and or ethnic barriers. When Europeans attempt to spread family planning, there are obvious suspicions. So we have to ask ourselves what we want for folk we are trying to help.

I do put blame on Europeans for sending missionaries to save the "backward peoples". Adjacent villages are now baptist, catholic or some other denomination and they look at each other differently, but they are of the same tribes. The folks' children were educated to be unsatisfied with village life but then no other life was offered, just clean water, antibiotics and enough education to have no loyalty to the traditions.

I have no magic answers.

Just that every time we feed, and we have no choice but to do that, we cause more suffering 18 years later. We need to have a more thoughtful approach and not depend on numerical growth as a sign of progress.

Asher

 

[fahim mohammed]

Asher, thank you for that honest answer.

As a physician, young or mature, you fulfilled the calling of your profession. To have done otherwise would
have been less than ethical, imho. You did what you should have done and what was/is expected of a physician. Period.

I, too, do not have any answers; magical or otherwise. To be honest, I do not even know where to begin in this regard. The best I can offer is good intentions, prayers and whatever little we all, collectively, can do
to ameliorate the condition/s of those that suffer.