Thank you Associated Press for this great photograph. One has to be either a genius or an idiot to smile like that when the USA and the world are gasping/agonizing over the financial mess or an uncertain future.
Please keep this photograph in safe custody and look at the faces of these luminaries exactly after a year from now. I sincerely hope they are able to retain this beatific smile on their faces.
A recent report in Huffington Post is not exactly to cheer us all: “The economy took a tumble in the summer that was worse than first thought as American consumers throttled back their spending by the most in 28 years, further proof the country is almost certainly in the throes of a painful recession.”
Will the bailout of banks and companies such as Citigroup make a difference? Not really…
And here are some memorable Bush gems in the dying moments of his historic presidential stint:
In his address to announce part nationalization of the biggest American banks, the US President Bush has described it as, “not intended to take over the free market but to preserve it.”
“The government’s dramatic rescue of Citigroup was necessary to safeguard the financial system and help the economy recover, and there could be more such moves if other institutions need help.”
“We have made these kind of decisions in the past, made one last night, and if need be we’re going to make these kind of decisions to safeguard our financial system in the future.”
“The United States government is acting; we will continue to act to resolve this crisis and restore stability to our markets. We can solve this crisis and we will.” More here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.