The guessing game is becoming intense as to who would be the main players in Barack Obama’s aspiring administration. Obviously, Obama will bring in a new team to run the federal government, the Oval Office and the Democratic Party if he makes it to the White House. So who will run the country if the voters decide that Yes, He Can? The Economist takes a look at the potential candidates.
The article ends with the warning: “The ambition of Mr Obama’s team is exciting, but in office it could be dangerous. In 1993 the clever Clintons tripped up very quickly. What if Congress doesn’t care for the finely-tuned policies of Mr Obama’s top-notch economists? Or if Mr Obama finds he can’t pull out of Iraq as planned?
“Or if Americans tire of his charisma and he stops being able to attract adoring crowds tens of thousands strong? The lynchpin of his campaign has been a faith, almost messianic, in his personal excellence. If that fades, then the whole operation could collapse in frustration and disillusionment.”
Meanwhile more Americans believed that presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can better handle economic issue, the current top concern to American voters, according to a poll released on Thursday. The poll conducted by CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation found that 50 percent of registered voters believe Obama, the Illinois Senator, would better handle the economy, while 44 percent prefer McCain in this regard. More here…
Another survey of 47,000 people in 60 languages by the Pew Global Attitudes Project shows that around the world, people who follow the US election view Obama more favourably than Republican nominee John McCain.
“Seventy-four percent of Britons expressed confidence in Obama, while only 44% do in McCain, according to the survey. The survey indicated that a world that has for several years held vehemently anti-American attitudes may be prepared to warm up to the US.”
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.