World Politics

BP has options

The oil spill in the gulf has been an example in mismanagement and misinformation. The media and public backlash that BP has suffered is completely justified in this light. But now the company seems to be getting its act together.

The company recently managed to temporarily plug the hole in the Gulf and has been working on a permanent solution to the problem. In fact BP started work on the solution just under two weeks after blast on the Deepwater Horizon rig. BP has been digging a relief tunnel, which is designed to divert the flow of the oil so that it can be pumped out safely. Another tunnel is also being dug, as a backup to the first relief tunnel.

Both tunnels were planned to be put into use so that a permanent plug could be put into place on the seabed. That plan involved pumping cement and mud down the leak and allowing it to set. However, BP now says that this “static kill” plan might not be necessary. They say that extracting the oil from a blow out well will take care of the problem. As a result the second relief tunnel might not be continued. Instead BP will finish the first relief tunnel and use that to ensure that the leak is plugged. Officials said that this would happen even if the static kill is used. The cost of each relief tunnel is estimated to be around $100 million each.

So far, conservative estimates place the leak at 92 million gallons and government estimates place it at 206 million gallons.

Mobile Billboards Help Elect Obama

Regardless of your political affiliations, the fact that the Obama campaign chose mobile billboards as a means of drumming up support for the President-elect in key states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio is a testament to the efficacy of mobile advertising. While truck side advertising may not have been the clincher for wavering voters, it was certainly one of the more visible aspects of Obama’s grassroots campaign.

As the dust from this ubiquitous, protracted election settles, it’s interesting and even useful to take a look at how Obama marketing paved the way for victory. Social Ch@nge, a blog that helps non-profit staff navigate the Internet, wrote of Obama’s operation, “never mind the politics: the campaign was the smartest publicity siege that’s been seen in a long time.” The so-called “siege” made use of everything from the Internet and video games to word-of-mouth and mobile billboards.

Chances are, if you live in one of the states aggressively targeted by both parties, you saw more than one billboard truck rumbling past with a meticulously planned bit of rhetoric stamped on the sides. The message might have been as simple as “HOPE: Vote Barack Obama for President,” but when you consider how much faster one truck could cover a neighborhood than an envoy of volunteers canvassing the same area on foot, the increased potential for permeation becomes significant. And as we all know, placement and promotion are crucial elements of any marketing mix.

Lenin’s Views on Relationship between Politics and Economics

In his article ”Once again on trade unions, the current situation and the mistakes of Trotsky and Bukharin”, Lenin makes a formulation on the relationship between politics and economics. He says: ”Politics must take precedence over economics. To argue otherwise is to forget the ABC of Marxism” (”Selected Works of Lenin”, Vol 4, p 441).
In a previous period, particularly in the 10 years of turmoil, this statement of Lenin’s was always being quoted by some people in a one-sided manner, and was used as the theoretical basis for dealing with the relationship between politics and economics. In their eyes, a Marxist-Leninist must give priority to politics at any time, any place and under any circumstances. This is absolutely a misinterpretation resulting from garbled quotations. Read more

North Korea: Paper Lauds Military-First Politics, Urges Depending On Own Strength

Excerpt from article by Kim Ho-song, entitled: “Revolution and construction under military-first banner on our own strength”; published by North Korean newspaper Nodong Sinmun on 12 November
Today, our military-first politics is highly displaying its might as an invincible banner, vigorously advancing the independent cause of the popular masses. Our military-first politics is the embodiment of the juche idea Kim Il-sung’s ideology promoting a self-sufficient, closed society – the guiding ideology of our era – and it is precisely the vitality of this great methodology of politics that has defended the justice of humankind and socialism and has opened a new era to win the victory of the cause of independence, regardless of the situation. Read more

Putting Paid To Money Politics in Umno

DATUK Dr Affifuddin Omar has been one of Parliament’s more regular faces.
And it appears that he intends to maintain his attendance record even
though he is now Deputy Finance Minister.
Affifuddin is the MP for Padang Terap, a remote constituency at the
foothills where Kedah merges into Thailand. He takes his constituency
duties seriously and is back in Kedah by Friday on most weeks.

For this Cornell University PhD-holder, moving into full-time politics
was, in a sense, an extension of his work as a government servant with
Mada, the agency which manages the sprawling landscape of padi fields on
the Kedah plains.
This intrinsic connection between politics and people is something that
Affifuddin is keenly aware of.
Unfortunately, he is nagged by the fear that contemporary Malaysian
politics is increasingly associated with earning a living or what the
Malays call cari makan. Read more

Zimbabwe – New Constitution Key to Free and Fair Elections In 2008

It is general knowledge that the next Presidential election will be in 2008. Although there are different opinions about whether the Presidential election will be held then or not, it is abundantly clear and enshrined in the present constitution that we are required to hold a Presidential election in 2008.
Assuming that the election is called for early 2008, it leaves a period of less than 15 months to prepare for the presidential election. Zimbabweans should start to debate the kind of a presidential election we will have without a new constitution. Read more

North Korean Article Reiterates “Military-First Politics” Role in Reunification

Text of report in English by North Korean newspaper Nodong Sinmun via Uriminjokkkiri website on 2 May
[Special article by Han Ch’o’l-chun: “Military-First Politics of Loving the Country, the Nation, and the People Is a Sure Guarantee for the Nation’s Independence Reunification”]
The great leader [ryo’ngdoja] Comrade Kim Jong Il [Kim Cho’ng-il] [preceding name in bold as published] has pointed out the following. Read more