First off, I just want to say that if you are following this blog and would like to comment please don't hesitate (positives or negatives). I love feedback!
Okay, lets get to work. I have a lot to talk about today. It will steer away from my main objective in this blog - growing in the online marketing community - but I feel that what I will write about today will give some a great insight of an (sort of) expatriated american's thoughts in the current world situation. I'm sure I will weave in and out of thoughts but hang on, keep reading, I'll get to the point...somehow....here we go.
You can always tell what is most important to a newspaper by just glancing at the cover page. Have you ever read BLINK by Malcolm Gladwell? Its been a popular book, but it looks at (for example) how we don't have to read the whole paper to really understand what is important to that paper or what is important to the politicians behind the paper. I picked up "El Pais" and "Levante" this morning while I was waiting for my fiancee who was in line as number 91 at the unemployment office, we'll get back to that point in a bit. Levante, which happens to be the local paper for the Valencian community, read on the front page "LOCURA en San Mamés" refering to an irrelevant loss incurred by the Valencian soccer (futbol) team. Not a word about the rest of the world. In the same paper, I found a small half page article on Barack and Israel both on page 24. El Pais, which is a national newpaper, features a large color picture of our President (as of tomorrow) sitting with his family at his inauguration party with the Washington memorial, its reflection pool, and 400,000 onlookers in the backgroud. The front page also includes something about Gaza, CO2 output, and something about corruption between the Spanish political parties. Hmmm...which newpaper should be more interesting and informative? Oh yeah, I found Barack in a full two page article starting on page 4.
So, this morning, I decided to write about Obama and the Spanish opinion of him. As you may know, Spain is in a terrible economic crisis just as the United States. Here in spain we are suffering from an unemployment rate of 16% and it keeps going up each week. This brings me back to my fiancee. Actually, we went to the employment office to do two things. One, check how many unemployment checks we still have left and, two, turn in a one-page work report. We arrived at the office, which is a suboffice located in Puerto de Sagunto in the Valencian Community, at 9:30 and left at 12:30. So after three hours, we left happy. We have four more months of unemployment. Contradictory to our previous thought that we would be without money as of March 10th. Let me remind you that I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in marketing, speak spanish fluently, and well qualified to work. I have been actively unemployed since September. Needless to say, I'm nervous. I have also been looking for work in the United States, mostly in the DC area since I have family there. No luck. The U.S. as we know, is reaching the double digits in unemployment. Have you ever done the math? Its nearing 30 million people without jobs!! This does not include Spain which is has 7.5 million citizens unemployed. Oh where, oh where will we find jobs Mr. Obama?
Yes, I did study over the years at OU and other international universities. I realize that investors need to feel confident to begin investing again and that our banks need to reform and be bailed out (gotta love Bank of America and Citigroup). All of which does not sit right with me. If investors and banks did not over extend in the first place, we would not be in such a rut. Just as if it was the family check book - you should not spend what you do not have. But, we are Americans, thats what we do. We spend, eat, drink, build, talk, walk, and shit better than the rest. The rest of the democratic world thinks the same in most part. Just ask my father-in-law. He's a spanish taxidriver with thick, bullfighting spanish blood running through his veins. He'll tell you that America needs to get the rest of the world out of the economic crisis. Oh where, oh where will we find the money Mr. Obama?
Dont go to war Mr. Obama! We have had enough!!
I find it comforting the news reports that Obama will be getting us out of the Iraq war as soon as possible. I just hope its not a political move. According to research done by a colleague of mine, The American Antiwar Movement is as strong as ever. They are putting serious input in DC and not taking no for an answer. I support them! Totally! Check out UPJ. Against the wishes of our founding fathers, we have not excaped imperialism. When international writers such as Jose Ignacio Torreblancas writes such articles translated as "The Path of Evil" underneath the two-page article mentioned earlier, we are a total reflection of Ancient Rome and Spain & England in the age of imperialism. Do we want to reflect the evils done during those times? Do we want to be unilateralist? Is this not a flat world? Shouldn't we all work together? Besides, there are more serious questions at hand besides war. How much pollution will the earth take? Al Gore please! Anyways, where, oh where will you lead us Mr. Obama???
So you've had a look at some of my thoughts. Now, what is the spanish opinion? In my opinion, the spanish are hopeful for us Americans. Just as my father-in-law has expressed. Europe and Spain have their eyes on us! This afternoon as I sat down to eat "arroz al horno" for lunch, one of the top news channels did a full minute section with Obama, comparing him to MLK, Kennedy, and other greats of the past century. What high expectancy! Check out this video on CNN. Did you see that??? Bye, Bye Bush Parties and sand murals on Barcelona's beach! Good stuff. I am going to a Mr. President Obama celebration on Weds. night in the old Valencian town center, too.
Here's my point. Right now, America is on bad terms with the world. Obama has brought hope to Americans and Spainards alike. All my colleagues, friends, and family are asking me, probing me, and most importantly, smiling. I just hope it lasts Mr. Obama.
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