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[ChinaEFLteacher]

the u.s. hypocracy makes my stomach turn, the revolting comments turn my shame to tears. how sad it is to hail from the empire.


U.S. Rejects Tally, Warns Ukraine

47 minutes ago Politics - washingtonpost.com


By William Branigin, Washington Post Staff Writer

The United States yesterday rejected the announced results of Ukraine's disputed presidential election and warned the government of the former Soviet republic to uphold democracy or face consequences in its relationships with the United States and Europe.

In a news briefing at the State Department, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell delivered a sharp rebuke to the Ukrainian authorities who yesterday declared Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner of a runoff election Sunday that Ukrainian protesters and foreign observers said was marred by fraud.


"We cannot accept this result as legitimate because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse," Powell said.


His comments came shortly after Ukraine's Central Election Commission announced that Yanukovych, whose candidacy was backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites), won the runoff with 49.46 percent of the vote, defeating pro-Western opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko, who was said to have received 46.61 percent. Exit polls on election day had put Yushchenko well ahead, and U.S. and European observers said there were widespread irregularities.


Powell's remarks were more forceful than those the administration made Tuesday when President Bush (news - web sites) issued a statement saying the United States was "deeply disturbed" by "indications of fraud" in the elections.


Yesterday, Powell called for "a full review of the conduct of the election" and tallying of results. "It is time for Ukrainian leaders to decide whether they are on the side of democracy or not, whether they respect the will of the people or not.


"If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly, there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine's hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration, and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud," he said.


Powell said he has discussed the situation with Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine's outgoing president and a Kremlin ally who backed Yanukovych, and with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, among other officials. In his conversation with Lavrov, Powell said, "I underscored our strong support for a fair investigation of the election and the absolute importance that no violence is used against the Ukrainian people."


Powell said the United States and Russia want to find a solution to the problem based on legal procedures.


"We're not looking for a contest with the Russians over this," he said. "We're looking for a way to make sure that the will of the Ukrainian people is respected. . . ."


He declined to specify the consequences he said could flow from Ukraine's failure to ensure a fair election outcome. "At the moment, we're not taking any actions," he said. "We want to see what the ultimate results are. So I would not get into any specifics."


Sen. Joseph R. Biden (news, bio, voting record) Jr. (Del.), the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Ukraine's leaders should "immediately invalidate the election results, invite an independent commission to investigate the numerous reports of fraud and protect all peaceful demonstrators."


Germany has also criticized the election and expressed concern about the situation in Ukraine, which declared independence from Moscow 13 years ago. "There has been massive electoral fraud," German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told the country's legislature.


Another country expressing similar criticism was Canada, which echoed Powell's statement by announcing that it cannot accept the election results.

[spidey]

And your point is...?

[distiller]

If it seems that there was internationally recognized voter fraud then why should anyone accept the results? It's just a shame that the U.S. doesn't hold itself to the same standards as it does the rest of the world.

[ChinaMovieMagic]

Journalist to Famed French Surrealist:
Q: Where did Surrealism go?
A: It was replaced by Reality.
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In China, the national-govt. CCTV English Channel has been closely covering elections, and not neglecting controversies--in Indonesia, Philippines, USA, Ukraine. Many local English-learners watch these shows.
Eyes/Minds are opening. Critical Thinking...
English teachers can more safely talk about "foreign" issues rather than "domestic" ones.
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RE: UKRAINE
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/nov2004/ukr-n25.shtml

>In the Western media, this struggle for power is portrayed as a conflict between the forces of dictatorship and democracy, between an autocratic regime and a democratic opposition. But a closer examination presents a very different picture. Both Yushchenko and Yanukovich have their roots in the new elite which divided the wealth of the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Differences between the two camps are of recent origin...As head of the central bank and prime minister, Yushchenko was one of the most important architects of a policy of economic liberalisation and privatisation, which has had devastating social effects. With an average monthly income of 65 euros, the Ukraine has one of the poorest populations in Europe, while an infinitesimal layer of nouveau riche has accumulated enormous wealth...The conflict within the new elite revolves around the question of how best to defend its privileged status�in a close alliance with Russia, or by a further opening up to Western capitalist interests.<<

=======================================
Some questions on teaching critical thinking, social studies and ...
... Worldwide trends in social studies and EFL content-based education have led to more
of an emphasis being put on global issues and critical thinking in Japan. ...
www.ipc.hokusei.ac.jp/~z00323/ priv/pub_pres/2000_someguestions.html
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Bias and Balance in EFL Content on Controversial Issues
Speaker: Trevor Sargent (Tottori University)
Date: Saturday, December 11th, 2004
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: Okayama
Venue: Okayama Sankaku building near Omotecho in Okayama city
Description: A disturbing trend toward promoting the teaching of biased views of controversial global issues in EFL classrooms, while inventing excuses for not offering of balanced approaches, has been gathering momentum under JALT auspices recently. This presentation looks at specific instances of this, points out the dangers for students and why this is forbidden by law in Britain, and offers solutions based on current academic practice and mainstream global education.
Cost for JALT members: free
Cost for JALT non-members: 1000 yen; students 500 yen
Organization: Okayama Chapter, Japan Association for Language Teaching


Contact Okayama JALT Chapter:
Peter Burden:
[email protected]
Phone: Home: 086-293-3545
Fax: Home: 086-293-3545


The conflict within the new elite revolves around the question of how best to defend its privileged status�in a close alliance with Russia, or by a further opening up to Western capitalist interests.<<

[The G-stringed Avenger]

Well, you only have to look at the Vietnam war and the current disaster in Iraq.

Rich, happy, contented America, where most people have houses and cars and colour TVs. These are all the products of the "American Way". It then got into their heads that the rest of the world must be stupid for not wanting what America had. Solution: Force your wants, desires, your ways and your system on others. Don't give them a choice or anything. Your way is the only way. Democracy is good, we like democracy, you will learn to like it too. And kill anyone who resists.

3 million Vietnamese and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died to demonstrate the superiority of the American Way.

Go USA.

[Seth]

[ChinaMovieMagic]

GETTING IT RIGHT THE 2nd TIME AROUND
book by Michael Gershman

Pepsi-Cola went bankrupt---three times.
Raytheon lost $5 million on the microwave.
At one time or another, it was impossible to market ballpoint pens, Post-It-Notes, vacuum cleaners, Cracker Jack, Vaseline...

"Be inspired by these marketing comebacks...In each case, someone believed in the product, changed strategy, and made history."(from Success magazine)

Perhaps relevant for USA
Perhaps...if/when the US dollar crashes...
CHAOS leads to Constitutional Convention
Red and Blue and Green etc. folks are able to form affinity communities/states, as did the Quakers in Rhode Island and in Penn-sylvania...and as is described in the book Eco-Topia

We NOW also CAN form such a Community here-in-China
"English Language Village"
China still has some Maoist Communes...
BUT...these are VOLUNTARY...and highly successful...

[ChinaMovieMagic]

www.wsws.org

Hypocrisy?
Or...
Machiavellian Chess?

>>One of the most prominent American geo-strategists, the former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, referred seven years ago to the crucial role of Ukraine in Russian foreign policy. In his book, The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives, Brzezinski wrote: �Even without the Baltic states and Poland, a Russia that retained control over Ukraine could still seek to be the leader of an assertive Eurasian empire.... But without Ukraine and its 52 million fellow Slavs, any attempt by Moscow to rebuild the Eurasian empire was likely to leave Russia entangled alone in protracted conflicts with the nationally and religiously aroused non-Slavs, the war with Chechnya perhaps simply being the first example.�<<