KUOW News Round-Up

As you may or may not know, our local NPR station, KUOW 94.9 FM, does a weekly news round-up every Friday morning at 10. I would have said that they are likely to lead off with the new SAP boundaries but then I woke up to find Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm thinking that's the lead. Nevertheless, I think the new SAP boundaries will make their way into the discussion. It might make good listening given that these are some of the pundits who write daily on city issues. As well, they do take call-ins (543-KUOW) and e-mails (weekday@kuow.org) on topics so if you are so moved, you have the opportunity.

About Obama. I was a little taken aback (I read it on the Stranger Slog and thought they were joking). Even though we all saw the reaction throughout the world when Obama was elected, I realize that it was deeper than I thought. Obama's election really, really means something to people other than Americans. Expectations are very high in this country (despite everything that he faced down coming into office) and this points out that the world joins those expectations.

I wouldn't take this as a win on his part (although it may take the sting out of losing the Olympics). Talk about having the weight of the world on your shoulders. Good luck, Mr. President.

Comments

Jet City mom said…
I was almost as shocked to hear that as the Obama admin I think was.

I voted for him ( as well as donated and volunteered quite a bit) and I know how much his election means to others around the world, but this raises expectations to an almost unreal level.
I don't think it is a good thing so early, but anything that irritates Rush can't be all bad.
SolvayGirl said…
I was thinking about how divided our country is right now, and how, for the last 20 years one side or the other has been trying to delegitimize the president. I would hope that this would be something the whole country could be proud of, but, alas, it appears not. SIgh.
Sahila said…
Melissa - the Obama-Nobel Prize thing... yes, a lot riding on this man's shoulders and time will tell whether he can keep walking forward with that burden... I have my doubts, watching his lack of progress on health care reform and the direction he's taking in education and his inability to keep the the Guantanimo pull out to time, his backing down on prosecuting the torturers and the continued presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.... we shall see...

As to the rest of the world's view:

I dont think anyone in this country really understands how much the rest of the world views America negatively... 8 years of Bush and how that happened, isolationism during the world wars, coupled with dozens of decades of covert and overt interference in other countries' politics, the push for globalisation and everything that goes with that, economically, socially, environmentally, the refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol and multiple United Nations initiatives to make food and water basic human rights and to protect women and children, the call for nuclear disarmament and the arm twisting of other countries that are working towards nuclear capability, while at the same time continuing to maintain, even grow, its own nuclear defense stockpiles ... the list goes on and on...

Then you look at the situation in America internally...health care, education, violence, dysfunctional individuals and families, a political system that disenfranchises millions because it is not representative, the death penalty, mass media - its all relative of course, but America is really more like a third world country than it is like the rest of the West/developed world...

I dont remember the economists name, but earlier this year a famous economist was interviewed on KUOW and he said bluntly that the American economy and how it functioned was on a par with that of Brazil, Mexico and China...

Its a shame most people in this country believe your own PR... look at the ridiculous posturing over health care reform - "we have the best health system in the world"... um, no you dont...

Its the arrogance that sticks in most peoples' craw...
reader said…
... and yet, they all want to move here.
Jet City mom said…
I don't think they view Americans negatively necessarily- I am not a huge traveler, but my daughter is & " they" are able to separate our administration from our people.

She was in Accra at the same time as Bush, and the Ghanaians were thrilled to see Americans- even though they had issues with the President
Sahila said…
no they dont Reader.... its all relative - those from third world countries lower down the totem pole than America do... those from the West dont... go check out the data relating to who comes here from where...

http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR08.shtm

see table 3....
Sahila said…
Generally they dont separate Americans out from the Administration, EmeraldKitty... they consider the American people stupid for the Bush stolen election/fraud debacle... "once you can forgive, voting for him twice - hey you must be stupid..."
reader said…
... oh yeah they do Shahila. Perhaps you don't get out as much as you think. I never met the European that didn't want to come and live in big, bad USA. I never met the foreigner that didn't want a green-card. They'll do practically anything for them, enduring huge hassles and weird trips back and forth at great expense and inconvenience. Complain, complain, complain, they love coming to the US for their health care if they've got the money. Cry about private pay all you want... if you can pay, you want to be able to if you need to. And go to Latin America, ask any kid where they want to live when they grow up... Miami. You're here aren't you?

And perhaps Bush was a dope... but what about Berlusconi? Those really smart Europeans are completley capable of electing their own buffoon repeatedly for 15 years.
Karrie said…
My favorite is when one person thinks they can speak for the world... Sahila - what is your sample size for what you write? With family and friends in many countries I find their views on the US vary greatly depending upon their situation and how they got there.

And your sample size for "Its a shame most people in this country believe your own PR"? Again - just in my circle of Seattle friends, there is a wide range of views on how they see this country and our current issues.

I don't disagree that there are those who hold the views you write but generalizations don't help and frankly discredit you and what you write.

My view is that the prize was premature and my hope is that hindsight will show it to be well deserved. Less than one year has passed since the election so I'm going to reserve judgement on success and failure for now.
dan dempsey said…
Wow!!!!!

I found it bizarre that the board gave MG-J a big pay raise after only one year and NO measurable results.

Obama has been in office less than a year. Does he have measurable results to show?

So who were the other possible recipients? I thought in past cases like Mother Teresa and Linus Pauling displayed a long history of successful activism for peace. Guess I see Obama through a different lens than the Nobel committee. I hope his next year is better than MG-J year two.
SolvayGirl said…
Was disappointed not to hear anything about the SAP. Perhaps they're waiting till after the Pledge Drive is over. Go pledge if you haven't—KUOW could be a good ally for Seattle parents, since many of our print journalists are SPS parrots.
reader said…
Let's not forget, although lots of Western Europeans lament Americanization, Americans, private health care as leaving many out (mostly because they are fascinated with Americans, and jealous).. their own public systems are grossly discriminatory to lots and lots of their own residents too. They've got their own huge and brewing social problems. Arabs, Africans, Eastern Europeans, other immigrants... do they have equal opportunity? How about all those low wage Polish workers in England? Are the laid-off English loving that? Women weren't granted full voting rights in Switzerland and Portugal until the 1970;s. And education for all? Most Europeans have highly tracked entitlement systems that begin at a very early age, dating back generations or even centuries. I doubt they'd be letting your little dear sleep in late and still be on a college-track.

Oh please, why should KUOW talk about the SAP? There's only arguing over block lines. It really isn't that newsworthy. It'll be newsworthy when Eckstein has 2000 students come fall.
SolvayGirl said…
Oh, but the SAP is all about reopening closed buildings at great expense. I conside that pretty ewsworthy!
anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
reader said…
But, they'd have to reopen those buildings with or without a new SAP. The 2 issues aren't really related!
Josh Hayes said…
To be fair, they did mention the SPS "return to neighborhood schools" with about fifteen seconds left in the discussion, and - wisely - put it off to next Friday, when we can hope the furshluginer pledge drive will be over.

(Don't get me wrong: we give KUOW money every year. I always feel like people who DO give money ought to be given some device that lets them *zap* the pledge drive stuff, like skipping the ads on a DVR. Oh well.)

All the other stuff about how the world views us, while interesting, is not germane to this blog, so I'll give it a miss, lest it give me a (WV) migracke.
Josh Hayes said…
And, solvaygirl, was that a pun or just the best typo I've seen in months, when you said that reopening closed schools at great expense was "ewsworthy"?

Either way, good one! Ewwws, for sure!

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