Right now Obama is receiving his Nobel Peace prize in Oslo (live webcast), meanwhile in Stockholm the other prizewinners are arriving and preparing for the ceremony tonight. I am on my way up to Stockholm but not for the Nobel ceremony & dinner but for a two day meeting. I would have preferred to have coffee with Elinor Ostrom.
This was also a special date as it used to be my grandmothers birthday. No more.
When President Barack Obama met Queen Elizabeth II he brought a gift with him… So what would you get the Queen? Well Obama gave her a personalised iPod. (ABC News)
My first thought was – How Cool! And I immediately began thinking of which playlist Obama would give the Queen. Which artists would he think that she would like to listen to?
But my imagination was brutally crushed when I read that “A palace spokesman said the MP3 player was loaded with footage of the Queen’s 2007 visit to Washington and Virginia.”
How exciting. And in return the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh gave the Obamas signed portraits of themselves.
Yeah! The spirit of giving. It’s all about giving each other trash that you don’t want or what? Do you think Mauss deals with these kinds of gifts?
Update: Obama’s gift may have broken the law.
Like many others I watched President Obama’s inauguration. He was calm and collected, unsmiling, powerful – almost too much so. And then he slipped up twice while being sworn in – a human touch.
His inaugural address was magnificent and despite my skepticism I was impressed by the level of trust, sincerity optimism and gravity Obama delivered in his speech.
Here are some of the best bits (from a transcript):
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man…
Here is a fundamental point which must be addressed. For too long we have been fighting terror with methods that are destroying the very liberties we are supposed to be defending. I almost did not believe that a man in power today would say such a thing. With great power comes great responsibility.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers.
Did you hear the last part? “and non-believers” Exclude non! Religious discrimination is evil and must be stopped everywhere.
…know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.
This part of the speech was addressed to other countries but in stating this principle it is an important recognition that it applies to the states as well. The last eight years have been all about destruction and fostering more destruction.
…we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
A lovely phrase. Powerful.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you…
We pledge…
All in all it is very hopeful to have a thinking man in such a position of great power and I am looking forward to the change he promises.
What you understand about technology is intimately related to the way in which you tend to use technology. This is why it always concerns me when non-tech users are put to regulate technology use. It’s a question of understanding.
President-elect Obama is on Flickr and uses a Creative Commons license for his photographs. Naturally this may be someone who works for him but at least he has the knowledge to hire people who “get” technology use.
What an amazing way to wake up. I woke up in time to listen to Obama’s victory speech. The US has elected its first African-American President, this alone is an amazing step towards creating a better world.