Fairtrade is about stable prices, decent working conditions and the empowerment of farmers and workers around the world.

With a TPP, a TTiP or any other trade agreement, you can say good bye to FAIR TRADE...

And you can say goodbye to your democratic rights against the corporates.

Despite what has been argued by some economists and some deluded news outlets, the TPP has been BAD NEWS...

So far Donald Trump is on the "right" track: Ditch the TPP and make peace with Russia. What can be better than this? Peace in the Middle East will come too...

Donald Trump is poised to eliminate all climate change research conducted by Nasa as part of a crackdown on “politicized science”, his senior adviser on issues relating to the space agency has said.

Nasa’s Earth science division is set to be stripped of funding in favor of exploration of deep space, with the president-elect having set a goal during the campaign to explore the entire solar system by the end of the century.

This would mean the elimination of Nasa’s world-renowned research into temperature, ice, clouds and other climate phenomena. Nasa’s network of satellites provide a wealth of information on climate change, with the Earth science division’s budget set to grow to $2bn next year. By comparison, space exploration has been scaled back somewhat, with a proposed budget of $2.8bn in 2017.

Bob Walker, a senior Trump campaign adviser, said there was no need for Nasa to do what he has previously described as “politically correct environmental monitoring”.

“We see Nasa in an exploration role, in deep space research,” Walker told the Guardian. “Earth-centric science is better placed at other agencies where it is their prime mission.

“My guess is that it would be difficult to stop all ongoing Nasa programs but future programs should definitely be placed with other agencies. I believe that climate research is necessary but it has been heavily politicized, which has undermined a lot of the work that researchers have been doing. Mr Trump’s decisions will be based upon solid science, not politicized science.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/nov/23/donald-trump-cabine...

On this very important subject, Donald is a glorified idiot ignoramus. GLOBAL WARMING SCIENCE IS NOT POLITICAL. What is political is the view of some economists and silly politician who like to burn more fossil fuels. 

But who are we to complain? The Australian government has done the same pledge ahead of Trump, by the appointment of a rabid ignorant CEO to the CSIRO. Ugly. Still in the doldrums despite some fistfights...

IT'S GOING TO BE UGLY. Leonardo Da Vinci went underground to perform his scientific research when the ignoramuses of the Catholic Church forbade autopsies... Global warming won't stop because Donald says "it's political". IDIOT.... MIND YOU HE MIGHT STILL FAVOUR WINDMILLS BECAUSE they are cheaper.

He loves Berlin, he says. And he would like to return again soon with Michelle and his daughters, but without all of the fuss that severely limits what a sitting US president can see and do. He was likely referring to the sniffer dogs, the security personnel and all of the other staff who make sure that overseas visits go according to plan. 

Next time, he said, he'll come in disguise, wearing a hat and glasses. "Maybe I'll grow a beard or something." Barack Obama laughed as he considered the possibility on Thursday morning in the US Embassy in Berlin while microphone was being affixed to his lapel. It was just seconds before the real interview was to begin.

Obama's visit to Berlin this week was full of messages. First and foremost, he wanted to show his support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, an intention that was clear throughout his Wednesday-to-Friday stopover. He also wanted to promote democracy in the form of open debate and political engagement. He wanted to express his concerns that Western societies are becoming increasingly unjust, leading populist political movements to gain in strength. And he of course wanted to promote his own legacy so that he doesn't go down in history as a failure once he is replaced on January 20 by Donald Trump, who will likely revise signature pieces of Obama's domestic legislation in addition to revisiting key foreign policy achievements such as the Iran deal and the rapprochement with Cuba.

But his greatest success as president, Obama said during his Thursday interview with German public broadcaster ARD and SPIEGEL, is that the global economy didn't slide off the cliff in 2008. "I think people don't fully appreciate how severe the economic crisis was."

It has been an eventful eight years. Back in November 2008, on a cool, gray evening in Chicago, people in the crowd cried and even journalists shed tears when Obama took to the stage following his election victory. It was a touching moment, or perhaps kitschy, depending on how unemotionally you choose to view the world. A young Obama, with his campaign slogan "Yes We Can" and rousing speeches, managed to beat out the Democratic field, led by favorite Hillary Clinton, and then defeat Republican candidate John McCain. He came to the victory party in Hyde Park with his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha in tow -- and even cynics were aware at the time that it was an historic moment: the first black president of the United States.

read more:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-deep-bond-of-trust-between...

Why visit Berlin in disguise? Is Obama worried he'll be mobbed or pelted with tomatoes? The financial crisis was not solved by Obama. It was solved by those who created the crisis in the first place and that created a situation in which Obama had no choice but fill their tanks again with cash. Handing cash out is easy. Obama fooled most of the people including the Europeans who are suffering like hell due to Obama's warring foreign policies with refugees and sanctions against Russia. Colour of skin and gender have nothing to do with the price of fish, apart from conning people with a "first" this or "first" that. Dealing with Cuba? Still not really done well, nor with sensitivity. The rest has been deceitful and atrocious. Trump can do better? we shall see.... See toon at top.

https://off-guardian.org/2016/11/24/obama-changes-his-mind-on-russia/

In his self-appraising final speech, Obama said he was more optimistic about the future now than he was when he took office. Very congenial to Donald Trump who has to fight more "secret dirt" coming from the fabricators of fake news dirt — the CIA, the FBI, MI6 and the sewers of Cambodia... while blaming the Ruskies for it... Fantastic. See toon at top and articles below it...

From fist bumping Michelle Obama to sharing a few dad jokes during his Thanksgiving addresses, Barack Obama has defined his presidency through pop culture.

It has allowed him to spruik political messages to niche audiences, genuinely engage with the public and attract Hollywood stars to amplify his message.

Take a look back at some of his coolest moments from the past eight years.

don'r read any more of this propaganda crap:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-20/is-barack-obama-the-coolest-presid...

Most Americans would probably be astounded to realize that the president who has been painted by Washington pundits as a reluctant warrior has actually been a hawk. The Iran nuclear deal, a herculean achievement, and the opening of diplomatic relations with Cuba unfortunately stand alone as President Obama’s successful uses of diplomacy over hostility.

While candidate Obama came to office pledging to end George W Bush’s wars, he leaves office having been at war longer than any president in US history. He is also the only president to serve two complete terms with the nation at war. 

President Obama did reduce the number of US soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he dramatically expanded the air wars and the use of special operations forces around the globe. In 2016, US special operators could be found in 70% of the world’s nations, 138 countries – a staggering jump of 130% since the days of the Bush administration. 

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/09/america-dropped-26...

America dropped 26,171 bombs in 2016. What a bloody end to Obama's reign.... And these are the official bombs... They don not include the bombs and the bullets supplied to "rebels" (terrorists) fighting the Assad government, nor the bombs supplied to Ukraine and Saudi Arabia.

See toon at top...