Photo: AFP
US President Barack Obama (L) sits alongside US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House, 23 Nov 2009
Obama to Announce Afghan War Strategy Tuesday
Reports say president likely to back plan to send between 30,000 and 35,000 additional US troops to Afghanistan
Full story »More Top News
- Philippine Massacre Suspect Turns Himself In, Military Still Pursuing Gunmen
- China Sets Emission-Cutting Target Ahead of Climate Change Summit
- India Marks First Anniversary of Deadly Mumbai Attacks
- US Troops Experiment with New Strategy for Afghanistan
- Obama to Attend Copenhagen Climate Talks
- Heavy Flooding Kills 48 in Saudi Arabia as Pilgrims Begin Hajj
- Somali Insurgents Order Halt to Imported Food Aid
- President Obama Pardons Thanksgiving Turkey
- UN Report Critical of DRC Operation
- Pakistan Charges 7 in Mumbai Attacks
- Israeli PM Declares Settlement Freeze
- US Welcomes Israeli Settlement Move, Urges Palestinians to Enter Negotiations
- British Officials: Little Pre-War Evidence of al-Qaida-Iraq Link
- Singh: India Will Not Let Hatched in Pakistan Mumbai Terror Attacks Happen Again
- US Terror Trial Decision Sparks Opposition, Legal Questions
 |  | Germany's top soldier resigns over allegations of a cover-up related to a Nato air strike in Afghanistan that killed civilians. |
| China unveils Copenhagen targets on emissions China says it will aim to reduce the so-called "carbon intensity" of its economy by 40- 45% by 2020, official media say. | | Berlusconi's wife 'in 43m euro a year divorce claim' The estranged wife of Italy's Silvio Berlusconi is seeking a divorce settlement of 43m euros a year, an Italian paper says. |
Above the Law |
| By ARNOLD CORSO |
| Burma’s rulers will continue to lean heavily on the judiciary to impose their vision of a “discipline-flourishing democracy” |
| QUOTE OF THE DAY | |
 |  You are a weak man if you use your physical superiority to assault and brutalize women.  — Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the South African Nobel Peace laureate |
Thanksgiving—Kachin-style |
| By PATRICK KELLY |
| An annual Kachin feast known as “the first rice festival” closely parallels the Western tradition of Thanksgiving in offerings of food and fellowship. |
No Roadmap Without Dialogue: Opposition Leaders |
| By WAI MOE |
| Opposition leaders reiterate that the way forward in Burma's political impasse lies in the basic principles first expressed in the Shwegonedaing Declaration. |
Min Ko Naing Needs Urgent Medical Attention, NLD Says |
| By SAW YAN NAING |
| The imprisoned activist Min Ko Naing is in urgent need of medical attention, according to the National League for Democracy (NLD). |
INTERVIEWSearching for Than Shwe |
| By THE IRRAWADDY |
| Benedict Rogers, the coauthor of a recent biography about Snr-Gen Than Shwe, spoke to The Irrawaddy about his soon-to-be-published book. |
Widely Respected Burmese Monk Dies |
| By ARKAR MOE |
| The respected Burmese monk and author of 15 books on Buddhism, Phyu Sayadaw Bhaddanta Narapati, has died in Rangoon, aged 68. |
| HIV/AIDS cases decline across Asia Nov 26, 2009 (DVB)–The number of new HIV infections in Asia has decreased by 15 percent since 2001, although concerns remain for HIV/AIDS awareness in Burma where the disease is heavily stigmatized. - more |
 |
| Shan locals imprisoned for ‘insurgent links’ Nov 26, 2009 (DVB)–Arrests of civilians in Shan state have reportedly intensified in recent weeks as the Burmese government looks to break perceived links between locals and rebel groups in the region. - more |
|
| Kokang conflict ‘did not concern’ border guard tension Nov 26, 2009 (DVB)–An offensive by Burmese troops against Kokang rebels in August did not result from its resistance to border guard transformation but from drugs and weapons production, state media said today. - more |
|
| 178,000 Nargis victims lack decent shelter Nov 26, 2009 (DVB)–Regional aid for victims of Burma’s cyclone Nargis will only cover 14 percent of vulnerable families in the country’s southern Irrawaddy delta, with 178,000 people still without proper shelter. - more |
|
| EU and ASEAN raise $100m for Nargis relief Nov 25, 2009 (DVB)–More than $US100 million has been raised for cyclone Nargis relief efforts by Southeast Asia’s regional bloc and the European Union, it was announced today. - more |
|
| Thai refugee camps face tough year ahead Nov 25, 2009 (DVB)–Rising rice prices and the threat of an influx of Burmese refugees into Thailand over the coming year could place a heavy strain on refugee camps along the border, the head of a refugee aid group warned. - more |
|
| Burma aims to match Vietnam rice output Nov 25, 2009 (DVB)–Burma’s rice production, once the most prodigious in the world, is making headway towards its former glory and will soon match Vietnam’s output, a leading rice trader said. - more |
|
| Iconic 1988 student leader ‘very ill’ Nov 25, 2009 (DVB)–The imprisoned leader of the 88 Generation Students activist group, instrumental in the infamous 1988 uprising in Burma, is in need of immediate medical assistance, his family said. - more |
Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.
American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.
Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve.
So tomorrow, I'll be giving thanks for my family -- for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.
But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love.
The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school.
We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.
So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy.
It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.
In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change.
You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished -- and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.
So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.
With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,
President Barack Obama
No comments:
Post a Comment