2 Big Stories
Widely questioned as being rather premature, and merited more by vision than achievements so far, President Obama’s award is making the headlines this morning:
Barack Obama wins 2009 Nobel peace prize (Telegraph)
Less than a year after taking office, Mr Obama won the prestigious award after calling for worldwide disarmament.
He had also worked to restart the stalled Middle East peace process since taking office in January.
In an announcement in Oslo, he was honoured “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjoern Jagland said.
“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as (Mr) Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said.
“His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”
The committee said it attached special importance to Mr Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.
Royal Mail strike – Christmas come early?
And not in a good way… with senders of Christmas cards being urged to post them up to three weeks early and eBay removing ratings for delivery speeds, the country is rehearsing its “life after Royal Mail” scenario.
Customers urged to desert Royal Mail as postal workers vote for national strike (Mail)
The decision by postal workers yesterday to take industrial action will heap misery on both families and businesses with Christmas approaching.
Energy companies and banks are already encouraging customers to sign up for online accounts.Leading internet retailers such as Play.com, Amazon, Tesco Direct and Argos are drawing up plans to switch to rival companies to ensure millions of Christmas presents arrive on time.
Many more companies will look at electronic systems to avoid invoices and cheques being trapped in deserted sorting offices.
2 Must-Read Blog Posts
Headline of the Day ends in a tie (Liberal England)
We’re all in this together (Norfolk Blogger)
Don your High School uniform and high-five your way through Nich Starling’s video tribute to George Osborne’s hollow words…
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4 Comments
Wasn’t the Nobel peace prize meant to be for achievement and not just hot air?
I think they award it for killing civilians.
President Barack Obama becomes the fourth US President,since 1900, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after Woodrow Wilson (League Of Nations),Jimmy Carter (Middle East Peace diplomacy) and Theodore Roosevelt (The Japan/Russian War). Three Democrats and one Republican.
I would rate President Obama amongst the greatest of those real few global tribunes of Peace alongside Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu as great Liberals who have sought to beat swords into plough shears.
These three being of African descent and holders of the Nobel Peace award.
‘I would rate President Obama amongst the greatest of those real few global tribunes of Peace alongside Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu as great Liberals who have sought to beat swords into plough shears.’
Nominations closed for this award 11 days after Obama had assumed office!
Can you please advise what he has actually achieved or was it the USA’s turn to receive the award or because he’s the first black president of the USA?
Mandela & Tutu actually achieved things all Obama has done so far is talk.
The whole point of this award is achievement it has now been debased to a ‘talk the talk’ debating society prize. .