yeah, I agree with you bella... Most seem to talk about politics and JUST politics but they often forget about REAL problems like violence, poverty and the like...

Thanks Celtic, but it doesn't look like anyone else is too excited about it!

Putin is an intelligent, but odd, man. In Russia, the share of innefficent farms has declined from 88% to 33% within the past five years. Agriculture minister Alexei Gordeyev said, "It is very important that agriculture has stopped being a chronically inefficient industry over the last five years. We can see the financial and economic position of agriculture is improving slowly but steadily. We can also see that weak farms are growing weaker while strong farms are getting stronger." More Russia news? This story is on the growing oil industry there, http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/article/1101978557573

Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, the governor of Puerto Rico (where I live in), has plans to get the bums out of the streets. It has done wonders so far. He also wants to reform public school education, which I think is a blessing considering no one could go to a public school here and believe to have a long life expectancy.

Chirac is compromising the whole Cote d'Îvore (sp) and Republic of Congo mess. In Cote d'Îvore, he is laying the conditions in which to keep French language there. In the Republic of Congo, milita is wanted to be sent, as the country is one of earth's hell holes, to say the least. (http://libreville.com)

Fidel Castro announced that he will blame the United States if his close friend and ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, is killed (he claims Chávez is in danger). More on the story, http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/sns-ap-cuba-castro,0,1043364.story?coll=nyc-nationhome-headlines

Fidel Castro announced also that Cuba's communist state rises from the ashes of the post-Soviet crash with more control on the economy and help from China and Venezuela (as if Venezuela has any cash to spare), he said on Saturday's near six hour-long speech.

Also, http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1415288,00.html

I'm glad this thread was created. US teens need to look more abroad their countries with a sense that isn't just "They are below us/they are our enemies".

Thank god for SKJared! Good question.

What about Ariel Sharon? Is he a fit ruler for his people. Is the steely determination and fortitude which he displays in his dealing with the PA an old mans act of defiance against an old enemy? It could just be, and most likely is so, that he rembers the past when Israel made concessions in negotiations and wound up getting burn in the deal.
There is a little about a non-American leader.