Sometimes the More You Read, the Less You Know

This weekend, there are a lot paired news events - each not really worth a long blog but all interesting as they give an insight into the current state of world affairs.

1. President Obama is in South America telling the continent that trade relations between their countries and America is well and working fine -- and at the same time, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is speaking on behalf of Mitt Romney, saying that Obama’s three-year delay in signing free trade agreements with South American countries, because of pressure from some labor unions, has cost US agriculture more than 1 Billion Dollars.
2. The UN Security Council has unanimously passed Resolution 2042, authorizing observers to go to Syria to monitor the ceasefire -- while both the rebels and the al-Assad regime are accusing the other of violations of the ceasefire, with the only “proof” so far being the deaths of at least three civilians today when regime troops opened fire in two separate Syrian cities.
3. The Istanbul meeting between world powers and Iran has led most western diplomats to express optimism about the possibility of Iran’s entering into serious discussions about its nuclear enrichment program -- while Iran’s President Ahmadinejad is saying in Tehran that “Iran will not budge one iota away from its inalienable rights to nuclear enrichment programs,” as Iranian diplomats call for the lifting of UN sanctions already in place against Iran, and the US strengthens its determination to carry on with the petroleum export ban on 1 July followed by other sanctions.
4. The Obama campaign team and the Democratic Party were on a roll characterizing Mitt Romney as unfriendly to women, and the polls seemed to show the women of America were buying the pitch -- until a female Democratic strategist said that Mrs. Romney had “never worked a day in her life,” a remark that made even President Obama himself “apologize” and gave Sarah Palin a talking point on “momma grizzlies” while Mrs. Romney rose above it all, saying that she had raised five sons and her staff added, yes…while suffering from MS and beating breast cancer.
5. President Obama has been all over Mitt Romney about paying only 15% in taxes last year and vowing to correct this injustice -- but today the world learned that the Obamas paid just 20% in taxes, and like Warren Buffet, paid a lower percent in taxes than Mr. Obama’s secretary.
6. And finally, just about everyone in the know in the world of ice hockey has picked the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Stanley Cup this year -- but right now the Philadelphia Flyers, after two matches, are leading the Penguins 2 -0 in the first leg of the play-offs.