Xordelia (dot) COM

I was a bit shocked and surprised when I heard of President Obama being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and then winning it. As an American I am very wrapped up in our culture and our politics and not as aware of international affairs as I should be.

At first I found it a bit shocking and analogous to spitting in the face of other Noble laureates such as Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandella, Mother Theresa, Kofi Annan, Elie Wiesel, etc. My response was “what has Obama done other than talk?” Obama did not snap his fingers and pull us out of Iraq during his first 6 months in office, he did not magically resolve the problem in Afghanistan and he wasted time in Europe trying to get the Olympic games to be held in Chicago.

What I failed to realize is that these are all American issues and the Noble foundation is not concerned with American politics. They are concerned about issues on a global scale and Obama has certainly climbed a lot of mountains when it comes to international problems.

We as Americans need to unite together, let our political affiliations go and support our leader so we can make the world a better place. Obama is a great leader and a dynamic speaker, but he is still one man. He cannot magically solve problems, it falls us to citizens of this globalized world to make a difference.

My friend sent me this on Facebook, which changed my mind about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

By the number of adamantly negative responses out there, I was almost convinced that Obama has not done one productive thing since having been inaugurated. Then, I actually checked up on his presidential act…ions since being in office, and was reminded that he indeed has done quite a bit of good since going into office. It’s so bemusing to me that when someone simply lists facts (not vague opinions on issues, but indeed solid facts) in support of the “wrong” cause, one is immediately deemed a hater. So, please spare me the childish sarcasm and cynical-minded comments. The following is simply a list of facts for those who would like to find out more about what Obama has actually done since his inauguration.

Check out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/PresidentialActions/
for a more detailed list,
And for my die-hard republican friends, go ahead and check fox news too. Apparently, Fox News also reported that during his first 100 days in office alone, President Obama was responsible for:

Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

Setting a fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

Ordering 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and enlisting, with modest new assistance, European allies in a new multi-layered strategy there and in Pakistan.

“Returning science to its rightful place” by lifting the Bush restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

Signing laws to expand children’s health insurance.

Signing a law meant to improve the ability of women who allege pay discrimination to sue their employer.

Diminishing the role of lobbyists in the White House.

“Forge a meaningful statement from the United Nations” criticizing North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile.

Lifting travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans who seek to travel more frequently to the island and send more US currency to their immediate family.

Engaging world leaders in Europe, Turkey, Latin American and the Caribbean with “strength and humility.”

(http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/21/adviser-says-obamas-days-productive-fdr/)

Before, I start listing facts, please be reminded that each of the following does not simply require signing a piece of paper. Anyone who has actually been in an administrative leadership position will understand all the difficulties, politics, and follow-through headaches that go with setting agendas and orders on a small scale… now imagine doing it for the nation.

Also, considering the number of the issues that need to be fixed in our system of government, without delegating and establishing committees, how can the best and most thorough resolution be reached? How can we possibly reach congruity in our policies and more comprehensively aware solutions to our societal problems, without the aid of a leader (like Obama), who has made many successful efforts at coordinating communication between various departments in order to make sure that policies do not infringe upon the rights of otherwise neglected members of the population (i.e., The White House Office of Urban Affairs and the White House Council on Women and Girls).

Further, nearly all if not all of Obama’s policies and strategies have come with specific and immediate timetables. Not only has he established this on the domestic level, but also on a global level as he has successfully opened discourse with countries that we previously neglected to engage.

Some people say that all he does is talk, but if to progress on issues of “peace-making, trade, war, economics and culture,” we need diplomacy… and diplomacy is defined as “the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states” and “[finding] mutually acceptable solutions to a common challenge,” then the G-20 Summit, the 60th Anniversary NATO Summit, and the U.S-E.U. Summit (plus all the other talks with various other leaders) are blaring evidence that Obama is doing his job successfully (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy and http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign_policy/).
Is diplomatically and successfully changing the world-perspective of America not in itself a great accomplishment?
How can we expect to have a roof (i.e., the end-all solution to world peace, hunger, and our horrible economic situation) without a proper building foundation (i.e., talking with world leaders, talking through with other policy-makers about the best method to achieve such goals, etc.)? And after several years of detrimental national policies, the cleaning up done so far is laudable in and of itself.

As our President, Obama has also had to spend quite a bit of time appointing the best people to fill numerous offices. Further, setting the foundation for future actions always takes longer than simply issuing laws, because there is also the accompanying pressure of determining the best policy, while taking into consideration its long-term effects.

In response to the outcry over Obama’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize, here is what he has done for foreign policy:

As far as foreign policy is concerned, President Obama:

Appointed Special Envoys for Climate Change, Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Sudan, and a Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Announced a plan to responsibly end the War in Iraq.

Announced a new strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Announced a strategy to address the international nuclear threat.

Agreed to negotiation of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia.

Established a new “U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue”.

Announced new policy steps towards Cuba.

(copied directly from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign_policy/. See this link also for very specific links and more information on each.)

Further, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html), Obama won the prize for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” A huge feat that the American people seem eager to disregard.

“The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.” Apparently, coming to agreement on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia (18 years after the last one was signed) was a task any one could have accomplished and is not good enough to win a prize either.

“Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized the tremendous work Obama has already put forth into the realizations of anyone’s dreams for a better society, but apparently, we can’t.

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. 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 world has his attention, but we can’t give him a moment of ours. We are not eager to work with him or to do our part for a more peaceful world, while the rest of the world is grateful that America is finally getting off its high horse and recognizing it needs the rest of the world to help improve humanity.

“The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that ‘Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.’

The sad part is that we’d rather tear his appeals apart and remain bitter cynics.

Ok, so the rest of the world appreciates what he’s done for global progress. Here’s what he’s done for America:

As far as energy and the environment is concerned:

$11 billion for a bigger, better, and smarter grid that will move renewable energy from the rural places it is produced to the cities where it is mostly used, as well as for 40 million smart meters to be deployed in American homes.

$5 billion for low-income home weatherization projects.

$4.5 billion to green federal buildings and cut our energy bill, saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

$6.3 billion for state and local renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts.

$600 million in green job training programs – $100 million to expand line worker training programs and $500 million for green workforce training.
$2 billion in competitive grants to develop the next generation of batteries to store energy.

Increasing, for the first time in more than a decade, the fuel economy standards for Model Year 2011 for cars and trucks so they will get better mileage, saving drivers money and spurring companies to develop more innovative products.

The President issued a memorandum to the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances, like dishwashers and refrigerators. Through this step, over the next three decades, we’ll save twice the amount of energy produced by all the coal-fired power plants in America in any given year.
Supporting the first steps of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide.

On Earth Day 2009, the President unveiled a program to develop the renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. These regulations will enable, for the first time ever, the nation to tap into our ocean’s vast sustainable resources to generate clean energy in an environmentally sound and safe manner.

(copied directly from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/energy_and_environment/; look here for specific links and more information)

That, was only for energy and the environment, the list goes on if you continue to peruse through the very accessible whitehouse.gov.

If the above wasn’t specific enough for you, I’ve also included a very few of the many specific executive orders and presidential determinations that Obama has passed, also directly from the White House website:
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/PresidentialActions/)

September 14: Set a policy regarding human trafficking, by stopping certain funding to several nations for the fiscal year 2010, including but not limited to Zimbabwe and Burma, until their governments decide to comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Determiniation-regarding-major-illicit-drug-transit/)

October 5: President Obama signed an Executive Order that set “sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to set a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target within 90 days; increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet petroleum consumption; conserve water; reduce waste; support sustainable communities; and leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-signs-an-Executive-Order-Focused-on-Federal-Leadership-in-Environmental-Energy-and-Economic-Performance/)

October 1: President Obama signs an Executive Order for “Federal Government-wide prohibition on the use of text messaging while driving on official business or while using Government-supplied equipment” to “demonstrate Federal leadership in improving safety on our roads and highways and to enhance the efficiency of Federal contracting.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Federal-Leadership-on-Reducing-Text-Messaging-while-Driving/)

June 12: Set up a national policy that ensures the protection, maintenance, and restoration of the health of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources, that enhances the sustainability of ocean and coastal economies, preserves our maritime heritage, provides for adaptive management to enhance our understanding of and capacity to respond to climate change, and is coordinated with our national security and foreign policy interests.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-National-Oceans-Month-and-Memorandum-regarding-national-policy-for-the-oceans/)

May 12: Furthered the efforts of the Clean Water Act of 1972 by issuing a timed strategy for the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, working towards ending pollution of “the largest estuary in the United States and one of the largest and most biologically productive estuaries in the world.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Chesapeake-Bay-Protection-and-Restoration/)

April 8: “Established the White House Office of Health Reform”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Establishing-The-White-House-Office-Of-Health-Reform/)

March 9: Issued an order to remove limitations to “fund and conduct human embryonic stem cell research, to expand NIH support for the exploration of human stem cell research, and in so doing to enhance the contribution of America’s scientists to important new discoveries and new therapies for the benefit of humankind.”
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Removing-Barriers-to-Responsible-Scientific-Research-Involving-Human-Stem-Cells/)

I hope this assists in clearing up some of the confusion out there about Obama’s time in office. And I sincerely hope that, at some point, we too will realize the importance of the values that Obama has held himself and his staff to since being in office.

(http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/ethics/) The world recognizes these values as integral to the causes of human rights, environmental protection and sustainability, and international peace efforts. What we do with regards to our domestic and foreign policies affects not only our future but also our future world standing and the future of other countries. It’s about time that America’s leader embraces the help of fellow peacemakers and leaders worldwide to endorse humanity’s progress and not simply be satisfied with self-centered, sectarian interests.

All of that said, I think he really does deserve the prize and I wholeheartedly regret doubting his ability as my President.

To say Carnival exceeded every expectation would be understating it. They did an absolutely phenomenal job making us feel at home and anticipating our every need even before we did ourselves.

We left San Diego, CA on 3 September 2009 around 4pm. I had always heard good things about cruises but didn’t know it would be as great as it was. When we first arrived on board we went up to Deck 9 to Drama Bar to hang out and meet other people while they prepared our state room.

We were amazed that there was an on-board Casino and a bar that had every drink you could imagine. There was also wifi and mobile phone service on the whole boat, although it was a bit pricey. Mobile phone service followed $6.99 a minute to the United States and $9.99 per minute to the rest of the world. Internet was $0.75 per minute or $24 for one hour.

After a while we got bored hanging out in Drama Bar (there wasn’t enough drama yet) so we went exploring the rest of the ship for a few hours.

This was deck 11 on the back of the ship while still docked in San Diego. There were a lot of seagulls around on the ship in San Diego and they followed us all the way out past Point Loma, enjoying swooping down and around the waves the boat was making in the water.

Here was one such seagull up on deck 11 by one of the adult jaccuzis and the sporting area (where the net is). Not long after this, we went down to our room to unload our stuff and then were called back upstairs for an emergency evacuation drill. The evacuation drill was the most boring time of our whole trip, but better safe than sorry.

Here are both of us in the Cole Porter lounge chillaxing during the evacuation drill. We were in lifeboat “E”. After this we went back up on Deck 11 to take some pictures, capturing the beauty that is San Diego and also getting a workout since we had climbed up and down about 50 flights of stairs (no exaggeration) by now. It is true that you eat a lot on a cruise, but you also work it off with all the stairs.

It felt really good to be out on deck with the nice breeze as hot and humid as it was in San Diego on embarkment day.

After going all the way out of the Point Loma Channel we went and got some drinks at the Lido Bar which had 3 amazing badtenders and an even more amazing barback named Kishore. There were two Thai bartenders and one Croatian bartenders and then Kishore who is Indian. They met out every need and gave us tons of awesome information about both the Elation and Cabo San Lucas.

Next we went to our room and got dressed for dinner which was a bit more formal than our running around clothes. Our waiter was named Elder and he’s from Honduras. He was absolutely amazing too! The dinner was five star every night and it was weird but nice not to have to worry about paying for it since it was included in the cruise.

Here is the shrimp appetizer that my Mom got.

Here is the cornfed chicken dinner that I got.

This was my Mom’s BBQ ribs.

This was the low fat / low carb orange cake that had FULL flavor.

This is the chocolate melting cake which was like partially cooked brownies and was sinfully amazing.

I also had a duck appetizer that is not pictured. It was amazing too. It was pieces of melon and cold duck breast.

When we came back from dinner our Steward Paul had already turned down our beds and put mints on our pillows. He also made us a stingray towel animal. Paul is another amazing person that Carnival is fortunate to have.

I didn’t sleep that well because our room was kinda hot and my Mom snores a lot…but oh well I lived. Apparently I woke her up snoring too, this makes me appreciate having my own room (and own thermostat) at home.

The next day was our “fun day at sea” and it was indeed fun. The only part that wasn’t fun is that we had these dumb bitches across from us, they were totally your all American dumb blonde sorority bitches (the unfriendly kind) who had fugly, rude, obnoxious, fat, rude boyfriends who probably only got these girls because the girls are secretly insecure. This reminds me of this girl I used to work with named who was super pretty and had this fat ugly loser boyfriend that she supported financially and only kept around because she was too insecure to think she could get another boyfriend. Anyway all of that aside, these losers were making so much noise, screaming out their doors from one room to another, playing loud music, etc. We could hear them 3 halls down from our room. I guess a few people called security on them (including us) and when security came the dumb bitches were drunk so they were fighting with security when asked to quiet down. The security guard was this kind little Indian guy that the dumb bitches totally were rude to. Anyway, in the end he told them they would either stop or find their own way home from Cabo. So they were quiet the rest of the trip until the last night.

They have a European style coffee shop on board with a sweet little Chinese barista. She was amazing, very interesting to talk to and knew my drink after the first time I ordered it. She gave us a lot of great information about China and about visiting it.

This was also the day that I decided to try my hand at gambling. It turns out that I suck and I juts lost a bunch of money.

This was me playing Blackjack. It was $5 a pop and I won about $20 but then lost it again.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

My Mom was actually doing good playing slots.

A bit to the left in this picture is another group of testosterone driven frat boy bitches who were trying to fight each other to prove their masculinity. The security staff was having none of it and was about to take them to the brig.

Here I was having a Stella Artrois on deck 12. Notice my Mom’s famous iced tea to the right.

After this we watched the sunset and then got ready for dinner.

Here we are in the elevator for formal night heading down to the Inspiration dining room.

Here was more seasonal melon with proschuto.

This night I ordered two dinners because it was both lobster and prime rib night and I love both about equally.

Here was prime rib with baked potato and onion rings.

Here was twin lobster tails and jumbo prawns. The lobster and shrimp were both excellent!

After dinner we went up on deck 12 where they have a jogging track and miniature golf.

It was really windy up there.

Here is the moon casting its light on the ocean. It was so bright that it looked like the sun. My Astronomical knowledge says that this is a waxing gibbous (nearly full) since it came out before midnight. It is scary that I know that.

Here is one of the poolside bars where I went to get soda. Very nice bartenders here too.

Here was the Lido deck pool area at night. It was calm and peaceful in the tropical Mexican ocean.

Here is my Momma chillaxing in a pool chair.

Tonight Paul made us a bunny towel animal. It looks kinda evil but it’s the thought that counts.

I slept better this night.

The next day was Cabo so we had to wake up early and then line up to take a Tender to shore. That is basically a little boat because the Cruise ship is too big to dock in the Cabo San Lucas Marina.

In a way it was a bit sad how Americanized Cabo was. Everyone spoke English, they had Subway, Dairy Queen, Hooters, Hard Rock Cafe, etc. It’s Mexico, they should have cabanas on the beach, tequila and Mexican food. They shouldn’t have to speak English either, we don’t speak Spanish for Mexican tourists coming to the United States. But oh well.

This is the day that I went parasailing, which was truly amazing. You feel weightless and free in the air. You can’t hear anything, it is completely silent up there. You’d think you’d hear rushing wind, but it is completely silent.

I was up there for a good 10 to 12 minutes and our guides had it down to a science. They hardly even seemed to pay attention they were so naturally good at what they did. They knew exactly which direction to turn the boat, how to get me up higher or lower using the wind, etc. We also got a great view of Los Arcos and World’s End.

We also saw a Sealion colony. I never realized that Sealions lived so far south, I thought that they were like Arctic and Antarctic animals.

After this we went back into Cabo, went shopping, ate lunch and drank…way too much.

I also smoked a Cuban Cigar which didn’t taste all that wonderful but it was great to try one since they are illegal in the United States. Not many Americans can say they have had Cuban Cigars.

By the time this picture was taken, I had way too much to drink and don’t remember anything after this. The whole time we were there I had 7 Coronas, 2 Sol, 2 shots of Don Julio, 2 shots of El Jimador, 2 shots of Jose Cuervo Especial, 2 shots of Patron Silver and 2 shots of Cabo Wabo Blanco. I also had a margarita and pina colada.

I vaguely remember stumbling to the bathroom to go pee and then stumbling back. I don’t remember the rest but my Mom told me about it. I guess we went to the Cabo Duty Free store to look at alcohol and cologne. I bumped into this lady hard who sighed at me and then stumbled the other way and almost knocked over a display of perfume. My Mom drug me outside by my ear and told me to stand against the wall and not move. She went back inside to apologize to the lady who I bumped into. She then realized that it was my childhood dentist Minchie. They then hugged and were all happy to see each other. After that they both helped me onto the Tender back to the Elation. Right when we got off I fell on my ass right in front of Mexican Customs. My Mom somehow got me to the room, got my glasses off and I woke up like 4 hours later not remember anything since I had gone to the bathroom.

I slept through dinner and all of the shows and everything. Then I had a bad headache and went to get some soda and water and food at the casual restaurant on the ship. We had sandwiches and calazone and then went to the Lido deck for dancing, mexican food, more drinks and an awesome DJ.

The next day (Sunday) was another day at sea. We woke up, went to breakfast, I still felt a bit weird from all the tequila (no hang over though) and we played bingo and did a slot tournament. We both lost the tournament but it was still fun. I also played some video poker which I wasn’t so bad at. We had some martinis too which were great, a lemondrop and a tiramisu martini.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, we ate another great dinner and then watched the sunset.

We had French Onion Soup and Tomato with Mozzarella Salad.

I had Veal Parmasagna.

My Mom had some kind of chicken dish.

For desert she had tropical fruit platter.

We shared gouda cheese.

Here is Baked Alaska desert.

Here is us in the elevator going back from dinner.

Here is the beautiful sunset. It was very cold and windy outside, definitely back toward San Diego from the warm tropical Mexican waters.

In the morning we will be back to San Diego and ready to disembark and go through customs. All in all this was an amazing vacation and one of the most memorable that I have ever taken in my life.

My turn ons: all the food, the beauty of Cabo, lots of tequila, parasailing, pretty birds, nice helpful Mexicans in Cabo, amazing staff.

My turn offs: dumb loud rude bitches down the hall, rude Americans, Americans in general, the professional shopper on board our ship was very haughty and rude to us, various pushy street people in Cabo trying to sell us stuff.

This trip showed me a lot of different cultures as hardly anyone on board the ship was American. Most of the cooks were Indian, most of the wait staff were Asian (specifically Filipino, Thai and Indonesian), European and Thai bartenders and lots of South African and Australian staff. They were so nice and pleasant, helpful, kind and went above and beyond to assist us. The only staff member that I had a complaint about was the “destination shopper” (professional shopper familiar with the Mexican riviera) because she was very haughty, uppity and rude when we asked her questions. She was a bit more friendly in the city of Cabo San Lucas but still nothing like the other people on the ship.

I talked to Kishore the barback for a long time and he gave me a lot of information about working for Carnival. I would love to be the resident DJ for Carnival and travel the world while getting paid for it. I need to get back home and hit the turntables and practice a bit more.

Thank you for an amazing holiday Carnival! We look forward to booking another cruise.

Interesting article about politics in the United States (and Internationally) during our current economic crisis.

Obama at G-20 summit: Popular president, unpopular plan – Los Angeles Times.