Samantha Power’s book, Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World, would have received much more, and well-deserved, publicity if she had not made a stupid comment to a journalist regarding Senator Hillary Clinton. As a result, she resigned from Barack Obama’s campaign and this has probably affected her promotion of the book. It is a shame because it is indeed a fascinating book regarding the complex and frustrating internal workings of the United Nations through the prism of another fascinating figure: Sergio Vieira de Mello.  Read more 

So, out of left-field, a Fox-news watching software engineer I work with says: “Can I ask you a political question? How do you feel about the money the US gives to the UN being used to support terrorists?”  Read more 

Heh. Looks like some folks are tired of the hair pulling and can kicking and want to leave the sand box:

By Carol Giacomo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major powers are considering a joint meeting with Iran next week that excludes the United States as a way of bridging a divide over its nuclear program, U.S. and European diplomats said on Saturday.  Read more