Britain Is Betraying Burma

Britain

Each country has the option to impose total sanctions on Burma. The US does not need China's or Russia's permission. Burma's liberation can not be allowed to be held hostage by the UN Security Council. Both China and Russia are future Burmas. Both will need mass based democracy movements of their own down the line. Who are they kidding?

Britain is the guilty party here. Britain has come across as the most hypocritical of all the major powers. Many British companies do major business with the Burmese junta. That is a shame.

The British Prime Minister and the British parliament must immediately pass a law that prevents all British companies from doing any business with Burma at all. That or Britain stands with China and Russia on the question of democracy in Burma.

Britain has plenty of baggage as a former colonial power. It could shed some of that by making sense in this situation.

Total Sanctions

That is the number one thing the big powers of the world can do for the people of Burma at this critical juncture. If this momentum is lost, it will be years before courage can be gathered. It will be years before there is another mass action.

Mass Action

That is the number one thing the people inside Burma can do. The goal has to be to bring millions out into the streets every day on a daily basis until the military junta unconditionally and totally surrenders power to Suu Kyi.

They may kill a few hundred people. They may imprison a few thousand for a few days. But they have already shown they hit their ceiling pretty fast. And they have shown they are susceptible to world opinion.

World Opinion

That matters. Any person anywhere can express solidarity with the mass action in Burma and feel like they mattered.

Dialogue? What Dialogue?

I don't understand the dialogue part. The goal is the generals' defeat, not dialogue.

Communication

Capture all atrocities on video. Capture as much of the street action as possible on video.

Back Channel Communication

You turn up the heat through all of the above, and you keep open the back channels. You want the generals to have the option to maybe go live in a different country. Get them out.

Logistical Support To The Border Dissidents

Moral support is not enough. They need money. They need supplies. They need gadgets. They need food: free meals.

Surgical Military Action

I wonder if there is legal basis for a surgical air strike. If there are soldiers lined up to shoot into peacefully protesting Burmese, can those soldiers be taken out from the air?

Bringing The Generals to Justice

They should not have the retirement option. Their illegally amassed fortunes must be nationalized. They must be sent to jail. They should be sent to be tried by the international court.

There can't be impunity for people who give and carry out orders to punish people who might be exercising their right to peacefully assemble and protest.

Burma: Time For All Out Sanctions By All Powers
Burma: Momentum Is Key To Victory
Shame On The Top Politicians Of The World: Burma Asks For More
In Solidarity With The Burmese People

In The News

Are We In A Hillary Clinton Bubble? The Street If you follow markets, you quickly get used to the vagaries of mass psychology, which include frequent popular delusions and the occasional madness of crowds. ........ "A week is a long time in politics." ...... In a bubble, momentum feeds on itself. The bubble becomes self-sustaining and, in its own little sphere, all-absorbing. ........ Last December, when I first wrote about the political betting markets, McCain was given a 50% chance of winning the Republican nomination.

Burmese junta offers conditional meeting with opposition leader Guardian Unlimited UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari. ...... on condition she gives up her call for international sanctions against Burma. ..... particularly at night during curfew, including raids on private homes, beatings, arbitrary arrests, and disappearances ........ It is thought as many as 10,000 people, many of them Buddhist monks, have been rounded up.
Situation in Myanmar poses no threat to peace, security, China says Xinhua
US threatens Myanmar sanctions in likely clash with China AFP
China and Russia rule out Security Council action on Myanmar International Herald Tribune
Opposition rejects Burmese leader's negotiation offer Independent, UK claiming its pre-set conditions would force her to admit to offences of which she was not guilty. ....... if she drops her support for international sanctions and abandons her "confrontational attitude". ....... the most senior US diplomat in Burma, Shari Villarosa, travelled to the jungle capital, Naypyidaw, for talks with the Deputy Foreign Minister, Maung Myint. The American embassy in Burma has been outspoken in its criticism of the regime and vocal in its support of dissidents and groups such as the NLD. ........... demanded that she must abandon "confrontation", give up "obstructive measures" and her support for sanctions. ......... General Shwe had been making such demands since 1992. "We have been here before," said Mark Farmaner, of the Burma Campaign UK. "The regime is still refusing to enter into genuine dialogue. Gambari's mission has failed. We have to break out of this cycle. ......... The junta claimed it had freed hundreds of detained monks and restored internet access – steps which appeared aimed at appeasing world opinion. The regime admitted its troops raided 18 monasteries and jailed more than 700 monks as an estimated 2,000 people were rounded up last week. However, it insisted that only 109 monks remained in custody.
Suu Kyi appears on state TV as under-fire Myanmar frees monks AFP The junta also said it had freed hundreds of detained monks, and it restored Internet access after a week, steps that appeared aimed at appeasing world opinion as the generals came under strong attack at the United Nations over their crackdown on pro-democracy protestors. ......... she was looking positively at the offer of dialogue. ....... Gambari had told Myanmar "to find a political solution by avoiding a violent crackdown," to pull back troops and end an overnight curfew, and to "start solid steps for the democracy process." ......... US ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad told the council that "the people of Burma (Myanmar) must not be let down." ...... envoy Wang Guangya from China ... warned putting pressure on the junta "would lead to confrontation." ...... draft US-sponsored resolution urging Myanmar's rulers to free all political detainees and end sexual violence by the military. ....... Rights groups have called for a global day of protests on Saturday over the crackdown on peaceful protests demonstrations in Myanmar. .... Events are to take place at midday local time, and have already been scheduled in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Britain and the United States.
UN Envoy Warns Burma of Serious International Consequences Voice of America The United States warned it will press for sanctions if the government does not act. ....... U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for talks without any preconditions to overcome "the high level of mistrust" between Than Shwe and Suu Kyi. ...... Just start talking ..... the secretary-general urged Myanmar's military rulers to "take bold actions toward democratization and respect for human rights." ....... The United States threatened to introduce a resolution seeking sanctions, including an arms embargo, against Myanmar if it does not move quickly toward national reconciliation and release thousands of detainees. ......... He said stability had returned to his country and people have been holding peaceful, pro-government rallies "to demonstrate their aversion to recent, provocative demonstrations." Critics say such rallies are shams, filled with people ordered to attend by authorities. ........ The protests were faltering when Buddhist monks took the lead late last month. ......... The government said 10 people were killed, but dissident groups put the death toll at up to 200 and say 6,000 people were detained, including thousands of monks. The government is continuing to round up suspected activists. ......... all but 109 monks had been freed and authorities were searching for four monks who led the protests, state-run television reported. .......... "the continuing and disturbing reports" of abuses by security officials and non-uniformed people ......... continuing reports of mass relocation outside (the capital) Yangon of monks arrested in the course of the demonstrations and monasteries that remain blockaded," he said. "The U.N. office in Yangon has also received requests from people asking for a safe place to hide." .......... despite repeated requests he was not able to meet with members of Suu Kyi's party and representatives of the monks and students
Junta chief willing to talk with Suu Kyi Los Angeles Times, CA Hoping to deflect outrage over images of soldiers gunning down protesters ......... The move appears aimed at staving off economic sanctions and keeping Myanmar's natural resources on world markets, while also keeping neighbor China happy.
Myanmar Forces Hunt Pro-Democracy Protesters FOX News After squashing a pro-democracy uprising with guns, Myanmar's junta switched to a terror campaign, dragging people from their homes at night and letting others know they were marked for arrest. ......... Military vehicles patrolled the streets before dawn Wednesday with loudspeakers blaring, "We have photographs. We are going to make arrests!" ....... Buddhist monks in the main city of Yangon were ordered to vacate their monasteries — the flash points of protests last week — and told to go back home to prevent future unrest. ........ the older abbots are closely tied with the junta, while the younger monks are more sympathetic to the democracy protesters. ....... unhappiness combined with anger, and fear ...... police and soldiers rounding up demonstrators, clubbing them before loading them onto trucks. In one shot, about six young men are squatting on the street, hands on their heads, cringing. One wearing a red shirt — the color adopted by the protest movement — is singled out for particular abuse. ........ a man lying on the ground, his shirt bloodied, while another man looked around frantically as he tried to tend to him. ....... police swept through several dozen homes in the middle of the night, dragging away several men for questioning. ...... pro-democracy demonstrations, which troops brutally crushed last week with live gunfire, tear gas and baton charges. .......... some 6,000 people have been arrested, including thousands of Buddhist monks who led the demonstrations. ..... Villarosa said her staff had gone to up to 15 monasteries in recent days and found them completely empty. Others were barricaded by the military and declared off-limits to outsiders. ...... "There is a significantly reduced number of monks on the streets. Where are the monks? What has happened to them?" ......... In Brussels, European Union nations agreed to expand sanctions against the military regime. Diplomats said extra sanctions would include an expanded visa ban for members of the military junta, a wider ban on investment and a ban on trade in metals, timber and gemstones.
Myanmar Junta Lashes Out At World CBS News, NY
Than Shwe: Myanmar junta's "old fox" Reuters he can be friendly and engaging, but behind the smile of "the old man" at the top of Myanmar's junta lies the heart of a cold, calculating military tactician. ........ smart, cunning and uncompromising. ........ an old fox and a psychological warfare guy, I don't believe he will personally cave in. I don't see him as a compromiser. ........ they don't like intrusiveness. They don't like you asking about things that they consider to be their internal affairs." ....... worked as a postal clerk before joining the army at the age of 20. ....... becoming commander of the 88th Light Infantry Division in 1980. ....... a springboard to becoming chairman of the regional committee of the Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP) -- the core of Ne Win's single-party system ......... a series of internal purges -- or "retirement on grounds of ill health", as the generals prefer to call it -- he emerged as unchallenged military supremo in 1992, with the official title "Senior General". ........ Some of his first public words as leader suggested the army would "not hold onto power for long", igniting hopes of a serious bid to reinstall civilian rule and repair the damage done to the once-promising economy by years of Ne Win's disastrous "Burmese Road to Socialism". ........ Than Shwe's personal dislike for Suu Kyi is said to be so intense he walked out of a meeting with a foreign ambassador simply because the envoy uttered her name. ........ and the junta's sudden retreat to Naypyidaw, a new capital hewn out of the jungle, Than Shwe's isolation became absolute.
Myanmar junta sets conditions for Suu Kyi talks Reuters if she abandoned her "obstructive measures" and support for sanctions ..... was also "confrontational" and for "utter devastation" ........ that if she "announces publicly she has given up these four things, he would told direct talks" with her ...... detainees were being divided into four categories: passers-by, those who watched, those who clapped and those who joined in. .......... those found guilty of applauding the protesters, who filled five city blocks, would get minimum jail terms. That would be two to five years, he said. Protest leaders could expect up to 20 years behind bars
More arrests in Burma as regime tightens grip on power Guardian Unlimited, UK a second round of night-time raids targeting monks and pro-democracy protesters in Rangoon that netted scores of dissidents. .......... The city appeared increasingly normal on the surface during daylight, but fear of seizure during the overnight curfew terrorised people ........ Tokyo said it was considering cutting its £13m annual foreign aid to Burma. ....... The Burmese government's mouthpiece newspaper, the New Light of Myanmar, dismissed critics in the international community as "liars attempting to destroy the nation". ...... the dictatorship's anger that foreign embassies kept information on the crackdown flowing after internet links in Burma were severed. ........ the brutality was not interrupted in the last days. On the contrary, it has been intensified. ... "It's all designed to keep the people afraid and intimidated. That's how the regime kept power all these years and it's what they are trying to do now."
Freed detainees tell of abuse in Myanmar International Herald Tribune, France
Myanmar opposition dismisses junta offer to talk Reuters India, India it's very clear that the military is not making any concessions." ...... People who applauded protest marches from the sidewalk could face two to five years in jail ....... about 50 students who demonstrated in Mandalay had been sentenced to five years hard labour. .......... with China, the closest thing the junta has to an ally, blocking action at the United Nations, and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- one of the few international groupings of which Myanmar is a member -- unwilling to change its policy, experts say little is likely to happen. .......... ASEAN would continue its policy of engagement with Myanmar, one which has shown no more signs of influencing the generals than Western sanctions .... "Sanctions against a regime that is ready to isolate itself are more likely to be counter-productive than effective." .... Singapore is a leading investor in Myanmar ...... The junta says all is back to normal
Myanmar Hunts for 4 Activist Monks The Associated Press was hunting for four more clerics it described as ringleaders of the uprising. ........ Twenty-nine monks were suspected of being protest leaders and 25 of them were already in custody ........ U Kantiya, U Visaitta, U Awbatha and U Parthaka ........ soldiers shooting into crowds of unarmed protesters ........ The state media said troops searched where alleged rogue monks were living. ....... 18 monasteriesHundreds of monks were sent back to their hometowns this week from monasteries in Yangon. It was not known who ordered them out of the city — the abbots or the government. ......... Security forces also claimed to have seized nonreligious material from the monasteries, including pornographic videos, literature from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, and headbands with a swastika or a U.S. flag. ........ more than 250 protests have taken place in Myanmar since Aug. 19.
Myanmar Should Reveal Protest Death Toll, UN Says (Update5) Bloomberg
India urges Myanmar to release Suu Kyi AFP the first time since the early 1990s that India has publicly sought the release of the 62-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been under house arrest in Yangon for more than a decade. ......... Since India began engaging the Myanmar generals, both sides have cooperated in flushing out northeastern rebels along the joint border. ...... A group of US senators on Wednesday demanded intense US pressure on China and India to force them to sever ties with Myanmar's junta. ....... "a lot of people are dismayed that India has taken the realpolitik line for a decade... that we have not been able to balance democratic values and security interests."
TheStar.com | News | Military admit detaining 1400 Toronto Star, Canada
Sands shifting under Burma's brutal regime ABC Online, Australia Each night Australians sit in their lounge rooms and witness dreadful violence on the streets of Burma. ........ While crises like the one we have seen unfold in the past month highlight the limits of international action, they oblige us to innovate, to push, and to support the people who need it. ........ the day after 1,000 monks connected with 'the lady' outside her house on 22 September, protests exploded overnight from 20,000 to 100,000 in Rangoon alone. The regime's crackdown commenced the next day. .......... the work of border-based dissidents living in Thailand and India who have tirelessly contributed to rebuilding grassroots organisation and political mobilisation inside Burma since the last horrific bloodshed in 1988. ....... it is Burma's border-based alternative media organisations that are responsible for capturing the images and news from the streets, transmitting them to global media agencies ........ the brave underground journalism of the Burmese ....... the Australian Government must also stop allowing Burmese military officials to attend military, counter-terrorism and intelligence training programs it hosts and funds in the region. ....... Given its position of authority in the Asia Pacific region the Australian Government can support Burma's exiled democracy movement far more vocally than they have.
US to press Myanmar's junta in rare talks AFP

Nepal Coalition’s Dispute With Former Rebels Stalls Elections New York Times the elections would have helped bring closure to years of political uncertainty and uncontrolled violence in Nepal, especially in the plains along the Indian border
Speedy trial soon for criminal-politicians in Bihar Times of India In what could give jitters to don-turned-politicians in Bihar, the state government has proposed to set up special courts for speedy trial of cases pending against politicians with criminal record...... buoyed by its success in securing conviction of seven persons, including two former MPs, in the murder case of a district magistrate, the state home department has prepared a list of around 20 criminal-turned-politicians and criminals having political nexus for their swift trial .... Mohd Shahabuddin, Pappu Yadav (both RJD), Prabhunath Singh (JD-U) and Surajbhan Singh (LJP). ..... the government would soon approach the Patna High Court for its concurrence on setting up special courts for the trial of criminal-politicians.
Giuliani Blames Spending for '06 Losses The Associated Press drew hoots and cheers when they described Clinton's idea of giving a $5,000 savings bond to every U.S.-born baby.
News Analysis A Battle Foreshadowing a Larger Health Care War New York Times how hard it will be to persuade many Republicans to sign on to their vision of universal coverage. ...... If Democrats and Republicans had so much difficulty agreeing on a plan to cover 10 million children, most of them from low-income families, how can they ever agree on legislation to guarantee insurance for 250 million or 300 million people? ....... occupy center stage in Congress in 2009 ..... Will it be parents, families and doctors? Or will it be Washington bureaucrats? ....... The child health bill was overwhelmingly approved in the Senate, 67 to 29, with support from 18 Republicans. In the House, 45 Republicans, more than one-fifth of the party caucus, supported the bill, which passed there by 265 to 159. ...... a landslide like those that preceded creation of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965. ...... Under Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s proposal, people could keep their existing coverage, choose a private plan offered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program or sign up for a new “public plan option similar to Medicare.” ...... Former Senator John Edwards would give everyone “a choice between private insurers and a public insurance plan modeled after Medicare.” .... Senator Barack Obama says he would “establish a new public insurance program” for people who do not have access to group coverage. ....... the nucleus of a possible bipartisan coalition. .... Democrats have been right about coverage; if you don’t cover everybody, the cost of caring for the uninsured is shifted to people with insurance. Republicans are right about the need for choices and private alternatives. ........ a potential for bipartisan agreement “if we link the idea of universal coverage to the idea of a private health care delivery system.”
Iowans Say 'Hi, Obama' Washington Post in Independence, Iowa, when Geri Punteney, a 50-year-old Independence native sitting near the front of the crowd, got up to ask a question. ........ It was obvious from the start that she was upset and nervous. She addressed the senator with "Hi, Obama." She then gave her name and said, "I have a brother who's dying of cancer." She got no further and broke into sobs, and apologies for her sobs, and couldn't continue. Obama stepped forward, somewhat cautiously, and took her hand in his and offered some soothing words. She picked back up, saying that her brother was continuing to work full-time even though he has Stage 3 cancer, because otherwise he'd be without insurance. She herself had recently stopped working to care for her elderly mother and so was without insurance, which meant she couldn't get the dental surgery she needs. ............ not a practitioner of the "I feel your pain" school of politics ..... Punteney said after the event that she appreciated Obama's response even at its lower volume. "You don't have to get outraged," she said. "He seems more down to earth, more mellow. He made eye contact, which means a lot to me." ....... Punteney elaborated some more on her family's situation. Her brother Ted, 48, does deliveries for Home Depot and other stores. His cancer was first discovered in his lymph nodes about a year and a half ago but he still puts in 50-hour weeks. "He gets real sick. He gets weak. He gets pain so bad he passes out sometimes," she said. He has a three-year-old daughter. Punteney was working as a porter at a nearby casino before quitting to care for her mother after her father's death: "She's not taking care of herself and falls a lot." Having lost her coverage, she is unable to attend to her dental needs and the incipient glaucoma in her eyes. Her only child, a 26-year-old daughter, is going through a nasty divorce. ........ Punteney said she came to the Obama event because she saw his field office in the nearby small town of Oelwein and walked in out of curiosity. She was leaning toward Edwards before, she said, but now she's for Obama.
Obama woos Iowa but Clinton surges MSNBC in an inch-deep covering of sawdust in a cavernous show-barn in deepest rural Iowa .. seems curiously at home. ...... The cognoscenti in America's capital have all but crowned Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee. .......... Clinton's opinion poll lead over Mr Obama widening sharply. Mrs Clinton has the support of 53 per cent of Democrats nationally, compared with 20 per cent ........ Clinton has neutralised her two most abiding weaknesses among Democratic caucus and primary voters - her perceived unelectability and her controversial decision to vote in favour of the Iraq war. ......... "I know you Iowa caucus-goers are a tough bunch," he tells the crowd. "You like to lift up the hood, kick the tyres a little and take it for a test drive. That's why the only poll I care about is in Iowa." ........ the senator from Illinois has captured, although not yet bottled, much of the college-going population. ........ Obama's occasional weaknesses on the campaign trail ...... At times electrifying, Mr Obama sometimes becomes subdued to the point of soporific. A rousing speech at one stop is often followed by a damp squib at the next. ........ His performance in the televised presidential debates has been almost universally derided as ineffectual - particularly when compared with the polished and efficient interventions of Mrs Clinton and Mr Edwards. ....... "Campaigning is a soul-destroying business
Iowans Take Their Time in Open Race New York Times “The one thing about Iowa is that we always have the ability to bring a reality check to the country” ........ a fresh sense of urgency is at hand for Mr. Obama as he tries to change the dynamic of the race ..... four-day tour through Iowa .... Obama continued to draw large crowds ..... acknowledged that he was “behind in the national polls ...... Edwards, who started a 17-county bus tour on Friday ........ the race remains remarkably unsettled, with voters voicing concern about Mr. Edwards’s viability, Mr. Obama’s experience and Mrs. Clinton’s electability. ......... Mrs. Boyd, 55, said she was intrigued by Mr. Obama and two weeks ago made the first political contribution of her life to his campaign. ...... “The part I like about him is honesty. ....... Many party activists in Iowa are likely to base their decision less on a candidate’s performance at a debate, for example, than on whether they receive personal attention. ....... Mr. Best was formally inducted into the Obama campaign, complete with a short face-to-face meeting with Mr. Obama, who draped his arm around him as they stood with a few other V.I.P. voters moments before a rally began. ......... The Obama campaign has studied the collapse of Howard Dean’s Iowa campaign in 2004, when he carried only two counties. At least once every three weeks, the Obama campaign calls supporters, making sure they are still committed. ......... “One by one,” Mr. Obama said, climbing into the backseat of his van. “This is old school.”
New Obama Ad: ‘Gulf’ New York Times General Merrill A. McPeak, a former combat pilot and Air Force veteran ...... four-star general, who served as the Air Force’s highest-ranking uniformed officer back then ....... he has gotten to know Mr. Obama this year after a Senate staff member arranged for the two to meet.
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Muttering at Hillary Clinton's coronation Telegraph.co.uk This has been the week of Hillary the Inevitable. She has broken the political equivalent of the sound barrier by surging past the 50 per cent mark in a national poll. Her fundraising is now outstripping that of Barack Obama, the Young Pretender. Rival political operatives are awestruck by the efficiency of her campaign. ...... But are the Democrats already experiencing buyer's remorse? ........ "Maybe it's the dynasty thing. Maybe it's the control factor. Maybe it's just that she doesn't feel like change to me." ....... The American commentariat has simultaneously crowned the former First Lady and begun pelting her with rotten fruit. ....... "Without nepotism, Hillary would be running for the president of Vassar [an elite college founded for women]," sniffed Maureen Dowd. .......... so paralysed by caution and ambition .... Mrs Clinton's answers to every question, Rich wrote, were "a rambling and often tedious Gore-like filibuster" and she seems "especially evasive when dealing with questions requiring human reflection". Her laugh had "all the spontaneity of an alarm clock buzzer". ........ She has hammered him so hard on his limited track record and has got him into such tangles on foreign policy issues that this week he was reduced to labelling his visit to Iowa an "Experience and Judgment Tour". She has made his colour an issue – that he's green, rather than black. ......... the campaign still has months to run and elections have a nasty habit of upsetting both conventional wisdom and the best-laid plans.
Clinton Bubble? There Is No Clinton Bubble TheStreet.com Clinton's supporters felt strongly about her candidacy and were unlikely to change their vote. She leads Obama in this category by about 10%. And she now enjoys more than 50% of Democrats supporting her -- a first in this campaign season. ....... pundits are circling like vultures waiting for candidates to make a mistake. ...... Clinton has not made mistakes. ...... They know how to win. The Clintons also know how to fight back. ....... John Kerry waited forever to respond to the Swiftboat attacks. His volunteer military service in a combat roll went up in smoke to a guy who had his father pull strings to dodge active military duty for Texas Air Force Reserve.
Clinton Renews Her Message of Health Care for All New York Times So now that almost every candidate is standing up for health care for all, which one do you think will never back down? ..... credited her with persuading a wavering President Bill Clinton to support the creation of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997.
Clinton’s Ground Zero Ad New York Times she is going where no presidential candidate’s TV ad has gone so far this year: ground zero. ...... This is Mrs. Clinton’s fourth spot of the campaign, and it is by far her grittiest, with a grainy, black-and-white style.
Clinton Strategist Represents Blackwater New York Times (indeed, he is known to send email at 2 a.m.) and earning tens of thousands of dollars in fees. ........ he somehow manages to remain president of Burson-Marsteller, a publicly traded global public affairs firm ........ Clinton’s primary adviser, Mark Penn who is like her Karl Rove
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Dell's North Carolina plant praised, criticized 2 years later Houston Chronicle Two economic studies projected up to 6,500 indirect jobs at restaurants, hotels, stores, construction companies and service providers — a selling point for state legislators who approved the large majority of incentives in November 2004.
Should Pregnant Women Eat More Seafood? New York Times advising pregnant women and nursing mothers to eat more fish so as to ensure optimal brain development in their babies. ..... pregnant women and nursing mothers should eat at least 12 ounces of fish per week. ........ omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in fish, are essential to brain development in fetuses and newborns. ....... women who had eaten more than 12 ounces of fish per week during pregnancy produced better developed, more intelligent children. ....... the health benefits are likely greatest from such oily fish as salmon, herring and sardines — which are all generally low in mercury anyway.
Halo Games Maker to Be Independent of Microsoft New York Times one of the most successful and sought-after teams of game developers. ....... developers at Bungie yearned to work for themselves, not a corporate owner. ....... an emotionally creative point of view ....... since Halo 3 hit the market last week, it had rung up more than $300 million in sales
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Searching Beyond Google Time as of last week, a total of 1,592 different search engines were visited by U.S. Internet users. ...... The most prolific class of secondary search engines are those that focus on a very narrow purpose — engines that aid our search for the best prices for retail items and travel services. ...... chacha.com ..... mahalo.com ..... attempting to insert human editors back into the search experience ..... Powerset and Wikia are attempting to create a whole new paradigm for search through better understanding of syntax and community involvement ..... "Google? Who is going to use a search engine named Google?"
The Latin Hillary Clinton Argentina's First Lady, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, has launched her campaign to become the country's first elected woman president. ...... Argentina's glamorous and vivacious First Lady and is all but certain to be its next President ...... married her law-school sweetheart and helped him become the Governor of a small southern province and then President ......... I was a senator before my husband became President." ........ Fernàndez adds that Washington needs to recognize that leaders like Chàvez, Lula and Morales are products of genuine democracy ...... the presidential palace, the Casa Rosada (Pink House) .... Fernàndez thinks a Hillary presidency, alongside that of Michelle Bachelet, who was elected President of Chile last year, and her own likely win, would change the nature of hemispheric affairs. "Women bring a different face to politics" ...... "We see the big geopolitical picture but also the smaller, daily details of citizens' lives. We're wrapped up as much in what our daughter's school principal says as we are in what the newspapers are saying."
Still Looking For Mr. Right Council for National Policy (CNP) .... some of the most influential economic and social conservatives in the country, meets three times a year to plot the vast right-wing conspiracy's next moves ...... Perot helped give America the Clintons, and Nader delivered the White House to Bush. ...... Take abortion off the table .. and "what you do is give the Democrats a license to go hunting for Evangelical votes on other things they care about--on climate change, economic justice, racial reconciliation." ....... famously ejected Yasser Arafat from Lincoln Center ..... "even if he told me he was pro-life, he also told three wives he'd love, honor and cherish them till death do us part."
Fatherhood 2.0 Does being more of a father make you less of a man? ....... a quiet revolution is occurring in fatherhood ...... The number of stay-at-home fathers has tripled in the past 10 years. ....... Men hug their kids more, help with homework more, tell kids they love them more. ....... "Fathers are beginning to look more like mothers." ..... "Masculinity has traditionally been associated with work and work-related success, with competition, power, prestige, dominance over women, restrictive emotionality--that's a big one ...... a good parent needs to be expressive, patient, emotional, not money oriented. ....... fathers who stop being men of the old mold have better-adjusted children, better marriages and better work lives--better physical and mental health, even. ..... "masculinity is bad for you." ...... the median income for a man in his 30s in 2004 was 12% lower than it was in 1974, once adjusted for inflation ....... "The dads tell stories about mothers on the playground looking at them like they're child molesters or losers." ...... men experience hormonal shifts during their female partner's pregnancy. A man's testosterone level drops after settling down to marriage and family, perhaps in preparation for parenthood, as the male hormone is thought to be incompatible with nurturing behavior. ........ increased rates of juvenile delinquency, drug abuse and other problems among children raised without a male parent present. ........ when men contribute to domestic labor (which is part and parcel of parenting), women interpret it as a sign of caring, experience less stress and are more likely to find themselves in the mood for sex. ........ increasingly, parents rank their relationships with their kids as more important than their relationship with their spouse ....... they rank their job dead last
Ron Paul for President 2.0? 2.0 candidate ..... recruiting supporters through new social media channels. ..... Strippers for Ron Paul .... your next president may be no further than a friend-add on Facebook. ...... Ron Paul, who has over 61,000 friends on MySpace .... MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, the candidate with the most visits from those sites is Ron Paul, followed by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
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We are at 350,000 now. We must shoot for 500,000 before the year is over. It can be done.

Orange Alert: Oprah, Where Are You?

Bill Clinton should have retired in 2000. Instead he has been the 800 pound gorilla of this race. Have you seen Jimmy Carter or W's father campaign like this?

The only person in America who can counter that 800 pound gorilla is Oprah Winfrey, the top celebrity in the world. And she must do so. She must get actively involved.

It was insightful of Oprah to do a $3 million fundraiser for Barack during this past quarter. Or we would have been in trouble.

Oprah Needs To Hit The Campaign Trail

Bill Clinton, Student Of Politics

Bill Clinton asked himself, what's up with this guy Obama? How come he is raising more money than me? I am the one who is supposed to be the master of this game. And then he studied. He figured Obama's edge comes from raising money online and raising money in small donations. So Bill Clinton proceeded to do numerous $25 a person fundraisers this past quarter. And that has made all the difference. He doggedly learned how to do it.

Barack, Student Of Politics

Bill Clinton has been swift boating Barack and Barack has been doing the John Kerry thing, he has been taking it lying down.

The politics of personal destruction was what the Republicans did to the Clintons in the 1990s. Ken Starr hounded everyone who ever said hello to Billie Clinton in Arkansas. Barack's new kind of politics says no to that.

But when Hillary 2008 relentlessly pounds you with the "strength and experience" phrase, and you don't hit back, that is not new kind of politics, that is not the politics of hope. It sure is not new, John Kerry did that in 2004. Politics is a contact sport. You don't get to stay above the fray.

That one phrase has done Barack in this past quarter. And it has to be countered.

Barack: Strength And Judgment
Strength? What Strength? Experience? What Experience

Judgment And Leadership

Barack had the judgment and leadership to oppose this war back in 2002.

Barack has the judgment and leadership to bring people together and deliver universal health care.

Barack has the judgment and leadership to make America popular again in the world.

Barack has the judgment and leadership to turn the page on the old kind of politics.

Use of that phrase has to be so relentless that it should be obvious to one and all that that is supposed to be a counterstrike to the "strength and experience" phrase.

Hillary And Barack: Coke And Gatorade, Not Coke And Pepsi

The Clintons have done a good job of blurring the differences. They have managed to cast the impression that Barack and Hillary are Coke and Pepsi. It does not really matter. Both are smart. Both are progressive. We all make mistakes, so what if Hillary voted for the war back in the days. Barack will end the war, so will Hillary. Barack will give you health care, so will Hillary. So why not go for the tested and tried Clinton brand name? That is the Coke-Pepsi version.

The Coke and Gatorade version is that Hillary's vote for the war shows a serious lapse of judgment that also colors what she might do elsewhere. Will she stand up to public opinion like leadership sometimes asks for?

Bringing the troops back home is not the only thing to do to make up for a wrong vote, as Hillary seems to think. Where is her plan to fight the Al Qaeda? The real mistake of the Iraq War was the eyes were taken off the Al Qaeda. How would she remedy that? How will she put the eyes back on the Al Qaeda? She has not said much about that.

The Coke and Gatorade thing becomes much more clear on health care and ethics reform and on foreign policy. On foreign policy, Hillary is Bush-Cheney Lite. Bush will not talk to the hostile regimes, so Hillary will not either. She is more like Bush than like Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton talked to Kim Jong Il.

Preparing For Debates

That is key. You assemble people who stand in for all your rivals, and you get your staff to come up with all possible questions. And you work on one liners in advance. And you deliver.

Iowa Debate
Iowa Debate: Obama Clear Winner
One Debate A Month Is Enough: More Town Hall Meetings, Fewer Debates
Got To Tackle The Debates
Winner Of The Debate: YouTube
PBS Debate: Hillary Was Strong, Barack Was Warm, Edwards Was Composed
1 Debate, 1 Major Policy Speech, 1 Rally, 1 Big Fundraiser A Month
Submit Your Questions For The Debates
Barack, You Can Do Debates
DNC Needs To Take Over The Monthly Debates
One National Primary, Monthly National Debates, Videoblogged
Debates Matter: The Election Is On
Barack Lost The South Carolina Debate
South Carolina Debate

In The News

A Primer on the Vetoed SCHIP Bill NPR
Kaine Still Has High Hopes for Obama Washington Post Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said he's still confident Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) can overcome Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to win the Democratic nomination for president, despite new poll numbers that show Clinton is widening her lead nationwide. ....... Obama is still well positioned to win the Iowa caucus ...... "Someone who comes in and wins Iowa in a surprise way gets a tremendous amount of momentum ..... Kaine, who earlier this year became the first sitting Democratic governor to endorse Obama ..... Kaine is also organizing support for Obama in Virginia
Obama, in `a Bind,' Lashes Out at Frontrunner Clinton Over Iraq Bloomberg `Who got the single most important foreign-policy decision since the end of the Cold War right, and who got it wrong?'' ...... alternating between the roles of new-style, above-the-partisan-fray politician and challenger on the attack.
Blacks Split Between Clinton, Obama The Associated Press
Obama Tries to Overcome Clinton’s African-American Advantage CQPolitics.com
Obama camp claims JFK legacy Chicago Tribune Like John F. Kennedy, Obama is a young, charismatic senator who casts himself as an agent of generational change, and as one whose election would break barriers of prejudice that have long compromised American ideals........ the man who provided much of the poetry for Camelot, Kennedy speechwriter Theodore Sorensen ....... Sorensen introduced Obama as "the only serious candidate for president" who exhibits the kind of judgment that allowed Kennedy to successfully navigate the Cuban missile crisis. ...... a time of idealism and a leader who in public memory remains forever young and full of possibility. ........ David Yepsen of The Des Moines Register, Iowa's most influential political columnist, noted that "invoking Kennedy imagery is a delicate thing for any politician to do," but concluded that "Obama succeeded in pulling it off." ...... Obama follows a long list of candidates who have aped Kennedy's look, style, rhetoric, even gestures. ...... Sorensen reminded audiences that Kennedy also "had been accused of being too inexperienced and too young" yet successfully led the country through "the most dangerous 13 days in the history of mankind ....... Kennedy challenged conventional foreign policy wisdom by negotiating directly with Soviet leaders, Obama has expressed a willingness to meet with now-ostracized foreign dictators—a position that Clinton has criticized as naive. ......... "With JFK, it's the aura, it's the rhetoric, the youthfulness, the charisma. ...... a shift away from the Vietnam-era generation whose cultural conflicts have framed the nation's recent politics.
Kennedy Aide Back in Iowa for Obama New York Times
Obama Sharpens Foreign Policy Rhetoric Campaigns & Elections both men were inexperienced who made excellent decisions. ....... claims that they thought they were voting for more inspections and not war, saying, "How can you give the president a blank check and not expect him to cash it?"
Clinton opens chasm in Democratic race AFP basking in a 33 point opinion poll lead over rival Barack Obama ..... Clinton grabbed support from a majority of Democrats for the first time ..... the Clinton braintrust perceptibly cranked up the pace of their campaign ....... The former First Lady's ratings surged 12 percent just from early September, while Obama slumped seven percent, in a period when Clinton and her ex-president husband Bill Clinton fanned out across crucial television markets. ...... Clinton had neutralized Obama's claim to be the true candidate of change in the race, and that Democratic voters were attracted to her leadership qualities ..... For anyone but Clinton, among the top three candidates, a defeat in Iowa could prove disastrous to their hopes of a prolonged contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. ....... Clinton unveiled a 27 million dollar third quarter fundraising period, crushing Obama's 20 million dollar take
Clinton Dominating Race for Democratic Nomination NPR Clinton has a substantial lead over rival Barack Obama among Democrats. She has also out-earned him in fundraising and drawn more media attention. The former first lady has the leading poll numbers, dollars and strategy in the Democratic field. ....... Clinton's recent gains are due, partly, to her focus on low-dollar donors, which Obama has been focusing on all along.
Nepal's top politicians meet to try resolve political crisis International Herald Tribune communist rebels who have threatened to resume street protests by the end of the week
Anand Mohan gets death The Statesman
For Bihar DM’s murder, a former MP gets death, his wife a life term Indian Express
Former Politician Sentenced to Death The Associated Press for his role in a 1994 murder of a government official, the first time a member of India's parliament has received a capital sentence. ....... the connection between underworld crime and politics in rural India. ........ Mohan was convicted of leading a mob that pulled senior government official G. Krishnaiah out of his car and beat him unconscious before shooting him to death because the official's car had inadvertently crossed paths with the funeral procession of a noted underworld don and aspiring politician, Chottan Shukla.
'India one of world's greatest cultures' Economic Times
First Pakistani truck in 42 years crosses into India at Wagah Daily Times
5th Republican US senator to retire, increasing Democrats' chances ... International Herald Tribune
Republican Senate Stalwart From New Mexico Is Said to Be Retiring New York Times
Bush doesn't rule out talks with Iran Earthtimes.org
Multiwavelength Images Of Distant Universe Now Available On Google Sky Science Daily
Madison Square Garden Is Facing a Second Sexual Harassment Lawsuit New York Times
Many US Women Misinformed About Breast Cancer, NBCC Survey Finds Kaiser network.org
Q&A with Bill Gates: Microsoft's pushing its frontiers USA Today I'm finding music I haven't seen in 20 years. ...... the amount of reading that's going to take place off the (computer) screen, over time, will be greater than off of paper ....... critics who say Microsoft has become too big, too bureaucratic, too political, too slow to innovate ......We're stronger today than we've ever been as a company. Our worldwide breadth, the success of our products, our sales, our profitability, our balance sheet and — perhaps most important — the depth of talent is greater than it has ever been.
Microsoft Looks to Social Networking for Zune 2.0 PC World song sharing ..... a new community site, dubbed Zune Social ..... Zune owners can automatically share their current playlists with friends using a Zune-to-Zune Social sync. ..... tracks received from another Zune owner can still be played only three times ..... I wonder if Microsoft looks at the success of Facebook and MySpace, and is actually trying to use [Zune Social] as an entry into the social networking realm."
Britney Spears Allowed Supervised Visitation Of Children MTV.com

Minister Nepal says army should be mobilised in seven districts NepalNews
Baluwatar meet inconclusive; 'Deadlock may led to election postponement'
Don't drag us into media disruption dispute, warns Bhattarai; EU concerned
Conspiracies afoot to create rift between army and democratic forces: says NA chief
Uphold rule of law, says EU; RPP-Nepal denounces YCL action
CEC urges parties not to postpone polls
Nepal’s peace process at critical juncture: Carter Center
FM Pradhan meets UN secretary-general in New York
'Intermediary' sees little hope for country reaching a political consensus
Maoists and the Election

Maoists assure they have no intention of harming tourists during protests
Strike hits eastern districts

Kapilvastu commission starts work
Anything less than proportional system not acceptable: Prachanda
Disruption in Kantipur continues; Mahara says it is internal matter

Obama, with money on his side, still seeks traction USA Today In February, when Obama announced his candidacy, he trailed Clinton 48%-23% in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. After nearly eight months, six debates and the expenditure of millions of dollars, the numbers are nearly the same: 45%-24%. ..... "Nobody has gone from zero to 60 faster in American politics than Barack Obama ....... Obama's underlying message is that it's time to "turn the page" from the polarization that marks not only the Bush administration but also the Bill Clinton administration that preceded it. ...... Obama continues to have two big assets: time and money. ..... Obama's financial strength makes it possible for him to prepare for a protracted fight. He already has hired staffers in California, Colorado and Missouri ....... "This is a very deliberative campaign that has a strategy and a timeline they set out for themselves, and they're sticking to a plan here." ....... — New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, Florida and South Carolina — and Clinton now has double-digit percentage leads in all of them. ....... the gap between Obama and Clinton in the Gallup Poll hasn't been stable. It narrowed in late spring and early summer, twice falling into single-digits ........ He has solidified gains among those under 30, though Clinton still leads in this age group, 54%-43%. ....... Previous presidential candidates who sparked enthusiasm among young people — Dean in 2004, Bradley in 2000 and Gary Hart in 1984 — had trouble translating their energy into votes ...... more than 5,400 Iowans had joined the campaign's social-networking site, my.barackobama.com. ..... leads Obama by a yawning 69%-26% among seniors, the group most likely to vote. ..... They are now tied at 47% each among those with annual household incomes of $75,000 or more, and Obama lags Clinton by only 4 points among those with postgraduate degrees. ....... The challenge for Barack Obama is to move his appeal downscale. ....... Those with annual household incomes of $30,000 or less prefer Clinton over Obama by 70%-27%, and her lead is nearly as big among people with a high-school education or less. ...... he's preparing for an extended campaign and a battle for every delegate. ..... "He has an energy the other candidates don't have .. "He brings this excitement and freshness. Hillary feels like, you know, we've been there."
Obama reports raising $19 million more for primary races Chicago Tribune Obama on track to raise a staggering $100 million this year for the primary campaign, a funding level that Clinton also could well reach. ........ Obama has been spending heavily to build a field organization in early voting states, particularly in Iowa and South Carolina. ...... Clinton .. has not shown signs of as much spending on field organization. ...... About a sixth of Obama's contributions for the quarter came from a September fundraiser at Oprah Winfrey's California home that brought in at least $3 million.
Democrats Surpass Republicans in Fund-Raising New York Times Obama has focused on building a big base of small donors whom he can repeatedly tap into for new money.
Obama campaign fund increases to nearly $80 mln Xinhua the Illinois Senator has received nearly 75 million dollars for the primaries and about 4 million dollars for the general elections.
Obama to play Iraq card against Clinton MSNBC 18 simultaneous rallies across the US to mark the fifth anniversary of his opposition to the Iraq war. ...... will kick off a four-day "judgment and experience" tour of the state of Iowa ..... Clinton's refusal to apologise for her 2002 vote ....... new polling data that show him moving into a narrow lead for the first time over Mrs Clinton among voters who are likely to participate in the Iowa caucus ...... At this stage in the 2004 Democratic presidential race, John Kerry, the eventual nominee, was running fifth in the national polls. ..... Edwards would drop out of the race if he did not win Iowa.
Clinton & Obama trade places in two Iowa polls; to Yepsen, race is ... USA Today
Bank at Google? CNET News.com shaking up the ad industry, moving into the enterprise space with hosted apps (much to Microsoft's chagrin), even betting on wireless and 700MHz spectrum. But banking? .... Google in Malaysia is offering AdSense payments to be made through Western Union .... the AdSense system is capable of morphing into a quasi-bank, particularly in regions with less robust monetary systems
Five Reasons Google Docs Beats Office Live Workspace CRN