Benazir Should Address Many Mass Rallies, Hold No Street Events, Keep Tight Security Around Her House, Office

Benazir And Islamofascism
Why Is There Secret Service Protection For White Male Presidents?

This is Personal Security 101. When your opponents are not only people who want to defeat you at the polls but also people who only speak the language of physical extermination, you have to imagine all possible ways they could strike, and you have to take all precautions necessary, but not to the point that you can no longer do your political work.

This blast has seriously curtailed her public contact options. But I am so glad she is alive and well. Her truck took shrapnel wounds. This was a close call. When you get lucky like this, you don't take a second chance. The next time, the odds will be against you.

Now it is for Benazir to seek and for the government of Pakistan to give top security to her. Her two homes and her offices wherever she might hold meetings must get top security. Benazir is a democrat who thrives on mass contact. Now she is going to have to put herself on a diet. She does not get to have the mass contact that she loves to have. But she can not let her people down at this critical juncture of her country's history. Pakistan is the best hope for democracy in the larger Muslim world.

She does not get to hold street rallies. She only gets to address mass meetings. And at such mass rallies, there has to be this protective distance between the crowd and her. If she can safely sleep at night, safely hold meetings, and safely hold mass rallies, that is many bases covered. This is not the way she likes to do it. But the choices just got limited.

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In The News

Racism row haunts India AFP A racism row refuses to go away in India where fans repeatedly taunted Australia's only black player, tarnishing the country's sporting image. ........ Andrew Symonds was subjected to monkey chants from the crowd during the fifth game of seven in the India-Australia one-day series and booed and mocked in the final game in Mumbai on Wednesday. ........ at least two men appeared to be making monkey gestures. ..... Some officials had suggested the chants were to invoke the powerful and popular Hindu monkey god Hanuman. .... Indian cricket chief Sharad Pawar was quoted in the Australian press saying it was a "misunderstanding" and a "language issue." ....... "I am not disappointed it happened, but I heard people refused it happened ... and that's disappointing," Symonds admitted after the sixth one-dayer at Nagpur, where he smashed an unbeaten century. ....... International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed urged members to be true to the zero-tolerance approach to racism. ...... "If people are seen or heard behaving in a racist way then our message to the ground authorities and host boards is clear: find the culprits, throw them out and keep them out because racism has no place in our sport" ...... "It's pleasing to hear that some offenders in Mumbai were ejected and that is the type of zero tolerance we want in relation to this despicable behaviour.
Perry Says He'll Help Giuliani Overturn Roe TIME White said Thursday he had been urging other pastors not to settle in the voting booth for the lesser of two evils and said he didn't buy Perry's electability argument. "That's nonsense. We are not interested in the next election. We are interested in stopping abortion," White said.
Ambani for long-term engagement in Bihar Hindu his company favoured a long-term engagement with the state to help in its development .... "We (Reliance) are for a long-term engagement in Bihar for at least 5-10 years. Bihar's development is critical to and intertwined with the progress of India," Ambani, the richest Indian, told reporters after a luncheon meeting with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. ....... harnessing Bihar's rich agricultural potential, its demographic dividend of a young population, investment in human development skill formation, improve farm incomes and productivity, non-conventional energy, particularly solar power, in evolving a business model which can be a win-win situation for all stakeholders
House Sustains President’s Veto on Child Health New York Times
Nobel Winner Issues Apology for Comments About Blacks New York Times apologized “unreservedly” yesterday for comments reported this week suggesting that black people, over all, are not as intelligent as whites. ....... quoted as saying that while “there are many people of color who are very talented,” he is “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa.” ......... Watson said, “I cannot understand how I could have said what I am quoted as having said. There is no scientific basis for such a belief.” ........ Late yesterday, the board of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research institution in New York, issued a statement saying it was suspending the administrative responsibilities of Dr. Watson as chancellor “pending further deliberation.” ......... whose school of biological sciences is named for him. ...... his new book, “Avoid Boring People: Lessons From a Life in Science” (Knopf) ....... wide agreement that life experiences, even in the womb, exert a powerful influence on brain structure .......... wide disagreement about what intelligence consists of and how — or even if — it can be measured in the abstract. ........ in “The Mismeasure of Man,” Stephen Jay Gould, the evolutionary biologist, dismissed “the I.Q. industry” as little more than an effort by men of European descent to maintain their prominence in the world. ...... William B. Shockley, a Nobel laureate for his work with transistors, in later life developed ideas of eugenics based on the supposed intellectual inferiority of blacks. ....... Watson’s assertions on race and intelligence are “beyond the point of acceptable debate.” ..... it was “tragic that one of the icons of modern science has cast such dishonor on the profession.”
Clinton Health Plan for Americans Only The Associated Press Clinton said Thursday that immigrants living in the U.S. illegally would not be covered by her proposed universal health care plan. ....... said she supports basic health services for illegal immigrants, including hospitalization and treatment of acute conditions. ..... said the magnitude of the nation's health care challenge means her universal coverage proposal would not cover the 12 million people living in the country illegally. ......... using "carrots and maybe a few sticks" to motivate people to lose weight and make other behavioral changes ...... racial and gender disparities in health care coverage and ways to encourage medical students to become primary care doctors rather than specialists. ......... bring order to a fractured system. ......... smokers or obese people ....... would use the "bully pulpit" to encourage healthy lifestyle choices ........ "We were rounded up and taken to the gym where we had to jump and run. I was horrible at it. They kept telling me to run and I'd say, 'I'm running,'" she said. "It was a very strong message to children that the president cares about your health care. I personally believed Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy were sitting in the White House signing my certificate." ......... work out the details in consultation with the Congress ...... "old, tired accusations." ....... "Nobody will come out of this process with 100 percent of what he or she wants." Clinton also said the task would be made easier if more Democrats were elected to the Senate in 2008. "It's one of my highest priorities," she said.
Clinton and Obama vie for Hollywood cash Reuters the former first lady and rival Sen. Barack Obama neck and neck for entertainment industry cash. ....... This year's presidential race is shaping up to be the most expensive in history. .... The New York senator, who also has been raising money for the general election, had a total of $50.5 million in the bank, her campaign reported. But nearly $16 million of that cannot be used for the primaries.
Cash race is blazing as Clinton visit nears Seattle Times Clinton is scheduled to make her first public appearance as a presidential candidate in Seattle Monday at the annual dinner of the state Democratic Party. ....... The speech, of course, will be followed by a private fundraiser. ..... At least 20 states — including California and New York — have scheduled their primaries for Feb. 5. ...... the Democratic campaigns in Washington are all wooing 100 or so influential "opinion leaders" — people with well-stocked wallets and Rolodexes who can sway a wide circle of friends. ........ "If you're an opinion leader, it would not be surprising to pick up the phone and have Sen. Hillary Clinton talking to you," Underwood said. ...... Obama is the runaway money leader with more than $1 million in donations statewide, more than Clinton and Edwards combined. His campaign has pulled in $84,500 from one ZIP code alone in Seattle's Washington Park neighborhood. ........ The most visible campaign in Seattle is that of Ron Paul, a Republican congressman from Texas who is a darling of the Libertarians and some anti-war voters. He has raised $164,000 in Washington, and his handmade campaign signs have begun popping up around Seattle. ......... Obama's campaign has a grass-roots feel like that of Howard Dean's in 2004. ....... "The main link between Dean and Obama is opposition to the Iraq war" .... "People are talking about the dynasties of the Bushes and Clintons. He [Obama] is fresh."
Obama says GOP can't hurt him on foreign policy record CNN Contends '93 health reform failed when Hillary Clinton shut out potential allies ..... if he were the nominee, his GOP opponent would not be able to say he supported the war in Iraq or that he flip-flopped on his positions, because he didn't.
Obama Touts Foreign Policy Record The Associated Press "My Republican opponent won't be able to say that we both supported the war in Iraq, because I didn't," Obama told a crowd packed into a high school gym. ....... his opposition to a recent Senate resolution branding Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. He described the resolution as a step toward another war. ....... "My Republican opponent won't be able to say that, 'Well, we really agree about using the war in Iraq to justify military action against Iran, or about a diplomacy of not talking and saber-rattling ....... President Bush's recent comment that if Iran could make nuclear weapons, it could lead to World War III. ........ "This kind of 'bring it on' rhetoric is dangerous, it's irresponsible, it leads directly to the increased threat from Iran and America's decreased ability to leave the war," Obama said.

Al Qaeda Attacks Bhutto? Not So Fast Washington Post, United States This is Pakistan. And Pakistan harbors many terrorist groups of its very own. ....... Pakistan's inability (or unwillingness) to take on terrorists -- militarily and otherwise -- within its borders ....... Musharraf, of course, is no stranger to assassination and terrorism at home, and Pakistani authorities have been able to trace each attack back to an al Qaeda. ........ Musharraf himself has learned in two close assassination attempts in December 2003 ...... masterminded by Abu Faraj al-Libbi, an al Qaeda lieutenant ...... enlisted men of the Pakistani air force were closely involved ...... men enlisted in the Special Services Group of commandos charged with VIP security ....... -- the Pakistani intelligence and security services, and Pakistani reactionary parties, support Islamic extremists and terrorists inside the country. ....... the border region of Waziristan into the new command headquarters for global terror ....... now, with the support of Bhutto and her People's Party, perhaps Musharraf will have the backbone and the stomach to pursue the mission.
Bhutto will stay in Pakistan to fight elections - party Forbes, NY
Benazir Bhutto 'was warned of bomb attack' Times Online, UK she had received a warning just half an hour before last night's devastating attack on her homecoming procession that a suicide bomber would target the truck in which she was travelling. ....... the former premier said that many of them were young policemen sent in to block the path of a suicide bomber after last night's warning was received by police and passed on to her entourage by the intelligence services. ........ she nevertheless accused high-ranking members of Pakistan's intelligence services of being behind the attack, arguing that Islamic militants could not mount such a sophisticated attack "from a mountain cave". .......... the severed head of the bomber, a man of around 20 who had been carrying some 20kg of explosives ...... the first blast had been caused by a hand grenade .... a car bomb. ....... Militants linked to al-Qaeda, angered by Ms Bhutto's pledge to hunt down Osama bin Laden, had threatened to assassinate her only a few days ago. ......... she knew "exactly" who wanted to kill her – former officials from the regime of the late General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq ....... "We should purge these elements still present in our secret services," she said. "Many of them took retirement but have been re-hired. Today they have a lot of power and I represent a danger to them: if I bring back democracy to the country, they will lose their influence." ....... the former Prime Minister was “visibly shaken” ....... “came down and met everyone, and was very upset about those who had been killed”. ....... 20,000-strong force sent to guard Ms Bhutto’s ten-mile procession route. ....... She had asked for extra protection, including the specially-designed and reinforced vehicle ....... The White House, which has backed Ms Bhutto’s power-sharing deal, was outraged. ....... The blasts came after a day of huge emotion. Standing wet-eyed on the steps of the aircraft that had brought her back to Pakistan after eight years of exile, dressed in the vivid green of the national flag, Ms Bhutto had pressed her fingers to her eyes and then raised her hands to the sky, as the crowd roared: “You will be the next leader of our country.” ....... In the first three hours of her journey from the airport, the bus crawled just three hundred yards as people climbed electricity poles and shop awnings. Buses had brought many supporters from her native Sindh province, but also from the Punjab, the North West Frontier province and the tribal areas beyond government control.
Al-Qaida, Pakistani Government Fingered For Karachi Bombing The Gate - National Journal, DC death toll ... has hit 139 and, with more than 500 wounded, is expected to climb. ....... the attack bore all the hallmarks of a particular pro-Taliban warlord who operates on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Baitullah Mehsud ....... Fighting Islamic terrorism has been a focus for Bhutto, and she frequently offered it as part of the justification for joining forces with General Pervez Musharraf, the sitting president of Pakistan, to create a stronger secular government. ....... Bhutto's husband and her party, the PPP, believe the Pakistani government itself "masterminded" the blast. .......... her convoy was not given jamming devices for electronic signals or for bombs themselves. ........ When the blasts struck, she had just climbed down from the top of an armored vehicle where she had been waving to the crowds and was protected from injury. ........ The convoy had been crawling through the packed streets for 10 hours when an initial small blast exploded in front of her bulletproof bus. A second, larger explosion then tore through the procession, resulting in one of the deadliest bombings in Pakistan's history. ....... a suicide bomber blew himself up next to the convoy about 20 seconds after he threw a grenade. His severed head was recovered and is being examined at a forensic lab.
Bhutto vows to fight for democracy after bomb attack Reuters India, India "We are prepared to risk our lives. We're prepared to risk our liberty. But we're not prepared to surrender this great nation to militants," Bhutto, wearing a black armband ...... "They're killing our armed forces in the tribal areas of Pakistan, they're knocking on the doors of the Frontier Province," Bhutto said ....... "The attack was on what I represent. The attack was on democracy and very unity and integrity of Pakistan," Bhutto said. ..... he could share power with Bhutto after the January election. ..... She escaped unhurt, but the bodies and limbs of supporters and members of her police security escort were scattered all around. ...... Bhutto described hearing the blasts while sat inside the truck working on a speech she was to deliver to a rally. ........ She also questioned why the street lighting was not working on the stretch of road where the attack happened. ..... she expected more attempts on her life, and feared an assassin could be planted in the police
Qaeda-linked Warlord Eyed in Bhutto Attack New York Sun, NY Ms. Bhutto said there were two attackers in the deadly bombing, and that her security guards found a third man armed with a pistol and another with a suicide vest. Ahead of her arrival, she said, she was warned suicide squads were dispatched to kill her. ........ "There was one suicide squad from the Taliban elements, one suicide squad from Al Qaeda, one suicide squad from Pakistani Taliban and a fourth — a group — I believe from Karachi," she said. ........ Bhutto said her guards prevented more carnage. ...... "They stood their ground, and they stood all around the truck, and they refused to let the suicide bomber — the second suicide bomber — get near the truck," she said. ........ a larger blast, destroying two police vans escorting the procession ....... it was suspicious that streetlights failed after sunset yesterday when her convoy was inching its way through the streets of Karachi. She said attempts to reach the national security adviser to have the lights restored were unsuccessful — phone lines were also apparently down. ........ "We were scanning the crowd with the floodlights, but it was difficult to scan the crowds because there was so much darkness." ........ Ms. Bhutto claimed the next attack against her would target her homes in Karachi and her hometown of Larkana, using attackers posing as supporters of a rival political faction. ......... Ms. Bhutto's armored truck, which carried signs that read "Long Live Bhutto," was hoisted away using a crane. One side bearing a big portrait of the former premier was spattered with blood and riddled with shrapnel holes. ........ ripping victims apart and hurling a fireball into the sky ...... She appeared dazed afterward and was escorted to her Karachi home. ...... "The president expressed his strong resolve that a thorough investigation would be carried out in order to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice" ....... nuts, bolts, and steel balls packed around the explosives had made the bombing so deadly. He said it was impossible to prevent more such attacks. ....... "The government's secret agencies are involved in it. Taliban have no part in it," Mr. Khan said by phone from the volatile northwestern tribal town of Bannu, where he is believed to command pro-Taliban militants loyal to Mr. Mehsud. "This was an effort to provoke common people and create hatred against the Taliban. We do not do anything that harm common people," he said.
Pakistan says Islamist militants behind Bhutto attack Reuters Canada, Canada
Bhutto says blasts were 'attack on democracy' AFP
Bhutto says she was warned before return to Pakistan that suicide ... International Herald Tribune, France
Bhutto calls for inquiry NDTV.com, India
Bhutto Blames Deadly Attack on Militants The Associated Press
Death toll rises in Bhutto attack CNN
Pakistan's Shares Index At Record High On Bhutto's Return AHN
Analysis: What the Bhutto attack means for Pakistan Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom Gen Musharraf condemned the bombing as an attack on democracy. ....... Ms Bhutto had plenty of known enemies which included the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, al-Qa'eda and the coalition provincial government that rules her home province of Sind. ...... The Pakistani Taliban had directly called for suicide bombers to attack Ms Bhutto on her return. ...... She has also accused pro-jihadi retired and serving military officers in Gen Musharraf’s multiple intelligence agencies of plotting against her. ...... According to the Constitution, Gen Musharraf has the powers to postpone the elections for up to 12 months. ...... The PML has long been urging Gen Musharraf to delay the elections so that Ms Bhutto’s popular support is whittled down. ....... Political rallies and demonstrations, public meetings and door to door campaigning by candidates is likely to be heavily curtailed. ...... the potential for the military to rig the elections as it did in 2002 will be significant. ....... a 20 mile-long slow-moving convoy from the airport to the centre of Karachi .......... She had also declined a government offer to fly her in a helicopter from the airport to the spot where she was due to hold a political rally. ....... Ms Bhutto clearly took a calculated risk that cost the lives of 140 people, but she had also put her own life on the line. ........ After nine years in exile Ms Bhutto felt the need to make her political mark and show the army, the public and the international community that she still has a massive following. ........ the US and Britain, which have led efforts to forge a power-sharing deal between Gen Musharraf and Ms Bhutto ........ Unlike Gen Musharraf and the army who have prevaricated on the need to crack down hard on extremism, Ms Bhutto has been clear about the issue from the start. ....... Her party faithful have backed her on the need to politically isolate the Islamic fundamentalist parties, deal harshly with Islamic extremism, make up with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and settle another insurgency that is taking place in Balochistan by the Baloch tribes who are seeking separation from Pakistan. ....... Musharraf ...... has successfully divided the opposition, played hard and soft with the extremists and still wants to keep Islamic fundamentalist parties on board with him in any future electoral alliance. ......... Now that looks increasingly unlikely, as Ms Bhutto is forced to cordon herself off under tight security, reduce contact with her supporters and refrain from touring the country as she had planned to do. ...... Whoever the bombers are, they have sent a clear signal that they will continue to target Ms Bhutto and anyone who is associated with her.
Islamic militants in frame for Bhutto blast AFP
Bhutto attack: the moment 133 died Channel 4 News, UK
Musharraf vow as bomb death toll reaches 133 Scotsman, United Kingdom PAKISTAN'S leader today vowed to hunt down the terrorists behind the suicide bomb attack on Benazir Bhutto's homecoming parade. ......."Eight hundred thousand British people are of Pakistani origin; 70 per cent of the terrorist plots our security forces are chasing have Pakistani links," he said. ........ the forces of moderation must rally around the world and in Pakistan ....... Musharraf appealed for calm and pledged that the government would take "every step" to find those behind the carnage. ...... pledging to fight extremism and promote democracy. ...... A grenade blast halted her convoy before a huge suicide bomb detonated just feet from the front of the truck carrying her, shattering its windows, setting a police escort vehicle on fire and killing security guards, police and civilians. ...... With elections due early in the new year, Ms Bhutto is aiming to be democratically elected for the third time as prime minister, after serving twice before in 1988-90 and 1993-96.
Musharraf speaks to Benazir over phone Hindu, India "The President and Ms Bhutto both expressed their unflinching resolve to fight the scourge of extremism and terrorism," Musharraf's spokesman Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi said, adding the President hoped that "they would refrain from unnecessary blame throwing." ...... "They (Bhutto and Musharraf) also agreed that there is a need for the entire nation to unite in order to rid the country of this menace of suicide bombings, terrorism and extremism," he said. ..... Musharraf also directed the Sindh province government to hold an inquiry and submit a report within 48 hours ...... The President "appealed to segments of society to facilitate the police and administration in the conduct of the investigation ..... Musharraf prayed for the safety and security of Bhutto, who returned home yesterday after eight years in self-imposed exile, during the call.

Election Delay Means Nepal Must Survive a Winter of Widespread ... World Politics Review tense uncertainty for Nepal ...... There have been several "critical junctures" in Nepal's peace process so far, but the future has never looked so bleak. ...... the paper for ballots had been purchased ($2.8 million) but not yet printed. But in reality, the two most influential parties -- the Nepali Congress and the Maoists -- simply didn't want the November polls to take place. ....... Nepali Congress (NC) .... A week before the candidate nomination deadline of Friday, Oct. 5, they still hadn't set up party election units in 40 of Nepal's 75 districts ...... concerned about how it would fare in an election. ..... The Maoists were even more worried. ...... and half by a proportional representation system in which parties would later nominate candidates based on their party polling ........ the Maoists' long-running (and continuing) violence, intimidation and extortion across Nepal would mean their local-level leaders would face grim prospects in a free and fair election ........ they had done little to transform their revolutionary cadre into peaceful election campaigners. ....... Prachanda allegedly reminded those at the table that the mini-Maoist goons of the Young Communist League were standing by at every district office around the country. ........ the four minor parties of the so-called Seven Party Alliance left in the dark as usual .......... "The Maoists aren't going to an election they can't win," said an international political observer, echoing a statement made by the Maoist chairman himself in the past...... the next window for polls is thought to be after the winter, around April 2008. ........ gives more time for a deteriorating security situation to grow even more out of control. ....... The main trouble zone is in the Terai, the belt of southern districts bordering India ..... The Terai is also home to many militant groups of varying stripes who have killed local leaders, abducted businessmen and extorted huge sums of money with virtual impunity. ........ a Maoist-affiliated union destroyed the printing presses of the country's largest media house, Kantipur ...... there is rising chatter in political circles about the bloody prospect of urban warfare. ........ with thousands of Maoists now positioned within Katmandu, where their most modern weapons are allegedly stockpiled, the Nepal Army is considering its options. ........ How can 10,000 or perhaps even 15,000 hardened Communist guerrillas be integrated into a proud traditional army of 100,000 soldiers? ...... While the oversized Nepal Army also needs trimming, it's unlikely this will happen soon.
Maoists have no alternative to peace process: Nepal Kantipur Online
Indian police arrest Nepal's most wanted
Maoists will rejoin govt after Dashain: Home Minister Sitaula reiterated that the government will take all seven parties on board to deal sternly with the groups unleashing violence, abductions, extortions and murders in the Terai. ...... Sah, a Bara based journalist- affiliated to Nepal FM, Dristri Weekly and Avenues TV was abducted by Maoist cadres on October 5 from Pipara Bazaar, Kalaiya VDC-6, the district headquarters of Bara.
Form new govt to hold polls: MPRF Chairman of Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) Upendra Yadav has pressed for the dissolution of the existing government and called for an all-party national convention of all democratic forces to form a new government. ...... the government's questionable decision to repeatedly postpone the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections has ended the government's relevance. "The present government has lost its relevance, now only a new government formed after a national convention can hold the polls." ....... Yadav demanded that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, along with all the interim legislators, resign from their posts to form a base for national consensus. ....... "Maoists and the royalists have stood on the same platform against the CA polls," Yadav said, blaming the Maoists for pushing the country's already turbulent politics into darkness ...... Yadav informed that the MPRF's second national convention will be held in Birgunj on February 16. ...... the MPRF's two-day extended meeting that took place in Gaur till Wednesday declared it was launching fresh struggle programs starting from November 6, blaming the government for failing to implement the 22-point understanding reached with MPRF in August.
PM and all lawmakers should resign: MPRF since the significance of the interim parliament have already come to an end, the prime minister and all the lawmakers should resign at the earliest. ..... He also accused the Maoists of being in line with the royalists against the CA polls.

Blasts confirm instability, polarization in Pakistan CNN Bhutto was nearing the tomb of Pakistan's founding father when blasts struck near her convoy in Karachi, Pakistan, killing at least 124 people. ....... The windshield of the vehicle she was riding in was smashed by the blasts ...... a vehicle that was following hers was totally burned out. The scene, he said, was "absolutely horrendous," with blood literally running in streams down the street ...... some "extremist elements were bent on hurting her, because she was seen as coming with an American agenda" ........ the al Qaeda-Taliban alliances .... there's a history of bad blood between her party and the intelligence services ..... she wrote Musharraf a letter naming those she feared would make an attempt on her life. ........ "certain people who have gained a lot through dictatorship. They have presided over the rise of extremism, they have created safe havens in the tribal areas of Pakistan for the Taliban and other militants and they fear my return."
Giuliani's Conservative Support Tenuous The Associated Press
World Bank chief sees bigger role for private sector Reuters the private sector was a key part of his new strategy to boost economic development and reduce poverty in poor countries. ...... the bank was in talks with private-sector firms about possibly contributing to a World Bank fund for the world's 81 poorest countries, expanding beyond its traditional roots of funding from rich governments. ......... International Development Association, or IDA, the world's biggest aid fund for poor countries. ...... the fund, which provides interest-free loans to poor countries.
Sex, Nazi, burrito and Viagra: Who Googles what?
Clinton outlines first term health reform strategy Reuters has stressed how this version differs from her polarizing approach during the presidency of her husband ....... if elected she would not submit a massive detailed health bill to Congress, as occurred in 1993-1994, and would instead lay out a framework and work cooperatively with lawmakers on the details. ...... She recalled that when she was a schoolgirl she took part in presidential fitness challenges and believed that Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy were personally signing the certificates recognizing her achievement. ...... "I was horrible at it (the fitness tests)," she recalled. "They kept telling me to run -- I said I was running."

Pollster: GOP Women Will Support Clinton The Associated Press nearly a quarter of Republican women would support Clinton in the presidential contest ..... "because of the emotional element of having a woman nominee." ...... "Penn's assertion is entirely baseless and refuted by a number of public polls. Moreover, these polls also indicate sizable defection among Democratic women should Sen. Clinton be the nominee," Benenson said. "While it may not be her fault, Clinton appears to be as polarizing a figure as ever, showing the least crossover appeal of any of the Democratic candidates."
'Most wanted' Bihar criminal held in Uttar Pradesh Earthtimes Bihar's 'most wanted' criminal Satish Pandey ..... was nabbed with a revolver and a handful of cartridges .... After the arrest, Pandey tried to conceal his identity to wriggle out of the clutches of the Uttar Pradesh cops.
Nobel winner in 'racist' claim row CNN International A British museum has canceled a lecture by Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, after he claimed black people are less intelligent than whites in a recent newspaper interview. ...... Watson, who won the 1962 Nobel prize for his part in discovering the structure of DNA ...... he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours -- whereas all the testing says not really." ........ Watson is credited with discovering the double helix along with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick in 1962. ....... he said there was no reason to think that races which had grown up in separate geographical locations should have evolved identically. He went on to say that although he hoped everyone was equal, "people who have to deal with black employees find this not true". ....... Watson is not the first scientist to show sympathy for the theory of a racial basis for intellectual difference. In March of last year Dr. Frank Ellis from Leeds University provoked anger in Britain after he admitted he found evidence that racial groups perform differently "extremely convincing."
Iraqis Protest Against Possible Turkish Incursion Voice of America
Transit Strikes Gum Up France BusinessWeek
Internet ban is clue to China’s new leaders Times Online in a country where politics are opaque and the media is banned from reporting such state secrets as the lineup of the new Politburo Standing Committee, the clues to their identities lie in what is prohibited. In the past few days it has become impossible in China to include the names Xi Jinping or Li Keqiang in a blog. ......... Sources with close links to China’s internet service providers say that they have, in the past few days, been required to alter their servers to reject attempts by Chinese bloggers to place online certain names in case derogatory or personal comments about new leaders find their way into cyberspace. ........ Mentions on blogs of President Hu Jintao and the Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, have long been impossible. But now several new names have become taboo. A source told The Times that an online check would swiftly reveal the names of the nine members of the standing committee to be unveiled on Monday. ....... the fifth-generation leaders who will take over when the fourth generation retires in 2012. ......... Shanghai party boss Xi Jinping, 54 ....... Many Chinese barely recognise these names. Their coming to power is a result of haggling over cups of tea, wrangling over rice bowls and the exchange of messages among leaders and retired elder statesmen. A senior official observing the process quoted a Chinese proverb: “Big decisions are taken at small meetings, small decisions are taken at big meetings.” ........ China’s increasingly collective leadership. ....... “Jiang had no choice but to appear in the seat next to Hu at the opening session of the congress, but the way he yawned showed he was uncomfortable. This was no victory for Jiang.”
Google beats Street, revenue up 57% CNNMoney.com
Ballmer unveils mashup beta, dismisses online Google apps Computerworld
Life’sa song for Big B Times of India At 65, Amitabh Bachchan remains indefatigable...... “It looks like the music composers are thinking of an alternative career for me. They obviously don’t think much of me as an actor,” Bachchan Sr joked, before flying off to the London Film Festival for Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear, a film in which the actor’s vocal prowess has been praised a lot.
Dell Jumps Into VoIP With Microsoft, Nortel CRN
Bacteria that killed Virginia teen found in other schools CNN MRSA cases also reported in Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan ..... MRSA killed more people than HIV/AIDS in 2005 ........ a deadly drug-resistant strain of bacteria that has turned up in schools across the country recently. ...... MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ....... "I was standing beside his bed and ... I said, 'Baby, we're supposed to be having a graduation this year, you've got to come up out of this and get better,' " his mother, Veronica Bonds, remembered. After struggling with the infection for a week, the 17-year-old died on Monday. ....... "So we sent out a bunch of text messages, got on MySpace and posted a few bulletins, and decided to have a rally around the flagpole to make sure this doesn't happen again." ........ the bacteria predominantly affects student athletes, cases have been reported in children of elementary school age as well. ..... MRSA infections occurred in nearly 95,000 Americans in 2005. Based on those figures, an estimated 18,650 people died due to their MRSA infection in 2005. ...... some 25 to 30 percent of the population carry staphylococcus bacteria -- one of the most common causes of infection -- in their bodies. While such infections are usually minor, invasive MRSA infections can become fatal because they are caused by drug-resistant staph. ...... the highest rate of MRSA deaths -- 58 percent -- is found in hospitals.
MySpace Needs Internal Not External Developers New York Times you would think that the site had been as closed to the outside world as North Korea, and is only opening up under pressure from Facebook. ...... the site’s technical stagnation. ..... MySpace exploded precisely because it was a rich, if cacophonous, environment filled with wacky self-expression, mixed with lots of music and video. ....... MySpace has been remarkably stagnant in a fast-changing space, slow to add features and fix some of its odd bugs. .... appears to have put more energy into building MySpaceTV, but that is more a brand extension meant to compete with YouTube ...... MySpace’s user base continues to grow rapidly
MySpace to Open Up, Too BusinessWeek 110 million users—more than double the tally for archrival Facebook. ...... News Corp. ... a market value of $69.61 billion—just five times Facebook's potential value, on nearly 200 times its revenue. ....... Facebook's growth has boomed since May, when it opened up. ...... the ability to sell ads "the single most exciting opportunity for widget makers on MySpace ....... MySpace will open an office in San Francisco's startup-laden South of Market district to tap the region's vein of talented software engineers. ....... online divisions will account for 30% of revenue growth in 2008, up from 15% in 2007 ..... Facebook ... 47 million .... Zuckerberg indicated he may move further onto MySpace's turf, adding features that make it easier for bands and other groups to promote themselves on Facebook.
Skype Goes Mobile why mobile VoIP has not yet taken off .... "In the U.S., a key reason is that mobile operators are deliberately trying to keep their customers from being able to use it." ........ Though Skype boasts 246 million accounts, only about one-quarter to one-third of those customers are thought to be regular users, and the vast majority of their calls are free. Skype has struggled to turn its popularity into profits ...... the Skype phone is first and foremost about plain old phone calls. ...... The arrival of the Skype phone is but the latest sign of evolution in wireless, and counter measures by the cellular carriers a ready reminder that there won't be a revolution any time soon.
Source: Britney "I Can't Believe This Is Happening" E! Online "He knows that even with monitored visits, no one can make Britney do what she doesn't want to do," the source adds. "She's used to telling people what to do, pushing people out of her way. She's a hard woman to control." Federline was convinced Spears wasn't living up to her maternal responsibilities after the kids came back to his house crying and surly.

Benazir And Islamofascism

Blasts Kill Dozens After Bhutto Returns to Pakistan New York Times Two explosions ... killing 100 people or more ... near a truck carrying the former prime minister ... some of the bodies were ripped apart. ... After an initial small explosion, a huge blast came just feet from the front of the truck carrying Ms. Bhutto ... The blast shattered windows in her vehicle ... as she inched her way through the city atop a bullet-proof truck. ... “It’s really overwhelming, and we haven’t even reached the main crowd,” she said before the explosions on Thursday ... stepping down onto the tarmac at around 2 p.m. local time and praying before an upheld Koran. ... the crowds were larger than in 1986, when she made her first return from exile ... the first Muslim woman in the world to become prime minister ... Ms. Bhutto waved to supporters as music pumped out from loudspeakers, and supporters danced in the road. ... The crowd was overwhelmingly working class, and included many young men who said they were unemployed and had traveled hundreds of kilometers, camping out overnight on the road to the airport to await her arrival. ... “I am glad that there’s been no disruption of the welcome,” said Ms. Bhutto ... “It is unprecedented,” said Aftar Rana, a senior party member from Punjab province, looking down at the crowd. “I think we will sweep the elections. People have come from everywhere.” ... Raja Munir Ahmed, 42, a real estate agent, said he had come from Mirpur in the Pakistani-administered part of Kashmir. “It was a journey of 1,500 kilometers,” or 930 miles, “and all along we saw buses and cars carrying Peoples’ Party flags” ...... “Dictatorship is breathing its last and soon democracy under Benazir Bhutto will flourish”

My heart goes out to Benazir. She is one of my favorite politicians in the neighborhood called South Asia, my hood. She is one of my favorite politicians in the world. I have long thought of her as the face of Islam that I would like to see going into the future. Why only Islam? I have thought of her as the face of South Asia as I would like to see going into the future. I have wanted Nepal to get itself a Benazir. I have wanted India to get itself a Benazir. She symbolizes progress and future and forward thinking. She is appealing to the point of glamorous. She has meant to me growing up that you can be from South Asia and not have to apologize for it. She was a woman from the neighborhood who could hold her own with any white leader on the planet. She was savvy, modern, educated. She was plain glamorous. She is.

When her father was hanged, that started a revolution in Nepal. To be Bhutto is to be Kennedy, to be Gandhi, to be Clinton. You have to be a South Asian to truly appreciate the magic of her last name.

She has meant that South Asia can also hope to rise on the world stage. It might take a while, it might take a lifetime, a generation, but at least with her leadership, we would be pointing in the right direction, we would be going ahead full speed.

The fascists in Japan, Germany and Italy were militarily defeated. There was no other way. Only then it was possible to plant democracy in those countries. Maybe the neocons are right, maybe that is the only way to deal also with Islamofascism.

The Islamofascists think Musharraf is too secular but at least he is a military dictator, Benazir is too far away on the spectrum, further away than Musharraf. They don't like the smell of her. On top of that, she is a woman.

Karachi is the New York City of Pakistan. It is not the official capital, but it is the heart of the country. There is New York City, there is Mumbai, and there is Karachi. It helps the Islamofascists to strike in a big city like Karachi. They generate a larger media flurry. That makes it "spectacular." That is their sick idea of a Kodak moment, made for the camera.

There is a definite physical element to fighting Islamofascism. How do you track them down? How do you take them down? How do you prevent their attacks? Military, intelligence and law enforcement, local and global, have to work in intensely cooperative ways, and in imaginative ways to mutate with the virus to get up to the challenge. I don't rule that out. But that is still killing mosquitoes. That is still the very small part of the picture.

The bigger challenge remains to drain the swamp. The fascists in Japan, Germany and Italy were states with standing armies. Islamofascists fantasize about becoming states with standing armies, but they are not that and likely never will be. Afghanistan under Taliban was the closest they got. All the physical damage they will inflict will be while they fantasize.

Turning every Arab country into a democracy the progressive way is the only way to drain the swamp. Ideas have to be fought with ideas. Moderate Islam has to talk loud.

The losing war that the democracies are playing in the case of Burma looks very bad for the war on terror. The frontline soldiers, the nonviolent Burmese activists for democracy, should not have to think a few million dollars is too much money. Bur right now that is what. They don't even have a few hundred thousand.

The progressive way is the grassroots way, the war with communications technology way.



Out Of The Box Thinking On Burma: Total Engagement?
India Has To Get Into The Business Of Aggressively Exporting Democracy
Bush Meeting Dalai Lama: Is That All You Can Do For Burma?
Burma: 400, 000 Members, 400,000 Dollars
Burma: Time For Nonviolent Guerilla Warfare
Burma: Time For Hyper Action
The World Is Failing Burma
Burma: Than Shwe Is Going To The Hague
Britain Is Betraying Burma
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

Where Is Bin Laden?
Pakistan Is Getting Interesting And Obama Might Have Shaken Things
Engaging Third World Dictators
Flatten It Out
The McCain Doctrine: Keep The Swamp, Keep The Mosquitoes
Hillary Messed Up On Iraq, And Al Qaeda Is Strong, America Insecure
I Agree With Neocons, The War On Terror Is Same Magnitude As Cold War
Immigration Is Today's Civil Rights Movement
Iraq, Energy, Global Warming: All Interlinked
If There Is Another 9/11 Style Attack
Al Qaeda Strikes India, Wants Hindu-Muslim Riots
Bush Nabbed Saddam, His Mandate Was To Nab Osama



In The News

Silicon Valley Start-Ups Awash in Dollars, Again Silicon Valley’s math is getting fuzzy again. .... Internet companies with funny names, little revenue and few customers are commanding high prices. And investors, having seemingly forgotten the pain of the first dot-com bust, are displaying symptoms of the disorder known as irrational exuberance. ..... Facebook ... being valued by investors at up to $15 billion. That is nearly half the value of Yahoo, a company with 38 times the number of employees and, based on estimates of Facebook’s income, 32 times the revenue. .... Google, which recently surged past $600 a share, is now worth more than I.B.M., a company with eight times the revenue. ..... Greed, fear and a desperate rush to pick the next big winner are all adding fuel to the fire that is Silicon Valley’s resurgence. .... the latest set of society-changing online tools .... copycat companies, half-baked business plans and overpriced buyouts. ... seasoned financial professionals are seeming to indulge in some strange instinct to turn away from the science and lean instead on the speculation. ... venture capitalists whose coffers are overflowing with money from university endowments and hedge funds .... More than 1.3 billion people around the world use the Internet, many with speedy broadband connections and a willingness to immerse themselves in digital culture. ... Some trace the start of the new bubble to eBay’s $3.1 billion acquisition of the Internet telephone start-up Skype in 2005. .. This month, eBay conceded it had grossly overpaid for Skype by about $1.43 billion .... Google’s acquisition of YouTube last year for $1.65 billion ... More than 205 million people visit YouTube each month .... YouTube would bring in $135 million in revenue next year .... Internet companies “are buying users instead of revenue and profitability” .... Internet entrepreneurs ... practices that had seemingly been discredited during the first boom ... in the first dot-com gold rush, Internet companies did not have to make money to acquire serious investments dollars. Now that once again is true. ....Twitter .. the company was not currently focused on making money and that no one in the company was even working on how to do so. ... the $100 million valuation that investors gave to the Internet genealogy site Geni.com, founded last year in Los Angeles by a veteran of PayPal. ........ the financing game is best played by avoiding actual revenues ... “It’s a screwed-up incentive structure, just like you had in the first bubble” .... Ning .. recently valued by investors at more than $200 million, mainly because its main backer and founder, Marc Andreessen ..... Mr. Andreessen argues on his blog that there is no bubble and that the high prices represent a rational desire to stake a claim in the potentially huge markets of the future. ..... a seemingly inexhaustible flood of capital into Silicon Valley is helping to power the boom. Venture capitalists are flush with cash from institutional investors, eager for Internet-style returns on their money. ..... “The upward valuations pressure is the result of decisions being made by people wearing suits in cities like New York and Boston who would never ever meet with start-ups”

Out Of The Box Thinking On Burma: Total Engagement?

I am for a total engagement with Cuba, for example. That is the best way to bring about political plurality on that island.

Freedom rings in every human heart. When given a choice, people want to be free. But the message from sanctions ends up being, you starve the population and they will be forced to come out into the streets. I am not sure that is the best way to go about it.

The question we have to ask is, whatever it is that we are doing, is it working?

I think one of the two extremes has to be followed, either total sanctions, or total engagement. Forget China, not even Britain is on board with the idea of sanctions. A lot of British companies are making a lot of money doing business in Burma. And India has decided it can't let China run the only show inside Burma.

And whatever we decide has to be done in close coordination with the National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi's party. If they want continued sanctions, so be it. But I think all big powers speaking in unison saying lifting of all sanctions is on the table if the junta will set Suu Kyi free will be a big step in the right direction. If the junta will agree to free all political prisoners, and they will agree to a roadmap to democracy as agreed to by the NLD, I think we should be open to the possibility of engagement.

What I am most worried about right now is that momentum might be lost. Soon it will be winter, And then it might be lost for good for at least half a year.

India Has To Get Into The Business Of Aggressively Exporting Democracy
Bush Meeting Dalai Lama: Is That All You Can Do For Burma?
Burma: 400, 000 Members, 400,000 Dollars
Burma: Time For Nonviolent Guerilla Warfare
Burma: Time For Hyper Action
The World Is Failing Burma
Burma: Than Shwe Is Going To The Hague
Britain Is Betraying Burma
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




New York City For Barack Obama 8
New York City For Barack Obama 9

In The News

UN Envoy Says Burma Should be Offered Incentives Voice of America
United Nations Envoy in Talks for Early Return to Burma Voice of America
Can Ibrahim Gambari Save Burma? TIME
Burma junta: 3000 detained in protest USA Today
Burma Junta: Crackdown continues on protesters USA Today
Burmese regime frees high-profile protesters Guardian Unlimited freed the country's leading comedian and a revered actor and his wife ...... Oscar-winning actor Kyaw Thu ..... Burma's leaders said they would continue to hunt down the leaders of the demonstrations ..... The regime acknowledged that almost 3,000 had been arrested, though it said only about 500 were still being held; those freed had been made to sign "pledges". ...... the regime claimed it had discovered large quantities of explosives at a Rangoon monastery ..... 48 blocks of US-manufactured high-explosive had been found at the Nan Oo monastery ....... growing testimony emerging from Burma told of deaths, torture, starvation and lack medical treatment in overcrowded detention facilities.
Burma blames monks for violence Melbourne Herald Sun
Burma admits holding 468 protesters Bangkok Post
UN demands help for hungry in Burma Bangkok Post, Thailand
UN Seeks More Aid For Burma AHN
HRW calls on China to end repression in Burma Bangkok Post, Thailand
China: Take Concrete Action on Burma Now Human Rights Watch
China urged to slap arms embargo on Myanmar AFP
Don't let the Burmese become forgotten people The Age, Australia
Britain Prepared to Offer Burma Aid in Exchange for Reform Voice of America
India's policy flounders on Burma Rediff
Experts Urge China, India to Exert Pressure on Burmese Government Voice of America
Crisis in Burma: Can the US Bring About a Peaceful Resolution? US Department of State, DC Three weeks have now passed since the start of Burmese military and security forces’ brutal crackdown on civilians and Buddhist monks for peacefully expressing their desire for democracy and change. ...... While the streets of Rangoon are now eerily “calm” and the regime tries to project a return to “normalcy and stability,” the situation is anything but normal. ........ October 13 arrest of “88 Generation Students” activist Htay Kywe and four others ...... continues to raid monasteries and arrest activists, and is holding hundreds – possibly thousands – of detainees, including “88 Generation” leaders Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Kywe, Pyone Cho, Jimmy, and others. ......... death last week of National League for Democracy (NLD) member Win Shwe, who was arrested and tortured ....... maintain maximum pressure on the regime, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to end the repression, release the prisoners, and initiate a genuine dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and the democratic opposition, and with the ethnic minority group, that leads to a peaceful transition to civilian, democratic rule. ....... of a broader effort to build the strongest possible international diplomatic pressure on the regime. ..... The First Lady’s continued personal attention to the Burma crisis has effectively helped keep the international spotlight on the regime’s brutal behavior and the need for peaceful transition now. House and Senate resolutions and letters have also been tremendously helpful. ........ The adoption by the UN Security Council of an unprecedented Presidential Statement on Burma on October 11 ........ Gambari is the only one in the international community who has been able to gain access to both the regime leadership and to Aung San Suu Kyi. ..... The Department of State also identified additional senior regime officials and their immediate family members – now totaling over 800 names – as potentially subject to the Presidential Proclamation that suspends the entry into the United States of persons who formulate, implement, or benefit from policies that impede Burma’s transition to democracy. ....... tough economic measures are necessary and perhaps the only way of getting the regime’s attention ....... doubled Burmese language programming on Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. ....... we are dealing with a military entrenched in power for over four decades that will not easily or willingly give up the absolute power and perquisites it enjoys. ..... The Burmese military has forcefully insinuated itself over four decades into every fiber of the country and runs a parallel economic and social system that enriches it while impoverishing the rest of Burma. ........ On October 15, EU Foreign Ministers imposed additional sanctions banning the export of logging and mining equipment to Burma, barring the import from Burma of such products, and prohibiting investment in these sectors in Burma. The Government of Australia also announced its intention to implement targeted financial sanctions against regime figures and supporters. ....... India’s message and support for U.S. efforts in the United Nations is undercut by actions, such as its announcement to invest over $100 million in a transportation development project in western Burma, which is adjacent to recently explored offshore gas fields. India can and should do more given its stature as the world’s largest democracy; its voice and actions, at this time, are critical. ...... China has the most influence on the regime and its policies. China facilitated UN Special Advisor Gambari’s September 29 – October 2 visit to Burma by urging the regime to allow him to meet with Senior General Than Shwe and Aung San Suu Kyi. Significantly, China also joined the international consensus to speak out about the situation in Burma by supporting the UN Security Council’s October 11 Presidential Statement on Burma.
Canada gives honary citizenship to Burma's democracy leader Radio Australia
China faces a tricky balancing act in Burma Financial Times, UK the insular, defiant Burmese military regime ........ China, which shares a 1,400-mile border with Burma, has growing economic interests in the country and has until now shielded its regime from international action. ........ during the Cultural Revolution when China supported serious communist insurgencies in Burma. ...... China must also consider its interests in harnessing Burmese energy and raw materials to the development of its economically backward province of Yunnan ....... Beijing must balance its support for the current regime with the prospects for maintaining good relations with a future civilian democratic government in Burma. ....... must be careful not to foster resentment among the Burmese public that might turn into violence against the large Chinese immigrant population in Burma, as it has in the past. ........ While Beijing is undoubtedly disgusted with the generals’ performance both politically and economically, it is unlikely to act unilaterally to bring them into line. Rather, Chinese leaders will find it more attractive to keep the UN in the lead, supporting its efforts to press the Burmese regime into genuine dialogue and political reform, but working at the same time to moderate the language of UN statements and resolutions
We will step up sanctions on Burma - PM 10 Downing Street
Pressure Myanmar, UK tells India Times of India India does not want to be drawn down the sanctions route. There's a way to prevent that. India should offer Burma incentives to change, more engagements but with the threat that if the regime does not change there will be consequences." ..... India, he said, has "not yet had the opportunity to state itself quite so strongly as the others, or demonstrate so strongly". .... India also has a substantial diaspora in Myanmar and the government does not want to jeopardise their future.
Brown pledges Burma support InTheNews.co.uk
Burma tourist tells of chained children, pregnant women The Age, Australia children and pregnant women among the families of pro-democracy supporters, chained together and under heavy guard on a river ferry deep inside Burma. ...... crackdown on dissidents now probably extends to their relatives and is being carried out in a thorough and ruthless fashion by the ruling military junta, even in remote parts of the country. ........ From the look on their faces and their frequent tears, it was clear that they believed they were travelling to almost certain death." ....... One of the shackled women was nine months pregnant ...... "There were 10 men, 10 women and four boys in chains," he said. "The youngest was about eight. Because there was no room on the boat, they were placed next to us and we had to walk through the group whenever we went to the toilet. The prisoners were kept in pairs, handcuffed together. "They would be taken to the toilet in pairs, escorted each time by three guys carrying machine guns. There were about 15 armed guards all told." .......... bound for a detention centre in Tayet.
China Needs to Act on Burma Associated Content, CO
US calls on world to increase pressure on Myanmar AFP
Burma: EU approves tougher sanctions Adnkronos International Italia

Obama chats about cousin Cheney with Leno Chicago Tribune
Does Obama's Message Match the Moment? Washington Post, United States
Edwards Takes on Clinton's Character Washington Post
Can Obama Criticize and Unite? Washington Post
Obama Hopes to "Close the Gap" Washington Post
Democrats 2008: Hillary 45%, Obama 20% Angus Reid Global Monitor
Clinton disappointed as Obama closes funding gap Independent "This race for the White House has been brought to you by American Express..." ...... It hasn't reached that stage yet, but the money chase for the 2008 presidential election is already on track to collect an unprecedented $1bn total. ........ the two were not very far apart. .... He appealed to them to overthrow the "most entrenched political machine in Democratic politics", thereby highlighting concerns about the dynastic nature of American politics. Mr Obama doesn't mind reminding voters that 40 per cent of Americans have only known a Bush or a Clinton in the White House. ......... Giuliani ..... he has been spending more than he has raised, some $13.3m. All of this has gone on salaries, security and consultants, without a dollar being spent so far on advertising. ........ the money pouring in to the anti-Iraq war campaign of Ron Paul. He raised $5.3m in the last quarter – nearly matching John McCain
Next MySpace-MTV 'presidential dialogue' to feature Obama CNET News.com, CA
Barack Obama To Participate In MySpace/MTV Dialogue On October 29 MTV.com
Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street Windfall New York Times, United States
Next New Networks buys 'Obama Girl' site Reuters An online entertainment network founded by former MTV Networks Vice Chairman Herb Scannell has acquired BarelyPolitical.com, creators of the wildly popular "Obama Girl" Web music video.
Obama, Romney top money chase in Northwest Seattle Post Intelligencer Obama has raised far more Washington state money than any other presidential candidate. ....... Romney is the top fundraiser in Oregon and Idaho. ...... Obama has raised more than $1.1 million in Washington ..... the presidential candidates have raised more than $6 million in the three Northwest states - a fraction of the $416 million they have raised nationwide in the first nine months of the year. ...... Among Republicans, Romney is the clear choice in the Northwest money race. He was the top GOP fundraiser in all three states, raising $558,273 in Washington, $457,248 in Idaho and $392,260 in Oregon.

Can Benazir Bhutto save Pakistan's President Musharraf? Christian Science Monitor
Benazir Bhutto's Massive Welcome TIME
Bhutto makes triumphant return to Pakistan USA Today
Brownback Said to Be Dropping Out New York Times
China summons US ambassador to protest over Dalai Lama AFP
Iran dialogue better than sanctions: Putin Reuters

Putin attacks US foreign policy, announces new nuclear weapon AFP said he wanted the ruling United Russia party to preserve his policies after December parliamentary elections, confirming that he wants to retain major political influence after leaving office. ........ called the US intervention in Iraq a "dead end" and called on Washington to set a deadline for the withdrawal of troops. ........ energy-rich Russia could not suffer the same fate. To think so, he said, was "political erotica." ....... Iran's nuclear power programme, saying Moscow's insistence on negotiations was better than "threats, sanctions or even force." ........ was also planning a "completely new" atomic weapon. ...... sixth phone-in during eight years in power ....... saying this party's victory would ensure that his policies over the last eight years continued. ........ he was "against cutting the powers of the president of Russia" ....... economic growth of 7.7 percent ...... he remains by far the dominant political force in a country where there is almost no outspoken opposition. ........ no major politician has yet expressed interest in seeking the presidency, while polls indicate the parliamentary election will give Putin's United Russia party an overwhelming majority. ........ he may return to the Kremlin for a third term after a break -- something the constitution does not bar. ....... Later Thursday Putin was to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Moscow for talks expected to focus on Iran's Russian-backed nuclear programme.
Russian chess: Kasparov vs. Putin The Christian Science Monitor The virtual Putin autocracy (Russia hardly qualifies as a democracy anymore) draws its overwhelming popular support from a well-oiled economy. Last year, it grew 6.6 percent. ....... inflation, unemployment, and poverty have dropped significantly, while real incomes have increased, along with the state's petro-driven budget surplus. Whomever Putin handpicks as his successor is just fine with most Russians, polls show. ........... "The goal of the Other Russia is not winning elections, but to have an election" ...... New election rules mean further demise of opposition parties ....... Russian TV shuts out Kasparov (except as a subject of ridicule). Nashi, the pro-Putin youth group, disrupts Other Russia meetings, and Other Russia protesters have been arrested. Kasparov spends a small fortune on bodyguards. His celebrity is a protection but not a guarantee.
Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan AP More than 150,00 jubilant supporters gathered to greet her amid massive security. ..... was in tears as she descended the steps of a commercial flight that brought her ...... "I counted the hours, I counted the minutes and the seconds, just to see this land, to see the grass, to see the sky. I feel so emotionally overwhelmed" ..... clutched prayer beads in her right hand ....... She said she was fighting for democracy and to help this nuclear-armed country of 160 million people defeat the extremism that gave it the reputation as a hotbed of international terrorism. ....... It would take a constitutional amendment for her to be prime minister again ...... the spirit of huge crowds forming in Karachi. ..... Hundreds of buses and other vehicles festooned with billboards welcoming her back were parked bumper-to-bumper along the boulevard from the airport to the city center. ...... groups of men performed traditional dances, beat drums or shook maracas along the way. ...... said he had "blind faith" in Bhutto's leadership. ....... a government spokesman claimed her rally was a flop. ...... The crowd seemed far smaller than the 3 million Bhutto claimed had turned out to welcome her. Its size was estimated at 150,000 ....... showed that Bhutto's party machinery remained intact despite her absence. ...... Bhutto told reporters that her homecoming felt like a miracle. ...... 20,000 officers were deployed there and along the route into the city. .... "People are intelligent now, they don't buy this rubbish," said Kamran Saleen, a 38-year-old businessman who lives near Karachi airport. "They know politicians can't make much difference." ........ Musharraf has seen his popularity plunge since a failed attempt to oust the country's top judge in the spring. The rapprochement with Bhutto appears aimed at boosting his political base as he vies to extend his rule. ...... Bhutto said she doubted the judges would stop either
Swearing at work boosts team spirt, morale: research AFP Regular swearing at work can help boost team spirit among staff, allowing them to express better their feelings as well as develop social relationships ........ swearing would become more common as traditional taboos are broken down ...... helped foster solidarity among employees and express frustration, stress or other feelings. ...... Banning swear words and reprimanding staff might represent strong leadership, but could remove key links between staff and impact on morale and motivation ...... leaders sometimes need to 'think differently' and be open to intriguing ideas. ...... master the 'art' of knowing when to turn a blind eye
BBC unveils 1,800 job cuts AFP some of the biggest staff cuts in the corporation's history. ...... a swathe of other cost-saving measures including selling its west London headquarters, three percent annual efficiency targets for the next six years and making 10 percent fewer new programmes ...... will also merge its largely separate television, radio and online news operations into one newsroom. ....... "smaller but fitter" organisation.

India Proposes to Rein in Foreign Investment New York Times a plan to ban anonymous investment and curb derivatives issues. ...... The proposal could affect half of foreign market investments in India. ..... Reining in runaway stock markets has become a focus of finance ministers across Asia in recent months. ...... Many investors welcomed the announcement.
Obama: What, Me Worry? Guardian Unlimited ``Hillary is not the first politician in Washington to declare 'Mission Accomplished' a little too soon,'' Obama said, referring to President Bush's 2003 speech in which he stood beneath a banner with those words and declared the end of major combat in Iraq. ..... predicted that his wife, Michelle, could best former President Clinton in a debate. He also groused about Bush's Iran policy and fessed up to sloppy housekeeping. ..... Obama's appearance on Leno's stage was one of three talk-show interviews he has scheduled on a swing through Los Angeles. He also was taping segments for Public Broadcasting Service's ``Tavis Smiley,'' to air Thursday, and ``The Ellen DeGeneres Show,'' which will run Oct. 29. ..... ``I don't want to be invited to the family hunting party,'' he said
Putin Is Said to Offer Idea on Standoff Over Iran New York Times during an extraordinary meeting with Iran’s supreme leader ...... “We will think about what you said and about your proposal,” even as he added that Iran was “determined to provide our country’s need for nuclear energy.” ....... Putin also warned the West against a military attack on Iran, stressing that Tehran had a right to peaceful nuclear energy. ...... Putin said during his meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei that Russia was ready to “expand ties without limitations.” As Iran’s most senior official, the ayatollah has final word on state matters, and his decision to see Mr. Putin was regarded as significant in itself.
Gore’s Campaign Donations New York Times
Obama is vice-president's distant cousin, says Cheney's wife Guardian Unlimited
Obama and Cheney are 'cousins' Aljazeera.net
Veep's Wife Says Hubby and Obama RelatedThe Associated Press
Former Clinton administration aid endorses Obama Reuters
More bad polling news for Obama Baltimore Sun
Patrick to endorse Obama Boston Herald
Hoosiers gave most money to Obama, Giuliani Indianapolis Star
How wooing pig farmers might stop Hillary Clinton hogging the votes Times Online

Google Says Its Health Platform Is Due In Early 2008 InformationWeek
Google to supply health record services Xinhua Google will provide personal health record services which allow consumers to travel around the world and supply their medical records protected by passwords to local doctors ...... the scale of health-related information is huge, with an estimated 2 billion X-rays alone created every year. ..... looking at creating a special layer of doctor and medical-related locations on its online Google Maps service. This could help people find local doctors, understand their specialties or related practitioners. ...... by noticing the number of searches users perform with its Web search services for hard-to-diagnose health problems, often simply by typing symptoms into a Web browser. ........ an electronic health record service called Microsoft HealthVault.
Google Says 'Stay Tuned' For Google Health CRN

India Has To Get Into The Business Of Aggressively Exporting Democracy

Spread Democracy
Revolution

India has to get into the business of aggressively exporting democracy. That is the only way it can become America's number one ally in the world. That is the only way it can become a global superpower.

It is rather easy to do. You allow for the diaspora of the target country to work freely in your land, and you provide them with maximum moral and logistical support. When you can't do that directly, do it through the private and NGO sectors. China can't ask the Prime Minister of India to make an Indian CEO not give a million dollars to a Burma democracy group, for example. India is a free country. What if that CEO is a friend of the Prime Minister? And a friend of a friend of both delivered a secret, back channel message that the Prime Minister would like it a whole lot if the CEO would pump the money. The reward would be a vacation together somewhere down the line.

For India to compete with China to try to please the thugs in Burma is stupid, it is insane, it is outlandish, it is hurtful, it is plain defeatist. That is to suggest the one party ideology in China and Burma are superior to the free ways of India. And when you put a bright guy like Manmohan Singh at the helm, India has shown a democracy can grow just as fast.

Burma is a total test case. India needs to rediscover its zeal for Suu Kyi that it had in the early 1990s. I propose nonviolent guerrilla warfare. You get the Burmese democracy activists super organized, you fund them to the hilt, and you let them loose upon the junta. A Burma that might receive active help from India to become a democracy is going to be a Burma that will be in the best economic interests of India once we attain victory. Suu Kyi as Prime Minister is going to remember her friends in need.

Spreading democracy is a science, it can work like clockwork. Burma and Zimbabwe are ripe targets. Let these two countries give reason for America and India to form a super partnership that brings not only the two governments, but also their private and NGO sectors together for the cause of democracy.

Millions of people coming out into the streets to shut the country down completely day after day until the junta gets out of power totally and unconditionally: that is the only way. Momentum has already been lost once, because the world only extended moral support. Sophisticated logistical support has to be provided. It is still not too late.

Let's not kid ourselves. Ultimately China itself is game. That country is going to have to become a federal, multi-party democracy of state funded parties. It does not have to become a democracy like America is today, but it will have to meet half way. Tibet is going to be a state in China like Texas is in America. Or maybe not Texas, that is not a great example.

Bush Meeting Dalai Lama: Is That All You Can Do For Burma?
Burma: 400, 000 Members, 400,000 Dollars
Burma: Time For Nonviolent Guerilla Warfare
Burma: Time For Hyper Action
The World Is Failing Burma
Burma: Than Shwe Is Going To The Hague
Britain Is Betraying Burma
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

America's Strategic Opportunity with India: The New U.S.-India Partnership By Nicholas Burns Foreign Affairs The rise of a democratic and increasingly powerful India is a positive development for U.S. interests. Rarely has the United States shared so many interests and values with a growing power as we do today with India. By reaching out to India, we have made the bet that the future lies in pluralism, democracy, and market economics. ........ building a close U.S.-India partnership should be one of the United States' highest priorities for the future. ....... a unique opportunity with real promise for the global balance of power. ....... share an abundance of political, economic, and military interests ....... Our open societies face similar threats from terrorism and organized crime. ....... an instinctive mistrust of authoritarianism. ........ six in ten Indians view the United States favorably. ..... our fastest-developing friendship with any major country in the world. ....... explosion in private-sector ties, the greatest strength in the relationship ....... a growing U.S.-India campaign to promote stable, well-governed democracies around the world ........ can attain a true global partnership ....... put American and Indian principles and power together .... President Franklin Roosevelt had been an ardent champion of India's cause; many Americans saw the vision of the United States' separation from the British Empire reflected in the hopes and dreams of Indian freedom fighters. ........ large multiethnic, multireligious democracies. ....... collaborated on India's extraordinary "green revolution," which helped end India's famines; and rushed military assistance to India during its border war with China in 1962. ....... India's "Smiling Buddha" nuclear test in 1974 ...... recent dramatic strengthening of U.S.-India ties. ....... India's historic economic reforms of the early 1990s, led by Manmohan Singh, then finance minister and now prime minister, opened India to the global economy for the first time and catalyzed the extraordinary boom in private-sector trade and investment between the United States and India that continues today. ........ as the twenty-first century began, the global order started to undergo a tectonic shift, and India's emergence as a global force was obvious for all to see. ........ the greatest of globalization's challenges -- international drug and other criminal cartels, trafficking in women and children, climate change, and especially the rise of terrorism and its potential intersection with weapons of mass destruction -- ......... In this radically changed global landscape, the basic interests of India and the United States -- the world's largest democracy and the world's oldest -- increasingly converged. ......... India's May 1998 nuclear tests ...... 14 rounds of talks over two and a half years. Talbott's negotiations with Singh were Washington's first truly sustained strategic engagement with the Indian leadership. ......... jump-start their relationship in four strategic areas: civil nuclear energy, civilian space programs, high-tech commerce, and missile defense. ...... full civil nuclear cooperation with energy-starved India. ....... long and sometimes difficult negotiations. ...... For the first time in three decades, India will submit its entire civil nuclear program to international inspection by permanently placing 14 of its 22 nuclear power plants and all of its future civil reactors under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Within a generation, nearly 90 percent of India's reactors will likely be covered by the agreement. ......... a mark of U.S. respect for India. ....... U.S. firms to work with India to construct nuclear power plants to meet its need for electricity. ....... forced to dig deep into our reserves of creativity and tenacity ..... Afghanistan ..... has pledged over $750 million for reconstruction ....... cooperation between the United States and India in Afghanistan has been close and encouraging. ....... A considerable peace dividend awaits both India and Pakistan ....... we in Washington view its growing influence in the world as broadly congruent with U.S. interests. Both countries seek to promote democratic principles and institutions around the world because we know that stable democracies are largely peaceful and better able to manage the consequences of globalization. ......... it is hard to think of two other countries with as much at stake or as much to offer to global stability. ........ UN Democracy Fund in 2005 ...... active leaders in the Community of Democracies, a group of over 120 nations committed to assisting other countries on their path to democratization. ........ science, advanced information technologies, and health services. ........ realistically, guarding against undue optimism and excessive expectations ....... Differing histories, cultures, and geographies will make for a healthy but sometimes argumentative friendship. The United States and India will need to work together more effectively in four primary areas: military and intelligence, agriculture and education, energy and the environment, and freedom and democracy. ........ counter terrorism, drug trafficking, and nuclear proliferation ....... strengthen their military, intelligence, and law enforcement relationships ...... annual joint air force and naval exercises .... India's robust navy travels the sea-lanes linking the Middle East and Africa with East Asia ....... peacekeeping, an area in which India is a major global force. ....... terrorism is a central threat to both countries. ........ a second green revolution to help India's rural poor. ...... nearly 700 million of its citizens -- 25 percent of the world's poor -- live on less than $2 a day. ........ cold-storage facilities, supply chains, and food-processing technology ...... An Indian global trade policy that increases liberalization and stimulates significant and sustained trade in agriculture and manufactured goods would benefit all, and so would the opening of India's retail, banking, and insurance sectors. ....... more students from India at colleges and universities in the United States than there are students from any other country ........ Georgia Institute of Technology will open a campus in India ...... global climate change will be the most significant challenge of the future ....... increasingly dynamic, creative, and high-tech societies. ...... India, home to .. the world's most profitable wind energy company ........ Some of India's fellow nonaligned countries are among the world's most oppressive and antidemocratic regimes. India's defense of those countries in resolutions at the United Nations and its political and military cooperation with some of them -- most notably Burma -- is anachronistic. Burma is a cruel dictatorship ....... Indians will need to ask themselves if their civilizational link with the Iranian people shall be confused with support for the interests of the irresponsible theocratic regime in Tehran. ....... with other rising democracies, such as Brazil and Indonesia. ...... international institutions, including the UN, will need to adapt to permit a greater leadership role for a rising India. ...... the big breakthrough in U.S.-India relations was achieved originally by the private sector. ....... both governments are playing catch-up with the extraordinary business-led trade and investment growth of the last two decades ......... Boeing alone sold $11 billion worth of aircraft last year to India, one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets. ...... General Electric houses its second-largest research center in Bangalore. A number of India's blue-chip companies -- in banking, pharmaceuticals, and information technology -- are listed on U.S. stock exchanges. ...... Microsoft's largest such enterprise outside of Redmond, Washington. ....... The virtual bridge between U.S. high-tech centers and the Hyderabad-Bangalore corridor in India is the most obvious example of the high-tech future. ...... more than one in seven start-ups in Silicon Valley is founded by an immigrant from India. ..... 2.5 million Indian Americans ...... the wealthiest and best-educated immigrant community in the country. ...... 720,000 Indian U.S. visa applications this year ...... the U.S. consulate in Chennai issues more U.S. visas for skilled workers (43,000 last year) than any other U.S. diplomatic post in the world ....... substantial contributions in both countries and across diverse fields. ....... Stanford graduates Sabeer Bhatia and Vinod Khosla founded Hotmail and Sun Microsystems ....... Yale graduate Indra Nooyi became the CEO of PepsiCo last year .... Harvard Business School graduate Rajat Gupta went on to head McKinsey worldwide. ...... astronaut Kalpana Chawla ....... The rise of a new U.S.-India strategic partnership over the last two decades is one of the most significant and positive developments in international politics. ....... Today there is more of a strategic upside to our relationship with India than there is with any other major power. ...... unique opportunity over the next generation to rewrite history as it ought to have been written in the first place: the world's oldest democracy will finally count the world's largest as one of its closest partners ....... the planet's future lies in pluralism, democracy, and market economics rather than in intolerance, despotism, and state planning.

Bracing for a Turkish Strike in Iraq TIME The Turkish Parliament on Wednesday authorized military operations into neighboring Iraq to hunt down guerrillas of the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK, which continues to launch attacks inside Turkey that have killed more than 30 Turks in recent weeks. ....... after a "large-scale initial land offensive." He added that "as far as is possible, Turkish troops will not venture into heavily populated territory. This will be a surgical operation. Turkey's aim is not to invade Iraq." ...... The situation is also complicated by the desire of the Turkish military to improve its standing among ordinary Turks after its failed attempt to block the election of the moderate Islamist Abdullah Gul as the country's President earlier this year.
The Republicans' Big Senate Fear it has become irresistibly imaginable: the idea that Democrats might gain a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate after the 2008 elections. ...... five long-serving Senators recently announced their retirements ..... the G.O.P. has 22 seats up in 2008, while the Democrats must defend just 12 ....... Democrats have even latched on to the 60-seat dream as a fundraising tool. ....... if former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey decides to return to the political stage in his home state ...... Cook predicts a Democratic pickup of up to five seats with Virginia, Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Maine ........ Minnesota, where the strongest Dem candidate appears to be comedian Al Franken. ...... The four — Maine's Susan Collins, New Hampshire's John Sununu, Gordon Smith of Oregon and Norm Coleman of Minnesota — are constantly on the spot, whether it's because of near-weekly votes on President Bush's strategy in Iraq or popular legislation to expand stem cell research and children's health care. The strategy has forced some defections, such as Collins and Coleman on Iraq and Sununu on children's health care. ........ Governor Jeanne Shaheen, who plans on tying Sununu to Bush as much as possible. "On the war, he's essentially voted with President Bush seven times now." There are some signs the strategy is working: Sununu is trailing Shaheen in most New Hampshire polls.
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