Barack Tackles Race Head On In A South Carolina Speech

This speech by Barack in Manning, SC, has got to be one of his best speeches this year. It is because he takes the race issue head on. That is the only way to do it. He exudes strength.

JFK, Obama Parallels: Catholic, Black



I have also been so impressed with the string of new proposals he has brought about. Like tackling credit card companies.


In The News

As Oil Nears $100, Look Out Below BusinessWeek Having jumped 40% since August ...... There are 595 hedge funds that engage in at least some energy trading now, more than triple the 180 funds involved just three years ago. ...... "The barrier was supposedly $70, $80, then $90, and we're past that. Why would $100 suddenly cause a reversal?" .... the serious threat of a recession could take 40% off oil prices. "It's a beautiful thing that people forget: The market moves more quickly on the downside than it does on the upside."
Next Target for Alibaba: Consumers

San Francisco mayor, a rising Democrat, reelected Reuters
Spitzer makes the case for licenses for illegal immigrants San Francisco Chronicle During a presidential debate, candidate Clinton insisted that Spitzer was trying to fill the "vacuum" left by Washington's failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Then Clinton insisted she never said that she supported the Spitzer plan, only that she understood the reasons for it. Then, she defended the plan. Finally, Clinton accused debate moderator Tim Russert of NBC News of playing "gotcha" by posing such a tough question. ...... I was against the idea before I was for it. ...... Along comes Spitzer, with a commonsense solution and the courage to see it through despite a firestorm of vitriol, protest and - his words - "racist venom." ........ one that would be used by illegal immigrants for driving and identification purposes within New York state, but not valid as an ID for boarding airplanes or crossing international borders. ...... The Bush administration has signed off on the plan ...... As for Spitzer, he has made the correct choice - even if it isn't the popular one. He has decided that New York's interest in determining who is in the state, and for what purpose, is vital enough that it can't be held hostage by the federal impasse over immigration reform or the all-or-nothing politics that kills the appetite for compromise. He has angered the extremes on both the right and the left, those who think he went too far or didn't go far enough. And he has provided a sensible alternative to what his more-conservative opponents seem to believe - that if you ignore illegal immigrants, they'll go away. ...... Most refreshing of all, when Spitzer took heat for his position - whether it was from political opponents in Albany or petty demagogues on cable television - he stood his ground.
Hillary the Hedgehog Yahoo! News
Obama Plan Focuses on Credit, Colleges FOX News "Americans don't expect government to solve all of our problems," said Obama. "But you're tired of a government that works for special interests and not for you." ...... a new focus on bankruptcy and college costs. ...... our tax code favors wealth over work. ...... recent changes in the nation's bankruptcy laws which he said favored credit card companies over consumers ..... "I don't accept an America where we let someone go over a cliff just because they get sick," Obama said. ........ Obama said his credit card bill of rights would ban unilateral changes to a credit card agreement, prohibit changes in interest rates in debt already incurred and ban interest on late fees. ...... a new and fully refundable tax credit worth $4,000 for tuition and fees every year, which will cover two-thirds of the cost of the tuition at the average public college or university ...... new pension programs that would force employers to enroll workers in a retirement account that puts a small percentage of each paycheck into a retirement account. ....... That "will dramatically increase the number of Americans who save for retirement and lift up the amount of savings in the country," Obama said. ...... He is stepping up his grass-roots effort in Iowa just eight weeks before the precinct caucuses
Former Ill. Governor Headed To Prison Guardian Unlimited he will serve his 6-year sentence for corruption..... The pharmacist-turned-governor, who gained international acclaim for his opposition to the death penalty, has said he will fight to clear his name even while sitting in prison. ..... I have said since the beginning of this 10-year ordeal that I am innocent and I intend to prove that ..... Ryan's typical work day will begin at 7:30 a.m. and include duties such as mopping floors, cleaning toilets, raking leaves, cutting grass, painting and shoveling snow ...... Ryan was convicted of steering big-money state contracts to friends, using state money and state workers to run his campaigns and killing an investigation of bribes paid for truck driver's licenses.
US Strikes Delicate Balance on Pakistan NPR California Rep. Tom Lantos and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden each got an unlikely phone call on Tuesday — from the president of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf ....... the delicate balancing act Washington has had to undertake — promoting democracy and stability in Pakistan while working with a military strongman to combat terrorism. ....... by failing to strongly support democracy, we are undermining support for an effective long-term counterterrorism policy within Pakistan. ....... parallels to the overthrow of the Shah of Iran 30 years ago. The U.S. backed the Shah and had no back-up plan.
New York Democrats Say License Issue Had Little Effect New York Times, United States overwhelming public opposition to the proposal. ...... significant victories in several county races upstate ....... And Mr. Spitzer, whose poll numbers have slipped as a result of the issue, played a muted role on the stump, a sharp contrast to his highly visible efforts during the 2006 campaign and during a State Senate special election last winter. ..... anger clearly existed over Mr. Spitzer’s proposal — as well as his bout with scandal and his battles with Albany Republicans ...... New York’s Republican Party has come a long way in the past 12 months ...... she would report to the county sheriff anyone applying for a driver’s license without a valid visa. ..... In Monroe County, Democrats won one hard-fought legislative seat despite a late effort to blanket the area with mailers that charged local Democrats with aiding terrorists because of their support for Mr. Spitzer’s licensing plan. ...... Though the seat will not by itself swing control of the County Legislature, Democrats hope it will presage a strong effort next year against two Rochester-area Republicans in the State Senate. ...... Privately, many said they expected the issue to be off the table by next year, though neither Mr. Spitzer nor his Republican opponents in Albany show any sign of letting the matter drop.
Dubious Fees Hit Borrowers in Foreclosures
First thoughts: Election results MSNBC the DSCC is gloating about the Kentucky result, since Fletcher was a protege of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Yet McConnell -- unofficially at least -- did try and find a candidate to knock off his one-time ally in the GOP primary, but that failed. McConnell is probably on the DSCC's second-tier target list for 2008. But given McConnell's high profile, look for the Democrats to talk up this race a lot, since McConnell's numbers aren't exactly stellar these days. Countdown to Iowa: 57 days Countdown to New Hampshire: 62 days Countdown to Michigan: 69 days Countdown to Nevada and SC GOP primary: 73 days Countdown to SC Dem primary: 80 days Countdown to Florida: 83 days Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 90 days Countdown to Election Day 2008: 363 days Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 440 days
Spitzer-Bruno war threatens to stall state budget Newsday, NY Eliot Spitzer's raucous first year as governor ...... Spitzer and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick) remain engaged in a partisan war that is widely expected to extend at least until next year's election, when the results of Democratic efforts to take over the Senate will be known. ..... cannot recall relations as strained...... Bruno and Spitzer are not speaking

Pat Robertson Backs Giuliani Guardian Unlimited
Bhutto Marshals Opposition As Protests in Pakistan Escalate Wall Street Journal
Turkish-Bred Prosperity Makes War Less Likely in Iraqi Kurdistan New York Times
Spears ordered to pay K-Fed's legal fees United Press International
Obama Rejects Bill Clinton's Criticism The Associated Press
Edwards says he has better track record than Obama Nashua Telegraph
Obama Opposes Federal Mining Reform Bill The Associated Press because he says it would be too burdensome on the industry and could end up costing miners jobs in Nevada and other states. ..... Reid, a gold miner's son and longtime supporter of the industry, has said the House bill "won't stand" in the Senate. The White House also has threatened a veto.
Alibaba vs. Google: Showdown in Asia? ABC News
Amitabh Bachchan’s mother shifted to ICU Sify Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan's mother Teji Bachchan (93), who has been in Lilavati Hospital here for sometime now, was shifted to its intensive care unit (ICU) after she took seriously ill on Wednesday ...... Members of the Bachchan family visited her in the hospital
Dell in the M&A Fast Lane Motley Fool
Dell Paying $1.4 Billion for EqualLogic PC World

Key Pakistanis challenge Musharraf Los Angeles Times
Bhutto Raises Heat on Musharraf Wall Street Journal Bhutto plans to meet with opposition parties today to initiate nationwide protests against the state of emergency ...... Hundreds of Islamic militants, meanwhile, seized a town in northwest Pakistan after outnumbered security forces laid down their arms
Pakistani Lawyers’ Anger Grew as Hope for Changes Withered New York Times
Kentucky Governor Loses to Democratic Challenger New York Times
Takahashi: Google alliance may stop wireless firms' gouging of users San Jose Mercury News
Obama Rejects Bill Clinton's Criticism Guardian Unlimited
Commentary: Clinton camp wrong to play the gender card SI.com
Edwards's strategy could benefit Obama Boston Globe Edwards is a man on a mission - to expose the vagaries and equivocations of Hillary Clinton. ..... It's a powerful critique, rooted enough in what voters have seen of Clinton that it just might succeed in handing the Democratic nomination to Senator Barack Obama ....... Dean himself, who was leading in all the polls with just weeks until voting began ....... Kerry took a middle ground, remaining largely above the fray, but rarely missing an opportunity to portray Dean as rash and extreme, to the point of ignoring America's interests. When Saddam Hussein was captured and Dean predicted it would make no difference in the Iraqi insurgency, Kerry portrayed it as a crazy statement from a dangerous ideologue. ........ Obama, who has maintained a Kerry-like posture, is ready to reap any of the votes that Edwards succeeds in peeling away from Clinton. ...... There are many reasons to believe that Clinton won't collapse like Dean. She's a far more disciplined candidate. And unlike Dean, who was a new face to most voters, Clinton is the best-known person in the Democratic field.
Bill Clinton and 2 Candidates Spar Over Debate Remarks New York Times
Obama Opens Iowa Campaign Swing FOX News
Obama hits Clinton on a sacred topic: ethanol Baltimore Sun
Obama runs new radio ad in SC Boston Globe
Clinton Charges Through Iowa, Opponents React to Swift Boat Claim FOX News
Clinton Now Says Licenses for Illegal Immigrants Depends on the State FOX News
Edwards Steps Up Attack on Clinton in Iowa Over Iran (Update1) Bloomberg
Nepal village women mail condoms for husbands working abroad International Herald Tribune
China Plans to Launch Space Station FOX News
Facebook Declares New Era for Advertising BusinessWeek
Facebook to Turn Users Into Endorsers New York Times Facebook had had 50 million users in the last month. And 25 million users visit Facebook each day. The company displays 65 billion pages on which advertisements can be displayed each month.
Google's Android has long road ahead CNET News.com

Clinton's Support Among Liberals is Rising Washington Post Clinton's support among liberals is actually rising, not falling, as the nomination debate has intensified. ....... The opposite has happened to Barack Obama. His support among liberals has actually declined over the course of the campaign. He began the year with the support of 33 percent of liberals, topped out at 36 percent in July and now has drifted down to 25 percent. ......... If Clinton's opponents believe she is vulnerable because of her positions on Iraq and Iran, the polls do not bear it out. ....... 45 percent of those who support immediate withdrawal said they prefer Clinton as the Democratic nominee compared to 26 percent for Obama. ....... What's interesting about all these results is that they run counter to the implications of the campaign debate. ....... She is the candidate who defended taking money from Washington lobbyists and who argued that the only practical way to bring about change is by working within the current system, not by trying to fundamentally change it ....... Finally she is a Clinton, the spouse of a president whom many liberal Democrats believe moved the party too much toward the center, who created an unholy alliance with corporate and moneyed interests and whose economic policies catered more to Wall Street bond dealers than average workers. ........ John Kerry's electability counted for more than Dean's opposition to the war. That same calculation may be at work in the 2008 nomination fight. ..... But there is an important chapter still to be played out. Clinton's opponents have just begun to sharpen their criticism of her and by December it's likely that television ads in Iowa will be airing that directly attack her.
Obama's backers worried Cincinnati Post CHICAGO - These are difficult days for supporters of Barack Obama. This city is filled with people who have voted for, worked for, contributed to, and, in many cases, prayed for the success of the young senator from Illinois. The struggle he has had in trying to overtake Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination is wearing on their morale. ......... the crucial days in Iowa and New Hampshire are still ahead; and that there is time for Obama to close with a rush, as he did when he came from behind to capture the nomination for his Senate seat back in 2004. ........ the steady drumbeat of polls showing Clinton with more support than all the other Democrats combined - and twice as much as Obama - is taking a toll. ...... The elevated stature he enjoyed nationally was nothing compared to the near reverence he commands among his friends here. Those I met who have worked closely with him through the past decade in politics, community affairs or the anti-war movement exhaust the list of superlatives in speaking about him and his wife, Michelle. .......... They see Obama as someone uniquely positioned to heal a divided nation - and to change the image of America in the world, simply by virtue of his own history and personality. They can visualize the headlines and television coverage around the globe if he were elected to the White House. ...... he has been outmaneuvered and outsmarted by Clinton's timing and tactics ....... The speech that he delivered at DePaul University .... it got next to no national press coverage. ...... the voters in those states are far less firmly attached to their current candidate preferences than polling numbers would suggest.
Obama Raises Money in Caribbean The Associated Press
Candidate's Star Power Has Yet to Translate Into Poll Numbers ABC News Obama's brief appearance this weekend in the opening skit of "Saturday Night Live" marks a coup for his campaign. ....... smiles through gritted teeth. "Well that's just great," she growls. ..... Obama has shown plenty of times that he can be funny and self-deprecating. This time he showed he was edgy. ....... Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was almost a cast member on "SNL"-- although he usually appeared in drag. .... Fred Thompson announced his candidacy on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, even though making that appearance meant skipping a Republican candidate debate. ...... Bill Clinton pioneered the political cameo, the night he famously played the sax on "Arsenio Hall." ....... But Obama has raised it to an art form.He danced with Ellen DeGeneres. He chatted with Tyra Banks about who should play him in the movie (a toss-up between Denzel Washington or Will Smith, they decided). And, of course, his couch time on "Oprah" has meant millions for his campaign. ....... he is doing Gibson, Williams and Couric. He's doing Nightline ....... President Reagan did not dance with Princess Diana. Instead he drafted John Travolta to do it for him.
Clinton Defends Wife on Licenses The Associated Press "It's fine for Hillary and all the other Democrats to discuss Governor Spitzer's plan. But not in 30 seconds — yes, no, raise your hand," he said. ....... He compared the driver's license dustup to television ads during the 2004 presidential campaign that questioned Kerry's patriotism, and campaign commercials in 2002 suggesting that former Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., who lost three limbs in Vietnam, was soft on terrorism.
No Gphone, Google bets on Android Business Standard Google has unveiled an ambitious strategy that will make cellphones cheaper and speed up internet surfing. ...... the new platform called Android should reduce the prices of today’s $500 smart phones to around $100-150 in a year or so ...... Smart phones are cell phones that run business applications like documents, spreadsheets and presentations. ...... Google has partnered with 34 technology and mobile companies — under the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) — to develop Android. ...... platform is “open”, which means the source code can be altered by developers for use on handsets. ..... “Open source reduces the cost of software which comprises a major chunk of the cellphone cost”
Alibaba soars in biggest net float since Google Times Online Alibaba.com, the world's biggest online marketplace for international and domestic Chinese trade ....... Asia's second-largest Internet company by market value after Yahoo! Japan ...... Alibaba, founded and chaired by Jack Ma, a former schoolteacher, in 1999 ....... the voracious appetite for China-related stocks, despite global uncertainty caused by the US sub-prime mortgage-related crisis. ...... Yesterday, PetroChina became the world's first $1 trillion company on its first day of trading. ....... the biggest technology IPO since Google raised $1.66 billion in 2004. ........ Alibaba offers small to medium-sized Chinese manufacturers a way to sell their products across the world. ....... free listings for suppliers and buyers. .... Revenue is derived from members who pay for additional services such as search listings or factory inspections. ..... reported earnings of 295.2 million yuan (£19 million) in the first six months of this year. ........ the Alibaba Group, which includes Yahoo!'s China operation and Taobao.com, China's biggest online auction site. ..... Yahoo! holds a 39 per cent stake in the parent company. ..... Other investors in the IPO included Cisco Systems and Hon Hai Precision Industry, of Taiwan. ..... The company started with fewer than 20 staff and now has 4,400 employees.

Mukasey nomination clears hurdle Los Angeles Times
Pakistan's courts in lockdown CNN International
Ousted Justice in Pakistan Urges Defiance New York Times
Nepal anger at killing by Maoists BBC News
NTPC, Railways form JV for 1000MW Bihar plant Business Standard
Sarkozy Whirling Into Washington New York Times

Google lays out mobile strategy Chicago Tribune In the second major announcement this year by a Silicon Valley stalwart that aims to shake up the way people use mobile phones, Google Inc. officially announced Monday a sweeping plan to encourage a new breed of software development designed to make it easier to surf the Internet from a cell phone. ...... a newly created global coalition of companies, called the Open Handset Alliance, that includes phonemaker Motorola Inc. and wireless carriers Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile. ....... the Google software platform could be available on countless phones and sold through multiple carriers. ..... This is a developer announcement. … You can now build the great things you've done on the Internet" on a mobile phone........ "The mobile Web is a myth that has not been attained yet" ...... Notably absent from the alliance were the nation's two largest mobile carriers, AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

Ron Paul Raises $3.68 Million on Guy Fawkes Day New York Times
Nepal Left parties come closer Hindustan Times The CPN(UML), one of the major factions of the ruling alliance, on Monday ruled out the possibility of political polarisation. The UML is being blamed for joining hands with the “ultra-left” Maoists. ..... a strong rumour has been hovering around the political circle that the UML supported the Maoist proposal for proportional electoral system following a unwritten agreement between the two parties. The agreement included supporting CPN(UML) leader Madhav Kumar Nepal as the new prime Minister of the country, while Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai would be the Deputy Prime Minister. ...... “But adopting a fully proportional system would take much more time,” a senior EC official said, adding that new election laws and ruled will have to be passed by the interim Parliament.
Will War Worries Hit Turkey's Economy? BusinessWeek
Obama Raises Money in Caribbean The Associated Press
The 2008 Primaries: A Long, Hard Slog? Washington Post talk of an extended primary fight has become more than just a political junkie's pipe dream. ...... several candidates from each party will be able to claim enough states to keep them viable well beyond the so-called Tsunami Tuesday on Feb. 5. ........ a protracted primary campaign is a distinct possibility on the Republican side. ...... "The odds are one in three that there will be a frontrunner but no nominee after Feb. 5," Gingrich said in a recent interview. "Anyone who is still standing...will have a real incentive to keep in the race until the convention because it gets so much less expensive." ........ 33 percent -- the first time in three decades that the Republican frontrunner is not polling over 40 percent in surveys conducted this deep into an election campaign. ....... Clinton holds a 49 percent to 26 percent lead ....... the largest and most expensive states -- California, Illinois, New York ...... Maryland and Virginia host primaries on Feb. 12; Wisconsin and Washington go on Feb. 19 ....... March 4 .. Ohio and Texas ..... "Never in primary history have you had two candidates in the same party with the resources of Clinton and Obama" ....... "Both have the chance to plan beyond Feb. 5th." ...... money and organization will be far less important should the nomination fight extend beyond Feb.5 ...... the sheer cost of campaigning in California could well deliver that delegate treasure trove to her on name identification alone. ........ If Obama and Clinton split the first four states -- Iowa and South Carolina for Obama, New Hampshire and Nevada for Clinton -- it seems extremely likely that each will come out of Feb. 5 with enough victories (and delegates) to make the case that he or she should fight on.
Clinton Energy Plan Includes Push for Higher Gas Mileage New York Times
Edwards accuses Clinton of duplicity AFP
Edwards Faults Clinton on Foreign Policy The Associated Press
Edwards Raises Criticism of Clinton Over Iraq Plan New York Times
Clinton Invokes Gore on the Trail New York Times
In Iowa Field, Edwards Sees Only Clinton New York Times exhibiting a fresh ferocity in his second run at the White House. ...... “If the American people understood what’s going on all over, there would be a revolution tomorrow morning” ........ “I’m with you, brother!” Mr. Edwards replied ....... an urgent tone of anger and aggression ...... These days, he does not leave a room before telling his audience why he believes she should not — and cannot — be elected president. ...... Edwards seldom mentions Mr. Obama ....... he cannot proceed without a strong finish in Iowa ....... he threatens to take away health insurance for members of Congress if they do not overhaul the system by July 2009, six months after he would take office. ........ they said they welcomed his pointing out differences, because they were having a difficult time choosing a candidate. ........ a real risk of them beating each other up
Clinton to negotiate Kyoto’s successor Financial Times
Clinton Rebuts Accusations of Secrecy New York Times my husband has never blocked a record ever. He has been the most forthcoming of all presidents." ...... In a 2002 letter from Mr. Clinton to the National Archives, which controls his papers, Mr. Clinton wrote that documents including communication between the two Clintons “should generally be considered for withholding” until 2012.
China oil giant is world's biggest Telegraph.co.uk its shares almost trebled on their first day of trading in Shanghai. ...... strong corporate profit growth and the general health of Asian economies.
PetroChina equals Indian economy Sify Imagine a single Chinese company with a market value that's about the size of India's $1 trillion economy. That mind-boggling prospect became a reality on Monday when PetroChina, China's state-owned oil and gas giant, became the world's first company to exceed $1 trillion in market capitalisation following its dazzling debut on Shanghai's manic stock market. ....... the company was valued at $1.2 trillion, more than twice as much as the next biggest - US energy behemoth Exxon-Mobil, with a market cap of $490 billion. ...... the market cap of the entire Indian stock market is about $1.6 trillion; and India's most valuable company - Reliance Industries, which is no pushover either - is worth about $100 billion ........ PetroChina does not make into the list of world's top 50 companies by profits. ...... PetroChina virtually single-handedly elevated China to the third place in the global ranking, based on market cap, displacing the UK. ...... Mainland China's stock market, which has tripled in the past two years, is valued at $4.5 trillion, within striking distance of Japan ($4.8 trillion), but still a long way behind the US ($18.3 trillion). On the market-cap measure, China is now home to five of the world's 10 biggest companies.

Dreaming of one President for Europe The Economist
Coup number two In an e-mail from house arrest, where she has been placed for 90 days, Ms Jahangir regretted that General Musharraf had “lost his marbles”. ...... midnight televised address ...... “I cannot allow this country to commit suicide.” ....... and his urge to “preserve the democratic transition that I initiated eight years back”. ..... “the extremists don’t fear law enforcement agencies.” ....... American aid to his government—which has amounted to over $10 billion since 2001 ...... So far, Ms Bhutto has roundly condemned the emergency as martial law by another name. But she has not yet rallied her followers against it.
In God's name
To avoid the Big C, stay small

Citigroup Turns to Robert Rubin BusinessWeek
A Wireless Revolution in India The number of Indian consumers connecting to the Internet via cell phones more than doubled, to 38 million from 16 million just last year ....... the world's fastest-growing mobile-phone market, where more than 200 million people use mobile phones and 7 million are added to the rolls each month. ......... the frailties of India's traditional Internet networks ..... the number of Internet connections via the PC declined, from 9.27 million in the first quarter to 9.22 million in the second quarter ...... Wireless phones can be bought right off store shelves, with Web connections set up instantly. ....... Nokia (NOK), Samsung Electronics (SSNLF), and Motorola sell mobile phones in villages for as little as $63. ..... fees of $2.50 to $12.50 a month ....... Downloadable ringtones are already a $45 million annual business in India and are expected to grow at a double-digit rate through 2010. ...... ringtones account for nearly half of all nonvoice revenue.
Apple, Google vs. Big Wireless
Getting Inside Google's gPhone
Skype Goes Mobile
A 4G Standards War Is Brewing




New York City For Barack Obama 11
New York City For Barack Obama 10

New York City For Barack Obama 1-10

New York City For Barack Obama 1: Manhattan For Obama organizational kickoff meeting lead by Arthur Shwartz, State Senator Bill Perkins in attendance, Daniel Soyer of Kensington-Ditmas for Obama, a Brooklyn neighborhood group, Dominican Day Parade in the Bronx, Harlem YouTube debate watch party.
New York City For Barack Obama 2: More of the debate watch party, Queens For Obama, Spanish Harlem For Obama, Dominican Day Parade in Manhattan, Drummers' Groove in Prospect Park.
New York City For Barack Obama 3: Yard Sale For Obama by the Kensington-Ditmas for Obama neighborhood group, Barack Obama at the Marriott near Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn Heights.
New York City For Barack Obama 4: After the Marriott event, Red Hook voter registration, Jeff Kurzon and Raj Khandwalla talk to some Italian TV, Coney Island Beach.
New York City For Barack Obama 5: More from the beach, African American Day Parade in Harlem, largest black parade in America, Dartmouth Debate watch party hosted by DL21C, Drinking Liberally, and DFNYC near Times Square, on over to the rally at Washington Square Park.
New York City For Barack Obama 6: Washington Square Park rally, 30,000 people, largest rally in US presidential campaign history.
New York City For Barack Obama 7: Brooklyn rally, one of 18 all across America to mark the fifth anniversary of Barack's speech in 2002 opposing the war.
New York City For Barack Obama 8: Jordan Thomas, founder of Brooklyn For Barack.
New York City For Barack Obama 9: Hispanic Day Parade in Manhattan, table hosted by Queens For Obama. The new Obama 2008 office in downtown Manhattan.
New York City For Barack Obama 10: Anti war rally and march in downtown Manhattan at the same time as a Hillary rally in Harlem.

Charlie Rangel, Mr. 45%, Hillary Kitchen Rodham Clinton

Charlie Rangel, Mr. 45%

I just read yesterday somewhere, perhaps in The Economist, that Charlie Rangel is trying to engineer a major tax hike. The rates for those in the top income brackets would go up to 45%. W had it at 33%. Bill Clinton had it at 36%.

45% would be disaster. 45% would turn America into Europe. This man single handedly could cost Dems the White House next year regardless of who the nominee is. The tax and spend liberal days will be back. Republicans would gain steam.

If you don't like 36%, go for 37%. But 45%? That is hop step jump all in one.

Charlie Rangel is a good guy, a decent man, I like him, but this 45% talk makes me want to rescue Harlem from Charlie Rangel.

The Republicans are in such a bad shape right now because they flushed fiscal responsibility down the toilet. That is one big reason. Dems have to learn not to repeat their mistake. Or they will be back, the Repubs.

The 12 Year Itch
DL21C Events: High Class Acts
Rangel, A No Show




Hillary Kitchen Rodham Clinton

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” Mrs. Clinton said at an event in Indianola, Iowa. “Well, I’m really comfortable in the kitchen, and I’m going to stay in there and absorb the heat.”

Hillary used the kitchen metaphor to reach out to women in a back-handed way. This sends out precisely the wrong message. Should someone aspiring to become the first woman leader of the free world suggest that the woman's place is in the kitchen? Should not the message instead be that both men and women belong in the kitchen, as they do in the raising of children? Hillary was better in 1992 when she said, Oh I guess I could have stayed home and baked cookies. I like that better. Back then she meant it as sarcasm. Now she actually means it. With her kitchen comment, she is sending out the message that women should stay home and bake cookies. She also used the broom and stick metaphor in Iowa months back. What do you think she was trying to do?

Does Hillary Have A Gender Card?
Muscular Gender Agenda

Anti War Park Slope

Last night I walked over to this Park Slope event that was anti war. It was inside this church. Congresspeople Jerry Nadler, Yvette Clarke, and Anthony Weiner were on stage. Former Congressman Major Owens was sitting in the aisle right behind me. He also spoke for a few minutes. He was easily the most popular person in the room.

I asked a question at the end. "I believe the best anti-war strategy is to send the right person to the White House. Who do you think that is?" Clarke had already left. Weiner said Clinton, as did Nadler. The audience did not seem to like the answer.

There were sandwiches you could have after the event. Free food is a good idea.

On the walk back, I stopped by the Barnes & Noble on 7th Avenue. That is where I read Rangel's 45% thing in The Economist.

Jerrold Nadler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yvette D. Clarke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anthony D. Weiner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major Owens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In The News

Different Rules When a Rival Is a Woman? New York Times, United States was repeatedly challenged by her rivals and the event’s questioners. ...... “John Edwards, specifically, as well as the press, would never attack Barack Obama for two hours they way they attacked her,” said Geraldine A. Ferraro, the 1984 vice presidential candidate who supports Mrs. Clinton. “It’s O.K. in this country to be sexist,” Ms. Ferraro said. ....... some prominent women, countered that Mrs. Clinton was resorting to using her sex as a shield against substantive criticism in a hard-fought race. .......... she did not do well in the debate, that she did not answer important questions on Iraq and Iran ...... both race and sex have been added to the mix of substance and imagery that makes up presidential politics. ...... when her Republican opponent marched across the stage during a debate and demanded she sign a pledge renouncing her use of soft money in the campaign...... produced a flood of support among women. ....... young girls at her rallies are regularly seen wearing “I can be president” buttons provided by the campaign. ........ a central part of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign strategy ..... what even Mrs. Clinton’s supporters acknowledged was a poor performance. ....... she used language that invoked feminist imagery. ...... encourage a simple story line for the debate: Seven men versus one woman.
Frank Rich: Noun + Verb + 9/11 + Iran = Democrats’ Defeat? Between now and Election Day he and Dick Cheney, cheered on by the mob of neocon dead-enders, are going to bomb Iran. ...... a clear stand on the defining issue of the race. .... Hillary Clinton, does not have one. ..... the administration is so flagrantly rerunning the sales campaign that gave us Iraq. The same old scare tactic ...... They know that a clean, surgical military strike at Iran could precipitate even more blowback than our “cakewalk” in Iraq. ..... “Iran could fire hundreds of missiles at Israel, attack American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, organize terrorist attacks in the West or choke off tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s oil windpipe.” ....... a strike on Iran could ignite Pakistan, Al Qaeda’s thriving base and the actual central front of the war on terror. ...... A full-scale regional war, chaos in the oil market, an overstretched American military pushed past the brink ..... While the saber- rattling is reckless as foreign policy, it’s a proven winner as election-year Republican campaign strategy. The real point may be less to intimidate Iranians than to frighten Americans. ..... the pivot toward Iran has been relentless. ..... the Rudy Giuliani campaign that is ubiquitous on that Murdoch channel. ..... a majority of Americans (52 percent) now supports a pre-emptive strike on Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. ..... with the exception of Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic candidates seem to be saying what they really believe rather than trying to play both sides against the middle. ...... Kyl-Lieberman Senate resolution, designed by its hawk authors to validate Mr. Bush’s Iran policy ...... as Nancy Pelosi has said, there has “never been a declaration by a Congress before in our history” that “declared a piece of a country’s army to be a terrorist organization.” ...... Her response was to blur her stand. She abruptly signed on as the sole co- sponsor of a six-month-old (and languishing) bill ...... a profile in vacillation ...... a Democrat who is not in favor of rushing to war in Iran but, now as in 2002, may well be in favor of walking to war .... an alternative policy that defuses rather than escalates tensions with Tehran. ...... a Democratic opponent who was for a pre-emptive war before being against it.
In Portland, Cultivating a Culture of Two Wheels “Bike City, U.S.A.” ..... Like the local indie rock bands that insist they are apathetic about fame, many of the smaller local companies say craft, not money, is what drives them. ...... has the nation’s highest percentage of workers who commute by bike, about 3.5 percent ..... two cyclists were killed in October when they were hit by trucks ....... $24 million to add 110 miles to the city’s existing 20-mile network of bike boulevards ..... a new bike might cost the buyer well over $5,000.

Nepal closer to becoming a republic The Press Association
US Administration Urges Musharraf to Restore Constitutional Rule ABC News
Police Battle Lawyers in Pakistan New York Times
Torture debate between McCain, Giuliani, gets personal Boston Globe
Obama Walking Fine Line in Clinton Engagement ABC News
Watergate-Era Fundraising Returns With Clinton, Obama, Giuliani Bloomberg
Hillary ahead among Democrats; trails behind Obama among indp Hindu
Obama Plays Convincing Obama in a Skit Mocking Clinton New York Times
The Clinton-Bush Dynasty Wall Street Journal "Should you be elected president, you could conceivably win a second term and be in office for eight years. That would mean that for 28 successive years either a Clinton or a Bush would occupy the White House. Do you think this will encourage the likes of Kim Jong Il of North Korea, Moammar Gadhafi of Libya, Bashar al-Assad of Syria and other dictators that maybe democracy isn't so bad after all?"

Giuliani Works Quietly in NH, Iowa The Associated Press
This is one dangerous man: it's George Bush with brains Guardian Unlimited
China pricks bubble in Hong Kong market International Herald Tribune
Al-Qaeda Targeting Children to Carry Out UK Attack (Update1) Bloomberg
Google Phone Announcement Expected Monday FOX News
Google Rides to the Rescue of Facebook's Rivals Barron's
Even David Beckham can't sell soccer in the States Globe and Mail
Zimbabwe: Of Names And African Soccer Teams AllAfrica.com
Dell Buys Data-Storage Firm TheStreet.com
Oprah matron charged with abuse SI.com
'American Gangster' opens with a bang: $46.3M New York Daily News Crime may pay almost as well for Hollywood as it did for Frank Lucas. ..... exploded into theaters this weekend with a take of $46.3 million - the highest ever for a modern crime movie. .... "Bee Movie," with the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger, was close behind with a busy $39.1million. .... The previous opening-weekend record for a modern crime film was $26.9 million, earned last fall by "The Departed." ....... Lucas, who is still living, says he made hundreds of millions of dollars and retired from the drug game after serving two prison terms. ..... a charismatic and brilliant businessman whose innovations included smuggling heroin into the United States inside the coffins of Vietnam War soldiers.

Education, Health, Credit: Universal And Lifelong

Education, Health, Credit: Universal And Lifelong

I think that is the ultimate progressive goal. The political, social and technological infrastructure has to evolve to the point that the big three are universal and lifelong.

Education, health, credit.

The three stick to you like umbilical cords. You can't cut loose.

As to how it will be achieved. I think democracy is a precondition. Democracy of state funded parties, transparent book keeping.

Both the private and public sectors will play due roles. The private sector's role will be larger, but the public sector's role will be more instrumental.

And this is a global undertaking.

As to what exactly will be the mix of the public and private sectors, I think it will play out slightly unique for each country. It is not going to be one size fits all. And the mix will stay dynamic. Each successive elected government will tweak it a little.

Governments might experiment with public owned, semi-public owned enterprises.

Whether or not the goal is achieved is the only thing that matters. As to how the goals are achieved is the less important question.

Transparency will also mean that progress or lack thereof will be shared globally and in real time. You will expect and get feedback from a large audience. Expertise will be widely shared.

Actor Jeffrey Wright

I went to a Fort Greene event a few days back inside a church where actor Jeffrey Wright was one of the speakers. It was good to see Hakeem Jeffries there also. He is now an assembly member. He made a powerful contrast between Katrina and California. This guy is promising. He is going places. Jordan Thomas also spoke. It was amazing to see the response he got when he was introduced. You could hear the gasp. He has been putting tremendous effort into the Obama operation in Brooklyn. He is a good guy.




In The News

West urges Pakistan to lift martial law CNN International declaring an indefinite state of emergency ...... Musharraf did not consult Washington before declaring the state of emergency ....... the Pakistani government has a list of about 1,500 opposition figures, mostly activists and lawyers to be rounded up ....... Chaudhry is one of seven Supreme Court judges placed under house arrest after the court declared Musharraf's state of emergency illegal under the constitution. ........ The head of Pakistan's human rights commission, Asma Jahangir, said she, too, was under house arrest and that Musharraf "has lost his marbles."
Activists detained in Pakistan crackdown Los Angeles Times Musharraf cracked down hard on opponents today, the second day of emergency rule in the country...... scheduled elections could be put off for as long as a year ...... Private news channels remained off the air and were told they would be subject to strict new regulations if and when they resumed broadcasting. ...... "This is not going to end any time soon," he said. "Whether in prison or not, it is as if we are all in jail." ....... Musharraf, whose popularity and prestige have nose-dived this year ........ Musharraf acted to preempt a potential legal ruling invalidating his election to another term ...... "Musharraf's Second Coup" ..... Musharraf has quickly set about remaking the judiciary, only allowing judges who swear allegiance to retain their posts. Five of the 19-member Supreme Court bench have done so; the rest refused. ......... most opposition leaders, at least for the time being, refrained from calling supporters into the streets, apparently fearing a bloodbath. Police used batons to break up one gathering of several dozen protesters not far from the presidential compound. ....... Benazir Bhutto, who returned to the country from a brief visit to Dubai just as the emergency order was taking effect, remained largely out of sight in her residential and office compound in the port city of Karachi.
GOP Race in SC Reflects Larger Contest The Associated Press
Hillary Clinton shakes off shots, still leads poll New York Daily News
Britney Spears reveals her spending habits Times Online
Apps Already Coming for Google's New OpenSocial PC World Beyond the many fun and entertaining social applications we already have seen, we think we'll see a number of social applications emerge in business contexts ........ OpenSocial dispels the common assumption held by some that Facebook has established unquestionable dominance in the social networking world. ..... Ning plans to make OpenSocial applications available to all of its 113,000 social networks
For US and Turkey, different priorities Christian Science Monitor whether the US can keep a lid on the war-related flash points roiling the Middle East. .......relations that for the Bush administration have been going awry since the Iraq war ...... an American failure to control the territory in next-door Iraq, where PKK militants appear to roam free.
Obama onslaught forces Clinton onto back foot Telegraph.co.uk Week of mistakes by the former First Lady has reinvigorated the Democratic race ...... Obama is stepping up pressure on Hillary Clinton's honesty, electability and hawkish foreign policies in a winter assault ....... Clinton was a "divisive lightning rod" and said her status as a former First Lady was irrelevant to her presidential credentials. ....... concluding each speech with his electrifying appeal: "Let's go change the world!" ....... "I fear no man," he told the crowd, pausing before adding: "Or woman." ...... "She authorised war and then recently starting voting on this Iran resolution. The drums of war are beating again. You can't be fooled twice." ......... "We are on the front foot. She is on the back foot. She's given us an opening. It was the first time she was really under pressure and she flubbed it." ......... over the first nine months of his presidential campaign, high excitement gave way to somewhat ponderous performances in debates ....... "someone who doesn't have one position one day and another position the next day" and "someone who will tell you the truth, not someone who will tell you what they think you want to hear". ........ his character and judgment. ...... His rallies have a feel of a religious revival ........ In Manning, South Carolina, one section of his speech was met with cheers and a cry of "Goodbye, Hillary," which elicited laughs and applause. ....... Asked why she preferred him to Mrs Clinton, she said: "I just believe what he's saying." ...... a poll last week showing Mr Obama within two points of Mrs Clinton in Iowa ...... Obama has also narrowed the gap in South Carolina ....... In this part of the world there is a palpable sense that he carries the hopes not just of a party but of a race on his shoulders. ....... Obama spoke 50ft from a memorial for Confederate soldiers who died defending slavery. ....... "I don't need to run for president to get on television," he said. "I've been on Oprah." ..... one voice can change a room. ....... "Are you fired up? Are you ready to go?" he asked the crowd. Not one voice was silent as they loudly shouted their affirmation.
Obama continues to poke fun at Clinton on SNL Baltimore Sun his day-long criticism of Clinton and her former president husband. ....... when near the end, a man walked in wearing an Obama mask. The Illinois Democrat then removed the mask to reveal that he was indeed Obama. .... “Well, you know, Hillary, I have nothing to hide. I enjoy being myself,” Obama said. "I'm not going to change who I am just because it is Halloween." ... "She's a witch,'' the Bill Clinton replied. ....... a subtle swipe at former President Bill Clinton by listing problems that "existed long before George Bush took office."
Obama Tweaks Clintons on 'SNL' The Associated Press Campaigning in South Carolina earlier, Obama accused Hillary Clinton of giving voters "vague, calculated answers to suit the politics of the moment instead of clear, consistent principles about how you would lead America." And he subtly swiped at former President Bill Clinton by listing problems that "existed long before George Bush took office."
Who Was That Masked Man? New York Times Obama, who flew to New York from campaigning in South Carolina, seemed to be reveling in his appearance, which was not publicly announced before the show. ...... why was Mr. Obama the only candidate invited to appear? His aides said they didn’t know, but were happy to accept the offer.
Live From New York... It's Barack Obama! National Review Online
Obama urges voters to 'turn the page' in Washington Boston Globe
Obama Criticizes Clinton's Drive to Win Washington Post
Obama Criticizes Bush, Clinton The Associated Press in the wake of President Bush's "catastrophic failure of leadership" the nation needs a candid leader like himself, not rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's calculated politics. ...... Bush failed with handling of the Iraq war, spread fear and fumbled with Hurricane Katrina ...... independents and Republicans who have never been more disillusioned ....... widened blame for the nation's problems to her husband's and previous administrations. ..... The 2008 election is "a chance to come together and finally solve the challenges that were made worse by George Bush, but that in fact existed long before George Bush took office. Challenges like health care. Challenges like energy. Challenges like education." ......... "She's a skilled politician and she's run so far what Washington would call a textbook campaign," he said. "The problem I have and the disagreement we have is with the textbook itself." .......... you can promise progress for everyday people while striking a bargain with the various special interests that crowd them out ....... Obama said a 2008 Republican opponent "won't be able to say that I was for the war in Iraq before I was against it. They won't be able to say that I supported an extension of the Iraq war into Iran. They won't be able to say that I support Bush-Cheney diplomacy of not talking to leaders we don't like," Obama said.
Clinton puts her war room on attack Times Online It was Hillary Clinton who invented the war room during her husband’s campaign and she has developed her own fighting machine. ..... “Politics is not a polite sport and if you’re not prepared to rough it you’re going to get rolled over.” ...... Clinton has recruited rapid rebuttal experts ...... Clinton’s team sprang into operation after last week’s Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia. ...... calculating, secretive and evasive on a range of issues ....... punched the air with a boxing glove to prove her fighting spirit. ..... Clinton’s counterblast was so powerful that some critics believe it amounted to overkill. She was “whiney”, “tinny”, playing the “victim”, a “diva” ...... he was above playing the race card while she whinged about her gender. ....... the war room operates on the principle that no attack, no matter how small, will go unpunished ....... “They take every gnat and smash it with a sledgehammer. It’s mean, but it works.” ........ One poll taken after last week’s debate showed Clinton extending her lead over Obama ....... The war room’s strategy has been carefully thought through. ..... a clear and long-planned strategy to fend off attacks by accusing her male rivals of gathering against her”. ...... intriguing hints about what may be to come. ..... Obama’s alleged ties to shady financiers and friends of the mob in Chicago and other supposed ethical and political lapses. ...... As Clinton herself has said, “When you are attacked, you have to deck your opponent.”
Voices grow louder in the anti-Clinton chorus ANALYSIS Detroit Free Press The sheen of inevitability that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has cloaked around her presidential candidacy has been suddenly and fiercely challenged. ...... She has greatly helped create the impression of being the one to beat, not only by virtue of polls, but in the way she has campaigned. ....... running a campaign that has all the look and feel of an incumbent president -- down to the Secret Service protection and carefully controlled media access. ....... Most improbably of all, she's portraying herself as the true change agent, despite 16 years in the national spotlight. ..... accused Clinton of using "smoke and mirrors" to duck tough questions ....... The anti-Clinton chorus was sung all week. ........ Former Hewlett-Packard Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina swiped at Clinton's gender appeal when Fiorina introduced Republican Sen. John McCain at an appearance at Coastal Carolina University on Thursday. ...... "I am a woman, and I know what it's like to be in a man's world," Fiorina said. McCain of Arizona, she added, has "greater capabilities, greater character, to lead than does Hillary Clinton." ....... the New York senator had a propensity to parse. ....... a reprisal of a 1990s theme: that an aspirant named Bill Clinton was too slick and too willing to dodge questions to be trusted in perilous times. .... her supporters viewed them as further evidence of her formidableness.
Edwards Says Debate Boosted His Campaign The Associated Press South Carolina ... Edwards with 10 percent of support ... Clinton had 33 percent ... Obama... 23 percent.
Former President to Give Clinton No Pass The Associated Press A Bush or Clinton has been on the ballot in every presidential contest since 1980 ........ The former president also said he's not as sure as he once was that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination.
Hillary: Campaign 'to get heated up' Newsday "It's going to be exciting. It's going to be a very fast ride. It's never started earlier. It's never been more intense." ...... A Newsweek poll released Saturday shows her favored by 44 percent, compared with 24 percent for Barack Obama and 12 percent for John Edwards.
Giuliani Poised to Launch His Own Version Of The "Southern Strategy" Huffington Post Strategists for Rudy Giuliani are quietly preparing a significantly race-based campaign strategy to strengthen support among socially conservative white voters, in the South as well as in the North. .......... three marriages and a Brooklyn accent ...... reflecting Giuliani's confrontational stance towards black New Yorkers and their white liberal allies, as well as his record of siding decisively with the police against minorities .... fractured the Democratic loyalties of white working class voters in the urban North from 1968 to 2004. ........ Giuliani brought to a halt the black and minority domination of New York city politics. ....... calling Dinkins a "Jesse Jackson Democrat." ....... Rudy stood up to and beat three icons of the black community - Dinkins, Sharpton and Jackson - all figures recognizable to white Republican primary voters. ........ He presided over the clean-up and revitalization of a sex-dominated Times Square, the most notorious red-light district of a city considered a den of sin by the Religious Right. ....... If Giuliani were to lose the first three contests to Romney, his chances of winning the nomination would sharply diminish and perhaps disappear. For that reason, South Carolina is becoming crucial to Giuliani's survival
India Has Muted Reaction to Pakistan Emergency Voice of America
King Tut's Mummy on Public Display for First Time Voice of America
China's 1st lunar probe to reach moon orbit Monday morning Xinhua
US pilot who dropped Hiroshima bomb dies - report Reuters
Bomb found near nuclear plant Boston Globe Authorities said it didn't appear to be an act of terrorism.
US defense secretary to press for military openness in China International Herald Tribune
Cyberdude: OpenSocial, a masterstroke by Google Hindustan Times maybe even deciding the future of the world wide web ...... Facebook, termed as the next big thing on the internet ...... Google's masterstroke has got practically anybody who matters on the internet under its influence. ...... social networks are getting social with each other ...... OpenSocial is built upon Google Gadget technology, so you can build a great, viral social app with little to no serving costs. With the Google Gadget Editor and a simple key/value API, you can build a complete social app with no server at all. ........ Google's gadget caching technology can ease your bandwidth demands should your app suddenly become a worldwide success. ....... iLike can now enable artists to reach an additional 200 million music enthusiasts ...... "Building upon the 15 million music fans we already reach through other channels, the OpenSocial platform helps us pursue our vision of becoming the broadest artist-fan communication platform on the web, without having to write custom software for multiple websites." ........ Google dominates our online experience and Microsoft has so far ruled our offline/desktop experience. As connectivity gets pervasive the offline-online lines are fading and creating tension between the companies. ....... Google has now struck back in a way so hard by getting almost anybody who matters under its influence that Facebook billed as the next big thing on the internet suddenly seems dwarfed. .... OpenSocial has the potential of getting innovation onto a level unparalleled ever before in recent history. ..... Google's popularity has been built on its openness, wisdom and innovation of masses. It's nice to see Google back in form, again.
Why Google Turned Into a Social Butterfly New York Times you could leave the island compound of a social networking site and take your network of friends, and friends of friends, anywhere on the Web? ....... social networking will become ubiquitous. ..... “Social Will Be Everywhere” ...... the Google search crawler is not allowed to land on most social networking islands and gather data about what island residents are saying and doing. ....... Google’s use nonproprietary programming languages. ........ Bebo, the No. 1 networking site in Britain .... If Facebook chooses to remain a holdout, it will not be as the head of a countercoalition but as a cranky recluse. ...... a day when all sites on the Web are equipped to utilize one’s social network ...... So far, every time the Web has matched up against a proprietary alternative, the Web has prevailed. ........ “Trust builds up over a very long time,” he said, “and can be lost very quickly.”
Sprint Considering Changing Course on WiMAX eWeek Sprint Nextel's $5 billion WiMax plans appear to be in flux. ....... "We will have 100 million covered by the end of 2008 and be in 35 markets," Sprint Chief Technology Officer Barry West proclaimed in August at NXTcomm. "We're soft launching in Washington and Chicago in December and launching commercially in April of 2008."
Africa: Wifi/Wimax to Ease Internet Access AllAfrica.com the capital Freetown can now boast of being the third city in the world to have a city-wide unrestricted wifi/wimax network after Philadelphia in the USA and Taipei in Taiwan. ....... "with the right support FGC Wireless as of now can boast of enough capacity to surpass any like minded company for the advancement of an Internet Service Provision in the world."
Marathoner Dies in Olympic Trials New York Times
Excess Body Fat Causes Cancer Kansas City infoZine
Ex-Astronaut Wins Ruling in Attack New York Times
'American Gangster': Mystery Man, By Kurt Loder MTV.com Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas, is so deeply embalmed in dignity ..... in 1968, Lucas is a driver for Harlem mob boss Bumpy Johnson (Clarence Williams). After Johnson dies of heart attack in an appliance store, where he'd been railing about U.S. retailers buying direct from overseas suppliers and cutting out hard-working American middlemen, Lucas decides to introduce that practice into the drug trade ....... The New York Mafia, which has run the drug-distribution business up till now, isn't pleased. ..... Lucas, with his reverence for family and his penchant for sudden, bloody violence, could be a character out of the "Godfather" movies. ........ an innovative businessman with an unbending code of honor. ....... sleek tailored suits ...... telling one gaudily-attired player, "That's a costume with a big sign on it, says 'Arrest me'" ....... he may preside over big, warm family dinners ...... the sympathetic Puerto Rican beauty queen (Lymari Nadal) who becomes his wife. ....... has captured the urban landscape

Musharraf imposes emergency rule in Pakistan (Roundup) Monsters and Critics.com troops and police surrounded the Supreme Court and deployed inside state-run TV and radio stations. Private news channels went off air. ...... The Saturday's presidential order prohibits the top court from giving a judgement against him. .... 'No judgement, decree, writ, order or process whatsoever shall be made or issued by any court or tribunal against the President or the Prime Minister or any authority designated by the President' ....... the government was putting pressure on Chaudhry and other judges of the apex court to take a fresh oath under Saturday's presidential order, but at least six of them had so far refused from doing so. ..... Chaudhry was removed from his post and another judge, Abdul Hamid Dougar was appointed as the top judge. .... Anticipating the imposition of state of emergency, Bhutto left the country for Dubai
Clinton takes on gender issue Chicago Tribune Democratic and Republican opponents blistered her for parsing her words, engaging in secrecy and blaming the male candidates for the controversy........ "I anticipate it's going to get even hotter. And if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and I'm very much at home in the kitchen." ........ at Wellesley College on Thursday, she said the school had prepared her for "the all-boys-club of presidential politics." ....... (Little more than a week ago, she curiously noted that winning the Iowa caucuses might prove difficult for her because the Hawkeye State had never elected a woman governor or senator.) ...... her remarks on gender seemed to open up a new vein of attack. ..... Clinton deflecting the question about driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, as well as seeming to say one thing and then another on the Iraq war. ........ "Most people in New Hampshire were watching the replay of the Red Sox victory parade in Boston, not watching the presidential debate," said Kathy Sullivan, Clinton's state co-chairwoman. ....... "I don't think she needs 'the boys are being mean to me' story line. I think she needs to put her head down and keep plugging." ...... capable of dealing with nuance and complexity. ...... some of the challenges facing our country and some of the difficult issues we have to grapple with are not so easily answered within a 15-second hand raise or sound bite."
Indian Government Shuns Dalai Lama Voice of America the Tibetan spiritual leader decried China's "cultural genocide" of his Buddhist homeland ........ the president of the United States, the chancellor of Germany and the prime minister of Canada. ..... a former prime minister, Inder Kumar Gujral, did attend.
Obama: A Clinton-led ticket at best "barely" wins Baltimore Sun destined to largely repeat the disappointing Democratic performances of 2000 and 2004 and could aspire only to eke out a victory. ....... Obama questioned the front-runner’s ability to convert broad public discontent with the Bush Administration into a decisive Democratic victory ..... portrayed Clinton’s campaign so far as one based on obfuscation and avoidance of clear political stands. .... Obama accused Clinton of playing from a worn campaign "textbook" that "encourages vague, calculated answers to suit the politics of the moment, instead of clear, consistent principles about how you would lead America."
Obama accuses Clinton of hiding behind gender Reuters Clinton is widely viewed as a tough figure in national politics. ...... "So it doesn't make sense for her, after having run that way for eight months, the first time that people start challenging her point of view, that suddenly she backs off and says: 'Don't pick on me,'" he said. "That is not, obviously, how we would expect her to operate if she were president," he said. ........ "the Politics of Parsing," accusing Clinton of "double-talk" on issues such as Iraq, Social Security and illegal immigration. ..... "We still don't know the answer. That's the politics of parsing," the video said.
The Obama-sphere Slate Clinton's commanding lead in the polls remained unthreatened following her worst debate performance ...... the LGBT community had to learn not to be "hermetically sealed" from the faith community ...... "At its best, the Obama candidacy is about ending a war—not so much the war in Iraq, which now has a momentum that will propel the occupation into the next decade—but the war within America that has prevailed since Vietnam and that shows dangerous signs of intensifying, a nonviolent civil war that has crippled America at the very time the world needs it most. It is a war about war—and about culture and about religion and about race. And in that war, Obama—and Obama alone—offers the possibility of a truce." ........ Donald Rumsfeld's more memorable "snowflake" memos. ..... secretary dispatched to his staff at a rate of about 30-60 a day. ...... Rummy saying that Muslims avoid "physical labor," the need to elevate "the threat," and to link Iraq and Iran. ....... You can almost imagine Rummy's underlings not even bothering to read his memos and just tossing them straight in the trash. ...... "What's perhaps the most telling thread running through these memos is that Rumsfeld's primary mission was to basically scare the crap out of the country. That way the Bush administration could do whatever they wanted in terms of war and conquest." ...... Rumsfeld comes off as defensive, self-centered, manipulative, deceitful, anti-democratic, and closed minded. He seems more concerned about selling policy to the public than actually getting it right. His substantive assessments are simplistic."
Obama mocks Clinton for playing gender card Los Angeles Times she cried "Don't pick on me" after being attacked by her foes on legitimate policy issues ...... the first time that the undercurrent of identity politics has become an issue of open contention between the two trailblazing candidates. ....... Clinton, who says she wasn't at her best during the debate, seemed to both oppose and support New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. ........ "I got a lot of questions that night, a lot more than anybody else," she explained to a New Hampshire newspaper on Friday. "I'd be the first to tell you that I wasn't as effective in answering the driver's license question as I should have been." ....... Later, she stepped back from her "boys club" remark, saying, "I don't think they're piling on because I'm a woman. I think they're piling on because I'm winning."
Scorched by rivals, Hillary Clinton says bring on the heat New York Daily News Clinton, momentarily sliding the gender card back in the deck ...... a debate in which foes charged she waffled and stumbled, said she wasn't deterred by criticisms of being too "nuanced" - read: too evasive. ....... John Edwards, scoffed Friday: "I have a really simple rule: If you get asked a yes or no question, you don't give a yes and no answer." ........ questions on Gov. Spitzer's plan to let illegal immigrants get driver's licenses - the debate issue that caused her the most heartburn. ...... Again, Clinton took no clear stand for or against Spitzer's plan. She added, though, that when Spitzer "was with Michael Chertoff over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security said, 'Well, we're not for it, but we're not against it.'" Chertoff actually said he opposed licensing illegals but could not stop states from doing so.
Clinton: They are piling on because I am winning Boston Globe there were pictures in front of her of when she filed for her husband in 1991 and 1995. "Oh my look how my hair styles have changed," she said.
Video: Clinton takes on Russert, says letter was no cover-up Seattle Post Intelligencer
Bill Clinton rejects archive delay accusations Reuters Bill Clinton on Friday called accusations that he and his wife Sen. Hillary Clinton are delaying the release of records from his administration as "breathtakingly misleading."