Barackface: September 2007

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Burma: Time For All Out Sanctions By All Powers

Total Sanctions

The street protests inside Burma have been dramatic. The echo action by the powers of the world must also be dramatic. And what would be dramatic would be all out sanctions, total sanctions by all powers of the world. The good news is those sanctions can be readily lifted, not only those but all actions can be lifted in a matter of weeks after Suu Kyi's interim government is sworn into power. The pain that companies will feel will be highly temporary. The rewards they will reap will be much grander than before.

Total sanctions make democracy sense. But they also make money sense for the foreign powers and the foreign companies.

Those powers that delay or act miserly on the sanctions part will have blood on their hands. Major blood.

Smuggle In Thousands Of Video Cameras

And spread word that all brutality is being extensively recorded. If you smuggle in a thousand cameras, spread word that 10,000 cameras have been smuggled in. The army has guns. The democracy activists must have cameras.

Smuggle out footage if possible. If not, it is okay to simply record and keep for later online distribution.

The idea is to penetrate the army with a major whisper campaign. All soldiers have family and relatives who are civilians. Spread word to them. Ask them to pass it on. Word will spread fast.

Make up stories. Spread word that the CIA is itself involved. Everything is being recorded.

Democracy activists in the rich countries should help pay for these cameras.

Millions Out Into The Streets

That is the only way. If the people stop coming out into the streets, no external power can do much for the democracy cause.

No Democracy, No Olympics

That is one thing the Chinese will listen to. They will do anything to make sure the 2008 Olympic Games do not get hampered. They will even prevent a major military crackdown. They will even negotiate Suu Kyi's release.

Burma: Momentum Is Key To Victory
Shame On The Top Politicians Of The World: Burma Asks For More
In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Burma, Bhutan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Sudan

People power.

In The News

Burma's fight for freedom: Troops reclaim the streets as monks ... Independent, UK
Activists denounce violence in Burma at Harvard march Boston Herald
Burma junta blocks UN meeting Times Online, UK
Burma needs action from the West, not cheap platitudes Sunday Herald how easy it is to "disappear" for even hinting at political criticism of a regime that keeps dissent in check through torture and murder. ...... the junta, which relies on the income stream generated from Western-based companies to ensure their supply of arms and financial clout. ...... the number of UK firms trading with Burma include tour operators, oil and gas companies, shipping companies, furniture firms, timber importers and transport companies. ....... dissidents claim hundreds of peaceful protesters, including monks, have been killed. ...... The EU was not, however, at this time considering an expansion of sanctions against the junta .... Burma's neighbours - most of which, like Thailand, have managed to emerge from dictatorship to prosperous democracy in the past decade - are as bad, if not worse. ..... Thailand and Singapore are two of its biggest trading partners. India now sells arms to the generals.
Protesters in Burma scared off by troops Scotsman
The business of oppression Sunday Herald a simple message for the British businessmen and women trading with Burma's military dictatorship: "Stop it. You are helping to kill my people." ...... Phan, a member of the ethnic Karen group which has been mercilessly persecuted by the ruling military junta, was just 14 when her village was attacked by Burmese soldiers. She fled to the jungle and lived in hiding before escaping over the border to Thailand, ending up in a refugee camp. Phan eventually made her way to Britain, studied at university and now works full-time as a campaigner for democracy in Burma. ....... rape being used as a weapon of war against girls as young as five years old. ..... The Burmese military regime owns every single one of the teak plantations in Burma and teak sales earn the dictators millions of pounds a year. ...... the UK has more companies than any other nation on Earth trading with the regime. ........ 128 firms globally are trading with Burma - of those 44% are British. ..... "The Burmese regime spends half its budget on the military, and just 19p per person on health and education. It relies on foreign trade to supply this income. So, companies which trade with Burma are helping support a military dictatorship which uses foreign money to buy weapons to suppress its own people." ...... it is up to the government to impose sanctions. It should send a clear message to industry that trade is not acceptable. When the regime came to power in 1988 it was bankrupt. It was foreign trade which gave it its legs. It has not used that trade to help ordinary people but to double the size of the army and increase repression."
Oil companies look to exploit Burma Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Burma, Darfur and Democracy -- The Bush Betrayal BuzzFlash
The business world beats a quiet path to a pariah’s door Asia Sentinel
Firms Seek Access to Myanmar Oil Fields The Associated Press
An Eye in the Sky on Burma TIME
Satellite images show Burma's plight Boston Globe
Satellites show Karen villages burnt in Burma ABC Online
Satellite images show burned Burma villages Telegraph.co.uk
UN Envoy in Burma to Try to Mediate Protests Voice of America
More arrests as envoy heads to Burma ABC Online
UN Envoy Heading for Burma to Try to Mediate Protests Voice of America
UN envoy heads to Burma for emergency talks Telegraph.co.uk
Japan Protests Death of Journalist in Burma Voice of America
Japanese Minister heading to Burma ABC Online
Video Allegedly Shows Japanese Journalist Shot at Close Range in Burma Voice of America
Japan protests over death in danger zone The Age
Protesters urge Olympic boycott over Chinese support for Burma San Francisco Chronicle, USA Without China's military and financial help for the government in Rangoon, and without China's power to veto United Nations resolutions that would punish Burma, Burmese military leaders could not keep arresting and assaulting monks and others who are demanding changes there ........ Demonstrators urged people to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics ...... Nyunt Than, who fled Burma in 1992 and is now president of the Bay Area-based Burmese American Democratic Alliance. .... "The oceans are collections of single raindrops. (Protests) are not only happening here but all over the world."
Burma forces storm cities The Australian, Australia the third day of a crackdown .... About 10,000 people surged onto the streets of the main city of Yangon, playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse as they repeatedly confronted police and soldiers before scattering and regrouping once more. ....... In the central city of Mandalay, thousands of young people on motorbikes rode down a major thoroughfare towards a blockade set up by security forces who unleashed a volley that witnesses believed could have been rubber bullets. ........ With dozens of monks arrested, beaten or confined to their monasteries, the mantle has now been taken up by student groups and youths who dominated Friday's rallies. ....... Myanmar's main Internet link was down Friday because of what a telecom official said was a damaged undersea cable. ..... Security forces have also smashed cameras and cellphones, and beaten people who were carrying them. Several newspapers in the country, which was formerly known as Burma, are no longer operating....... being shoved down by Myanmar troops and then shot at close range. ..... The 47-member UN Human Rights Council decided to hold a special session on October 2 to examine the unrest in Myanmar ..... the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) issued an unusually critical statement on its fellow member Myanmar, expressing "revulsion" over the use of force against demonstrators.
Burmese monks become spiritual warriors Toronto Star
Toronto rally supports Burma protests Toronto Star
What Makes a Monk Mad New York Times they held the bowls upside down ... That gesture is a key to understanding the power of the rebellion that shook Myanmar last week. ...... even the highest generals have felt a need to honor the clerical establishment. They claim to rule in its name. ....... the country’s two largest and most established institutions were confronting each other, the monkhood and the military, both about 400,000 strong, both made up of young men, mostly from the poorer classes, who could well be brothers ......... Their militant resistance to the British produced the most prominent political martyr of Burmese Buddhism, U Wisara, who died in prison in 1929 after a 166-day hunger strike. ...... the spire of the Shwedagon Pagoda, which now glitters with 53 tons of gold and 4,341 diamonds on the crowning orb. ...... the huge street demonstrations were an act of courage and catharsis. ...... “This was not an accidental uprising,” said Zin Linn, a former editor and political prisoner who is now information minister for the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, an exile opposition group based in Washington. The transition in leadership in the protests — from militant former students to activist monks — was well planned, he said, through secret meetings among young men sharing similar grievances and aspirations for their country. ....... their gesture of rejection of the junta, and the junta’s violent response, had changed the dynamics of Burmese society in ways that had only begun to play out.
Sporadic rallies in Myanmar Hindu
Myanmar Breaks Up Rallies, Cuts Internet Guardian Unlimited
Rambo-Stallone claims Burma death threats Bangkok Post, Thailand Burma, where he insists a "full-scale genocide" is currently going on. .... The 61-year-old, who witnessed refugees fleeing from Burma to Thailand, and the crew received a "lot of threats" and were warned they'd be shot. ..... "It's the most brutal regime in the world and the most secretive. It has an oppressive regime that (keeps all riches) for themselves. Everyone is forced into drugs or prostitution or slavery. ..... "People are escaping all the time (from Burma), coming over with gaping, maggot-infested wounds, their ears being cut off. You saw a lot of suffering, a lot of malnutrition. ...... "We were on the Salween River and we were told to get out because we were going to be shot."
Stallone received death threats at Myanmar border NewKerala.com
Burma:The British companies that help to prop up a murderous regime Sunday Herald, UK
Foreign Office Minister meets with Burma Pro-democracy lobby eGov monitor
Large turnout at Burmese and Chinese embassies in London Indymedia UK
India Is Mum on Burma, But Speaking Volumes TIME The race for resources has helped make Burma the frontline in a larger struggle for influence in Southeast Asia. The threat of unfettered Chinese influence in Burma is one of Delhi's main ripostes when western allies question India's ties with Rangoon.
Explaining India’s silence over Burma Daily Times
India Reluctant to Pressure Burma Voice of America
When world condemns junta, India monitors Burma Narinjara News
UK fears Burma toll 'far higher' BBC News, UK
Brown condemns violence in Burma BBC News
Thailand tightens Burma border security Bangkok Post, Thailand
Burma on boil Asian Tribune George W. Bush says he would call the country by its old name just to spite the junta. ..... New Delhi is under greater pressure than the other neighbours—China and Thailand among them—to move at once against the Burmese regime. Comments in the Western media even suggest that it is India, a democracy that is playing the principal spoilsport by its ‘lukewarm’ response to the atrocities in Myanmar. The impression could be wrong but it provides an occasion to remind the Western champions of freedom in Burma now shooting arrows at New Delhi how lackadaisical, uncoordinated, irrational and inconsistent their own approach has been to that hapless country. ...... The Burma-Thailand bilateral trade has been going up and is about $4 billion today. More than half of it in the form of export of natural gas to Thailand. ....... In the first eight months of this year, trade between China and Burma increased by 50 percent, to cross the $one billion mark. The actual volume of the bilateral trade is believed to be much bigger because of free flow of timber, gems and other goods from Burma into the southern parts of China.
George Bush urges China to pressure Burma Telegraph.co.uk

Red China is playing games over Burma Sunday Herald
US Urges China to Help Curb Violence in Burma, Prepare for Transition Washington Post use their leverage with Burmese authorities to limit the violence and help manage a transition to a new government in Burma ...... the Chinese have been "shocked" by the world's reaction to the confrontation between the government and protesters. ...... China, which has extensive commercial interests in Burma, has received a blunt message from the United States: "You wanted to become a big power -- part of being a big power is you will be held responsible for your client states" ....... urged China to consider some form of refuge for Burmese leaders, to help speed a transition to a new government ..... China is nervous about prospects that the 2008 Olympics in Beijing could be tarnished if the situation in Burma is not stabilized peacefully. ...... House and Senate leaders drafted resolutions yesterday condemning the military government, with little of the normal partisan bickering that often accompanies foreign policy debates on Capitol Hill. ........ The U.S. government is also doubling the amount of Burmese-language broadcasts beamed into a country ....... Both Bushes have been heavily influenced by private meetings with Burmese dissidents and other activists ........ "a regime under severe stress." ...... division-level military commanders in Burma are refusing orders to participate in the crackdown. ...... there is "overwhelming dislike" of the government among civilians. ....... a condemnation this week from neighboring members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Burma's true leaders Guardian Unlimited In the years since the uprising of 1988, the opposition movement in Burma has been decapitated. Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, and Tin Oo, the party chairman and former commander in chief of the armed forces, remain under house arrest. Min Ko Naing - whose nom de guerre translates as "Conqueror of Kings" - was hastily thrown back into prison last month with many of his "88 Generation Students" group as they came back to the street to test the water. ...... the regime's response was vicious. Words such as national reconciliation and compromise simply do not exist in the generals' vocabulary. ...... the Burmese leaders still believe that they can count on China, India and Russia to prop up their regime ...... the Burmese regime continues to kill and imprison innocent citizens, monks and students; to drive talented people into exile
Burma junta's bunker mentality BBC News, UK "The top echelons are made up of graduates from the defence services academy, which is Burma's equivalent of Sandhurst or West Point" ..... a secretive cabal of 12 generals called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). They may disagree behind closed doors but always present a unified position in public. .... The junta is run by three top generals. .... Number three is Soe Win, a ruthless military commander who is widely believed to have organised government militia to kill opposition members in the past. He is now believed to be terminally ill in a Singapore hospital. ..... Number two is Maung Aye, a hardliner who is opposed to any talks with Burma's pro-democratic opposition. ..... And at the top is Senior General Than Shwe, a high school drop-out and former postal clerk who rose through the ranks of the army in jungle campaigns and as an expert in psychological warfare. .... the 74-year-old Than Shwe and the way he governs. .... "[At a] Cabinet meeting he rarely speaks... but he listens very attentively to people... and then he will come out with a decision," he said. .... the upper echelons of Burma's closed, xenophobic and vehemently anti-Western regime. ...... Its fierce nationalism is reinforced by the sense that Burma is threatened by imperialism from abroad and ethnic rebels from within. .... "I think what's in their mind is that they're the saviours of the country... the country would fall apart without the military in power," he said. .... The top generals have dug themselves deeper into isolation over the past few years, following an internal power struggle between military intelligence and the hard men of the army. .... In 2003, the head of military intelligence, the regime's number three and prime minister, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, was purged and jailed for corruption. ..... The generals are not just brutal and insular but increasingly rich. While most people survive on as little as $1 a day, Burma's top leaders control or at least receive a cut from all major business in the country. .... the regime is extraordinarily inept... businesspeople will enter into an agreement with various forces in Burma only to find that decision reversed sometime later ...... The profits from Burma's vast natural resources finance a lavish lifestyle for the generals at the top. ..... Last year, ordinary Burmese were outraged by a video posted on the internet showing the wedding of Than Shwe's daughter. She was seen dripping with diamonds and accepting gifts said to be worth up to $51m. ...... "China wants strategic minerals, oil and gas, raw materials," said journalist Isabel Hilton. "That, of course, upsets India, so what you've seen in the last several years is India trying to counter that influence... and the junta playing them off against each other with relative skill." ..... Burma's military regime are very unresponsive to quiet words, even by their closest trading partners .... "This is a regime that very often doesn't understand its own interests, or the country's own interests, and so they do tend to be quite tone-deaf to any talk of economic reform or political reform." ...... There have been rumours of a potential mutiny among some commanders - the regime's worst nightmare. .... They rule the country with fear but they also live in fear
Reclusive junta chief firmly in control Financial Times Last year, Burma’s impoverished citizens were both mesmerised and enraged by a widely circulated underground video of the lavish wedding of the daughter of their country’s repressive ruler, Senior General Than Shwe. ....... While the public is fascinated with him, Gen Than Shwe, a 74-year-old psychological warfare expert, has shown little concern with the reality of his people’s lives .... the grandiose, isolated new capital, the reclusive and famously obstinate Gen Than Shwe ...... preoccupied mainly with his own survival and self-enrichment, reportedly relying heavily on astrologers to make big decisions. ...... Gen Than Shwe and his number two, Gen Maung Aye, are the last original members of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, which grabbed power in September 1988. ....... Many cabinet ministers are said to be fearful of the senior general, who makes virtually all important decisions himself – a structure that has led to policy paralysis as well as miscalculations such as the recent fuel price rise that provided the spark for the current protests. ....... none of them dare to inform Than Shwe how bad the situation is.” ..... international humanitarian agencies, of which Gen Than Shwe is said to be highly suspicious. ..... how little anyone knows of the reclusive generals’ thinking ..... “When you look at the mid-level and senior military leaders, they don’t really trust each other,” said Kyaw Yin Hlaing, a City University of Hong Kong professor. “After witnessing what happened to Khin Nyunt, they don’t talk about anything that might suggest they are not happy with the situation, or the top guys.”
Inside the Ring Washington Times The ongoing monks' revolution against the military regime in Burma is shaping up as a major setback for China, which regards Burma as its main client state and resource center in Southeast Asia ....... ethnic Chinese Khin Nyunt .... Gen. Maung Aye was once viewed as pro-India and anti-China but was co-opted by Chinese military leaders after a meeting in 2006. ...... China's stability-obsessed rulers also fear that the collapse of the junta will send the million Chinese now working in Burma back across the border into China, further destabilizing that country. ...... China also regards Burma's junta as part of its strategy of countering growing U.S. influence in neighboring Vietnam and Cambodia. ...... the top three threats to the United States as Islamist terrorists and their supporters, state sponsors of terror and communist China, which she calls "the thousand-pound dragon in the room." .... the dominant notion in U.S. policy and intelligence circles that China's fascistlike system will be transformed through global trade as "naive as the liberal hope that al Qaeda would leave us alone if we cut off all foreign aid to Israel."
Junta head's family said to have fled from capital Electric New Paper the family of Myanmar's military Senior General Than Shwe has fled to neighbouring Laos. ..... included the general's wife, Daw Kyaing Kyaing. ..... not all in the junta are happy with the crackdown on protesting monks and citizens in Yangon. ..... Gen Than and ViceSenior-Gen Maung Aye, his second in command and the commander-in-chief of the army, have disagreed over the way the unarmed monks were attacked. ..... 'Maung Aye and his loyalists are opposed to shooting into the crowd ...... The gifts handed to the general's daughter and her husband reportedly were worth more than US$50 million ($74m). ........ General Than cannot even say her name ..... Gen Maung is due to meet Ms Suu Kyi. .... All the main roads into central Yangon have been blocked. .... international handphone signals have been interrupted and soldiers are searching people for cameras and handphones. ...... the government was sending bus-loads of vigilantes into the main city to attack the demonstrators. .... The atmosphere is said to be extremely tense. There is a palpable sense of fear on the streets. ..... Dissident groups have put the number as high as 200 ...... (Asean foreign ministers) were appalled to receive reports of automatic weapons being used and demanded that the Myanmar government immediately desist from the use of violence against demonstrators.
Libs makes money from Burma: Nettle The Age, Australia
Australia to boost efforts on Burma Sydney Morning Herald will introduce financial sanctions targeted at key figures in the junta and plans to ask Beijing, New Delhi and other South-East Asian governments to use their influence with Burma to counsel restraint and push for genuine reform. ...... Despite the deaths of up to five people on Wednesday as security forces tried to suppress the protests, crowds of up to 10,000 gathered in the centre of Burma's biggest city, Rangoon on Thursday. ..... Australia's ambassador to Burma, Bob Davis, believes more violence is inevitable. ..... Foreign Minister Alexander Downer isn't hopeful UN intervention will do very much.
A Burma Revolution The Conservative Voice
Rally calls for end to violence in Burma The Age
Food aid starts flowing again in north Burma ABC Online, Australia
UN: Burma Unrest Could Affect Food Delivery Efforts Voice of America
Burma crackdown hampers aid efforts Melbourne Herald Sun
Myanmar food relief hit by protest crackdown Reuters

Gingrich Won’t Run in 2008 New York Times
Giuliani in YouTube's Crosshairs ... Again Washington Post Thursday night, while several of his GOP rivals were debating in front of a black audience at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Giuliani was in Santa Barbara at a $2,300-a-plate fundraiser attended by Bo Derek and Dennis Miller.
Bloody Riots Erupt in Islamabad Over Musharraf Decision TIME government forces laid siege to the Supreme Court grounds, where several hundred lawyers had taken refuge after a vicious attack on a peaceful protest in the capital, Islamabad. ..... More than 10,000 riot police and plainclothes officers ...... Yasser Raja, a 33-year-old lawyer from nearby Rawalpindi was beaten repeatedly on the head; when he attempted to protect himself the police continued to attack, causing extensive damage to his upraised arm. His lawyer's uniform of white shirt and black suit was soaked in blood, but he continued to shout anti-Musharraf slogans. ........ saw police passing around bags of rocks ..... Security forces fired tear gas shells directly into the crowd, causing a panicked stampede. ..... Ahsan was hit by a brick in the kidneys at point blank range, then beaten on the head with batons, which shattered his glasses. ...... beaten so badly that the force of blows broke his arm. ..... "This is a massive violation of not just human rights, but of the Supreme Court ruling," said Anila Ateeq, a high court lawyer, as she dabbed her face with a water-soaked headscarf to ease the sting of the tear gas. "Our cause is the restoration of democracy, that is why we are protesting. The government has no cause, it has no mandate, it only has force." ....... "We are looking at an obscene and unnecessary show of excessive force," said Ali Dayan Hasan, South Asia Researcher for Human Rights Watch, who had come to observe the protests. "This has been wanton brutality against a professional group that is struggling to uphold the rule of law." ....... The only people General Musharraf has been able to fool and beguile are the governments of the United States and Great Britain." ...... "It's just a shade short of Burma," said one bedraggled lawyer, echoing an earlier statement by Ahsan. "Yeah," said his companion. "But here they are attacking lawyers in suits instead of monks in saffron."
Myanmar refugees want India to step in Times of India Asked how the soldiers shot their own people, Aung said, "Most of them are uneducated and jobless. They are caught young and brainwashed to see an enemy in anyone who talks of democracy. ..... The activists are in touch with members of the government-in-exile, spread out in Australia, US, Thailand and India. "Our New York office is trying hard to bring about a new resolution from the United Nations on the issue.
Ahmadinejad walks away with a win Los Angeles Times the arrogance of the American academy and most of the U.S. news media's studied indifference ..... the totalitarian impulse knows no accommodation with reason. You cannot change the totalitarian mind through dialogue or conversation, because totalitarianism -- however ingenious the superstructure of faux ideas with which it surrounds itself -- is a creature of the will and not the mind. ...... totalitarian demagogues -- who are as image-conscious as Hollywood stars ...... Ahmadinejad, who was a brilliant university student ..... "The wave of the Islamic revolution" would soon "reach the entire world," he has promised. ..... the American press always has had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that Islamists like the Iranian president mean what they say and that they really do believe what they say they believe.
An Eye in the Sky on Burma TIME sealing thousands of monks inside their monasteries ..... scientists were able to use orbital satellites to confirm on-the-ground reports of burned villages and forced relocations of civilians by the military. The technique has already been used to document human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and Darfur ..... Burma's eastern Karen State, where a rebellion against the government has been simmering for over 50 years ...... The satellites can see objects as small as 60 cm across ....... the AAAS had ordered up new images from Burma's major cities, Rangoon and Mandalay, over the past few days ...... with a military cordon drawing around Burma, every scrap of data will help.
Jerry Seinfeld Goes Back to Work Seinfeld is getting ready for a different sort of ancient ritual: stand-up comedy. "It's kind of that feeling before an ocean swim," he says of facing an audience armed with nothing but jokes. "You know it's gonna be cold at first, but once I get in, it's really fun. And you never know what the waves are going to be like." ....... "I used to see couples pushing strollers and think, Why would you do that? Why would you want someone in your house that just craps in their pants while they're looking you right in the eye?" ...... "Is it just all that sand and no beach that just drives everyone in the Middle East out of their freaking mind?" ....... This is what he has been doing on most weekends since Seinfeld went off the air: traveling to stand-up gigs across the country. No press, no entourage, just a tour manager, a garment bag and an opening act (usually one of Seinfeld's old friends—Mario Joyner, Tom Papa or Mark Schiff). "Doing my act and working on that—that's my job," says Seinfeld. "To actually do your creative thing right in front of an audience and have them judge it right there—that's exciting." ....... Steven Spielberg .... a neighbor of Seinfeld's in New York's tony Hamptons .... "As a single person, I was always exploring the world," says Seinfeld ..... "Now I've lost some interest in the world. I'm more interested in my wife and kids." ..... came to the conclusion that the applause of a few hundred people is worth more than the adulation of millions ....... Home for Seinfeld (who made a reported $225 million for Seinfeld's syndication alone and appears almost annually on Forbes' list of richest celebrities) is an apartment overlooking Central Park. ....... He hits the gym regularly, and every day when he's in the city he walks 25 blocks through Central Park to his midtown office—a spacious aerie with sweeping views of the skyline—where he works on his stand-up act. The office is equipped with a high-tech videoconferencing system called Halo so he can communicate with the directors and animators of Bee Movie. ...... "There is a thing about comedians," he says. "They are cranky—all of them. If you're not cranky, you're not funny." ...... "To be honest," he says, "I was kinda lost after the show. I really didn't want to get married, I didn't like being single anymore, and I didn't know what I wanted to do." ...... "'That's not the water Mr. Seinfeld prefers, you idiot'—I just wanted to get away from that. I missed people yelling at me and treating me like a regular guy." ....... "whenever I have the opportunity to go to an old bar in New York that has that smell—that beer-soaked wood, that cheap-wine smell—I just swoon." ....... One night he invited a woman he had met at the gym, Jessica Sklar, to his show. ...... "I was dating for 25 years. Do you know how exhausting that was? Do you know how much acting fascinated I did?" But Jessica, whom he calls a "neighborhood girl," actually did fascinate him. Like Seinfeld, she had grown up on Long Island, and available to him, he says, "she was the nicest." There was one catch:of all the nice Jewish girls two months earlier, she had married Eric Nederlander, the son of a prominent New York family in the theater business. Her marriage ended, she and Seinfeld began dating, and the tabloids loved it. "I couldn't believe anybody thought it was anything," says Seinfeld of the media storm. "And I had trouble understanding how painful it was for her. I was used to it. I think I made some mistakes in that period as far as helping her through it." ..... "I had left a relationship where I was sort of supposed to be someone I wasn't. That relationship was never going to work, and I met someone who was heaven and earth to me." ....... married in a small ceremony ..... daughter, whom he called "the sweetest candy of all." .... "The great thing about kids is there's nothing I find too embarrassing to do in front of them," he says. "To hear them laugh is worth anything. It's the best sound in the world." ....... Seinfeld considers The Sopranos "a really good sitcom. .... describing himself as "obsessive, yes; perfectionist, no." ..... "What was that instrument that has a little pathos to it? A clarinet? That's a very emotional instrument, a very Jewish instrument. I'm not sure this is that kind of scene. It feels a little like Yentl." ....... he's perfectly happy right where he is—on the road, going to or from one stand-up gig or another. "I had a really good time tonight," he says as the car pulls into the airport. "I'm a comedian again."
Time Video: Barack Star Rally, NYC
Barack Obama's not ready to lead, says Clinton Telegraph.co.uk
Obama Quotes Clinton on Clinton’s Experience New York Times example of Mr. Clinton in 1992 arguing against Mr. Clinton in 2007 .... No response yet from the Bill Clinton campaign – make that the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Obama leads pack among Iowa likely voters, though Clinton ... Raw Story in Iowa, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is gaining steam. ..... among likely caucus-goers, Obama enjoys a slim lead, polling 28 percent to best Clinton (24 percent) and Edwards (22 percent). ....... Neither Clinton’s gender nor Obama’s race seem to be a sticking point for Iowa Democrats
Political Stardom Profitable for Obama The Associated Press Earlier this year he reported assets of up to $1.14 million in addition to his Chicago home. ..... Obama's own success allowed him to buy a $1.65 million mansion near the University of Chicago in 2005. ..... When he entered the U.S. Senate in 2005, Obama's salary jumped to more than $154,000 — nearly triple what he had been making as an Illinois legislator. ...... His sudden political stardom also brought him a three-book deal worth $1.9 million from Random House Inc. ..... His contract gives Obama 15 percent of the sale of each hardcover book, 8 percent or more from paperbacks and 10 percent from audiobooks. .... After Obama was elected to the Senate, his wife's income tripled thanks to a promotion she received at the University of Chicago Hospitals. When Michelle Obama rose from executive director to vice president, her salary increased from $121,910 to $316,962. ...... a relatively uncomplicated financial picture. ...... Their assets — which are between $457,000 and $1.14 million — are mostly in mutual funds and pensions. ....... Mitt Romney is the wealthiest candidate in the race, reporting assets of between $190 million and $250 million. ..... "He worked the street. He knocked on doors," Powell said. "He speaks from personal experience."
Edwards focusing on Clinton in White House bid Reuters The sustained focus on Clinton seemed to irritate Edwards in an interview with Reuters, and his voice hardened as he faced questions about her rather than his own positions. ...... the latest Reuters/Zogby poll which showed Clinton with 35 percent and Sen. Barack Obama with 25 percent ...... The brief interview with Reuters, conducted late on Thursday in a moving campaign van as Edwards mostly gazed out the window, ended the way several have with reporters lately -- the van pulled over on a busy highway and the interviewer got out and ran to a waiting car as traffic whizzed by.
Obama Seeks Support Quoting Bill Clinton The Associated Press "The same old experience is not relevant. ... And you can have the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience," Clinton said at the time.
Giuliani's Strategy: Not Hillary Clinton The Associated Press
Nepal minister arrested after resignation Hindustan Times Nepal's Commerce minister Rajendra Mahato was arrested on Saturday for staging a demonstration in front of the Election Commission along with his supporters. They were protesting against the Election Commission decision to recognise the Anandi Devi Singh-led faction of the party. It is for the first time that a minister has been arrested in Nepal after restoration of democracy in the Himalayan nation. Earlier in the day, Mahato quit the interim Koirala government. However, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has not accepted his resignation as yet. In addition to the minister, over three dozen leaders of the party, including Laxman Lal Karna, Sarita Giri and Anil Kumar Jha, were arrested along with Mahto.
NSP-A Mahato-led faction demonstrates against EC verdict, 22 arrested Kantipur Online
Mahato Resigns, Arrested; Calls for Terai Bandh from Oct 4 Himalayan Times
Google Buys Mobile Social Network Zingku PC World

Obama in NYC: Changing the Past? Washington Post his three years in the city in the early 1980s ..... in the book -- Obama spends less time describing his studies at the college than he does describing his first night in the city, when he had to sleep in a Harlem alley ..... "I stopped getting high. I ran three miles a day and fasted on Sundays," Obama writes. "For the first time in years, I applied myself to my studies and started keeping a journal of daily reflections and very bad poetry. Whenever Sadik tried to talk me into hitting a bar, I'd beg off with some tepid excuse, too much work or not enough cash. One day, before leaving the apartment in search of better company, he turned to me and offered his most scathing indictment. 'You're becoming a bore.'" ...... "Uncertain of my ability to steer a course of moderation, fearful of falling into old habits, I took on the temperament if not the convictions of a street corner preacher, prepared to see temptation everywhere, ready to overrun a fragile will."

Clinton Edges Obama in Black Caucus The Associated Press the greater number of members from Clinton's New York state as opposed to members from Obama's Illinois.
Clinton: Give every baby in America $5000 Newsday "I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so that when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to make that down payment on their first home," she said. ....... 4.1 million babies born in America each year. ..... said crime dropped in the 1990s because Bill Clinton's White House funded more police and backed tougher laws on illegal guns. ..... Clinton denounced what she said was "incident after incident" of minority voter suppression, and vowed to "end systematic disenfranchisement." ..... "We need to make voting easier," she said.

Bill Clinton: Obama’s Not Ready to Run New York Times Bill Clinton showed his singular ability to diminish his wife’s presidential rivals ..... said that Senator Barack Obama had about as much experience as Mr. Clinton did in 1988 — the year Mr. Clinton decided not to run for the presidency. ...... 1988 when I came within a day of announcing .... “Senator Obama has over two decades of the experience America needs right now,” Mr. Burton said in a statement. “When it comes to restoring America’s image in the world, America needs a president who made the most important foreign policy decision of a generation based on what was right for America, not the politics of the moment.” ........ Mr. Hunt read him a line from Mrs. Clinton’s autobiography, in which she recalled that some people initially dismissed Mr. Clinton in 1992 as “too young and inexperienced.” Mr. Hunt then noted that some view Mr. Obama the same way today. ....... whether former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts would maintain his lead in opinion polls in Iowa and New Hampshire through New Year’s Day. .... Several of Mrs. Clinton’s advisers have said in interviews with The Times that they believe at this point that Mr. Romney will be the Republican nominee.

Is Obama Really Trailing Clinton? Washington Post How do you reconcile the apparent wide gap between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (according to recent polls) and the significant reaction (both in donors and total dollars) that puts Obama at the top tier, above Clinton? Is it possible that despite those polls, this grassroot movement for Obama is something the media is missing that will show its strength at the voting/caucus settings, and that is why Obama continues to avoid any strident criticisms of Clinton? ...... Biden ... put to a vote in the Senate this week, his plan for the confederation (not a partition, he was quick to note during the debate) won a majority.

Bill Clinton Says He Had More Experience Than Obama at Same Age Bloomberg ``I was the senior governor in America. I had been head of any number of national organizations that were related to the major issue of the day, which is how to restore America's economic strength.'' ..... Clinton was 46 in 1992 when he beat Republican President George H.W. Bush to win the highest U.S. office, the same age that Obama is now. When Clinton, then the Arkansas governor, was first running, ``he was initially dismissed as an obscure if colorful outsider, handsome and articulate but, at age 46, too young and inexperienced for the job,'' his wife Hillary wrote in her autobiography, ``Living History.'' ...... her husband's comments were the Clinton camp's most pointed and direct to date on Obama's level of experience. ...... former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, in August dismissed the experience comparison, saying, ``Being a former first lady doesn't prepare you to be president.'' ..... Bill Clinton, 61, said Obama's experience today is closer to his own in 1988, when he decided not to pursue a White House run. ``I came within a day of announcing, because most of the governors were for me and I had been a governor for six years,'' Clinton said in the interview taped in New York. ``And I really didn't think I knew enough and had served enough and done enough to run.'' ....... Obama has the added difficulty that the international situation is more complicated today, with the threat of terrorism and the war in Iraq, than it was in 1992, Clinton said.

Friday, September 28, 2007

The Largest Rally In US Presidential Campaign History

Photos
Video: New York City For Barack Obama 6

Give Me A Huge Rally In This City Before Summer Is Over

Burma: Momentum Is Key To Victory

Shame On The Top Politicians Of The World: Burma Asks For More
In Solidarity With The Burmese People

This is not 1988. They can not kill 3,000 people like they did back then. If they do, China can kiss the 2008 Olympics goodbye.

They might kill 100, maybe 200, maybe even 500.

But the way to reduce the casualties is not to get off the streets. That way thousands of Burmese will keep dying slow deaths for years.

The key is for the people of Burma to come out in the streets in the millions. 10 million Burmese should come out into the streets. That is the only way. The world stands by them, but they must stand up, they must march, day after day after day.

No peace talks. The generals have to surrender, totally and unconditionally. The marches come to an end only after Suu Kyi has been anointed interim Prime Minister of the country. Her mandate would be to form a multi-party interim government that will give Burma an interim constitution within a month, and elections to a constituent assembly within a year.

China and India and Europe and America and Australia and everyone else must use all channels of communication private and public to make it absolutely clear to the devil generals that they have no choice. Their time is up. They have to exit. They have to be shown the door.

But all depends of millions of Burmese coming out into the streets. The democracy activists must get sophisticated. They must infiltrate the military. They must attack the military with confusion campaigns. The rank and file soldiers must be made to feel this regime has at most two weeks, and then it is gone. And so they must think. They must think for themselves. Penetrate the army with sophisticated whisper campaigns.

The street protests have to be daily, unceasing, and they must grow larger by the day. Dawn to dusk, day after day, in the millions, in every town, every city, every hamlet, every village.

The ethnic minorities who have been fighting the military must be brought in by promising them federalism and autonomy in Suu Kyi's Burma. They too have to join the democracy movement.

The Burmese diaspora must organize in every country where they might be present. Protest in front of all Burmese embassies around the world. Bring along your local friends, and the local media.

The show of force has to be overwhelming.

There are two goals: establishment of democracy, and with the fewest casualties possible. You achieve both through an overwhelming show of force.

10 to 20 million inside Burma, hundreds of thousands across the world, marching, protesting.

Victory is near.

In The News

Jena Six -- Another Story of Unequal Justice for Blacks? Yahoo! News
Obama Vies for Black Vote While Waging `Deracialized Campaign' Bloomberg Donna Brazile, who ran former Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000, said Obama's strategy would be effective. ``Just because he's black, Obama doesn't have to pander to black voters,'' she said. ``He must prove to them that he can win the White House.'' ..... ``His campaign emerges in the middle of the electorate,'' Walters said. ``In that sense, he is not Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, whose campaigns rose in the black communities at the margins of the electorate.'' .... Clinton and Obama each have 12 endorsements from lawmakers belonging to the 42-member Black Caucus ..... Obama ``can't overtly appeal to'' blacks for fear of turning off other voters, while ``Hillary can, and Bill shamelessly does
Pakistani apex court allows Musharraf to contest elections Indian Muslims
Nepal poll talks fail, Maoists begin republic bid Sify
Myanmar Forces Chase Down Protesters New York Times Myanmar’s armed forces appeared to have succeeded Friday in sealing tens of thousands of protesting monks inside their monasteries, but they continued to attack bands of civilian demonstrators who challenged them in the streets of the main city, Yangon. ....... troops were now confronting and attacking smaller groups of civilians around the city, sometimes running after them through narrow streets, sometimes firing at protesting groups. ........ the military is being very quick to use violence, tear gas, guns and clubs ...... the death toll was “several multiples of the 10 acknowledged by the authorities.” ......... an apparent government clampdown on Internet and telephone communications. ..... Exile groups passed on many vivid, unconfirmed reports about brutality toward monks and their superiors. Many monks were reported to have been seized and driven away in trucks, and armed soldiers were said to have been preventing others from leaving. ....... “Wednesday night numerous monasteries were raided, and we have reports that many monks were beaten and arrested, and we have pictures where whole monasteries have been trashed, and blood and broken glass” ....... With the monks contained, another diplomat said, the demonstrations seemed to have lost their focus, and soldiers were quick to pounce on any groups that emerged onto the streets. ......... “There are pockets of protesters left. They are unorganized, and it’s all very small scale.” ...... a trade embargo that has left Western countries with little leverage with the junta. ..... videojournalist, Kenji Nagai. Videotape has emerged showing that Mr. Nagai, who was killed Thursday while filming the protests near the Sule Pagoda, may have been shot at close range as a target instead of having died in cross-fire. ..... “The military is doing their best to frighten people into going back, but they are not doing anything about the underlying grievances,” Ms. Villarosa said. “Whether they will ultimately be successful, I doubt, because the grievances are real.” ..... deep discontent and anger over the economic mismanagement and harsh rule of the junta. .... In 45 years of military rule — and 19 years under the current junta — the country once known as Burma has become a ragged, suffering nation, one of the poorest and most repressed in Asia. ......The crowds grew suddenly much larger after Sept. 18, when huge columns of monks filled the streets and residents joined them by the tens of thousands. Over the next week the demonstrations swelled to as many as 100,000 monks and supporters in Yangon alone........... Defying international warnings and condemnation, the government crackdown began Wednesday morning with raids on several monasteries and the use of aggressive force on the streets.
Bush, Clinton, Bush ... Clinton? The Associated Press Forty percent of Americans have never lived when there wasn't a Bush or a Clinton in the White House. Anyone got a problem with that? ..... talk of Bush-Clinton fatigue is increasingly cropping up in the national political debate. ... And now, if Hillary Clinton were to be elected and re-elected, the nation could go 28 years in a row with the same two families governing the country. Add the elder Bush's terms as vice president, and that would be 36 years straight with a Bush or Clinton in the White House. ...... Does a nation of 303 million people really have only two families qualified to run the show? .... The Clintons and Bushes, he said, have built up strong "brand" recognition for their names — just as the Kennedys did in an age of promise cut short by assassination — making it harder for newcomers to compete. ....... fully one-quarter of all Americans said that the prospect of having at least 24 straight years of a President Clinton or Bush would be a consideration in their vote for president in 2008. ....... Even among Democrats, 17 percent said it would be a consideration. .... "Well, I think it is a problem that Bush was elected in 2000," she offered. "I actually thought somebody else was elected in that election." ..... Gergen said any fatigue factor Clinton faces is "overwhelmed by the positive nostalgia for Bill Clinton among Democrats."..... "right now there is one massive fatigue in America and that is with George Bush. No other fatigue comes close."
Nepal's leading dailies fail to hit stands Hindu
Serbia and Kosovo discuss a split Christian Science Monitor
Bloggers in Burma keep world informed during military crackdown San Francisco Chronicle Dodging a deadly military crackdown that has killed at least nine protesters, Burmese bloggers are on the front lines, providing news and photos of death and insurrection. ..... Their Internet blogs, written in Burmese and grammatically flawed English, are posted mostly by residents of Rangoon ....... The bloggers rely on word-of-mouth, cell phones, online chat groups, instant messaging, and firsthand accounts of protesters facing barricaded streets, tear gas and gunfire from Burmese security forces. The best blogs provide photos, video and text updates purportedly by eyewitnesses, which are later confirmed by news organizations or, in some cases, can't be verified. ...... blogger accounts have captivated the outside world, including President Bush and the United Nations. ...... Burmese and foreign bloggers in Rangoon, Mandalay, the nation's second-largest city, and elsewhere have risked their lives to document the pro-democracy demonstrations ..... www.xanga.com/dawn_1o9 ...... "I heard the gun shots too, but it sounded a lot like clapping. ...... ko-htike.blogspot.com .... "now the regime open fire into these group, and used fire engine to sweep the blood on the street." ...... burmesedayze.blogspot.com .... "The BBC is getting hold of a reasonable amount of video footage that people are taking surreptitiously and sending to them," the foreigner posted Saturday. "Some of it is hand-held video clips shot from the hip (so that the photographer isn't too obvious to the police watching the marches), while other clips seem to have been shot out of windows in tall buildings in downtown Rangoon." ...... Even before the current protests, Burma had a strong presence on the Internet, created over the years by Burmese dissidents and foreigners who had established pro-democracy Web sites in Thailand, Europe, United States and elsewhere. ..... www.irrawaddy.org .... www.dvb.no ..... mizzima.com ... weunite-weblog.blogspot.com ..... saffronrevolutionworldwide.blogspot.com ..... the site's bloggers, who are in Mae Sot, Thailand, near the Burma border.
Burma Military Shoots at Protesters, Cuts Off Internet Voice of America
Burmese troops seal off Buddhist monasteries Guardian Unlimited
Brazil whips US women's soccer team Chicago Tribune
In Reversal, Student Is Given Extra Exam Time to Pump Breast Milk New York Times

I Stand With Michelle: Iowa Must And Can Be Won

Coming in second in Iowa is plan B. That is not plan A. Michelle is right.

If we win Iowa, Hillary is history before January is over. We will not have to wait until even February 5.

The stated goal of Obama 2008 is to win Iowa.

As for plan B, we will cross that bridge if and when we get there.

February To September: Little Change

I think we will win Iowa. I really do. I mean, after this rally in New York City, anything is possible.

In The News

Edwards opts for public funding MSNBC
Michelle Obama: Iowa Or Bust CBS News
New Obama line of attack on Clinton Chicago Sun-Times, United States that she does not have the personality to pass universal health care. ..... can “inspire” people to get things done. .... Obama is opening a new front as he appeals to independents and Republicans to come into the Democratic primary. ..... Here's how Obama bored into Clinton. All the leading Dems have health plans on the table. They are more alike than they are different. Obama said the issue is not who has the plans but “It has to do with who can inspire and mobilize the American people to get it done and open up the process. If it was lonely for Hillary, part of the reason it was lonely, Hillary, was because you closed the door to a lot of potential allies in that process. At that time, 80 percent of Americans already wanted universal health care, but they didn’t feel like they were let into the process.” ...... “He’ll approach major challenges like health care reform the same way he’s approached every challenge he’s faced through two decades of public service –- with an open, transparent process that brings people of differing views together to build a real consensus for change,” Plouffe said. ...... Obama's answer is yet another example of how he is casting himself as the consensus candidate. He has also made an interesting language adjustment. The issue is not his experience, he said. It is his "experiences" that make him ready to lead.
Obama team insists he still can catch Clinton Reuters Obama largely held his fire and stayed above the fray. .... the Illinois senator needed a breakthrough performance to shake up the race for the White House in November 2008. ..... Howard Dean, who was leading the polls at this stage of the 2004 Democratic campaign ...... Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, said Clinton even dodged a question on who she preferred to win the World Series, the Chicago Cubs in her home state of Illinois or the New York Yankees in her adopted state. "I'm a sports fan. I'm not for two teams," Mrs. Edwards said. .... "No one laid a glove on her," said Clinton strategist Mandy Grunwald.
Out of Reach? TIME
Obama Hopes the Kids are Alright Yahoo! News
Clinton Haters Outpace Obama Backers on Facebook Wired News
Back in Kenya, a 'cousin' plays the Obama card in his electoral quest International Herald Tribune, France
Obama Watch Chicago Sun-Times, United States
The Nanny Is for Hillary-Obama U.S. News & World Report, DC
They Can't Get Enough of Obama In Greenwood, SC Wall Street Journal

Previewing Tonight's Debate Time The 27 electoral votes at play in the upper Midwest (Iowa, 7, Minnesota, 10, and Wisconsin, 10) are once again going to make these key battleground states. ........ In a campaign in which there are so many debates, a single engagement rarely makes much difference this early in the process. Relatively few will watch a debate on a minor cable network more than three months before the first vote is cast (Sorry, MSNBC). ...... frequent multi-candidate debates freeze a race - helping the front-runner immensely. ..... the first debate of the fall ..... a sense that Clinton is beginning to pull away .... Attacks on women candidates from aggressive men frequently backfire because they create sympathy for the candidate being criticized. ...... Sixty-second answers don't play to his strengths. ..... Obama needs to stop talking biography and agenda and start painting a picture of what an Obama-led America would look like that stands in sharp contrast to what the country would resemble, should any of his opponents prevail. Obama needs to make his effort a crusade, not a traditional campaign. Talking about an America that picks up the mantle of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King (yes they're from a different era but voters know them) is one way forward.

Why Ahmadinejad Loves New York Time Columbia University president Lee Bollinger — clearly stung by criticism of the institution for hosting Ahmadinejad — used his introduction to excoriate the Iranian leader as everything from a "cruel and petty dictator" to "astonishingly uneducated." ........ a national media event, in which the Iranian President had the microphone, unmolested, for the best part of an hour. ..... Ahmadinejad stayed on message, appearing relaxed, reasonable, open, even charismatic. ..... It was pure political jujitsu, using the momentum of your adversaries to your own advantage. ...... Challenged on his statements questioning the Holocaust, for example, Ahmadinejad cleverly turned the issue around, asking, "Why is it that the Palestinian people are paying the price for an event they had nothing to do with?" ...... the Iranian President faces reelection in 2009. ...... the breathless television coverage his visit has prompted in the U.S. won't do his domestic prospects any harm.
My Dinner There's Brian Williams across the room, and Christiane Amanpour a few seats down. ...... a bowing and smiling Mahmoud Admadinejad glides into the room. ..... Every year, during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, he plots out a media campaign that — in its shrewdness, relentlessness, and quest for attention — would rival Angelina Jolie on a movie junket. ...... In his calm and fluent voice — "dear friends," he calls us — he requests that we not ask questions, but make statements, so that he can react to them in a form of dialogue. ........ Throughout, Ahmadinejad is courtly, preternaturally calm, and fiercely articulate. ...... a half-hour ode to the relationship between man and God ..... He speaks with the quiet zeal of a not-very-flamboyant televangelist. "The pursuit of justice through love and kindness and human dignity can end all conflicts on earth," he says. "Inshallah." ....... In contrast with what he calls the lack of respect and dignity accorded to him at Columbia — where, he says, he found it odd that an academic institution which prizes tolerance would treat him without any — he addresses each person carefully and patiently. ....... Iran has not violated any of the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ahmadinejad says. He has proposed a multilateral uranium enrichment program with different nations, and can't understand why no one has taken up his offer. ........ The US and Iran can play a positive role together in Iraq. "If the US withdraws from Iraq, good things will happen," he says. "I believe that the Iraqi people can rule themselves." ....... In the Middle East, Ahmadinejad says the world must allow the Palestinians to decide their future for themselves: "That is the human solution to sixty years of instability." ...... Ahmadinejad claims there are thirty newspapers published in Iran that are opposed to his government ...... In answer to a question about how he viewed Hitler's legacy, he says, "I view Hitler's role as extremely negative, a despicably dark face." ...... Iran, he says, has never invaded anyone in its history. .... "Mr. Bush is interested in harming Iran. But I believe there are wise politicians in America who will prevent such a war. We hate war. We would not welcome it. But we are prepared for every scenario. Yet I don't think war will happen." ....... still composed ... he bows deeply and heads upstairs.

Witnesses say 3 shot in Myanmar protests Los Angeles Times security forces fired guns ..... Shots were fired after a crowd of 10,000 people, including "so-called monks" ..... the three wounded people were not hurt by gunshots but rather from being caught in a melee. ..... Dissident groups have claimed the casualty count is higher, with as many as five people killed, including Buddhist monks.
How To Spot A Corrupt Nation New York Times no nation is more in the corruption spotlight than Myanmar ...... “unsophisticated former field commanders who seem suspicious of the outside world” ....... the generals have maintained a policy of isolation for their country and have in turn isolated themselves from the population, a bunker within a bunker. ...... another nation tied it because of sheer chaos. Somalia, which spent the past year putting down an Islamist insurgency that at one point took control of the capital, also shares the distinction of the most corrupt government on earth. ...... “We even depend on foreign donors for our salaries.” ...... Somalia seems to be “quietly disintegrating into Africa’s worst humanitarian emergency” — nodded to the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, another nation at the bottom of the corruption list. ...... two front-page perennials: Iraq and Afghanistan
Nepal Party Supports Abolishing Monarchy The Associated Press
Anger at Giuliani 9/11 fundraiser BBC News
Criticism of Ahmadinejad May Help Him at Home NPR
South Asia Scores Poorly on Corruption Index Voice of America Berlin-based Transparency International ..... ranks military-ruled Burma as tied with the lawless East African country of Somalia as the world's most corrupt states. ..... Bangladesh ranks 162nd and Pakistan is 138th, seven spots below Nepal. ...... Bhutan has slipped compared to previous years, but it is best in the region at 46th. India is tied with China and six other countries at number 72 and ahead of Sri Lanka, which is 94th. ..... the cleanest in terms of public sector wrongdoing are New Zealand, Denmark, and Finland. The United States ranks 20th, between France and Belgium. ....... and here come the multi-nationals with briefcases full of cash
Clinton May Erase Obama's Fund-Raising Edge in Third Quarter Bloomberg both Clinton and Obama are set to report about $20 million in donations during the third quarter ..... Obama raised $33 million to her $27 million in the second quarter and ended up with more cash on hand for the primary elections. His campaign had aimed to be able to outspend her significantly in the last part of 2007 and early next year. ..... ``Everybody's talking about the kind of money we raised,'' Obama said in a speech to labor leaders last month in Iowa. ``We raised it the old-fashioned way -- $5, $10, $25.'' ..... Clinton's lead in the polls and strong performance in candidate debates is helping her with donors and fund-raisers ....... she's run an outstanding campaign ..... his competitive standing in early nominating states such as Iowa. ..... ``He gets better and better on his feet''
Clinton heads into NH debate tonight with big lead Baltimore Sun She is favored by 43 percent of likely Democratic voters in the nation’s first primary state. Trailing are Illinois Sen. Barack Obama at 20 percent ...... “Obama is now a lot closer to the pack than he is to Clinton” .... Only 17 percent of the state’s Democratic voters said they have definitely made up their mind on a choice
Clinton Global Initiative Begins The Associated Press former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, tennis star Andre Agassi and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. ...... — poverty relief, global health, and energy and climate change — .... fourth topic is education. ..... More than 857,000 children under 5 years old have gotten access to lifesaving medical treatment like vaccines. .... By the end of 2007, 34 million people will have been treated for neglected tropical diseases. .... More than 3.2 million people in the developing world have gained access to clean energy services.
FACTBOX: Clinton Global Initiative achievements Reuters More than 1,200 people from 72 countries, including 52 current and former heads of state, celebrities, aid workers and company chiefs, will attend the three-day brainstorm session. ...... pay a $15,000, although most charity groups are exempt. ..... During the past two years the initiative has avoided or reduced 20,070,524 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. ..... Three million additional small businesses have gained access to capital through the initiative.
Clinton sets sights on inspiring Asian philanthropy Reuters $10 billion of pledges made in the first two years of his summit. ..... www.mycommitment.org, a database of about one million volunteer groups globally to help people find a way to do good in their own communities. ...... Clinton will also target U.S. university students in a discussion with rock star and activist Bono, comedian Chris Rock and singers Alicia Keys and Shakira, to be aired by MTV. ..... Born out of his frustration while president from 1993 to 2001 at attending conferences that were more talk than action, Clinton has described the initiative as matching "people with ideas and those who have the means to see them through." ....... saw him come in at No. 6 on Vanity Fair magazine's 2007 top 100 power rankings. ...... helping restore America's "inspirational power," which he said was damaged by an overreaction from Washington after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. ...... the America that exports its own fear and paranoia after 9/11 .... In his new book "Giving," Clinton said he hopes to continue the Global Initiative meetings for at least a decade.
Maoists say Nepal army planning coup to save monarchy AFP some analysts saying they are merely afraid of losing a popular vote. ...... Bhattarai said "the experience of revolutionary change elsewhere is that unless you restructure and democratise the army, there is a chance of a coup and the old set-up returning." .... The Maoist number two, an ideologue prone to drifting into lengthy discourses on Marxist-Leninist-Maoist semantics, asserted that his party was nevertheless "sticking by the ceasefire and peace accord." ...... a dark, dank hotel used as the movement's Kathmandu headquarters. ..... "We don't want to chop off his head," he said sternly. "We are not saying he should get out or he should be killed. He should just live like you and me."
Mumbai comes to a halt to welcome victorious Team India Hindustan Times India's main stock market rose to a record level on Wednesday morning, but for once residents of the country's financial capital were on a different high - the whole city poured out in the rain to welcome the Indian cricket team returning home from South Africa with the Twenty20 World Championships trophy. ...... the 30-km route from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport to the Wankhede Stadium. .... Several members of the 1983 World Cup winning squad were on hand to praise their triumphant successors. .... the team was loaded with cheques, shawls, garlands, bouquets, plaques and almost any other memento one could think of. There were no complaints of excess baggage. ...... Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was among those present at the airport to receive the cricketers.
Nonstop LAX-China flight plan stalled Los Angeles Times
US Airways gets Philly-China route San Jose Mercury News
China makes contingency plans for junta's fall International Herald Tribune As China publicly calls for stability and reconciliation in Myanmar, it is also preparing for the possibility that the current protests could lead to the downfall of the military junta leading its resource-rich neighbor ...... Although China is Myanmar's most important trading partner, investor and strategic ally, Beijing has also maintained discreet links with opponents of its military rulers and tolerates the activity of some of exiled critics on Chinese soil ....... "If Aung San Suu Kyi became the leader of Burma tomorrow, China would be the first country to roll out the red carpet," said Bertil Lintner, an analyst of Myanmar politics based in Thailand. "But they wouldn't like to see it happen." ....... China has firsthand experience of the risks ahead for the junta if it turns to violence. Its governing Communist Party is still feeling the effects of international criticism over the military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989 in Beijing and other cities. ..... a country that has estimated reserves of three trillion cubic meters of natural gas and three billion barrels of crude oil. .... China would also like to keep a pliant government in place to develop strategically important access to the Indian Ocean ...... there is evidence that China has been hedging its bets on political developments in Myanmar for some years. ..... Beijing maintained unofficial contacts with exiled Myanmar opposition groups in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries in a bid to minimize their antagonism and to improve its understanding of political developments. ....... Beijing also tolerated the presence of these groups in Ruili, on the border with Myanmar in Yunnan Province, where some maintain unofficial offices. ..... China has doubts about the junta's survival. .... "One day, they expect the military will no longer be running the place" ..... Beijing wanted Myanmar to move toward "a democracy process that is appropriate for the country ..... it is prepared to use its influence with the junta to ease diplomatic tensions with the United States. ... In June, China arranged in Beijing the highest-level talks between the United States and Myanmar in five years.
China Nudges Myanmar on Protests The Associated Press
China could play crucial role in Myanmar crisis Reuters UK If there is one power that could pressure Myanmar to avoid a bloody crackdown on the country's biggest anti-government protests in 20 years, it is China. ...... wary of any domino effect that political liberalisation on its borders might have ......... "It's in their economic interests to preserve the status quo" .... "Than Shwe will not come under the thumb of any outside power, including the Chinese."
Google eyes Canada rollout of discreet Street View Reuters
Amitabh Bachchan invited to Iran PRESS TV
Study: Firms Should Help Unhappy Workers The Associated Press Investing in depressed employees — quickly getting them treatment and even offering telephone psychotherapy — can cut absenteeism while improving workers' health ....... Many employers view mental health coverage as a financial black hole ..... spending money on depression is a smart business move .... Employees who got the aggressive intervention worked on average about two weeks more during the yearlong study than those who got the usual care — advice to see their doctor or seek a mental health specialist. ..... savings from more hours worked averaged to about $1,800 per employee. That far exceeds the program's initial $100 to $400 per worker cost. ....... depression takes a hefty toll on the U.S. workplace, affecting about 6 percent of employees each year and costing over $30 billion annually in lost productivity ....... a bill before Congress that would require employers to offer mental health insurance coverage that is equal to that provided for physical illnesses ...... an online screening questionnaire that found signs of depression. ..... "It's not just the right thing to do, it also saves money for the company."

For general, Obama's character befits a commander in chief The Concord Monitor "He's not self-centered, he's reasonable, he's not trying to prove he's tougher than his daddy" ...... Obama's life experience makes up for any deficit. ..... decision-making abilities and judgment are more important than legislative experience. ...... Obama is "head and shoulders above everyone else." ..... Obama has good advisers, including Susan Rice, who was President Bill Clinton's assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser. ..... Obama's ability to inspire and his toughness ..... Although McPeak believes top military officials still favor the Republican Party, he said they have been turned off by the current administration and would welcome a president like Obama. ....... "Who's had experience the last seven years? Rumsfeld and Cheney. Look how that turned out," Allard said. "What's important is judgment. Can you make the right calls?" ..... "We're getting to the point where fewer and fewer candidates have any real military experience" ...... "Even foreign policy experience - there have been presidents not going into office with much experience." ...... "Reagan seemed to do fine in spite of a lack of experience," Masur said. "I don't think either Bush or Clinton will be remembered as great foreign policy administrations." ....... President Lyndon Johnson had plenty of experience, as vice president, and will not be remembered as a success in Vietnam. ..... "Sometimes, people with a lot of experience don't do well. There are people without a lot of experience who do" ...... Grover Cleveland paid a substitute to fight in his place during the Civil War. ...... "Americans oscillate between their fascination with military characters and their revulsion against them" ..... Obama could be successful in promoting his world experience and judgment ..... "Bush has been Mr. Tough Guy for six years and has been more successful in creating more enemies around the world," Bruno said. "It turns out military power and credentials can only take you so far."

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Give Me A Huge Rally In This City Before Summer Is Over

Photos
Video: New York City For Barack Obama 6

"Of all the people in the country supporting this campaign, our New York area supporters have been among the proudest and best organized."

Barack Obama, September 18

Michelle Obama Is Just Fabulous

Michelle Obama Is Just Fabulous

I just got back from the second of the two after parties: I went to both. Jeff was nowhere to be seen. People were already saying we will all say some day we knew Jeff back in the days.

It made me feel so good to see Jeff on stage. Jeff Kurzon. He was representing New York, someone else was representing New Jersey.

Jeff deserved that. He is the only full time volunteer. He has taken a six month leave of absence to give all his time to Obama. What a dude.

I hope Barack Obama ends up in the White House, and I hope Jeff Kurzon ends up in Congress.

Barack In Brooklyn
Jeff Kurzon's Living Room, Union Sqaure, Times Square, King Arthur

What a day. What energy. Wow. I have been floating for the most part.

I had made a point to not be an official volunteer. I did not want to be an insider to the rally. I wanted to be with the masses. I did not want a badge. I did not want to be close to the stage necessarily. I have seen Barack, Barack has seen me. I wanted to see the Obama supporters, the people. I wanted to see their faces.

Mother, it is no gain, thy bondage of finery, if it keeps one shut off from the healthful dust of the earth, if it rob one of the right of entrance to the great fair of common human life. (Tagore's Gitanjali)

Some of the volunteers who have known me for a long time as one of the earliest supporters of Barack in the city were surprised to see me on the outside. They were not expecting that.

I showed up early. I had been hyper all day. Expectant. Can't wait kind of feeling. I attended a MeetUp in the morning, but I was there in body only, my mind was elsewhere. Then I went to the Strand bookstore near Union Square. I tried to read out of the Greenspan book. I could not concentrate.

Then I went to the McDonald's near the Square for a meal. Then I said okay, enough. Let me walk that way. I had left home before nine in the morning.

I got to Washington Square around four. I was surprised a line had already started to form. The gates were to open at five.

Secret service people were there, and a whole bunch of police officers.

I walked once round the park. I wanted to survey the scene. I wanted the empty park on video, if only to draw a contrast with later footage.

I was beside myself. What a day. Crowds do something to me. I love street fairs. This was to be a special crowd. My first political rally in America. Obama brags about "20,000 people in Austin." Politicians in Nepal would laugh. A 100,000 strong political rally is no big deal in Nepal. They don't do TV ads back there.

India is a whole different story. A major rally in Delhi can easily be a million people. Or in Patna. People from all over the state of Bihar would pour into the state capital Patna for a rally. People would travel all day to get there, by train.

20,000 in Austin? This has been the biggest rally by any candidate this election season. Obama beat his own record. Others don't even bother doing rallies. Since when did running for president become anything to do with the people, they seem to suggest through their disdain for rallies.

After walking around the park I got into line, but before that a police officer asked me what I was doing: my video camera. I liked the attention.

At one point this random guy cornered me to ask me if I was a Ron Paul supporter! Is that not the name of that Texas Republican? I think I have more MySpace friends than he does. But no, I am not a Ron Paul supporter. But I liked the attention.

In line I met some people who did not have tickets. I had four extra tickets. I gave those out to them. One was Nicole, a Law undergrad at LSE in London across the pond, originally from Singapore, hoping to do a Masters in Law at NYU. For her it had been an impromptu decision to join the rally. She had come to NYU to meet a professor, she saw the brouhaha, and she decided to get in.

There were fancy metal detectors in place. At first it looked like they will not be able to process everyone on time. But the gameplan seemed to be to loosen the security as more time passes. And so there were people everywhere, including up in the trees. Out in the streets. Some said 10,000, some said more. Some said 25,000. New York Times says 25,000. That is a pretty good paper. Can be trusted. I think it was more like 30.

I can't believe I just attended the largest political rally in American presidential campaign history. We will beat this record next summer when Barack is hammering his Republican opponent. Is Central Park available? We will get people from Boston to DC to show up. We will shoot for million strong.

My first political rally in America, my biggest. I have not ever even been to a major rock concert. I was digging it the entire time. Totally. I started on what would be Obama's right when he was on stage, but very far away. I could only see him when I zoomed in my camera, and that was fine by me. I was more interested in watching the faces of those others around me, I was more into the crowd than stage action. Then I went more to the front. I think I got great footage. When I captured him on video from the front, because there was this huge light right behind him, though high up, it made him look like a messiah who had descended from the heavens to deliver heavenly message.

The energy was palpable. You had to be there to feel it, there is no other way.

Nothing he said was new to me, including his story at the end about the Fired Up woman in South Carolina. I have been following him so closely. But that did not take away from the excitement. For me it was about the crowd. What a crowd.

The comedian has to do his routine. So does the politician. Obama has his standard lines and themes, and then there are the impromptu moments when he basically has a little chit chat with the crowd. He responds to hoots and hollers. And so each speech ends up being local and unique.

After it all ended, at one point I got very close to him, but was not able to reach out and touch. And that's fine. I give Barack to others. I have no remorse.

This rally is the beginning of the end of Hillary 2008.

Those of you who captured the rally on video, do not, I repeat, do not edit out anything. Put all of it online. On Google Video. Hours and hours. We need to share this with all those across the country who could not make it. They could not be there. But we have to help them feel like they were there.

Jeff Kurzon: "My neighbor and friend Raj, who lives right next door, asked me what I thought about Senator Obama in the beginning of January, and I didn't really know anything about him. Then I saw footage from an old interview with Barack in 2002, where he was voicing his opposition to the war, and it really got me interested. Raj started a Meetup group and then started ObamaNYC.com and all of these people came together and started talking about Obama and it made me realize that this guy was really special. I haven't met an Obama volunteer that I don't like -- it's really unique -- and I've been actively involved ever since."

In The News

Obama Rallies Huge Crowd in New York New York Times When Senator Barack Obama ran through the arch and strode onto stage tonight in Washington Square Park, he paused and sized up the crowd standing before him, many of whom were waving blue signs into the air emblazoned with his last name. “Look at this crowd!” Mr. Obama said. “It is good to be back in New York. Some of you know, I used to live in New York City. I used to hang out in Washington Square Park. I know a little something about Greenwich Village.” He added: “I was going to say I know some of the bars around here, but I think my communications director was trying to cut that off.” ...... he did seem as though he had taken an energy boost from his appearance at a debate Wednesday evening in New Hampshire. ...... Throughout the course of a 41-minute speech, Mr. Obama essentially asked voters to take a leap of faith on his candidacy. “There are easier choices to make in this election,” he said. ...... Bathed in the glow of floodlights, Mr. Obama addressed thousands of people who stood shoulder-to-shoulder, stretching from one side of the park to the other. ...... And tonight, he drew what the campaign said was 24,000 people to Washington Square Park. That number was impossible to verify – unlike the other locales, where police provided a crowd count – but the audience clearly was one of the largest of the year. ..... The New York primary on Feb. 5 – one of 21 states scheduled to cast votes that day – could offer a delegate boost. ..... Obama believes he can pick up enough delegates in New York

Obama Distances Himself From Clinton, on Her Turf New York Times In a giant rally in the backyard of Senator Hillary Rodham, Mr. Obama, of Illinois, drew distinctions between himself and his leading rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, insisting that only a fresh candidate could truly change Washington. Twice, he singled out Mrs. Clinton. “Even your senator from New York wasn’t clear about the Yankees,” he said, laughing at his own joke. “I know who I’m rooting for!” ..... suggesting voters should be dubious of any candidate who declined to acknowledge the prospect of raising taxes to fix Social Security. .... bathed in bright flood lights as he stood on a stage before a crowd stretching across Washington Square Park, struck a sharper tone than he has through much of his campaign .... The arguments he made, before an audience of supporters, were not articulated during a debate one night earlier. ...... The racially diverse crowd included Obama devotees who said they came specifically to increase attendance; Greenwich Village residents who had heard the commotion and followed it with dogs and yoga mats in tow; and nostalgists who beamed at the sight of thousands of mostly young people filling the park for a liberal, antiwar cause. ...... Obama has made at least 17 trips to New York City this year. ..... Initially, the crowds extended to the far borders of the park, massed behind metal detectors that were brought out for the first time in the 2008 campaign. Unable to hear the introductions, people started to leave. But after chants of “Let us in!” security gave up and the crowd filed in. ........ Obama’s aides said more than 20,000 people registered for the event through the campaign’s Web site. ..... view from the vantage point of an elevated lift seemed to reveal the gathering as one of the largest campaign events of the year. ...... Sophie Ragir, 18, a Columbia freshman, said, “It’s a social thing. Everyone on my floor was, like, are you going to the Obama thing?” ... We don’t vote for a little while yet; I’m on a fishing trip.”

Post-debate campus poll goes well for Obama Baltimore Sun Out of 618 students participating in an electronic poll, Clinton was chosen the winner with 192 votes. Obama followed with 153 votes and former Sen. John Edwards came in third with 117. ...... the survey provided better news for Obama when it asked students who they would vote for in the Democratic presidential primary. Obama came out the winner this time with 166 votes, ahead of Clinton, who tallied 121 votes. Edwards trailed badly, however, with just 39 votes.

Obama Camp Plays Down Wife's Comment The Associated Press Michelle Obama who said this week that her husband has to win Iowa. ...... During a visit Wednesday to Davenport, Iowa, Michelle Obama commented on the importance of a strong showing in the caucuses. ..... "Iowa will make the difference," she said. "If Barack doesn't win Iowa, it is just a dream. If we win Iowa then we can move to the world as it should be. And we need your help in making that happen." ...... On Thursday, Obama's campaign made it clear that they were optimistic about their chances in Iowa but didn't consider it essential that they win. ..... Historically, three candidates from each party remain viable after Iowa, with those who finish fourth or worse losing steam and quitting the race relatively soon. That process could be even faster this cycle because of a compressed campaign schedule that's jammed a series of primaries and caucuses earlier in the calendar.

Obama Draws Thousands to NYC Park The Associated Press
Seeking a Slice of New York New York Times, United States The presidential campaign, for a few days this week, is expanding beyond the confines of Iowa and New Hampshire. And Senator Barack Obama’s eyes are fixed on New York. ..... On Monday, after collecting the endorsement of a New York City correction officers’ union, he spent the evening at a “Barack Obama on Broadway” fund-raiser. On Thursday, he returns for a taping of two television talk shows – “The View” and “The Tyra Banks Show” – and what his aides hope will be a huge rally in Washington Square Park. ...... In a drawn-out fight for the nomination, Mr. Obama believes he can pick up a cache of delegates in New York. There is an added bonus: New Jersey and Connecticut, which complete the tri-state media market, also vote on Feb. 5.
Unprecedented crowd of 25000 receive Obama in New York Blogger News Network set a new feat as the biggest crowd puller in the history of American politics. Estimates showed that over 25,000 attended the free rally. ...... The presidential hopeful himself wasted no time to point out the diversity in the multitude and the mammoth crowd itself as evidence that his stump message of hope and change was resonating and further that the whole country was hungry for radical change, and not just a change in political parties, and a continuation of the old ways of doing politics. ...... “You’ve got young people and old people,” he said. “You’ve got poor folk and not-so-poor folk. You’ve got blacks, whites, Asians, Native Americans. You’ve got gay and straight. You’ve got people with disabilities. You’ve got Democrats and independents, and, yes, you’ve even got some Republicans.” He remarked. ..... “….We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We want something new. We want some change,” Obama added. ....... Almost every phrase from the candidate was accompanied by applause. One NY resident, 50 years old Matha Liz, who prior to the event had been contemplating between Clinton, Edwards and Obama, said after the rally that she was fired up by Obama, and will be voting for him during the primaries. ..... “He is fresh, inspiring, and committed to clean Washington…” Matha echoed, buying an Obama t-shirt, which read, “I love NY”. ..... Most significant is the fact that the rally was taking place in New York, the backyard of the presumably front-runner, Hillary Clinton, whose highest crowd in the state since the campaign began is just 2,500. .... Her campaign will have to be very worried about the eventual media coverage that may ensue from the event, and potentially overturn polls, which have put her on a lead so far. ..... The fact of the matter is that he has built the strongest grassroot movement in this race, amongst all the candidates running
Obama Hosts ‘Don’t Give Up’ Rally In Hillary's Backyard WNBC, NY Initially, only guests who signed up could attend the rally, but loudspeakers afforded people on the street a chance to listen to Obama's speech. ....... Kelsey Randall, a 20-year-old Parsons School of Design student, said she supported Obama for president. .. "It's my first election (to vote) so I don't want to cast my vote for someone I don't support 100 percent," said Randall, who stood in line for more than an hour to get into the rally. "There's nothing yet that I've disagreed with him on. He's so his own person." ...... Obama spoke for close to an hour ..... Obama said the reason many of those at the rally had come was they were fed up with the U.S. Constitution being treated as a "nuisance" rather than as the country's foundation and with a war "that never should've been authorized and has cost us thousands of lives." He received thunderous applause. ...... "We should never negotiate out of fear, but we should never fear to negotiate. Refusing to talk with our enemies doesn't make the United States look tough, it makes us look arrogant." ...... "I know what it's like to watch a loved one suffer not just from illness but from a broken health care system," he said, adding that every American should have health care. ..... he would address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, intervene in the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan and close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. ...... "I've got the experience America needs right now." Hillary Clinton appears to enjoy a comfortable lead in several national polls. The Obama team has insisted that he can catch up.
Barack Obama Rally At Washington Square Park myfoxny.com, NY more than 700 people showed up for an organizing meeting in Manhattan a few weeks ago and more than 1,500 people attended a community kickoff event in Brooklyn.
Singles will check out eligible candidates at Obama rally New York Daily News, NY Like-minded city singles are looking to tonight's Barack Obama rally as more than just a politically charged soiree: It'll be a raging pickup scene. ...... The rally from 5-8 p.m. in Washington Square Park, promises to draw a young, intelligent crowd. And what better time to hook up than a beautiful fall evening while waving a banner for democracy? ..... But when the sun goes down over NYU, the party really starts about 20 blocks north- the rally after-party. ..... The Obama campaign is in no way affiliated with the Official Barack in NYC After-party, set for 7:30 at the 4-0/40 Club in the Flatiron District, but you can bet the young and the restless will file up Fifth Ave. from the park to continue, well, showing their support. ..... "Look, you never meet good guys in a bar," she reasons. "Something like this naturally weeds out the losers for you. You aren't going to get some pickup artist at a political after-party." ..... One ardent Obama supporter (who declined to give his name because he works in politics) says he'll attend both the rally and the after-party, and he doesn't expect to be going home alone. ...... He's confident for a reason. ... "Let's face it: Leftie girls are easy," he says.

Barack Obama Rally in NYC -- Opening
Barack Obama on Student Loans at NYC Rally September 27
BARACK OBAMA NYC RALLY 1
BARACK OBAMA NYC RALLY 2
Barack Obama NYC rally
NYC Rally Part 1 of 3
NYC Rally Part 2 of 3
NYC Rally Part 3 of 3
Barack Obama, Washington Square, New York City - Rally 9/27
Barack Obama speaks on Education at NYC Rally September 27
Obama on Iraq at NYC Rally Sept. 27.
BARACK OBAMA IN NYC 3
Obama NYC Rally draws 50,000 ppl, he slams Clinton part 2
Barack Obama rally NYC
Obama rally NYC
Obama New York City Rally draws 50,000 ppl, he slams Clinton
Obama New York City Rally draws 50,000 ppl, he slams Clinton

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Tim Russert: Bill O'Reilly's Lower Case Cousin

Media Smear On Obama's Name
Wolf Hitler, I mean Bitler, Blitler, Whatever
Bill O'Reilly, Bill O'Rama, Whatever The F___ His Name Is
Barack, Fox, MLK, Mandela
Bill O'Reilly: A Right Wing Gadfly

I went to the debate watch party near Times Square hosted by I-can-really-project-my-voice Justin Krebs' Drinking Liberally, Elizabeth Caputo's DL21C, and Tracey Denton's DFNYC, and Act Now. By the time it was all over, I was feeling deeply angry.

It was like Barack Obama did not even exist during the first hour of the debate. It felt to me like Kucinich got more time than my man Barack.

What was the formula Tim Russert used? If he had used the national poll numbers, Barack would have got at least half the time Hillary did. And Mike Gravel would have been off stage, which would have been a tragedy, since he is the one who stole the show today. As the man with nothing to lose, he spoke his mind. He is the one who got me into body shaking laughter a few different times.

I made a point to not go to an all Obama debate watching party, and there were several all across town, including a few where I was sure to meet some of the good friends I have made being involved with the campaign.

I wanted to go out there and gauge the public opinion. I wanted to see where we stood on neutral territory. These are some of the top all season organizations in the city that have been around for a while.

And I was pleasantly surprised. In terms of the number and loudness of shouts, we were way ahead of the competition. There were a few Edwards people. And there was one Hillary staffer who stood out.

We are doing good, New York. I feel like we are on our way to delivering on the promise I made to Barack the first time ever I met him. We will deliver New York to you for the primary, I said.

I like Hillary. She is a strong, smart, pragmatic woman. But the game has to be played fair.

Tim Russert ignoring Barack was too in the face.

Barack can not be what he is not. He has to be who he is. And that is what he has been doing. He was born biracial, he grew up white, he grew up partly in a Third World country, he went to America's top schools, he married a strong, smart, amazing black woman, he has two cute kids.

That is who he is. He can not be anything else.

America is ready for Barack. America is ready for someone of Barack's many heritages.

A few days back I suggested he should talk about his mother. That was not my way of saying he should emphasize his whiteness. That was me saying it is so obvious to me that your intense passion on health care seems to stem at least partly from your mother's premature death. And I think you should talk about it. That humanizes a complex policy issue.

Who today remembers the top newspaper names from Abraham Lincoln's time? Tim Russert is not even a footnote in history. Barack is history itself.

I saw a bunch of people. People that I have kind of come to know from going to various political events over the past two years. They fall in categories.

There are some who you only meet at events maybe once every few months, you exchange greetings, make some small talk, you are on positive terms, but not close. You don't email each other or call each other.

Then there are those who you got to know the name and face of, but who broke one of the ground rules, and you are not on terms with.

Then there are the in between awkward types. You would talk, you would not. Do we know each other well enough to hold a free-wheeling conversation?

And a few who you talk when you meet in person, who you also talk with over email and the phone. Those are few.

I have to have freewheeling conversations all three ways. That is my preferred style. People who can only communicate when they meet in person, they are too pre-Web 2.0.

For the most part, it is about experiencing the event. There is a beginning, a middle and an end. And it is over.

And then there are characters. People who you have never met before, will likely never see again, you don't end up talking, but who react to you, in one way or another.

I had my video camera with me. I have been uploading hours of New York City For Barack Obama videos. I edit while filming, and that is the only editing that happens. I put it up on Google Video one hour at a time. I have named myself The Obama Guy.

Today I took a few minutes of video of the people who were there, and a few minutes from the debates. At one point, I found myself pointing my camera at this other TV screen since that seemed to have a better resolution. What was on the TV screen was the only thing on my camera screen. Barack was talking.

About four steps away, this guy who Elizabeth was talking to made a point to stand between my camera and her, as if to make sure I don't get her on camera. He has to take two steps to do that: it was basically like having to switch sides with Caputo. I was very tempted to walk over to him. "There is this tattoo on your forehead. It says white trash. Were you born with it? Or did you get it later on? I own this city, you just live in it. Where do you live? What do you do? Who made the mistake of hiring you? How much longer do you plan on being a guest in this city?"

Silicon City

Plenty of DFNYC people were there. Ah, the ground rules. Rule 1, there are parts of my life where you don't belong. Rule 2, don't make racist comments, ever, like ever.

To Tim Russert's credit, Boy George George Stephanopoulos was trying to pull the same stunt at the Iowa debate. Barack handled that so well, he won that debate. He talked about how he had prepared for that debate by riding the bumper cars at the state fair. Boy George had invited everyone to jump on Barack's so-called lack of experience for 20 minutes prior.

Today Barack responded by talking about his wife a few different times. If my mother makes me white, my wife makes me black, and I am claiming every inch of her heritage, he seemed to be saying.

That is the right thing to do, that comes naturally to Obama, but that is also good politics. The million plus donors Obama will have by the time January is over like him for the package deal.

It was good to see Howard Dean in the debate audience on TV.

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

New Media Narrative: Hillary Pulling Away

To Tim Russert's credit, the dude might just have bought into the hype and might have decided to give the bulk of his time to Hillary.

Hillary was 48% in February, she is 47% today. How is she pulling away?

Woman Power

The Grassroots Power Woman

Caputo had a woman introduce her organization today. At the last DL21C event I went to, it was another woman. She looks like she is preparing for a Hillary presidency. If she feels about Hillary, the way I feel about Obama, she must be feeling it pretty strongly.

Curiously I was as crazy about Hillary as I am for Obama now before Obama said he might run. Then I switched.

DL21C Annual Summer Bash: Barack Won The Straw Poll

Debate Watch Party

Very few people at the party seemed to be actually watching the debate. Most people were busy talking to each other. America is not tuned in yet. Also, people don't expect to hear anything new from any of the candidates on any of the issues.

February To September: Little Change

Osama Obama, To Ignore Obama

The media has made a stride on Obama. It is not going to fly.

How To Tackle

If the white boys are going to want to continue acting shi_less, Barack is going to have to respond. One is to do what he did during the Iowa debate. He used humor to his advantage and turned the tables on Boy George.

Another idea I have been thinking about even before this Tim Russert stunt is, don't use only YouTube, also use Google Video. Produce hour length videos. It does not matter if tens of millions of voters never watch it. But the talking heads, the pundits, the journos, the hard core volunteers will. And that matters.

Barack Obama has to use Google Video to show off his policy wonk side. His second book has plenty of policy talk. Now he has bring that part of him out in video.

Spectrumize All Policy Issues

Health Care As A Spectrum
The Spectrum Concept: Wide Applications
The Spectrum On Gender
The Spectrum/Dialogue Concept Is Key To Power

Figure out the top 10 policy issues. On each get 10 individuals to represent the complete spectrum on each issue. Prepare hour long videos that you put on Google Video. You have to be seen exploring all the issues more than anything. And you revisit once every few months as necessary.

This is also be a slap in the face of those who, contrary to all evidence, have been trying to project Obama as all music and no lyrics.

Obama: More Than A Pretty Face

Obama has to use Google Video to show off his policy work side. Show off your brain trust.

Obama 2008 Has To Become Its Own Media

Google Video allows you to do that.

In The News

In a debate Edwards assails Clinton over Iraq Reuters
NH Democratic Debate Offers Fall Preview New York Times, United States 55 percent of voters say they have yet to decide on a candidate.
Presidential hopefuls resort to gimmicks MSNBC
Democrats Prepare for Granite State Debate Washington Post, United States
Can Clinton Be Stopped? Washington Post, United States The Hillary Clinton who appeared on five Sunday morning shows was a formidable political candidate: poised, polished, knowledgeable. The package she presented was designed to send a message to her Democratic rivals: catch me if you can. ....... She now sits atop the Democratic field, in a tier by herself. She has achieved that by performing at a consistently high level in debates and on the campaign trail, along with help from a campaign that has been largely free of major mistakes. She showed Sunday she could stand in against some of the best pitching in political journalism. ....... The rush to anoint Clinton as an inevitable nominee overlooks the history of nomination battles ...... What happens before the voters are heard from is not unimportant, but it is rarely decisive. ...... What could trip up Clinton? Many things: a scandal, a mistake or an unexpected event -- although mistakes seem the least likely given what has transpired to date. The most likely is a defeat and that certainly appears most possible in Iowa. ..... Iowa's electorate is notoriously picky about its choices. The voters there demand considerable attention and, even when they get it from the candidates, wait until the last minute to make up their minds. ...... An Obama victory in Iowa would deal a serious -- though not fatal -- setback to Clinton. Although Clinton has a lead in New Hampshire today, Obama has a potentially receptive electorate in New Hampshire because of the sizeable number of independents who are likely to vote in the Democratic primary. If Obama were to win both Iowa and New Hampshire, Clinton then would be in deep trouble. ...... Clinton is acting as if her whole campaign depends on Iowa -- and it may. ...... after the week she just wrapped up -- her most dominating week
of the campaign to day
Democrats to debate Iraq, health care USA Today
Obama is Stuck American Enterprise Institute, DC Her appeal is back to the future. .... His remarkable ascension in Democratic politics has been halted, and unless something changes, all he'll have is the consolation prize of first runner-up.
Dartmouth Debate: Gunning for Clinton New York Sun, NY
Is It Last Call Tonight For Obama And Edwards? Huffington Post, NY The previous debates, all 356,897 of them, were the pre-season of politics. The warm-ups when the candidates got ready for when the leaves change, the weather turns cold, the races, hot. ..... in Barack's case, monumental failure to make the case that they are alternatives to Senator Clinton. The failure is total and will be complete in another 30 days. ...... the poverty issue is not the most pressing issue of the day, Iraq is. .... Obama ... Too bad he has many of the same advisors and strategy that drove Edwards down the tubes in 2004. ... Too bad he talks the talk of "hope and change" but walks the walk with the most inner circle D.C. traditional campaign folks of any campaign (including Hillary) .... Too bad he didn't surround himself with more friends and less consultants. ..... Too bad he is going to bring in thousands of new people to the party and leave them disillusioned by the business as usual campaign. ...... My free advice to Barack Obama is the same advice I gave to John Kerry in October / November 2003. Right now, it should be clear to you that the path you're on ends with you giving a concession speech sometime in early 2008. Guaranteed. ...... So immediately gather your best and your oldest friends. Jettison the consultants and the beltway advisors. Become true to yourself and give yourself a chance. ...... Hillary is one of those people who you think you know, but you really don't. .... to her great credit, she has done what she did in New York State where she know has a resounding 81 percent favorable rating. ........ Clinton, the national frontrunner, has the support of 43 percent of Granite State Democrats, according to the CNN/WMUR poll, compared to 20 percent for Barack Obama. In a similar poll in July, Clinton led Obama by a narrower margin, 36 percent to 27 percent. .... Al Gore, you ask? .... He wins the Nobel Prize on October 14th.
Previewing Tonight's Debate RealClearPolitics Blog

Shame On The Top Politicians Of The World: Burma Asks For More

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

This is not the time to try balancing acts. This is not the time to urge restraint on the military devils in Burma. This is the time to take sides.

There is only one way this can end. The military regime is Burma has to totally and unconditionally give up power. Suu Kyi gets to form a multi-party interim government that will take the country to elections to a constituent assembly within a year. The military goes back to the barracks immediately.

In the mean time, all use of force against people using their fundamental human right to peaceful assembly is to be documented. All violations are to be punished after Suu Kyi comes to power. And that punishment part has to be publicized. Those who give orders will get punished. Those who carry out illegal orders will get punished.

If you are a president or prime minister of a country that has been a democracy for two, 20 or 200 years, this is your one chance to stand by the people of Burma. The more clearly and forcefully you stand by the people of Burma, fewer people will die in the protests, fewer will get injured. The sacrifice on the way to democracy will be lesser. If you stay quiet, you will have blood on your hands. That is what it boils down to.

There are not going to be peace talks with the military junta. They have to give up power, totally and unconditionally, and that is the only way.

Suu Kyi's interim government will draft an interim constitution that will put the army where it belongs in that country's power arrangement, firmly under control of the civilian prime minister.

You don't have to be a head of state. You can be somebody, anybody, a nobody, you could be anywhere in the world, and you can express support. The louder, the stronger the support, fewer people will die, fewer will get injured.

The military devils in Burma must be made to feel the entire world has stopped doing everything else it was doing, and the entire world is watching their every move. Everything they do is being recorded in the collective memory of humankind, and there will be hell to pay later if they misbehave now.

Not just the monks, but the masses in Burma must be made to feel the world stands with them clearly and unequivocally and all the way. They must be encouraged to come out in the tens of hundreds of thousands. That is the only way. Freedom is not going to be a gift of some foreign power. Freedom will have to be earned.

There has to be an overwhelming show of force by the masses. Come out into every street in every town, in every city, day after day after day until the military is no longer in power. The more overwhelming your presence out in the streets, fewer people will die, fewer will get injured, the goal will be achieved sooner.

You have done it for a week. Do it for two weeks or more and it will all be over. Do not, do not give up.

The military rulers of Burma must be reached with all channels of communication possible, they have to be threatened with every international law they will be violating if they opt to try and put down the demonstrations violently.

They should be threatened that they will be taken to the international criminal court for crimes against humanity, and that threat has to be carried out if they misbehave.

Sanctions are not enough. Sanctions alone only hurt the people. There have to be threats that violent suppressions of peaceful demonstrations violate international law, and those giving and carrying out the illegal orders will be dealt with later on.

There has to be an attempt to infiltrate the police and the military with warnings that illegal orders followed can come to haunt you later on.

The people of Burma must act brave. It is now or never. It is do or die. Karo ya maro.

The Burmese diaspora must realize this is their last chance. It is now or never. They must be the force that forces the world to pay attention. They must work to extend all possible moral and logistical support to those inside the country. The diaspora in the neighboring countries have a major role to play.

Suu Kyi's democratic government is not going to be against the economic interests of India, China or Russia. Suu Kyi will do business. She will do better business than the awkward military generals.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Defy The Curfew, Fill Up The Jails

Fill up the jails in hundreds of thousands. You will all get out within weeks.

How many will they jail? Only so many. How many can they shoot? Only so many. Unlike in 1988, this time they will have hell to pay.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

2008 Olympics

If China does not actively work on the generals to make sure they don't unleash terror on the demonstrators, the Olympics next year must be boycotted by the democracies of the world.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Engineering A Coup

There have got to be some people inside the Burmese military who are not exactly fans of the top guys who come across as every bit dud and boring. If they can be reached, an attempt has to be made to topple the top generals through a military coup.

The soldiers who would actually carry out the orders to kill the people in the thousands: I don't believe they want to do that deep in their hearts. But they have to know this regime is at the brink of collapse. They have to be told so.

In other words, infiltrate the police, infiltrate the army through any and all contacts you might have.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Gang Of 200

At most, that is how many guys are going to have to be punished. Identify who they are. Turn the security forces against them. These are the guys living fancy lives while ordinary soldiers are sent out to do dirty work. Those soldiers must think for themselves and their fellow citizens.

The corrupt generals are in it for the money and the lavish lifestyle that they don't share with the ordinary soldiers or even ranking officers. One of those ranking officers could turn the tap on the generals.

These bad guys are not even 0.0002% of the country's population.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

India

There is no way India can emerge a global superpower if it does not become a staunch force for democracy in the world, starting from its own neighborhood. If India helps Burma now, the Suu Kyi government will also reward it economically later.

India has the advantage of itself being a democracy, unlike China. And the Indian activists and civil society don't have to have no qualms. They can jump in onto the situation.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Monks Alone Can't Do It

Monks are out asking for an "apology." Before the regime manipulates them into getting off the streets, the students and the hard core democracy activists must work to get the larger population out into the streets in the largest demonstrations possible.

There has to be a clear slogan.

End Military Rule, Now!

No talks, no compromise.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

In The News

Iran’s Media Assail President’s Treatment New York Times adversarial hosts, whom it described as Zionist Jews. ..... “Mr. Ahmadinejad was the center of the world news for the past few days,” said the reporter. ....... the audience booing Mr. Ahmadinejad when he said there were no homosexuals in Iran ...... “New York is the headquarters of Zionist Jews, and they have control over Columbia University,” he said. “It seems that our diplomacy apparatus had not given complete information to the president.”
Miliband to discuss Burma crisis The Press Association called for tough sanctions from the international community if the Buddhist-led revolt was violently suppressed. ...... tens of thousands of monks, nuns and ordinary Burmese citizens ..... In 1988 about 3,000 people were killed when a popular uprising was brutally put down by the regime.
The barefoot art of war Salon Thousands of Buddhist monks have hit the streets in Myanmar, deploying some shrewd political jujitsu against the corrupt, iron-fisted junta. ...... The population has begun openly showing its support too. Tens of thousands of people have reportedly joined the march of the monks. Other spectators form human chains or simply applaud. Brave-hearted monks are holding passionate speeches by Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon. They speak of the suffering and the desperate poverty of Myanmar's 50 million inhabitants -- and call for the overthrow of the junta that seized power in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) in 1962. The regime's policies have effectively laid waste to what was once Southeast Asia's richest country.
'Karnataka to soon become Bihar-like' Times of India
CHRONOLOGY-A month of mushrooming protests in Myanmar Reuters
Union's non-choice is loss for Edwards, gain for Obama Chicago Sun-Times
Obama leads in fundraising again Newsday Obama is expected to pull in between $18 million and $19 million ..... Clinton will take in between $17 million and $19 million ..... key primary states, trailing Clinton by double digits in all early battlegrounds except Iowa. ..... The former first lady has widened her lead over Obama in the Granite State to a commanding 23 points .... Obama, who is planning a rally tomorrow in Harlem, weighed in on the controversy over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's trip to New York, telling a radio interviewer he didn't agree with the blanket coverage in city tabloids. "The way to approach petty tyrants is not to inflate them," he told WNYC's Brian Lehrer yesterday.
Troops surround Myanmar monasteries Aljazeera.net, Qatar soldiers and riot police around at least six big monasteries .... An estimated 50,000-100,000 protesters marched through the streets of Yangon on Monday in the biggest demonstration yet against the military government. .... "People do not tolerate the military government any longer." .... Reports from inside the country indicated that the government had cut off internet access and there were also unconfirmed reports that Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate who has been under house arrest, had been moved to prison. ...... "This morning I'm announcing a series of steps to help bring peaceful change to [Myanmar]," Bush said in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. .... "The United States will tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the regime and their financial backers, and we will impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights as well as their family members." ..... government agents had been preparing to infiltrate the protests in order to spark trouble and justify a crackdown. ....... Irene Khan, the secretary-general for Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, appealed to the UN Security Council to immediately send a mission to Myanmar. .... "The high risk of a crackdown against the demonstrators makes it imperative for the international community to act urgently," Khan said, adding that China, Japan and India had a role to play in ensuring stability in Myanmar. .... The London-based Burma Campaign UK said it had a received reports of soldiers ordered to shave their heads, apparently to pose as monks and infiltrate the protests. ..... "They would start rioting or attacking police, providing the regime with a pretext for a brutal crackdown on protesters," the group said. ..... "There is an underlying suffering that is now being expressed." ..... About 90 per cent of Myanmar's population is Buddhist. At some point in their lives, every Buddhist male is expected to join the monk hood or 'Sangha'. Every village or neighbourhood has its own pagoda and monastery, which traditionally serves as the focus for community life and the main centre for education. In recent years rising levels of poverty have raised demand for the free education provided by the monasteries.
Myanamar protests unlikely to bring change, analysts say Chicago Tribune, United States decades of inward-looking rule and Western sanctions ..... vehicles fitted with loudspeakers into the streets, warning people "not to follow, encourage or take part in these marches." ..... The warnings appeared to significantly reduce the size of the protests ...... On Tuesday, many supporters appeared to stay home, reducing the crowd of protesters—mainly monks—to about 10,000 people ...... the sanctions campaign, similar to what the U.S. has imposed on Cuba, is more likely to continue hurting the nation's people than forcing change in Myanmar's 45-year military leadership. ....... the country, which has large natural gas reserves, is between China and India, two emerging superpowers with a growing thirst for natural gas. In recent years both countries have cut deals to build gas pipelines across Myanmar, and Russia has signed an early deal to explore for offshore oil and natural gas reserves. Thailand similarly is investing $6 billion in a huge hydropower project. ..... "You can never isolate a country sandwiched between two of the fastest-growing economies in the world ..... Myanmar's top generals, most of them devout Buddhists, have been cautious about cracking down on the monks, widely seen as the country's top moral authority. ..... under house arrest for 12 of the last 17 years. ...... hard-line young monks, ready to face bullets rather than return to their monasteries...... "what is not possible is the collapse of this militarized state," Zarni said. "You can't compare what is happening in Burma right now with the Orange or Velvet Revolution in Europe," where protests movements looked for inspiration to perestroika in Russia. In Myanmar, "the state is deeply supported by China and they're not about to launch perestroika"
Regime in Myanmar bans gatherings New York Daily News, NY Bush accused the regime of imposing "a 19-year reign of fear" that denies basic freedoms of speech, assembly and worship. ..... pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi had been moved from house arrest to the notorious Insein prison
Myanmar police, soldiers deployed to pagodas and monasteries New Straits Times, Malaysia
Myanmar monks defy junta, resume rallies Kansas City Star, MO soldiers in full battle gear were deployed Tuesday in the country's largest city, setting the stage for a showdown with a determined pro-democracy protest movement. ...... When faced with a similar crisis in 1988, the government harshly put down a student-led democracy uprising. Security forces fired into crowds of peaceful demonstrators and killed thousands, traumatizing the nation. ....... Authorities announced the ban on gatherings and a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew through loudspeakers on vehicles cruising the streets of Yangon, the country's biggest city, and its second city, Mandalay. The announcement said the measures would be in effect for 60 days. ...... the Dalai Lama and South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu ..... "Americans are outraged by the situation in Burma," Bush said in an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. ..... Human Rights Watch said Myanmar's allies including China, Thailand, India and Russia, should urge the military government to respond to the peaceful protests without violence. ...... At least 35,000 Buddhist monks and sympathizers defied official warnings Tuesday and staged another anti-government march. ....... Authorities in cars cruised Yangon's streets Tuesday morning, announcing the clergy had been directed not to take part in "secular affairs" ..... The head of the country's official Buddhist organization, or Sangha, issued a directive Monday ordering monks to stick to learning and propagating the faith, saying young monks were being "compelled by a group of destructive elements within and without to break the law," the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said. ....... A monk who addressed the crowd at the end of the march vowed the protests would continue until the government apologizes for mistreating monks at an earlier demonstration in northern Myanmar.
Narrow vision marks Myanmar generals they claim to be binding a fractious nation together and safeguarding against anarchy that could come from many contending ethnic groups. And they see themselves as paragons of development. ......... destroyed what had been one of Southeast Asia's most dynamic economies, and what little resources remained were put into the army's battle against ethnic minority groups along the border seeking autonomy ........ Gen. Than Shwe ... is said to be superstitious and consult with astrologers, but otherwise has a public image that is taciturn in the extreme. .... Stories abound that the two leaders are more rivals than friends. ...... Rumor has it that Than Shwe cannot even bring himself to utter her name, while Maung Aye is believed by some to have been behind an attack on her convoy when she was making a political trip in northern Myanmar, from which she barely escaped with her life. ...... The 62-year-old Oxford-educated Suu Kyi is every bit as urbane as the generals are roughhewn.
Protesters defy junta Hindu, India
Monk demonstrations continue Xinhua, China
Myanmar military rulers impose curfew, ban assembly in 2 cities ... Malaysia Star, Malaysia
Britain eyes return of Suu Kyi as 'rightful' Myanmar leader Times of India, India
Myanmar bans gatherings and imposes curfew after monks defy ... The Canadian Press
Myanmar Junta Deploys Troops in Yangon as Tension Mounts eFluxMedia
China Nudges Myanmar on Protests The Associated Press A senior Chinese official asked junta envoys this month to reconcile with opposition democratic forces. And China arranged a low-key meeting in Beijing between Myanmar and State Department envoys to discuss the release of the leading opposition figure. ...... China's influence in Myanmar is second to none and could be decisive in restraining the junta from a violent confrontation with protesters. ....... China has deftly filled the diplomatic and economic vacuum, eyeing Myanmar as a strategic path to the Indian Ocean, investing in its teak forests, gas and mineral fields and picking up an ally in the junta. ...... Myanmar "was a vassal state of China's for centuries, and it's fast reverting to that status ...... With an Olympics in Beijing next year already bringing China heightened scrutiny, Chinese leaders are likely loath to be associated with another repressive, unpopular regime. ....... caused Beijing to pare back lending to Zimbabwe and put pressure on Sudan ..... the "Genocide Olympics" if Beijing did not act ..... the Chinese government's senior diplomat told visiting Myanmar leaders to seek a peaceful resolution. ..... In May, Beijing telegraphed its frustration with Myanmar's rulers. The Foreign Ministry briefly posted on its Web site a critical account of the junta's decision to move the capital from Yangon to Naypyidaw, a remote site with a shoddy airport and no cell phone service.
Myanmar key is with China Gulf News, United Arab Emirates
Myanmar junta sets curfew amid mass protests Wiener Zeitung, Österreich
Britain wants to see Suu Kyi installed in power Sify, India
Monks rekindle hope for change in Myanmar Hindustan Times, India
Myanmar: Riot Police Deployed To Yangon Stratfor
Myanmar troops patrol streets after mass protests Euronews.net, France
Eighth day of protests by monks in Myanmar USA Today
Burmese Monks Protest Despite Junta’s Warning New York Times, United States “People are not to follow, encourage or take part in these marches,” the announcements said. “Action will be taken against those who violate this order.” ....... Yangon and Mandalay would be under the control of the local military commanders for 60 days. ...... five army trucks, each capable of carrying 50 soldiers, were parked less than a kilometer from City Hall and the Sule Pagoda ...... an ethnic militia that has been fighting a decades-long guerrilla war said that government troops had been withdrawn from their remote jungle area. ........ “The government has ordered the 22nd Division troops to pull out of Karen state and return to Yangon,” Colonel Nerda Mya of the Karen National Union told the news agency. “We believe the troops will be used as in 1988.” ..... the government might use provocateurs to stir violence and justify a crackdown, as it did in 1988. The Burma Campaign UK said its sources had reported the junta ordering large numbers of maroon monastic robes and telling soldiers to shave their heads, possibly to infiltrate the monks. ....... the National Council of the Union of Burma, a coalition of opposition groups based in Thailand ..... the cheers and the vigor of the day’s demonstrations were as strong as ever, but with a new sense of trepidation over the possibility of a violent crackdown. ..... “Sufficiency in food, clothing and shelter, national reconciliation, freedom for all political prisoners.” ....... protests by monks had also spread to cities like Mandalay, Hinthada and Monywa in seven of the 14 states and divisions. ..... these “destructive elements” included the political party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy advocate who is being held under house arrest; remnants of the now-defunct Communist Party; and some foreign radio stations. ...... “If serious loss of life is to be averted, those United Nations members with influence over the government are going to have to come together fast,” he said in an allusion to China, Russia and India.
Myanmar Monks Ordered to Cease Nationwide Protests FOX News
Suu Kyi 'rightful' leader says Britain Gulf Daily News, Bahrain
Junta confronts Saffron Revolution Globe and Mail, Canada How do you put down a protest led by Buddhist monks carrying nothing more threatening than begging bowls and banners extolling "love and kindness." That is the conundrum for Myanmar's military regime ........ a problem familiar to dictators throughout history: Let the protests continue and risk seeing the country spin out of their control or open fire on the protesters and risk a backlash at home and infamy abroad. ....... most belonging to the Theravada sect predominant in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. ...... in a long red river. As they passed, people gave them drinking water, flowers and balm for their feet. ....... roughly 100 Buddhist nuns in pale pink robes joined the protest. ...... in 1988, the regime showed no compunction about using force against unarmed demonstrators, mowing down thousands in the streets and cremating the bodies to cover its crime. ....... appeared on state television to accuse the monks of being manipulated by Myanmar's enemies at home and abroad ..... claimed that the protesting monks represented just 2 per cent of the country's population and warned that, unless senior monks did not rein them in, the regime would act "according to the law." ....... Roughly half a million men sport the shaven head and saffron or vermillion robe that marks them as monks, walking barefoot through the streets asking for alms with their familiar round begging bowls. ..... Nearly every Buddhist, including officers and top generals, has a brother or cousin or friend who is a monk. ...... the Saffron Revolution, after the Rose and Orange revolutions that peacefully overthrew entrenched regimes in Georgia and Ukraine ...... the long, disciplined lines of monks in towns and cities across the country, marching through monsoonal downpours, chanting prayers for loving kindness ...... Like Pakistan's military government, which funds mosques and Islamic schools to pose as the protector of Islam, the regime has spent millions refurbishing temples, placing gold leaf on the dome of Rangoon's famous Shwedagon Pagoda and building retreats for Buddhist meditation. ....... To make the barb bite deeper, they have also refused to perform religious duties for its members. In effect, they are excommunicating the generals. ..... Along with calling for an apology, they are now demanding the freeing of imprisoned democracy activists. ...... "Long life and health for Aung San Suu Kyi, may she have freedom soon," the monks chanted in the rain.
Junta threatens monks leading protest throngs Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX increasing pressure on the junta to either crack down on a reinvigorated democracy movement or compromise with it.
Western countries urge junta to exercise restraint Montreal Gazette, Canada He said the pro-democracy movement isn't strong enough to topple the military regime.
Thousands protest in Myanmar KTUU, AK

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

February To September: Little Change

Silicon City

February To September: Little Change

Hillary was at 48% in February, she is 47% in September. Barack was 23% in February, he is 25% in September nationally.

Moral of the story is the average American voter, the people who actually make the decision, have not been paying attention. For the political junkies, the presidential race started earlier than usual this year. But for the voters that has not been the case.

Barack: Nowhere To Go But Up

When the anti-lobbying people who have rallied behind Edwards realize on January 21 that their candidate is basically out of the race, who do you think is going to get their current 10 plus percent? Barack Obama. When the Hispanics finally realize Bill Richardson is actually Hispanic and not Anglo, but before they have had a chance to express their ethnic pride, they realize Richardson has lost and dropped out, that he does not stand a chance, who do you think will cash that ethnic pride? Barack Obama. The Biden, Dodd, Kucinich and Gravel people are also going to go with Obama.

Iowa

If Hillary emerges second or third in Iowa, that is going to kill her momentum and possibly her candidacy although she will have enough money to go all the way to February 5. Front runners can't afford to lose Iowa. If Obama is second in Iowa, that will be a better than expected show, and that will give him a lot of momentum.

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas

Barack is the only one doing it. All the others have been rehashing old ideas that sound new because they are different from W's ideas.

South Carolina

South Carolina is going to be the big, big surprise of the first four states. Barack is going to carry that state by a wide margin. The black people want to rally behind Barack with a tribal fervor and song and dance but they want to do it so late in the process they don't get too noticed, or so they hope.

Scenario 1

Barack wins Iowa. He wins Nevada. He wins New Hampshire. He wins South Carolina. At that point Hillary all but drops out. She giver her concession speech midnight of February 5 that she wrote herself a week earlier. It concludes by saying, Go get 'em tiger.

Scenario 2

Barack is second in Iowa, Edwards wins Iowa. Hillary is third.

Barack wins Nevada, Hillary is second. Richardson is third.

Hillary wins New Hampshire, Barack is second, Edwards is third.

Barack wins South Carolina by a wide margin. Hillary is second. Edwards is a distant third, and all else have dropped out.

Barack wins big on February 5. He carries California, he carries New York. The game is over.

Scenario 3

Hillary wins Iowa, Barack is second. Barack wins Nevada, Hillary is second. Hillary wins New Hampshire, Barack is second. Barack wins South Carolina, Hillary is second.

On February 5, Barack wins big, Hillary wins big. At that point Barack has 55% of the delegates, Hillary has 45%.

That leads to much February action and a March madness. Tsunami Tuesday prepares ground, Super Tuesday decides.

Barack has much more money than Hillary after February 5 because all of Barack's million strong contributors who gave $100 or less make repeat contributions.

He wins.

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

In The News

Nepal's largest party re-unites BBC News
George Clooney, girlfriend shrug off Harley crash MSNBC
Clinton Camp Expects Obama to Best Them by Over $10 Million ABC News Blaming a vacationing donor base during the summer months of July and August, and suggesting previous donors have "maxed out" their contributions to the New York senator in the first two fundraising quarters, the Clinton campaign predicted Obama's campaign will beat them by over $10 million. ........ over 472,000 individual donations from over 333,000 different people ..... "He has demonstrated a capacity to raise money from donors who aren't traditional Democratic party donors. That is extraordinary," Dunn said. "He appeals to younger voters who are much more comfortable giving money online." ..... younger voters, who are traditionally unreliable when it comes to turning out at the polls.. ...... On Monday, Obama took his fundraising pitch to Broadway for a theatre fundraiser that cost $250 to $2,300 per ticket. ..... hopes to have a total of 500,000 donations from 350,000 donors at the quarter's end. ...... Thompson's fundraising push shows he lacks a national financial structure.
Win a Debate Date With a Clinton Washington Post
What's new: Bush said to be quietly advising Clinton on Iraq ... USA Today "President Bush is quietly providing back-channel advice to (Sen.) Hillary Rodham Clinton ........ Bush told Sammon he thinks Clinton will win the Democratic nomination ...... By telling us in the most explicit terms yet that she will not withdraw from Iraq in 2009, she must believe she has the nomination wrapped up. ..... 'Iowa always tends to punish the front-runner right down at the end of the campaign. ..... "Early this summer, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for president learned that the men's magazine GQ was working on a story the campaign was sure to hate: an account of infighting in Hillaryland. So Clinton's aides pulled a page from the book of Hollywood publicists and offered GQ a stark choice: Kill the piece, or lose access to planned celebrity coverboy Bill Clinton. Despite internal protests, GQ editor Jim Nelson met the Clinton campaign's demands, which had been delivered by Bill Clinton's spokesman, Jay Carson, several sources familiar with the conversations said." ..... "Top Republicans are privately bracing for the possibility that they could lose additional House seats in next year's elections as a result of untimely retirements, ongoing scandals and unexpectedly gloomy fundraising forecasts
Bayh backs Clinton for leadership traits Indianapolis Star
Nepal parties mull compromise NDTV.com Nepal's eight main parties are planning to bring in a resolution in the interim Parliament expressing their ''joint commitment'' to make Nepal a Republican country ...... Prachanda on Monday indicated that some ''new consensus'' was possible on declaring Nepal Republic state and proportionate voting system
For GOP, Michigan Looms Large CBS News

Monks defy warnings to protest in Myanmar International Herald Tribune
China Calls for Stability in Myanmar as Monks Protest (Update4) Bloomberg
Monk demonstrations continue Xinhua

Beijing gets ready to welcome Sonia, congratulates Rahul Times of India
India's crown prince Rahul Gandhi takes top party job AFP
Bush Pushes UN to Live Up to Charter Commitments FOX News
Musharraf will remain general if not elected International Herald Tribune
Google and Microsoft after Facebook for its bigger aspirations National Post active users at roughly 42 million, growth of 3% per week and hundreds of thousands of applications in development ..... Microsoft is in talks to buy a minority stake in the popular Web site. Google also is rumoured to be interested. ..... the more “complex mission” Facebook is pushing. ..... a technology company, not a media company – much like Google ..... Facebook is also trying to enable more efficient sharing of information. And if it executes properly, it could be worth billions or more in the next five years ...... it took a few years for people to realize that Google has very broad ambitions to organize the world’s information – all of it, not just the stuff that was already present on the Internet today ....... While Google funds, tags, ranks and present information, Facebook takes that data and other more personal info, and helps people share it. ...... “We believe where one leaves off, the other begins” ..... “real value is created when Facebook can match advertiser and consumer intent.”
Go Public Now, Facebook Motley Fool Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) appears to be ready to pay as much as $500 million for a 5% stake in hip-and-happening Facebook. .... Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) taking a 5% stake in AOL two years ago ...... Like Google to AOL, Microsoft is Facebook's ad-serving partner. .... values Facebook at a lofty $10 billion. ..... the $1 billion price tag Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) was supposedly offering to buy all of Facebook last year. ..... The company is growing quickly. Opening up its site to third-party developers is sheer, visionary genius. ..... Facebook may be holding out for a valuation closer to $15 billion ..... at $15 billion, it would command nearly half the market cap of Yahoo! or the equivalent of 13 CNET Networks ....... should be one of the hottest IPOs of 2008. ..... Facebook is becoming the Internet's most talked-about private company. ..... Facebook was right not to settle for being Yahoo!'s billion-dollar wingman. ..... Google has also approached Facebook about taking a minority stake in the company. ..... monetization of social networking .... Google is paying at least $300 million a year to News Corp. to field the search queries on MySpace. ...... Take the money. Then turn around, go public, and take the money again.
Is Eklavya a good choice for the Oscars? Rediff
"The War" Re-Examines WWII CBS News "The problem with the second World War, for years we mediated it, made it the good war and bloodless war and mediated it by having celebrity generals and strategy and tactics everything and weapons," Burns said. "We want to find out what happened. These people are dying at a rate of 1,000 a day. If we don't record what they experienced, what war is like, which is just as horrible as it is now, more." ........ "Think about it, you're 18, 19 years old, you go to war. The thing about war is you're scared, you're bored, you're hot, you're cold, you see bad things, you do bad things, you lose good friends. How can you come back and explain it?" he said. "The guys who saw the worst stuff were quiet and helped deal with it by making funny stories. We had a guy in the Battle of the Bulge, we took over a French farmhouse, 'They had a wine cellar, we all got drunk.' " Later, the man's son said he had never heard that story before, Burns said.

A restless Sarkozy vows to lead Europe into a new era Garowe Online
In TV blitz, Clinton goes on Iraq offensive AFP
Florida Democrats Affirm an Early Primary New York Times
Romney Wins Mackinac Straw Poll New York Times
Merkel angers China over Tibet Guardian Unlimited
Merkel defies China, meets Dalai Lama Bangkok Post
China's Criticism Heats Up Ahead of Merkel Meet With Dalai Lama Deutsche Welle
5 Cool Google Tools You Should Know About InformationWeek how Google approaches product development, which is certainly unlike any other company. .... Google is incredibly retro in its research model; it's like the old Bell Labs, or IBM when it was in its glory days. You've got engineers, programmers, and PhDs of various specialties working on stuff, with little or no pressure to produce stuff that can be monetized. ....... Google gives no hints as to where its thousands of projects might ultimately take the company. ..... Web apps, followed by mobile (gPhone anyone?) are the next big areas after search. ..... this "throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks" model is a far better way to pick winners and losers than to make bets internally.
Wal-Mart maps out grand plan to go greener MSNBC

20000 join Burma's 'saffron revolution' The Sunday Times
Burma march 'largest in 20 years' BBC News
Challenge to Myanmar's military junta gains momentum International Herald Tribune
Monks' protest swells Bangkok Post, Thailand
Security beefed up around Suu Kyi's residence Hindu, India
Emboldened Myanmar monks challenge junta rule AFP
Monks' challenge gathers strength against Burma's military government Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
Monks lead huge protest in Yangon Aljazeera.net, Qatar
Burma monks call on public to join dissent The Age, Australia
Monks increase pressure on junta Channel 4 News, UK
Veering towards breaking point Malaysia Star, Malaysia
Nearly 5000 march against military rule in Myanmar Inquirer.net, Philippines
Witnesses: 10000 monks stage Myanmar protests CNN
Dissident reveals his hand in Burma protests Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom A pro-democracy leader who tops the "wanted" list of Burma's military rulers has revealed to The Sunday Telegraph how his movement has helped orchestrate the escalating street protests against the country's dictatorship. ...... had been secretly liaising with the Buddhist monks ..... the two groups are working to form a joint challenge to the regime. ..... hopes that, this time, the country's generals might lose their nerve rather than respond with force. ...... such is the dire state of Burma's economy now that many of its 53 million people feel they have little left to lose. .... "Our cadres have for weeks been coaxing the Buddhist clergy to join the protest movement," said Mr Saw. ..... "People might be encouraged to shed their fears if the monks take to the streets. The senior clergy close to the regime were reluctant to take part, but the younger monks are showing a keen interest." ....... Democracy activists began the protests a month ago, but they petered out until they enlisted the monks last week. Because of the respect the monks enjoy in the religiously devout nation, the ruling generals are wary of suppressing them with the kind of brutality used against others. ....... She came out of her house and wept as they filed past. ...... You knock on a door late at night, and whisper, 'Let me in, brother'. ..... "The junta spends 40 per cent of its budget on its 450,000-strong army. Only a sliver of the budget goes to health care and education. ...... "There was a time when Burma was known as Asia's rice bowl, yet today nearly a third of Burmese are malnourished or physically underdeveloped." ..... "I was held in tiny seven-by-10ft cells, where I saw my fellow inmates beaten to death in front of me."

China Catholics throng to church BBC News
China steps up space exploration programme Belfast Telegraph
Constitutionally Suspect Presidential Election in Pakistan JURIST
'Karan Johar says that he hates growing old' Hindu
America's billionaires get a lot richer AFP
Merck HIV Vaccine Study Shut Down, Volunteers Infected Gay Wired
Clooney could face charges after motorcycle crash Independent

Barack Obama caught between lines in race battle Times Online, UK
Obama Floats Social Security Tax Hike ABC News "If we kept the payroll tax rate exactly the same but applied it to all earnings and not just the first $97,000," Obama wrote this week in an Iowa newspaper, "we could eliminate the entire Social Security shortfall." ....... "one possible option" .... a higher retirement age should be "on the table." .... Obama has distinguished himself as the presidential candidate most willing to touch the "third rail" of American politics. ...... the roughly five percent of Americans who earn more than $97,000 per year. ..... "It would end the contributory idea of Social Security, where you get back something for what you put in." ...... Obama's consideration of a tax hike is under fire from Republicans for its sheer size. ...... Income between $97,000 and $200,000 would continue to be exempt from Social Security taxes under the Edwards proposal. ..... Clinton opposes both ..... her focus would be on getting back to fiscal discipline in the non-Social Security portion of the budget ...... "When you cut off the contribution at $90,000, $95,000, that's a lot of money between $95,000 and the $46 million that Warren Buffet made last year. And he's honest enough to say, 'Look, tax me because I'm a patriotic American and I want to make sure our country stays strong and is fair.'"
Obama’s game plan lets Hillary do the fighting Times Online, UK stumbling over even the name of his wife. The effortless grace of that spellbinding 2004 convention speech seemed from another era. ...... I’d just been bored by a black politician on tax policy. ..... The days in which African-American politics were defined by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, or, even worse, Louis Farrakhan, are over. ...... The conventional wisdom about Obama is that his campaign is flailing before the relentless bulldozer of the Clinton machine. ...... some time this spring, he stalled and she rallied. ...... His support hasn’t slumped much since then; it has simply trodden water at about 20%. ..... after some superb debate performances, is now about 39%. ..... in the key early races, the polling is much closer. ..... She has global name recognition and deep loyalty among the most partisan and loyal Democrats. ...... If fellow Democrat John Edwards drops out in the early stages, his 10% could go to Obama. If Obama seems a viable candidate in South Carolina, that primary’s substantial black vote could break at the last minute for the black man in the race. ....... In a polarised climate, where Rudy Giuliani is already lambasting Hillary and itching for a fight, Obama is sticking to a disciplined message of reconciliation, unity, responsibility. ...... He detects an enormous weariness among Americans about their internal divisions in a time of war, overlaid by the anger and divisions that have deepened and widened under the Bush presidency. He suspects that if he can get past Clinton’s aura of inevitability, Democrats will realise he has a much better chance of winning a real national majority in the general election than Clinton does. Clinton polarises the way Bush polarises. She can hope for a Karl Rove-style 51% majority in a deeply divided country. He’s aiming for 55%. ..... Clinton .. represents payback for the Democrats and liberals after the Bush era ..... Obama .. offering Americans something else: not payback, but a new page.
Candidates vie for MySpace generation Sunday Herald Her official website has links to MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as video and photograph collections on YouTube and Flickr. ...... the 1920s with radio and the 1940s and 50s with television .... aged 18-29. ... "the demographic that is virtually unreachable by other media. ..... By the mid-term elections of 2006, YouTube had joined the blogs as a key online battleground. It was widely credited with the downfall of at least one Republican Senator, George Allen, who lost a close race in Virginia after aiming a racist comment ........ Nixon was unguarded when his stubble was obvious when he was on TV debating against Kennedy ..... giving MySpace and MTV.com users the chance to interrogate the main presidential contenders by email, text or instant message
Obama: Expand Senior Volunteer Programs The Associated Press Obama said Friday he wants to increase opportunities for older Americans to contribute to society by creating new volunteer programs. ...... sought to reach across generations by including younger Iowans in his effort to increase senior volunteer opportunities. ...... More than 60 percent of the activists who showed up for Democratic precinct caucuses in both 2000 and 2004 were older than 50. ..... "If the greatest generation can teach today's generation anything, it's that a greater America is still possible," Obama said. ..... a statewide canvass involving hundreds of volunteers working out of 46 offices in virtually every corner of the state this weekend.
Obama focuses on seniors, ties to youth KGAN
Clinton tough, Giuliani energetic, Obama optimistic Baltimore Sun, United States
Ushering in Obama In Atlanta Washington Post, United States R&B singer Usher Raymond to launch his "Countdown for Change" tour in the South. ..... Obama gracing the cover of Vibe magazine this month and mentions in songs this summer by rappers Common and Talib Kweli. "My raps ignite the people like Obama," raps Common. ...... Some African Americans in the crowd wore all black in a show of solidarity with marchers in Jena ..... "That we don't have people getting 100 times bigger penalties for [the sale of] crack cocaine versus powdered cocaine." ..... The city is home to about 45 colleges and universities and a short drive from South Carolina, a key primary state.
The candidates: Bill Richardson and the Latino vote Economist Republicans are repelling Hispanic voters. That is good news for Democrats...... he lived in Mexico until he was a teenager ...... After 14 years in Congress, he was America's ambassador to the United Nations. He has run a large federal bureaucracy (as Bill Clinton's energy secretary), and a state (he is currently the governor of New Mexico). ....... Mrs Clinton's main qualification—eight years as the unofficial chief adviser to a president—is marred for some voters by the fact that she was married to him. ...... the Hispanic electorate will have nearly doubled between 2000 and 2008, from 7.5m to 14m ..... Hispanics are both the largest and the fastest-growing minority .....George Bush wooed them assiduously and won 40% of the Latino vote in 2004—twice the share his fellow Republican Bob Dole ..... the Democrats' 19 percentage point lead in 2004 swelled to 39 points in 2006. ..... Duncan Hunter, who boasts he will build not one but two fences along the Mexican border ..... Florida, a big swing state where 11% of those who voted in 2006 were Latino .... Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado, which are all heavily Hispanic. ...... thanks to his name, many Latinos do not even realise he is one of them. ....... “If you build a 12-foot wall, people will get 13-foot ladders.” He is vying for third place in New Hampshire. ...... his most realistic shot may be at the vice-presidency. The Democratic nominee is likely to be a white female senator from the north-east. A male Latino governor from the south-west would balance the ticket nicely. One snag, though, is that Mrs Clinton is said not to be a huge fan. It is not clear why, but a joke Mr Richardson told in 2005 cannot have helped. .... “We've got a lot of good ones,” he said. “There's Governor [Tom] Vilsack of Iowa—he'd bring back the Midwest. There's [Senator] Joe Biden—he'd bring back the national-security voter. And there's Hillary Clinton—she'd bring back the White House furniture.”
Obama unveils new tax plan DesMoinesRegister.com, IA

Saturday, September 22, 2007

In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Burma: Shame On China, Russia

This reminds me of Nepal's magical April Revolution of 2006. This is how it starts. The Burmese masses have to come out into the streets in the hundreds of thousands, in every town, every city, every village, to shut the country completely down until the military junta hands over power to Aang Sang Su Kyi who would organize a multi-party interim government that would hold elections to a constituent assembly that would give Burma a new constitution, turn into a federal, democratic republic. (Proposed Constitution)

There is no need for talks. There is no need for compromise. You draw the line in the sand, and you stick to it.

Elected officials in all established democracies must lend their voice to Burma right about now. Heads of state in democracies must see the urgency of what is happening in Burma right now.

This is a do or die struggle for them. They have waited for long enough, for too long. What was due them in 1990 they will finally get it this time around.

It has to start big and intense. The bigger and more intense it is, fewer the number of casualties on the road to victory.

This stirring must not be allowed to go cold. This stirring must be led to its logical conclusion: a mass uprising. The bigger that mass uprising, less the chance that the junta will be able to suppress it.

The clearer and louder the voice of the democratically elected leaders and activists in the larger world, fewer protesters in Burma will be beaten, fewer will be arrested, fewer will get killed. The clearer and louder the voice, shorter will the movement have to be.

This stirring is also a great opportunity for Obama 2008. Burma has twice as many people as Iraq. A successful democracy uprising in Burma will show there is only one way to spread democracy in countries reeling under the thumbs of dictators: the grassroots way. Military invasion does not seem to do it.

India must come into the picture big time. The European countries should. America should. Australia. Nepal was the last country in the region and the world to do this. The leaders and activists in Nepal must extend all possible moral and logistical support. Reach out to the Burmese in Delhi, in New York City, and elsewhere. We have to show that Nepal's magical April Revolution 2006 was no accidental act. It was science. It can be done again, and again, and again. It can work every time in every country without democracy.

The First Major Revolution Of The 21st Century Happened In Nepal

They will declare curfews. Defy them. They will declare martial law. Defy martial law. Fill up the streets, day after day after day until the military junta totally and unconditionally gives up power.

They will shoot. When they do that, send more people out into the streets. There is only so many people they can shoot. But the shooters will be tried later.

Next stop: Zimbabwe, Bhutan.

Mugabe Chor, Desh Chhor
Zimbabwe: The Constitution Is Faulty
Zimpundit: Zimbabwe

India Is Wrong On Bhutan
2007: The Year Of The Revolution In Bhutan
Moriarty Should Take His Offer Directly To The Bhutani Refugees
Tek Nath Rizal And The Bhutani Hostage Crisis
Solve The Bhutani Refugee Crisis: Send Them West

In The News

Steep fuel increases protested in Myanmar

at The Los Angeles Times
For Myanmar's poor, a daily struggle to find food AFP via Yahoo! News
Fuelling discontent in Myanmar

at The Economist a huge rise in fuel prices. ..... without explanation or even a formal announcement, petrol was put up by two-thirds, diesel doubled and canisters of gas quintupled in price. ..... “88 Generation Students’ Group” ..... The 88 Generation is led by Min Ko Naing (a nom de guerre meaning “conqueror of kings”) who was released in 2004 after 15 years in jail, only to be arrested again last September and held for four months. His group’s recent protests have been aimed at highlighting the junta’s deep economic incompetence and the misery this is causing ordinary people, rather than campaigning for political change. They have been kept under surveillance but tolerated—until now.
The great game over Burma The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News This weekend, President Bush plans to press the US case for political freedom in Burma with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, at the annual summit of Asian-Pacific nations in Australia. He's not alone in this effort. First lady Laura Bush, who rarely speaks out on world issues, called the UN secretary-general last month to ask that he not remain silent about Burma's recent crackdown on dissidents and that he push for Security Council action. .... The time is ripe for change in this Southeast Asian country, despite 45 years of military rule. .... the International Committee of the Red Cross criticized the regime for "immense suffering for thousands of people," breaking its usual silence about the governments it works with. .... China, however, is the dominant foreign force in Burma and is seeking global respectability. With more than a million Chinese entrepreneurs in Burma and with hopes of using Burmese ports for easier shipping, Beijing can't afford instability in its southern neighbor. ...... both China and the US have a stake in at least ending the military's grip on one of the world's poorest countries.
Freezing out the generals does not help the Burmese

at Daily Telegraph (UK) the generals who have run this former British colony for more than 40 years are a seriously nasty bunch of people. They are both mad and bad. ..... they have transferred the seat of government from Rangoon to an obscure part of the interior, Nay Pi Taw, at huge expense. ..... She cannot even stroll in her garden - it is so overgrown it is infested with cobras. ...... the Burmese army, totalling some 500,000 men, five times the size of Britain's, is engaged in a vicious programme of ethnic cleansing against its separatist foes in areas such as Karen state, where more than 200 villages were razed last year. As many as one million people have been driven from their homes in the past decade. ....... ranked Burma number one in the world for sheer brutality and contempt for the rule of law. ..... If you were a mad Burmese general holed up in your palace in the jungle, would you be bothered by Western economic sanctions when the Chinese and Indians will buy all the oil, gas, gems and timber you can produce, in return for flooding your country with cheap consumer goods? ....... the wiping out of troublesome tribes. .... And apartheid collapsed in South Africa after Margaret Thatcher defied some 50 Commonwealth countries and declared: "My own position is quite clear. Sanctions have never worked and never will." Mrs Thatcher traded with South Africa and the infusion of capitalism and liberal Western ideas over the years played no small part in that country's move to democracy. She also traded with the Soviet bloc: in 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. ...... Wouldn't it be better if we flooded Rangoon with tourists, mobile phones, credit cards, laptops and McDonald's and defied the generals to hold back the tide of global capitalism? Then, indeed, Burma's bamboo curtain might part.

Aung San Suu Kyi appears at protest in Burma Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
On the run in Burma BBC News, UK
UN moves on Burma Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
Angelina wants to adopt a baby from Burma to add to her 'rainbow ... Daily Mail, UK
Concerned countries needed for dialogue on Burma Mizzima.com, India
Hollywood comedian calls for UNSC action on Burma Mizzima.com
MPs join Burma protesters outside Downer's office ABC Online, Australia Members of the Greens and the Australian Labor Party have joined a small rally outside Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's Sydney office, calling for action against the military government in Burma. ..... the Australian Coalition for Democracy in Burma ...... 1988 when 3,000 protesters were killed. .... the signs are very similar to those in early 1988 .... "The people of Burma will no longer tolerate the systematic human rights abuse, the suppression of democracy, the suppression of free speech. ..... "We could be on the verge of a major change in Burma." ..... He says international support for democracy will determine whether escalating violence turns into widespread killings. ..... "A smooth transition to democracy, without the sort of horrendous human rights violations that we saw in 1988, is really in the hands of people like the Howard Government to say internationally and loudly that they will not tolerate human rights abuse," Mr Kaye said.
China's Burma Policy Undermines Asia, UN, World Asian Tribune, Thailand a previously unseen human rights nightmare in plain view of global decision-makers and beg for a firm international response. ...... a quintupling of fuel prices, unleashed by a military dictator – Than Shwe -- ... the fortitude needed to march peacefully in the face of authorities armed with deadly weapons has not been matched by political courage among international policymakers. ...... the Security Council is making the same mistakes it made on Rwanda and Darfur -- sitting on its hands while a crisis explodes before its eyes. ...... In eastern Burma, Than Shwe’s regime has carried out a vicious scorched earth campaign targeting ethnic minority civilians. His troops have burned, destroyed and forced the abandonment of over 3,000 villages; to put this in the context of a more well-known international crisis, this is nearly twice as many villages as have been destroyed in Darfur. At least 1.5 million refugees have fled their homes in Burma, some across borders and others trapped deep inside the jungle where the regime hunts them down and kills them like animals. Rice fields and barns are being torched nearly every day. ....... Health indicators in these areas resemble those of conflict zones in Africa. ...... Than Shwe’s regime has also recruited up to 70,000 child soldiers – far more than any other country in the world. The use of forced labor by the regime, a modern-day form of slave labor .... Over 1,100 political prisoners remain locked behind bars ..... China undermined three diplomatic missions to Burma to secure the release of Suu Kyi by leading Southeast Asian senior statesman Indonesian Ali Alatas, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid, and Filippino Foreign Minister Alberto Romulo. ....... activists organized demonstrations in front of Chinese embassies in 10 countries on September 18th, the same day that monks took to the streets inside Burma. ..... Jeremy Woodrum is co-founder of the US Campaign for Burma
Burma in a shell Business Standard, India
Musicians club together for Burma Manchester Confidential, UK

Suu Kyi prays with monk protesters Reuters UK, UK
Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi greets Myanmar monks AFP
Burma Stirs Washington Post, United States Will the rest of the world stand by? .... jaded diplomats and academics have rebuffed Burma's democracy activists with one question: Why don't the people of Burma rise up? For the past month, they have been doing exactly that, against unimaginable odds and with unimaginable courage. So now a different question arises: Is the world -- its leaders, diplomats, academics and others -- going to stand on the sidelines or offer some help? ........ nation of 50 million people ..... the last great uprising, in 1988 ..... slow stirrings from students to monks to the general population and from the capital to smaller cities across the nation. ...... virtually every student leader is in prison .... brave Burmese with cellphones continue to relay photographs ..... China, which has more influence in Burma than any other country
Aung San Suu Kyi Greets Protesting Monks in Burma Voice of America
Monks continue Rangoon campaign Bangkok Post, Thailand
Witnesses: 10000 monks stage Myanmar protests CNN
Monks march in their 1000s News24, South Africa
Police back off Buddhist monk protest The Age, Australia
Aung San Suu Kyi appears at protest in Burma Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
Suu Kyi greets Burma protesters BBC News, UK
Suu Kyi Greets Monks at Her Home; 10000 Monks Demonstrate in Mandalay The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand
Myanmar opposition leader Suu Kyi looks 'fit and well' says Monk Hindu, India
Monks lead protest rally in Yangon Inquirer.net, Philippines
Burma's Suu Kyi greets protesting monks ABC Online, Australia
Monks protest in Myanmar Gulf News, United Arab Emirates
Myanmar opposition leader greets protesting monks Euronews.net, France
Burma's anti-junta protests gather pace Irish Times, Ireland
Aung San Suu Kyi Greets Protesters Radio Free Asia, DC
Myanmar monks march past Suu Kyi's home Reuters Canada, Canada
Myanmar Monks Defy Junta For Fifth Day eFluxMedia
Birmania. Le lacrime di Aung San Suu Kyi La Pulce di Voltaire, Italy
Burmese and Indian activists call for greater Indian support Mizzima.com, India urged the Indian government to break its silence and extend its support to the ongoing protests in Burma as a sign of its commitment towards democracy. ..... Just as India helped Nepal, during a crisis, Indians are ready to help the Burmese to restore democracy in their country as the Burmese people look up to them ...... Similar protests have spread to other parts of the country. Monks on September 18 declared 'Pattanikuzana', an excommunicative boycott against the ruling junta
Thousands Of Monks Protest Against Burma's Military Government AHN
1500 monks continue to protest in Myanmar USA Today
Myanmar protest march by 1500 rain-soaked monks evokes public sympathy International Herald Tribune, France
Monks on the march Guardian Unlimited, UK
The Fighting Monks of Burma TIME to protest August price hikes .... the longest sustained display of dissent in Burma in nearly two decades. ...... this deeply devout nation .... On September 5, protests by clergy members in the holy city of Pakokku turned violent when security forces fired warning shots in the air, only to have the monks respond by taking officials hostage and torching their cars. ...... it was Burma's monks who spearheaded acts of civil disobedience against British colonialists. Buddhist clergy were also at the forefront of mass protests in 1988, which ended when the army gunned down hundreds of peaceful protestors and declared martial law. .... a violent confrontation may be unavoidable.

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi greets Myanmar monks AFP
Burma's anti-junta protests gather pace Irish Times "The monks just walked past chanting holy scriptures peacefully. ..... In their biggest march since launching the street campaign five days ago, at least 5,000 Buddhist monks marched through Burma's second largest city, Mandalay, today, witnesses said. Other observers put the marchers at nearly 10,000. ..... A group calling itself the All Burma Monks Alliance also, for the first time, urged ordinary people to join the monks "to struggle peacefully against the evil military dictatorship till its complete downfall". ....... in order to banish the common enemy evil regime from Burmese soil forever, united masses of people need to join hands with the united clergy forces." ........ what began as civilian anger at shock fuel price rises last month is becoming a more deep-rooted religious movement against the military, which has ruled the former Burma since a 1962 coup. ...... the army has been reluctant to crackdown on the monks, who began marching to demand an apology for soldiers who fired over the heads of a small group of protesting monks two weeks ago. .... Two men jailed for two years for giving water to protesting monks were freed yesterday after 1,000 monks had marched in Sittwe in northwest Burma and threatened more protests unless they were released. ..... Monasteries were key players in the 1988 uprising and analysts say the generals are making sure they treat the monks carefully this time around. They say any violent incidents would trigger public anger and could prompt tens of thousands to take to the streets.
Monks lead protest rally in Yangon Inquirer.net

Extremist Speakers a Dilemma at Colleges Washington Post
Castro mocks rumors of his death in TV interview AFP
Iraq Bill Backed by Democrats Blocked in Senate New York Times
Clinton Solidifies Edge as Rivals Take a Tougher Line New York Times consolidated her early lead .... showing steady strength ..... stepping up attacks. ..... “I think they’ve run a great campaign,” David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, said of Mrs. Clinton, of New York. “She’s been a very disciplined candidate. ..... Joe Trippi, said: “You used to be able to say the front-runners — her and Obama — but I don’t think that’s the case anymore. It’s pretty clear that she has sort of pulled away.” ...... Obama is moving to deal directly with what his advisers said continued to be his weaker flank — concerns about his experience — with a burst of television advertisements that began this week in Iowa and will continue next week in New Hampshire. ...... Iowa, where caucus voters often recoil at the sight of two-candidate spats. .... almost daily evidence that the Democratic presidential campaign has moved into a lively new phase ......... Obama’s aides are organizing black hair salon owners in South Carolina, a deep-seated social network that advisers said would be critical to pushing a historic black turnout that Mr. Obama hopes can deliver him victory there. In Iowa, the Obama campaign is signing up high school students who will be old enough to vote in the general election and can participate in caucuses. ..... Clinton, after winning a burst of attention by rolling out a detailed health care plan this week, is planning similar speeches in the weeks ahead on education and energy. .... Clinton’s advisers argued that it would probably end on Feb. 5 ...... Mr. Obama has begun preparing for a much more protracted campaign, arguing that it will be in effect a hunt for delegates that could last well into the spring. To that end, he is competing in some unlikely places — New York, for example, where he is holding a rally in Washington Square Park on Thursday — because under Democratic rules, delegates are allocated to candidates based on the percentage of votes they win. ....... But if there is one dominant sentiment in the Obama and Edwards camps these days, it is concern that Mrs. Clinton continues to do so well. ..... polls at this point in a campaign are notoriously unpredictable ...... “The key was to get the burst, stabilize it and make a run in the end.” ...... Axelrod said that Mr. Obama’s campaign had made a deliberate decision to hold off the bulk of its advertising money until now, when more people are paying attention, and that he was not concerned about polls or perceptions. Mr. Obama spent $1.5 million on television advertisements in Iowa, a substantial amount that Iowa Democrats said has not appeared to improve his standing significantly. ....... In the final week of August, Mr. Obama expressed frustration to some of his close associates at the course of his campaign, saying he felt his message was adrift, and personally took to rewriting some of the basic themes. ....... In Iowa alone, the Obama campaign is preparing to open its 31st field office, which is more than Mr. Edwards or Mrs. Clinton have. ... “They are doing the fundamental organizational building that Dean overlooked”
Obama campaign manager: don't count us out Baltimore Sun in tight three way race [in] Iowa; leading in the money race; have the largest grassroots organization in modern political history; and have an organizational advantage in the early states and February 5 over a quasi-incumbent from the most powerful political machine in modern political history ...... "several structural advantages." ... the best message, biography .... according to a Gallup poll in September Democratic voters prefer change to experience by a margin of 73 percent to 26 percent ..... The largest organizations with the most experienced staff and enthusiastic volunteers in the 4 early states ...... Harkin Steak Fry ... 5-6,000 people attended who were committed to candidates. Of that number, approximately 3,000 Obama Iowa supporters ..... “Organization plus Enthusiasm” is a time-tested formula for success in the caucuses ...... you could mistake Tom Harkin's steak fry for an Obama rally. ..... young voters are dramatically less likely to have caucused or voted regularly in primaries in the past, so pollsters heavily under-represent them. ....... young voters are more mobile and are much less likely to be at home in the early evening and thus less likely to be interviewed in any survey ...... young voters are much less likely to have a landline phone and much more likely to rely exclusively upon cell phones, which are automatically excluded from phone surveys ........ Clinton will pay a severe price for not winning Iowa - national front runners always do. ...... almost ensuring a positive Iowa result will result in a New Hampshire primary win. ..... We already have 2,000 volunteers in the Nevada, which is far and away the deepest volunteer organization in the state. ....... South Carolina ..... a public poll of just African-American voters was released last week that showed Obama with an eight point lead ..... South Carolina is now a very competitive two-way race ..... We have begun to deploy staff and build organizations in some of the February 5th states. We currently have staff in California, Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota and will have staff in over a dozen other states by the end of October. While momentum will likely be the dominant factor in deciding votes on February 5th, we plan to marry that momentum with the strongest organization and most financial resources in these February 5th states to emerge from that day with the most delegates and states won. ...... I'm 75 years old and I have to say that Senator Obama is the best candidate for President that I have seen in the last 25 years.
Obama Recruits Close Friend for Campaign The Associated Press Valerie Jarrett, the finance chair of Obama's 2004 Senate bid, will advise Obama on campaign strategy and possibly travel with him ....... will advise Obama part time, without an official title or campaign paycheck
Rivals Step Up Criticism of Clinton The Associated Press a candidate of the Washington establishment and beholden to special interests. ..... too divisive to govern effectively as president. ..... The shift in tone was perhaps inevitable, coming nine months into a largely cordial primary campaign .... a formidable candidate ... unlikely to stumble badly to give others an opening. ..... Biden suggested congressional Republicans would refuse to work with Clinton to accomplish health care reform. ..... "Let's be frank about this," Biden said. "What's changed to make you think Hillary is going to be able to put together the 15 percent of Republicans" who will be needed to enact any overhaul of the health care system? ....... Clinton had mismanaged her effort to reshape the nation's health care system during her husband's presidency and questioned why she touted that experience as evidence she should be allowed to try again. ....... Edwards has been particularly aggressive, claiming Clinton lifted his health care plan ..... For her part, Clinton hasn't taken the bait and has largely ignored the potshots from fellow Democrats. ...... She referred to Cheney this week as Darth Vader ..... Vilsack, said Giuliani's rocky personal life would be fair game in a general election.
Democrats: Party of Detail So Far in '08 The Associated Press
'Nepal prime minister may not contest polls' Times of India Shekhar Koirala, Nepali Congress central committee member, said PM Koirala is unlikely to contest the constituent assembly elections on November 22. Though the Morang and Sunsari chapters of Nepali Congress have urged the PM to be their candidate, there are chances that he will not file his candidacy .... Supporting the idea, Shekhar said, "As the party should be led by youths, PM Koirala should not file his nomination papers," for the polls stating that the legitimacy of the government will be under threat if the polls were not held on time.
Analysis: Bloomberg Vs. Giuliani on 9/11 The Associated Press

It’s warm-up time for WiMax play Sify WiMax is the popular name for the 802.16 wireless metropolitan area network standard, which has a range of up to 31 miles and is seen as the most cost-effective option for a country like India where wire line networks are yet to reach the hinterland. ...... target of 20 million by 2010 ...... BSNL, Reliance Telecommunications, VSNL, Bharti Televentures, Aircel, Sify, to name just a few, have already rolled out limited WiMax networks. Others like Tata Teleservices are testing networks at various places. ...... the BSNL tender for 10,000 WiMax base stations slated to open sometime soon which could open the floodgates. ....... Telsima is looking to rollout a massive 10,000 WiMAX base stations and 1,00,000 WiMAX subscriber stations this year ...... VSNL will extend its WiMax network to about 120 cities across India for enterprise customers and in five cities for retail customers by the end of the current financial year. ...... BSNL, which has undertaken pilots at 14 locations, is looking to roll out a WiMax network across in the country. ...... 1,000 citiesthe impending showdown between the WiMax players and the 3G lobby
Google, IBM Take Another Run At Microsoft's Office Suite InformationWeek New products from those companies are cheaper, delivered as a service, more collaborative, or more open than Microsoft's Office apps--in some cases, all of the above. ...... Office's market share at around 95%. ..... "They've been the only option for so long, culturally it's hard to make a switch ..... Zimbra, developer of an Ajax-based collaboration suite ...... Free productivity suites have been touted for years as an alternative to Office, with little success, despite the backing of IBM, Sun Microsystems, and others. ...... Microsoft's OpenXML document formats
Study: Soccer Beats Jogging for Fitness The Associated Press A friendly game of soccer works off more fat and builds up more muscle than jogging ..... the soccer players felt less tired after exercising than the joggers because they were having more fun. ..... the body fat percentage in the soccer players dropped by 3.7 percent, compared to about 2 percent for the joggers. .... The soccer players also increased their muscle mass by almost 4.5 pounds, whereas the joggers didn't have any significant change. Those who did no exercise registered little change in body fat and muscle mass. ...... the soccer players got a better workout because of intense bursts of activity. ...... Unlike the soccer players, the joggers consistently thought their runs were exhausting. ..... "There might be enormous benefits to telling people to play football twice a week," he said. "But if they're not going to do it, then that message may be useless."
Promising AIDS vaccine fails in experiment Houston Chronicle
Rather: I was forced to step down CNN International
George Clooney, girlfriend injured in motorcycle crash Actress Archives

बीजेपी में महिलाओं को 33 पर्सेंट स्थान नवभारत टाइम्स
मुशर्रफ के खिलाफ विपक्ष सड़क पर नवभारत टाइम्स
नेपाली गृह मंत्री ने सुरक्षा हालात का जायजा लिया नवभारत टाइम्स
कोइराला शायद ही लड़ें संविधान सभा का चुनाव दैनिक जागरण कोइराला संविधान सभा के महत्वपूर्ण चुनावों से अपने को अलग रख सकते ह ..... नेपाल कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी (माओवादी) के सदस्य शीघ्र ही सरकार में वापस लौटेंगे। .... पार्टी की कमान युवाओं को सौंपने की जरूरत को देखते हुए प्रधानमंत्री चुनाव से अलग रहने का निर्णय ले सकते हैं। .... सरकार से इस्तीफा देने वाले माओवादी मंत्री देव गुरंग ने बताया कि सरकार में फिर से शामिल होने या नहीं होने के बारे में उनकी पार्टी नेपाली कांग्रेस की महासमिति की बैठक के बाद फैसला करेगी।
नेपाल में फिर राजनीतिक संकट नव भारत
नेपाल में चुनाव आयोग का इरादा मज़बूत डी-डब्लू वर्ल्ड नेपाल के मुख्य चुनाव आयुक्त भोज राज पोखराल ने कहा है कि माओवादियों की धमकी के बावजूद 22 नवंबर को चुनाव हर हाल में कराए जाएंगे।

The Experience B.S.

When Albert Einstein showed up on the scene, the prevailing mood among physicists was that everything that needs to be known has already been known. All that remained doing was to fill out the details. And then Einstein turned the world upside down. Imagination is more important than knowledge, Einstein has famously said.

Barack Obama is no physicist, but this anecdote sheds light on a current idiotic debate whose narrative was authored by none other than Bill Clinton himself in a fundraising letter months back he wrote where he said to donors that they want someone who will take over the job on day one. Implication: Obama is not ready for prime time.

Obama was ready for prime time back in 2004. Compare Obama's convention speech in 2004 to Bill Clinton's same convention speech in 1988 for another Massachusetts dude, Dukakis. When Bill Clinton said, and to conclude, to his long, boring speech, the crowd burst into applause. As in finally we can expect this guy to be pushed off stage. Who got him there in the first place?

That little comparison shows Barack is destined for greatness.

Barack's Primary Opponents

At this stage in 1991, Fernando Ferrer was the only politician in America who had endorsed Bill Clinton. Nobody seemed to know him, outside or inside of politics. But those who knew him well liked him. Well, Barack has a quarter million of them. People who have bothered to learn about him, and give him big bucks.

Hillary Clinton feels like she already knows everything she needs to know. That is why she has so few foreign policy advisors. She is stuck in the past. She will take America back to the previous century, or keep it there like W did. She is like the physics community when Einstein showed up. She already knows. There is nothing else to learn.

No Strength

Strength is to stand up against public opinion. When was the last time Hillary did that?

No Experience

Watching Michael Jordan does not make you Michael Jordan. She never held public office before 2000.

Strength

When Barack opposed the war in 2002, many people thought this guy does not want to become US Senator.

Experience

Noone on national stage has his life experiences. He has the white experience, he has the black experience. He has the Third World experience. He has the academic experience. He has the community experience. He has the local, state and national experience. Hillary never held any state level office.

Barack's ability to lead comes from bringing people together which comes from his life experiences.

Judgment

That trumps strength and experience. I am sure W felt pretty strong attacking Iraq.

Imagination

This is Barack's number one thing. He inspires. He makes people want to imagine a new century.

In The News

Hillary Clinton holds a convincing lead among Democratic ... Kansas City Star Up 2-to-1 in many national polls, Clinton leads convincingly in the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina. In first-in-the-nation Iowa, still viewed as a three-way contest between Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, the New York senator led by five points in the two latest polls, supplanting Edwards, who led last winter and spring. ....... Nine months ago, things looked strikingly different. Back then, Obama was hot property, smiling confidently on magazine covers, raising money like a seasoned pro and nearly matching Clinton in early-voter surveys. ....... “People have fond memories of Bill Clinton.” ..... “The people who have followed Hillary for 15 years since she became first lady realize she has accumulated a wealth of experience, depth and breadth,” Stewart said. “That’s the biggest thing.” ... Obama is charismatic, he said. But he remains “the new kid on the block” amid world turmoil. ...... “Our campaign’s been clear from the beginning that because we’re running against a quasi-incumbent, we don’t expect Senator Obama to ever pass Senator Clinton in the national polls before Iowa,” said Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt. ....... front-runner often viewed as cool and aloof and battle-scarred by a litany of intense Washington struggles ...... A recent Gallup Poll found Clinton to be the “most liked” candidate among Democrats. Her “warmth” rating was 82 percent to Obama’s 72 percent ...... “People love the music,” Goldford said, “but they keep wondering where the lyrics are.” ..... “I love Hillary Clinton,” Biden said at the forum. “I’ve been getting beat up because I’m always saying nice things about her. They think I want to be her secretary of state.” ..... But he asked: “What’s changed to make you think Hillary’s going to be able to pull together 15 percent of Republicans (to win the general election)?” ..... The hope for Obama and the rest of the pack lies in recent history. In 2004, Howard Dean led the Democratic primary field until just days before Iowa’s caucuses. . .... four in 10 Iowa caucus voters in 2004 made their choices in the last week.
Does Clinton Have It Wrapped Up? U.S. News & World Report Clinton almost always stays on course and talks about what she wants, without being drawn into arguments that are to her disadvantage.
Obama Seeks to Make History as First African American President Voice of America Obama's convention speech gave him a national profile that set the stage for his presidential announcement early in 2007. ...... University of Virginia expert Larry Sabato says, "He is able to connect to individuals as well as the tenor of the crowd as a whole. The energy that comes with his youthful enthusiasm is a big plus. This really is a John F. Kennedy-like situation from 1960. That gives him a real chance." ..... "He has the charm of newness, in which everybody can read into it what they think he believes because it is what they believe. She, we know where she is coming from. It is just an absolutely fascinating duo." .... Barack Obama's multi-cultural background and his ability to connect with voters make him unique in presidential campaign history. Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire in January will have the first say as to whether Obama's fresh approach can counter concerns about his lack of experience.

Google in Talks With Group Over High-Speed Pacific Cable Wall Street Journal a group looking to lay a high-speed trans-Pacific undersea cable ...... the growth of Google's infrastructure requirements as it continues an ambitious international expansion and increasingly offers data-intensive services such as online video and email, and online word processing for businesses...... use of the Internet and international phone service has grown quickly in Asia, making capacity tighter and often technologically outdated ..... surging volumes of Internet and phone transmissions. ...... discussions remained fluid.
IBM tackles Microsoft on all fronts ZDNet UK This week the company re-launched Lotus Symphony, which was a serious competitor to Microsoft Office, dating back to before IBM's purchase of Lotus. This time around, Symphony is based on the open-source OpenOffice software — and IBM has joined the OpenOffice movement with a promise to contribute software. ....... unified communications
Oracle's Acquisitiveness Pays Off, Big Time Forbes Oracle Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison's $23 billion shopping spree prompted critics to say he would turn his database company into a hideous, expensive Frankenstein iof a corporation. It seems, however, Ellison will get the last laugh. ........ profit surged 25.4% in the first quarter--the sharpest increase in seven years ..... That one cent may seem like a slim margin, but it was enough to strengthen investor confidence in Ellison's business model. Three years ago, billionaire Ellison started to gobble up boutique software outfits. In the process, he acquired about 30 companies and put more than $23 billion on the line. It was a controversial move, but it seems to be paying off. ..... Momentum is building ...... Oracle shares are up almost 30% for the year to date. ..... the strength of the company's business model and pipeline. ....... "The database business remains a steady force and the applications busienss continues to improve ...... Oracle's acquisitive nature continues in 2007. It has already acquired eight other companies this year. In May, it agreed to buy Agile Software for $495 million.
Sun AJAX technology readied InfoWorld AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)
Fox strikes deal for free shows on iTunes CNET News.com It's a strange time to be in the television business, as new strategies for reaching fickle television viewers are being trotted out. ..... The Fox shows are commercial-free
Intel's WiMax Joint Venture In Japan Will Target Global Markets InformationWeek The venture is targeting the 2.5-GHz frequency.
Serving Broadband to the Home with Mobile WiMAX TMCnet the difficulty and cost of building out and maintaining wireline broadband in underserved areas ...... The lower costs and better spectral efficiency of Mobile WiMAX, coming at a time when broadband is seen as a major contributor to economic growth, makes it more viable to expand home and personal access to a larger section of the population, even in the less developed areas in India, Pakistan, South-East Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa. ...... Mobile WiMAX can address the shortcomings of all the previous wireless BTTH technologies. .... reduces cost per Mbps and is more viable in sparsely populated areas ...... Mobile WiMAX is standards-based, so the equipment will benefit from volume economics and market competition.
Intel announces plans to launch 3rd generation USB technology Hindu that will enable faster transfer of content from printers, digital cameras and other peripheral devices to personal computers. ..... customer demands for storing and moving larger amounts of digital content ..... The USB 3.0 technology would be at least 10 times faster than the speed of today's connection. It is being developed by Intel and a number of other leading players such as world's largest software maker Microsoft, biggest PC maker Hewlett Packard and NEC Corporation among others. ...... as digital media become ubiquitous and file sizes increase up to and beyond 25 gigabytes
Cisco Systems Hosts Educational Webcast: Update to Carrier ... CNNMoney.com
Hewlett-Packard to Link Executive Pay to Performance (Update1) Bloomberg Chief Executive Officer Mark Hurd may have been overpaid when he got about $20 million in total compensation last year ..... the best corporate governance procedures
Is Michael Dell The Devil? CRN "He is an aggressive, capitalististic entrepreneur. .... Technology As A Service (TAAS) offering ..... Software As A Service (SAAS) offerings ..... 50-acre data centers all over the world. ..... "They are locating them right next to major power plants," he said. "What an aggressive company." ...... moving higher up the services food chain. .... "The more intimate you are with the client's business, the more meaningful you are to the client" ...... "The novelty has worn off IT. Companies want to focus on their core competency. Ten years ago if we went into a law firm with three guys names on it one of them was a part time IT guy when he should have been billing clients. Today they want to bill at $300 an hour and they want their information technology to work." ..... "I think the guys in the Chevys hate the guys driving the Porsches"
Apple's iPhone Is Launched In France, Via Vietnam InformationWeek
Toshiba lifts Thai production Bangkok Post
Acer Definitely Won't Go Direct PC Magazine Gateway's online business accounts for just 10 percent of its sales ...... "HP tried to kill the Compaq brand as quickly as possible…and discovered it's not so easy." "In our case, we'll keep the brands
Acer adopts multi-brand approach Inquirer pursue a multi-brand strategy in different worldwide locations ....... the PC becomes more of a commodity product ..... the Taiwan-based company ..... the direct model was dead and unlikely to be revived
Intel tick-tocks along nicely Malaysia Star the company will deliver the industry’s first 45nm (nanometre) processor on Nov 12. ..... High-k metal gate transistor technology .... “Our tick-tock strategy of alternating next generation silicon technology and a new microprocessor architecture — year after year — is accelerating the pace of innovation in the industry,” said Otellini. ..... each “tick” represents the silicon compaction rate and each “tock” represents the design of a new microarchitecture.
Hey kids! Pizza party at Google! Bizjournals.com the Google organic garden
Zimbra users vexed by Yahoo deal Computerworld He predicts Yahoo will disassemble the suite and plug its pieces into Yahoo Mail. "I believe [Zimbra's suite] will be killed off as a separate product ....... "I can't see how Zimbra fits into the way Yahoo makes money." ..... Zimbra will become more financially secure and able to access Yahoo resources ..... the best-case scenario would be for Yahoo to interfere as little as possible with the Zimbra team and technology while providing a strong backup. ...... Zimbra's team will help refine and improve portions of Yahoo Mail, on a case-by-case basis. Currently, the only component slated for a Zimbra revamping is Yahoo Calendar ...... Zimbra, founded in 2003, has an installed base of about 9 million mailboxes in over 100,000 organizations, although it deals directly with about 1,300 customers and channel partners .... Customers include Comcast Corp. and New York University. ..... Its core strength is e-mail, and it has commonly been considered an alternative to Exchange, but the suite also includes a word processor and a spreadsheet application. These let users create, share and collaboratively edit documents. ..... With e-mail, calendar, contacts list and office applications, it also competes against PC-based suites such as Microsoft Office and Web-hosted suites such as Google Inc.'s Google Apps. ...... big draw of the Zimbra suite is precisely its open platform, which lets external developers create application mashups called "zimlets." ...... a 100-employee startup ..... "Zimbra is our baby," he said. "The reason we made this deal is to grow Zimbra." ..... providing reliable performance at a massive scale for services such as Yahoo Mail.
Microsoft Delivers Xbox 360 Progress Report PC World
Microsoft Targets Europe After Failing to Woo Gamers in Japan Bloomberg Japan's $5.9 billion gaming market. ...... Microsoft's console is outsold by about eight to one by Nintendo's Wii and three to one by Sony's PlayStation 3
Yahoo's New Social Network Puts You (and Your Friends) in Charge Wired News no blogging component, no photo-management tool, and no e-mail or contact management. ..... Yahoo says Mash will eventually become a layer on top of its various web services -- tying them together with a social glue.
Why restraining Microsoft no longer matters CNET News.com Historians famously scorn generals who prepare to fight the previous wars. ..... the ruling would do just the opposite, "chilling innovation and discouraging competition." ..... We haven't had this big a trans-Atlantic snit over the same data pointssince inspectors went hunting for Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. ...... The blunt truth is that John Ashcroft's crew had no clue about the technology shifts that were going to undercut Microsoft's momentum. .... when the Microsoft lawsuit got underway, the Google guys were just working stiffs with bad haircuts and Linux/open source was widely dismissed by experts supposedly in the know. ..... Google, which long ago surpassed Microsoft in the sizzle category, keeps adding to its store of free applications ...... Yahoo is spending $350 million to buy a Web-based e-mail and collaboration package comparable with Microsoft Exchange and Outlook. ..... under-the-radar Internet startups Microsoft's never heard of? Those are the bogeymen who inhabit Microsoft's nightmares, the ones unsheathing the killer app nobody anticipated.
Intel's in Hot Water in Europe BusinessWeek a widening gap in how the U.S. and Europe view the legality of hardball business tactics by dominant companies ..... the EC has charged Intel with illegal use of sales tactics such as rebates and incentives to maintain or increase its market share in microprocessors. ....... argues that the programs have led to lower chip prices for consumers. ....... "They want to foster gentlemanly competition, a premise that is foreign to American antitrust thinking." ...... AMD has been pressing the European Commission for years to take antitrust action against its larger rival. ...... Intel responds that consumers have benefited from rebates through lower prices. ... No question, the EU's powerful win against Microsoft has raised its stature among global antitrust cops. The moves against Intel in Korea and Japan also add momentum. But the EU hasn't been given a prosecutorial carte blanche: It still has to prove every case on the facts. Intel will put up a tough fight, so this story is far from over.
EC may put antitrust focus on Google ZDNet UK The EU is already investigating whether Google's planned $3.1bn (£1.5bn) acquisition of online ad company DoubleClick would give it undue control over online advertising. ....... Google is facing a Senate hearing next week in the US, where its DoubleClick purchase is being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Microsoft is pushing for action against Google. ...... "If Google becomes a central storage vault for data such as users' location and identity, as some fear, European regulators may one day try to compel the firm to give rivals open access to this information, rather as they have now forced Microsoft to release its communication protocols."
Oracle Struts Its Software Motley Fool impressive enough to take the market's focus off subprime and residential housing woes for the time being. Few firms have the clout to set the tone for the overall stock market, and this technology bellwether may just be getting warmed up as it outgrows the competition. ....... An acquisition spree over the past several years is definitely paying off for Oracle. The buyouts have had the obvious benefits of taking out archrivals such as Peoplesoft, Seibel Systems, Hyperion Solutions, and an array of niche competitors, but they have also allowed Oracle to set its sights on the largest players in software licensing and related services -- namely, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP), IBM (NYSE: IBM), and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT). ...... mercurial company helmsman Larry Ellison did boast of plans to pass IBM in terms of market share later this year. .... Oracle continues to have reason to gloat, and the best may be yet to come.
Oracle earnings solid; takes on SAP, IBM ZDNet Oracle said it was taking share from SAP, which will likely beg to differ. ..... We like our growth strategy of expanding into high-end industry specific vertical software as opposed to SAP’s growth strategy of moving down market to sell software to small companies. ..... Ellison took on IBM and noted that Oracle wants the middleware market share crown. ...... “If we continue to grow our middleware software business at the same rate we grew it this quarter, Oracle will challenge IBM for the number one position in middleware by the end of this year.” .... Oracle had 77,652 employees at the end of the quarter.
Oracle Sees 65 Percent Growth in App Licenses eWeek

Friday, September 21, 2007

Obama's Masterstroke: Eliminating Income Tax For 22 Million Seniors

The Economy, Stupid

A few days back Barack Obama came along with a refreshing list of tweaks he would apply to the tax code. He would simplify things. For most people who just hold a job and do the standard W2 form thing, the IRS will fill out your form for you. Now that is service. Not exactly most people's idea of a government service.

The clincher though was sending 22 million seniors who make less than 50,000 bucks a year to the tax Bahamas. No income tax for them. So April would mean good weather rather than taxes to them.

Hillary leads among people 60 and older by a rather wide margin. These are people who actually lived segregation. To them blacks going to the same beaches is progress. To me it is a boring detail. Who gives a f___!

Hillary is their choice by default. If it were between Obama and Edwards, they would have gone for the clean cut white boy Edwards. These are the same people who less than a decade back in surveys might have said, we elected Bill Clinton, why is that woman making policy?

But, like Bloomberg says, money talks. You can bribe them. You send them to the tax Bahamas.

Simplifying The Tax Code

It is long overdue. It is a prerequisite for the information age.

Vision

John Edwards Also Climbed Mount Everest

Bill Clinton Is Still Relevant
John Edwards, Voucher Man, Is A Republican

Edwards said in his recent Iowa debate that he took the lead on health care and everyone else is merely following. His ever handy wife goes one step further. She basically accused Hillary of having plagiarized the Edwards plan from months back.

The ideas for universal health care have preceded everyone running for president today. There are multiple good ideas out there. The question is not who has a plan, but who can actually execute it.

Barack Obama has the strength and the judgment to execute.

Barack: Strength And Judgment

Hillary's Millions

The Clintons have made so many millions over the past few years that they have lost touch with reality, or at least the reality of those in the lower income brackets. How else would Hillary come up with the idea of mandating health insurance?

Mandating Health Insurance: The Poor Have Too Much Money

In The News

Last of 'Jena 6' could be freed on Friday CNN
Simpson Arrest Stirs Debate over Celebrity Justice NPR
PROTEST | Obama's absence noted as no-trespassing signs ... Chicago Sun-Times
Obama rallies supporters at Atlanta event Atlanta Journal Constitution a U.S. Senate vote to condemn the MoveOn.org newspaper ad that attacked Gen. David Petraeus .... The Senate on Thursday approved the Republican-sponsored resolution, 72 to 25. ..... at a $25-a-head event at the Georgia World Congress Center that organizers said drew 2,200 supporters. A $1,000-per-person, private event followed. ...... six black teenagers initially charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate. ..... Obama declared he was "puzzled at how on earth a schoolyard fight" could cause prosecutors to level murder charges. ....... Obama still enjoys a rock-star status among many who attended — and raised their cellphones to snap photos as soon as he stepped on-stage. ....... "He's a man of change, excitement. He's shown America if you make the right choices, you can be president," said Mary Soley of Atlanta. ..... In April, Obama drew an estimated 20,000 people when he spoke outdoors on the Georgia Tech campus.
Poll: Clinton's lead grows, Thompson tops Giuliani One-third (32%) of those who say they will vote in a Republican primary or caucus will vote for Thompson while 28 percent will vote for Giuliani. ...... (46%) of those who would vote in a Democratic primary or caucus would vote for the former First Lady while one-quarter (25%) would vote for Illinois Senator Barack Obama ........ Obama does better than Senator Clinton among Echo Boomers (those aged 18 to 29). While 42 percent of this youngest generation will vote for him, 37 percent will vote for her. ...... in the age group that is most likely to actually vote, Matures (those 61 and older), Senator Clinton leads Senator Obama by a very wide margin (56% versus 16%). In fact, one in five Matures (21%) will vote for John Edwards, so he is ahead of Senator Obama ....... Among Matures, the lead is greater - 44 percent will vote for Thompson and 16 percent will vote for Giuliani. ...... three-quarters of Democrats (76%) would consider Hillary Clinton while over half (58%) would consider Barack Obama and just under half (48%) would consider Al Gore. Among Independents, it's a tie as 35 percent would consider Hillary Clinton and 34 percent would consider Barack Obama. ...... 39 percent of Republicans would consider former Secretary of State Colin Powell and 34 percent would consider current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. ....... On the Democratic side, it appears that the race really is Hillary Clinton's to lose at this point as her ever expanding lead is now at 21 percent.
The Dark Side of Hillary Clinton's Health Care Plan FOX News 2005, Hillary co-sponsored legislation in the United States Senate to offer free health insurance, under the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to the children of illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for five years. ....... 50,000,000 uninsured Americans, more than one fifth of those are illegal immigrants. ........ her plan would turn "insurance" into "subsidy." ..... a cash transfer from the healthy to the sick ..... The bulk of the uninsured do not want to have to pay for insurance. They are healthy and don't want the added burden of health insurance. ..... leaves out any attempt at cost control. With health care absorbing 16 percent of our economy, Bill Clinton's warnings of economic disaster if its share of our national income passed 12 percent back in 1993 sound almost quaint today. ........ The current Congress is passing legislation to raise cigarette taxes 61 cents per pack to pay for a $35 billion expansion of the State Child Health Insurance Program. Why not raise them $2 per pack to raise the $110 billion Hillary says her health care proposal will need? ....... "I have a plan that is 100 percent my plan." ..... understanding of what it takes to get things done in our political system
Clinton, Edwards Spar Over Lobbyists, Health Care at Debate Bloomberg ``Fifteen years ago, I was advocating for universal health care,'' Clinton, 59, said. ``It was kind of lonely back then. And I never gave up.'' ....... Obama, 46, didn't attend. .... Hedge funds ``essentially bought up these mortgages,'' Biden said. ``They're the ones going out and collecting on them. No one knew they owned all these things.'' ...... mortgage lenders ``are not regulated; they become loan sharks.'' ..... ``We have in all of our states a system whereby if someone takes someone into a foster home they get paid for it,'' Biden said. People who struggle financially to take care of their parents at home should be compensated in the same way, he said. ..... creating markets for selling lower-cost policies. ...... ``Six, seven months later, Senator Clinton came out with a plan that is very similar to mine,'' Edwards said.
Gop Targets Clinton, Obama Over Ad Vote Guardian Unlimited
Calif Poll Shows Clinton, Giuliani Ahead The Associated Press Hillary Clinton 41 percent Barack Obama 23 percent
Democratic Candidates Play to an Older Crowd New York Times “This is a system that, unfortunately, makes a lot of money for a lot of people.” ..... improved preventive care, especially for diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. ....... similarities in the candidates’ health care plans. “It’s not the plan,” he said. “It’s the man or the woman pushing the plan.” ...... their own mothers live with them. .... Iowa Public Television and AARP, which says it represents nearly 39 million older Americans. ..... a “senior town hall” Friday afternoon in Ames
Columbia Won't Cancel Ahmadinejad Speech The Associated Press
Bloomberg Won’t Listen to Ahmadinejad New York Times
Google's Stock Price Soars to New High The Associated Press as it introduces new ways for advertisers to reach its steadily expanding online audience. ...... market value of almost $175 billion, more than long-established technology bellwethers like Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM Corp. ..... runs the largest advertising network on the world's hottest marketing medium, the Internet. ....... In August, Google handled 54 percent of all U.S. search requests, up 50 percent at the same time last year .... Yahoo lagged well behind at 20 percent followed by Microsoft at 13 percent. ....... video ads on its subsidiary, YouTube .... dramatically increased the number of ads distributed to mobile phones and unveiled a system for displaying ads on "widgets" — mini-applications that are embedded on Web pages. ...... Google's price-to-earnings multiple — a widely used yardstick for appraising publicly held companies — now stands at 37 times its estimated earnings for this year. ..... Google shares will soon surpass $600.
Has Google actually read US v. Microsoft CNET News.com So what is really going on in Google's collective mind? ..... First, Google and Microsoft are colliding as the tech world evolves, so disrupting Microsoft's plans is its own reward. ...... force Microsoft to do it in the name of "fostering competition." ..... as of 1985, two dozen alternatives to MS-DOS were offered by more than 20 vendors, many of them bigger than Microsoft. Microsoft won by being the best at meeting the needs of consumers and developers. ....... Navigator and Java were singled out as examples of middleware. ...... close enough for government work ..... Each new PC contains an average of 35 pre-installed non-Microsoft programs, and in four out of five middleware categories non-Microsoft products outstrip those from Microsoft. ...... The iPod has given Apple new pizzazz. ...... If Google were interested in promoting a competitive desktop operating system, it could create one or it could throw its weight behind Linux. ..... Perhaps antitrust fans can anticipate a U.S. v. Google
Intel Says WiMax Is Coming Next Year — This Time for Sure Wired News If it's small and mobile, Intel wants to put a chip in it. The lumbering rectangular towers we so often refer to as PCs have become passé ..... are increasingly taking a back seat to a new breed of laptops, ultramobile PCs, mobile internet devices and cell phones. .... Montevina, which will become the company's next-generation Centrino mobile platform, is based on Intel's 45-nanometer fabrication technology. It will support things like DDR3 memory, Blu-ray and HD-DVD playback, as well as an integrated Wi-Fi/WiMax module the company calls Echo Peak. ...... the standard known a