The political organizations in Manhattan live in their own little worlds. Each is peculiar. Its own strengths and weaknesses. Cast of characters. 30 people at an event is considered a lot of people.
Enough of meeting famous politicians at DL21C events. Now I feel like I want to meet movie stars.
Cutting on non-Obama events will also help me focus on Obama more.
I met an asshole called Dan Jacoby at DFNYC. At DL21C there is Danny Hamburger. I think the stink is in the name. Two in a row, that is a pattern. The guy can find a few different rude ways of saying he is militantly for Hillary because he works for Charlie Rangel. When you are practically politically illiterate, you don't know better ways of expressing your political enthusiasm. F_____g rookie.
UPDATE 7-Argentine first lady claims presidential vote win Reuters Nepal Parliament Votes on Republic After Last-Minute Talks Fail Bloomberg McCain says it's 'hard to imagine' Giuliani as GOP nominee USA Today Lalu challenges Nitish to call fresh Bihar polls (Lead) Monsters and Critics.com Obama Promises a Forceful Stand Against Clinton New York Times Turkey kills 20 Kurdish rebels as hopes fade for peaceful solution Guardian Unlimited Bhutto's Party Needs New Candidate for Premier, Minister Says Bloomberg Iran Amendment Sparks Battle Between Democratic Frontrunners FOX News Obama's campaign has made New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s vote for the resolution the focal point of its attacks — and so far, it’s working. Clinton has been forced to defend that vote in Iowa, where some voters believe she’s helped moved the U.S. closer to a war in the Middle East. .... the amendment makes the case for structuring the military in Iraq to counter Iranian influence, and states that it is "a critical national interest of the United States" to prevent Iran from exerting its influence inside Iraq. ...... supporting the amendment without President Bush’s assurance that he will not use it as the basis for attacking Iranian interests is "naïve" ...... Obama is equating the amendment with Clinton’s 2002 vote authorizing the use of force in Iraq. Clinton has repeatedly said that she believed she was voting merely for additional time for U.N. inspectors in Iraq, not a U.S. invasion. ....... Clinton is either too naïve or too hawkish to be the Democratic nominee. ...... The third point she left for her campaign staff to make. ..... "George Bush and Dick Cheney could use this language to justify keeping our troops in Iraq as long as they can point to a threat from Iran, and because they could use this language to justify an attack on Iran," reads the Obama handout. ...... With his constant attacks on the issue, Obama in effect has placed at least part of the responsibility for any U.S. action against Iran before the caucuses on the shoulders of Clinton. ...... John Edwards got into the act on Friday, saying Clinton "aided and abetted George Bush and Dick Cheney’s march to war." And Joe Biden criticized both frontrunners for their actions, saying "Unlike Senator Clinton, I don’t trust this administration to follow the plain meaning of the law.
In 1993, Big Sister Hillary wrote a 1,300 page plan, or was it 13,000 pages? She dumped it on Congress. Big Sister did homework for you. All you have to do is accept it, vote for it. That is how it worked in the communist countries. The guy at the top had all the right answers.
She still has not learned. She has tweaked around the ideas a bit. But her approach is the same. Big Sister has got a plan. This time it is better.
It is the basic approach that is flawed. It does not recognize that it is not what ideas you have, it is how you will engage people on both sides of the aisle.
She says she has learned. What she has learned is to cave into the special interests. The insurance companies gave her a hard time the last time around. So this time she is going to give it all to the insurance companies.
The myth that she takes money from lobbyists but is not influenced by them and only does the people's bidding just is not true. Just look at her health care plan. The status quo will remain for those who have insurance. That makes the insurance companies happy. And then she makes it illegal for the uninsured to stay uninsured. Some who can afford will have to get it. Those who can't she says will get help from the government. So, basically, her plan is to make the insurance companies even richer.
What makes it socialized medicine is she notices that the health care sector is strikingly lagging behind in terms of use of information technology, but she does not realize that that is a symptom market forces are not in full play in the sector. If the insurance companies were competing with each other to bring the costs down, of course they would want to use the latest in information technology.
Her health care plan has no plans to inject those market forces into the sector. She does not have concrete plans to bring the costs down across the board.
I am for universal health care. America can not become a full fledged information economy without that. But Hillary's plan is inadequate and misplaced, but that is not the worst part of the news. The big, bad news is her approach. There is a fundamental flaw in her approach as to how she will try to bring it about.
If bringing the costs down were bad for innovation, my laptop should be costing 100,000 dollars by now.
December 1 Is When You Camp Out In Iowa
Do the John Kerry thing. That guy, starting from the beginning of December, just camped out in Iowa. Howard Dean made the mistake of taking a trip to Georgia late in December to meet his hero Jimmy Carter who flat out refused to endorse him.
To camp out in Iowa starting now would be too early. November goes to the other three early states. And some to Iowa too.
As for the February 5 states, you get to them by winning big in January. That is the only way. You win big and you get all that free time in the media, and that is how you do it.
Winning Iowa is key. That has to be our first goal.
The best way to reach the February 5 states is by winning South Carolina. The best way to win South Carolina is by winning Iowa. And Nevada comes before New Hampshire. A friend of mine working the ground in New Hampshire has a simple message, don't believe the polls. He did a random survey of 20 people: 19 were undecided.
Don't Forget Fundraising
Doing well in this quarter is key. I think we should shoot to end up with half a million donors before the year is out.
This is the scenario in my mind. We win Iowa and South Carolina, and perhaps one or both of the other two. And our donor base swells even more, and the first half million donors give more. And we have big chunks of cash to play the media war for February 5.
Differences Are Stark, But Obama Has Held Back
Barack and Hillary are just so different. Iraq, Iran, Social Security, Health Care, Ethics Reform. But so far Barack has not been able to throw concrete light on the stark differences. Good to know he will start now.
Hillary is working towards a coronation. Barack has to turn it into an election. Your last name should not matter.
This is not about no more Mr. Nice Guy. This is not about abandoning the politics of hope, this is not about saying goodbye to the new kind of politics. This is not about going negative. This is Barack's job. It is his job to inform the voters how he and Hillary are different.
Some Hits
The third quarter was Hillary's "strength and experience" quarter. Barack got swift-boated. It is not like Barack lacks "strength and experience" but the facts seldom matter in political attacks. He should hit back with the "judgment and leadership" phrase. It should be used daily.
Another hit was when Hillary 2008 released its third quarter figures right before an important Iraq speech by Barack. That was an attempt to steal a news cycle from Barack. When you get hit like that, you got to hit back. The campaign manager has to measure up.
Philly Steak, Philly Debate
The debate on Tuesday is going to be key. Barack has to turn it into the turning point. Just draw the stark differences on the biggies. Iraq, Iran, Social Security, Health Care, Ethics Reform. The differences between the two are obvious. But they have to come out in debates, interviews and stump speeches.
Now is the time.
Work on the one liners before you get in front of the podium.
I expect the Philly debate to be the most dramatic so far this year. Hillary just did an Oops, I did it again on Iran.
Spread The Word, Obama Was Not Born In 2004 In Boston
We really have to work to get the bio out. People - average voters - have to get to know him as a person before they will vote for him. Tell his story when you canvass.
In The News
Obama (Sort of) Takes the Gloves Off TIME he would be targeting Clinton specifically on Social Security, Iran and Iraq in the days and weeks to come. ...... the Democrats announced they'll caucus January 3rd ...... plenty of people believe that the only way for Obama to dent Clinton's lead is to take her on directly ....... campaign comity among the Democrats may be disappearing for good. ....... Later in the event Obama was asked about his perceived foreign policy "weakness" for his willingness to meet with adversaries such as Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He wasted no time in steering things back to his electoral adversary. "This is an area where Senator Clinton and I have a disagreement," Obama said. "Strong countries talk to their adversaries and tell them where they stand that's always been something that I stood for, I've been consistent on that." Not exactly gladiator politics, but at the very least, Obama has started reaching for his sword. Why They‘re Both Running Against Billa tight, tooth-and-claw political marathon where even the tiniest of decisions, the smallest of slips, can have profound consequences ...... The junior Senator from New York has spent much of her career trying to stay sane in the midst of a political tornado. And now, having finally achieved a measure of happiness and respect in the Senate, she faces the prospect of jumping into the tornado again, knowing that she won't merely be opposed but also ridiculed and reviled. ....... each will spend the next year running against the most formidable living Democratic politician, Bill Clinton. ....... on Wall Street, especially, there are fond memories of Clintonism's fiscal discipline and global sophistication. ....... most people I talk to are hoping she'll decide not to run. But when Bill Clinton calls and asks for a commitment, it's impossible to say no. People are interested in Obama. They'll write him a check. But most of the old Clinton crowd won't have parties or make phone calls for him. For now, at least. ....... the best political strategist in the Democratic Party. Bill Clinton will be able to help his wife in three crucial areas: the framing of issues, timing the dramatic arc of the campaign and damage control. ....... Clinton is the world's best focus group: he has an innate sense of what average folks think is important and how to explain complicated things in the most accessible way. He also understands the weird chronology of presidential politics, the patience needed to last through interminable house parties and candidate forums, the fierce compression of time that will take place a year from now when Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina spin through their elections in a matter of weeks. "But his greatest strength is playing hurt," says James Carville. ...... His ability to think clearly--to actually think better--under pressure ...... She will never have his performance skills, an especially daunting deficit ....... But if being smart about policy were the most important quality in a President, Al Gore would now be completing a successful second term. ....... She is not a very good speaker, especially in big rooms where the need to emote exposes a harshness in her voice. ...... she is prohibitively rational, unclouded by undue emotionality. She doesn't get misty and bite her lip in public. She doesn't feel your pain; she understands it. Rationality breeds caution, and caution breeds a lack of spontaneity, which can make her seem cold and calculating. ......... Barack Obama, who has a public ease and eloquence unmatched by any candidate since ... well, Bill Clinton. ...... just like the Clinton who won in 1992, Obama will represent a new generation of leadership, a freshness that Senator Clinton will not be able to claim. ..... She will have to hope that experience trumps charisma, which isn't often a winning hand in American politics. CA Wildfires Force Mass Evacuation a hellish, spidery pattern of luminous orange .... more than a dozen blazes covering at least 240,000 acres, the equivalent of 374 square miles. ..... "The sky was just red. Everywhere I looked was red, glowing. ...... Firefighters — who lost valuable time trying to persuade stubborn homeowners to leave — had their work cut out for them as winds gusting to 70 mph scattered embers onto dry brush, spawning spot fires. ..... more than 200,000 reverse 911 calls — calls from county officials to residents — alerted residents to evacuations Alabama Picks a Bible Textbook
Obama Promises a Forceful Stand Against Clinton New York Timeshe will start confronting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton more forcefully, declaring that she had not been candid in describing her views on critical issues, as he tries to address mounting alarm among supporters that his lack of assertiveness has allowed her to dominate the presidential race. ....... a long period in which his aides, donors and other supporters have battled — and in some cases shared — the perception that he has not exhibited the aggressiveness demanded by presidential politics. ....... “now is the time” ....... he said she was deliberately obscuring her positions for political gain ...... Social Security, Iraq and Iran as issues on which she had not been entirely forthcoming. ....... a growing consensus that Mr. Obama had to ratchet up his intensity and draw sharper distinctions ........ acknowledged that he had held back until now ........ the plan had always been for him to begin taking on Mrs. Clinton more directly in the fall. ...... glared and said no when asked if he lacked the stomach for confrontational politics. ...... Philadelphia ..... Clinton had “repeatedly dodged opportunities to reveal her thinking about the best way to strengthen Social Security.” ..... growing signs that Mr. Obama was looking for a fresh start for his campaign after nine months in which his aides said they were startled by the effectiveness of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, and worried that her support was not as brittle as they had once believed. ........ campaign war room ..... concern of his aides that his public speeches tend to be long-winded ....... His senior aides said they were now spending much of their days fielding calls from concerned donors and other supporters asking why Mr. Obama was not challenging Mrs. Clinton more forcefully ....... disagreement in the campaign about whether he should now begin investing all his time in Iowa ...... Morale at his Chicago headquarters .. has been dragged down by the perception that Mrs. Clinton is lapping Mr. Obama. ..... a breakfast of boiled eggs (he ate only the egg whites) ...... Clinton had been untruthful or misleading in describing her positions on problems facing the nation. ...... she was trying to “sound or vote” like a Republican on national security issues ....... Obama suggested that she was too divisive to win a general election and that if she won, she would be unable to bring together competing factions in Washington to accomplish anything. ........ “The national press for the last three months has written glowingly about her and not so much about me .......... an “underdog” running against a campaign that has “a 20-year head start when it comes to managing the spin of the national politics.” ......... Obama’s criticisms of Mrs. Clinton were sharper than he has voiced during this campaign, they were, nonetheless, still somewhat restrained ........ Obama, who aides suggested might be spending too much time reading blogs and newspaper clippings about the campaign ........ every time we point out a difference between me and her, they say, ‘What happened to the politics of hope?’ which is just silly ........ they had declined an invitation from some networks to appear on Sunday morning talk shows after Mrs. Clinton the day she appeared on five in one day ........ Obama projected a relaxed air of confidence ...... “So,” he said, “give me some gossip about the Republicans.” India has lot to learn from China on economic reforms: Sonia Hindu Describing the pace of change in China as “truly astounding and outstanding,” Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said India had much to learn from China’s economic reforms and liberalisation. ....... the “world is big enough” to accommodate the growth and aspirations of both the nations. ...... pragmatism, clarity of vision and determination of effort ...... coming decades, China and India will be the largest and third largest respectively among the global economies ...... there is no problem that cannot be sorted out through free and frank dialogue and discussion ....... there was peace and tranquillity on the border and outstanding issues relating to the boundary question were being discussed in a comprehensive manner by the Special Representatives of the two countries. ....... more than trade, it would be investment that would bring the two countries together. ....... bridge the information gap “so that we no longer retain stereotyped images of each other.” ........ AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader Karan Singh, Union Ministers Prithviraj Chavan and Anand Sharma and India’s Ambassador to China, Nirupama Rao, were present at the lecture. Iraq Plan to Add US Troops at Kurdish Border Is Rejected by Turkey New York Times Bhutto Visits Ancestral Homeland Under Tight Security Washington PostUnder extraordinarily tight security ...... quick and tightly scripted visit .... a crowd of thousands ...... Bhutto did not speak to the assembled mass of flag-waving supporters, and concerns about another attack seemed to dictate every aspect of the trip. ...... Her convoy, which included vehicles mounted with machine guns, sped along the route from the airport ..... local supporters who worship the Bhutto name with an almost religious fervor. ..... Bhutto, whose Pakistan People's Party has long relied on mass rallies to drum up support, has said her party is talking with political consultants about other, less dangerous campaign tactics, including tape-recorded messages. ....... Waterlilies compete for space with water buffalo in the endless network of canals that radiate from the Indus River and irrigate the surrounding countryside. Most of the residents are poor farmers, although some landowning families, like the Bhuttos, are exceptionally wealthy. ......... Residents of the nearby town of Larkana said this week that the attack against Bhutto had only deepened their affection for her. ....... credited Bhutto with supplying jobs and keeping inflation down during her two terms in the 1980s and 1990s Obama goes after Clinton head-on Inquirer.net Obama took Clinton to task over the politically sensitive issue of how to keep the Social Security system alive in a town hall meeting in Des Moines, Iowa ....... "Because you're not ready to lead if you can't tell us where you're going" ...... turning the table on the former first lady, who has accused him of being too green to become president. ....... "I don't think people know what her agenda exactly is," Obama told the Times, adding that she had not been fully forthcoming on Social Security, Iraq and Iran. ....... "Because conventional thinking in Washington says Social Security is the third rail of American politics. It says you should hedge, dodge, and spin, but at all costs, don't answer," he said. ....... a Zogby poll released Monday also showed that 50 percent of Americans surveyed said they would never vote for Clinton Obama directly confronts Clinton on Social SecurityBaltimore Sun By going on the offense, Obama (D-Ill.) is seeking to shake up polls that show Clinton (D-N.Y.) with a large lead nationally and also in some early voting states. ....... how she would alter long-term funding for the massive federal program. ....... "She will oppose any effort to privatize the program," her campaign said. "As president her first priority will be restoring fiscal responsibility and fair tax policies, and then will work in a bipartisan process to address Social Security's long term challenges." Excerpts From an Interview With Barack ObamaNew York Times aboard his campaign plane to Columbus, Ohio, from Chicago ...... We never planned on winning this thing in September. ..... why I would be the best president for this particular time in history ...... We’re running against the most established brand in the Democratic Party for the last two decades, as well as strong candidates like Edwards who have been running for the last four years. ....... our supporters, our donor base, always understood that this was going to be a tough fight. ........ if you’re running against an established brand, don’t you have to draw contrasts? ....... There has been a lot of biographical work that we’ve had to do over the last several months ...... She, I think, represents a lot of old arguments. ........ people perceive her as a tough, competent, intelligent person. But there’s no sense among independents or Republicans that she’s going to bring a new language to our politics. ....... if you believe that business as usual is not sufficient to solve health care or institute a major energy policy or help to heal racial divisions or religious divides in this country, then my candidacy looks more appealing .......... On Iraq and Iran, I think there has been a tendency to go back and forth in her positions. ...... not to try to obfuscate and avoid being a target in the general election and then find yourself governing without any support for any bold propositions ..... in the first couple of debates, the format didn’t work for me. Or I didn’t adapt to the format. ...... I will more effectively bring the country together, I will more effectively overcome the special interests and I will more provide a clearer vision for the country about where we need to go. ........ What I said right now is what I genuinely believe. ..... the standard approach on Social Security that she’s taken, which is to pretend that if you just ensure that all the money coming into the trust fund is there and there is fiscal stability and there’s no problem, means you don’t solve the problem. You’re kicking the can down the road. ........ defend ourselves against attack or amplify real differences. ....... Hope is not ignoring differences or ignoring problems. ...... hope is what you have in the face of difficulties, uncertainties and conflict. ..... Being honest about those differences and conflicts, but believing that we can resolve them, not trying to pretend that they’re not there. ......... I am happy to have very strong and forceful debates about where I perceive there to be real differences. ......... on the biggest foreign policy disaster of a generation, she got it wrong and I got it right and that judgment carries over to the discussions we are now having on Iran. ........ I think it is fair to say that if Hillary Clinton is the nominee, then we have a repetition of 2000 and 2004. There’s no change in the political map. ...... There’s not going to be an expansion of the electorate. I don’t think anybody would claim that Senator Clinton is going to inspire a horde of new voters. ....... I am absolutely convinced, as somebody who represents a new generation of leadership and takes a new tone and a different language into the general election, that I’ve got the capacity to attract independents and Republicans in a way that she can’t do. Argentina's 'Hillary Clinton' poised to win presidency Inquirer.net First Lady of Argentina ready to be the new EvitaGuardian Unlimited Hillary Clinton finds time for her base in Harlem Newsday the nation's best-known black neighborhood, and was hosted there by the nation's most powerful black politician. ........ Clinton -- who was also introduced by former president Bill Clinton, who retains near rock-star status in the black community ...... offering herself as a champion of women, another group that has struggled to advance in a world dominated by white men. ....... "I think there is a sisterhood that transcends race," Dorise Roberts Black, a black Harlem resident and retired principal, said as she entered the church. ....... Abyssinian Baptist was once led by legendary preacher Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a proponent of black political power who launched his own congressional career from the pulpit. Powell later was among the first Protestant preachers to endorse the presidential bid of John F. Kennedy, who had to overcome religious bias against his Catholic faith. ............ citizens who indicate a willingness to vote across racial lines often are swayed by racial pride on Election Day. ....... Black women provide the former first lady with her biggest support from among black voters, choosing her as their top choice almost three times as often as they cite Obama. Harlem Homecoming For ClintonGuardian Unlimited Rivals From Both Parties Spar Over Response to Iran New York Times a military blockade or “bombardment of some kind” ...... Iran’s 125,000-member Revolutionary Guard Corps ...... the guard corps and its elite Quds division. ...... Clinton accused Mr. Obama of desperately flagging the Iran issue to revive a “struggling” campaign. Mr. Obama fired back, saying her “political explanations and contortions” would not change the fact that she had given Mr. Bush the benefit of the doubt on foreign policy and was doing so again. ....... American intelligence officials have told Congress that Iran is probably three to eight years away from its first weapon. ....... the only thing more dangerous than a war with Iran would be an Iran with nuclear weapons. ....... “The view of many experts is that Iran within two years of a tipping point,” Mr. McCain said. “They are inexorably on the road to attaining nuclear weapons.” ....... would not think about military action against Iran as a “war,” but more in terms of precise strikes. ....... making the same mistakes she made in 2002 before the war in Iraq by offering the administration support, however qualified. ...... Mr. Edwards equated Mrs. Clinton’s vote on the Iran resolution with her previous support of the 2002 measure, which, in his view, authorized the use of military force in Iraq. ..... Mr. Edwards said: “I learned a clear lesson from the lead-up to the Iraq war in 2002: If you give this president an inch, he will take a mile — and launch a war. Senator Clinton apparently learned a different lesson. Instead of blocking George Bush’s new march to war, Senator Clinton and others are enabling him once again.” Obama continues to invoke "cousin" Dick Cheney Baltimore Sun "It doesn't help when you put my cousin, Dick Cheney, in charge of energy policy," Obama said. "We've been trying to hide this for a long time, by the way. Everybody's got a black sheep in the family." ...... And in an interview with CNBC this week, Cheney called the senator "Cousin Barack.'' Play of the Day: Cheney on Cousin ObamaThe Associated Press The vice president said he was unsure about bringing it up with the Illinois senator. "Well, I didn't know whether that would help him or hurt him, so I thought I'd probably stay away from him," he said. ...... Obama is a descendent of Mareen Duvall, said Ginny Justice, a spokeswoman for Lynne Cheney. The French Huguenot's son married the granddaughter of a Richard Cheney, who arrived in Maryland in the late 1650's from England. Clinton shows up in New YorkCapital News 9
I was not a John Edwards supporter in 2004, and I have not been this election cycle. But I must say I have been very impressed with the many union endorsements he has managed to get. He must have been doing something right to get all that.
John Edwards knows the Iowa dynamic and the magic of doing well in Iowa more than anyone else running. He was there in 2004. He rode the Iowa wave all the way to being Kerry's running mate. Could you have seen that at this stage in 2003? Nope.
John Edwards knows that and he is counting on it. I think that is why he has been going after Hillary Clinton so aggressively. He knows Hillary is only one Iowa defeat away from losing her so-called national lead in the polls. Edwards is the dog chasing the car. He hopes to catch it.
I mean, I like Edwards. It is just that I am with Obama: I like Obama more.
I am so proud of the entire Democratic field. I am too young to remember a more impressive Dem field. And I have read enough history to be able to say the Dems never had it this good. Something wonderful is going on.
John Edwards could pull a surprise and end up doing well enough in Iowa that he could be competing hard all through January. The dynamic will go from state to state. So state number four can not be predicted now or even after state number one. I don't know if Edwards will be the nominee - I hope not, I hope it is Obama - but I do know the guy has as intimate a knowledge as anyone as to how the dynamic will play out during the weeks of January. And so he is keeping his nose to the ground and is chugging along full express.
I think he has done a very good job of exposing Hillary's intimacy with the kind of life forms in Washington usually associated with corrupt, spoilt Republicans. Everybody and Harry Truman's cousins have had good ideas on health care. But this election cycle Edwards put it together in one place months before Hillary did.
And the guy basically lost in 2004 and camped in Iowa right after where he has practically been living since. That is someone who understands the importance of Iowa a little too well for his opponents.
Even if Edwards does not win, he is going to have had a major positive impact on the campaign. The eventual nominee is going to be better for having competed against Edwards. That is not to say I am taking Edwards lightly. He is very much in the race, and he is serious competition. Hillary knows that.
He apologized for his misguided 2002 vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq. Hillary never did. He also exhibited major integrity at one early debate when he said if there are people out there who will not vote for Barack because he is black, and for Hillary because she is a woman, he does not want their vote either. That was my favorite line coming from anybody in that particular debate. I admired him for saying that.
And it does not escape me that Joe Trippi of Dean 2004 fame is with Edwards.
The Neocon Fantassy Of A Five Minute Air Raid Of Iran
That is what they are peddling. They were saying a week or two will be enough to do the job in Iraq. You go in, take Saddam out, you get out. Mission accomplished. We know how that worked out.
Iran is a much larger, more complex country. It will retaliate. It has allies like Russia that are fundamentally opposed to military action, and Putin is likely to act strongly on Iran's behalf.
That is the fundamental chink in the neocon armor. To them war is a video game. If only it were that simple. They don't take into account the human dimension. They don't take into account the regional sentiments, or power dynamic. They don't take into account budgetary constraints. And they certainly are not even looking at the non military options.
They were wrong on Iraq. They are not doing any better on Iran.
Nuclear nonproliferation is a non-negotiable goal, but W does not know how to achieve that goal in a sane way.
On The Other Hand
If a five minute air raid can cure Iran of the ultimate evil it is portrayed to be, how much of an evil can it be in the first place?
In The News
Iranians Dismiss New US Sanctions New York Times as insignificant and said they would have no effect on the country’s nuclear policies ...... The decision raised the temperature in America’s confrontation with Iran over terrorism and nuclear weapons. ...... “Sanctions have been imposed on us for the past 28 years. The new sanctions, like those before, will have no effect on Iran’s policies.” ....... the Guard would respond to any attack “fiercely.” Yet Another Photo of Site in Syria, Yet More Questions New York Times whether the Bush administration overlooked a nascent atomic threat in Syria while planning and executing a war in Iraq ..... North Korea’s suspected aid to Syria, suggesting that North Korea could have begun its assistance in the late 1990s. ....... the site that the Israelis struck in September. ..... a tall building about 150 feet wide on each side that analysts suspect might have sheltered a half-built nuclear reactor. Also visible is a pumping station on the Euphrates, which may be significant because reactors need water for cooling. .......... it was ironic that Syria might have been trying to build a nuclear program just as the United States was invading Iraq in the fear that Iraq was developing nuclear arms. Merrill’s Chief Is Said to Consider a Bid to Merge the idea of a merger with a large bank, a foray that angered Merrill’s board and could cost him his job ....... O’Neal broached the possibility of a merger with Wachovia, the bank based in Charlotte, N.C., without first getting the approval of Merrill’s board, a major breach of corporate protocol ........ underscores how much the subprime mortgage crisis has rocked Merrill. ...... Merrill reported a third-quarter loss of $2.3 billion and announced it would take a write-down of $7.9 billion on subprime mortgages and complex debt instruments, far more than the $5 billion it had predicted weeks earlier. ....... Though less prominent, Wachovia has a higher stock market capitalization — about $86 billion, versus $52 billion for Merrill. ...... Merrill, with 15,000 retail brokers, and Wachovia, with 10,137 brokers Mexicans Miss Money From Relatives Up North From 2000 to 2006, remittances grew to nearly $24 billion a year from $6.6 billion, rising more than 20 percent some years. In 2007, the increase so far has been less than 2 percent. ......... Last year, migrant workers worldwide sent more than $300 billion to developing countries — almost twice the amount of foreign direct investment. ......... the construction slump — along with a year-old crackdown on illegal immigration at the border and in the workplace, and mounting anti-immigrant sentiment in places — has made it even harder for Mexican migrants to reach the United States and land well-paying jobs. ........ New walls, new guards and new equipment at the border have dissuaded many from trying to cross and raised the cost for those who try to as much as $2,800. Workplace raids and stories of summary deportations stoke fears among Mexicans on both sides of the border. ......... “Psychologically, they lead you to save money in case of an emergency. You send less, you save more.” ....... Guanajuato state, remittances have created a peculiar economy in villages ...... few jobs, yet many houses have stereo systems, washing machines and three-piece living room sets. ......... An unskilled factory or construction job pays little more than $50 or $60 a week. With those prospects, the next generation — some of them as young as 15 — seemed to have few doubts about heading to the United States. ....... “Now they lock you up. Before, they grabbed you and sent you back. Despite Progress, California Fires Still Pose Threat New York Times Obama Fundraiser Defects to Clinton The Associated Press Bob Farmer, who was a top fundraiser for several past Democratic presidential candidates, had served on Obama's national finance committee. ........ Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, "He was not a bundler. He didn't raise any money for us, but we wish him well." Bundlers had committed to raise at least $50,000 for the campaign. ...... Farmer was the finance chair of the Democratic National Committee during President George H.W. Bush's administration. He was a top fundraiser for Michael Dukakis in 1988, Bill Clinton in 1992 and John Kerry in 2004. Farmer served as Kerry's national treasurer in 2004, but when Kerry decided he would not seek the presidency in 2008, Farmer was one of several Kerry financial backers who chose to help Obama. ....... Farmer gave $2,300 to Obama in March, $2,300 to Edwards in June and $2,300 to Hillary Clinton in July. Clinton Builds Her Firewall Washington Post Quietly but systematically, Hillary Clinton is building a firewall in New Hampshire. She can afford to lose the Iowa caucuses as long as she can win here. She can't afford to lose both states. ......... has built an organization with deep local roots. Although a victory by Barack Obama in Iowa could still propel him to triumph here, Clinton is setting herself up to withstand an Obama surge by using New Hampshire to become, if necessary, the second Comeback Kid. ......... "Barack seems flat ....... "The magic we experienced in December hasn't been sustained." ....... Obama's rock-star quality may actually be getting in his way. ......... The large crowds Obama draws hinder his ability to engage in traditional campaigning. "People here don't just expect you to be on the stage," Chynoweth said. "They expect you to be out in the audience among the people." ........... Obama's charisma causes him other problems. Arnesen said that while Clinton's message "is very much about the voters," Obama's is "very much about himself" and his personal capacity to create change. ......... instead of a campaign organized in opposition to Clinton, the fascination with Obama has, up to now, made her less of a target. ...... Clinton's claim that she can deal with the Republican "attack machine" rings truer to an angry party than Obama's call for an end to partisan polarization ....... The paradox for Obama is that catching up may require him to make Clinton -- and her views and electability -- more of an issue than he is. It may not come naturally, but "No More Mr. Nice Guy" may have to become his campaign anthem. Obama faces dilemma in chasing ClintonReuters barely two months before the first contests. ...... "The campaign has to develop a level of aggressiveness and intensity that I'm not sure we've seen yet. If he's playing to win, they are going to have to ratchet it up" ....... Obama's campaign dismisses the national polls as exercises in name recognition, pointing out Obama, Clinton and rival John Edwards are in a tight three-way race in Iowa, where an early win can immediately change the dynamics of the race. ....... What Obama needs to do now, he said, is "organize, organize, organize. Iowa is a three-way scramble right now, and Obama's strength is going to be his organization." ....... "Obama can allow Edwards and the rest to take Hillary on. He doesn't have to carry the load," Strother said. "He has the freedom to stay above the fray." Obama: Don't pander to homophobes Salon Cash flows in as Hillary Clinton turns 60 Telegraph.co.uk Uproar Over Obama's Gospel Tour ContinuesCBS News Obama's New Politics, ExemplifiedAtlantic Online Thesis, antithesis and synthesis, the bringing together of political opposites, the breaking of old habits of minds; putting it more capitalistically, Obama, in his campaign bull sessions, sees his campaign as the prelude to a creative destruction of the current political system. ........ We believe that Barack Obama is constructing a tent big enough for LGBT Americans who know that their sexual orientation is an innate and treasured part of their being, and for African American ministers and citizens who believe that their religion prevents them from fully embracing their gay brothers and sisters. And if we are to confront our shared challenges we have to join together, build on common ground, and engage in a civil dialogue even when we disagree. ......... there is a fairly substantial degree of homophobia within parts of the black community. Clinton vs. Obama on Iran Washington Post McCain Hits Clinton in 2nd Woodstock Ad The Associated Press Crime Bosses Considered Hit on GiulianiNew York Times In 1987, when Rudolph Giuliani was still the aggressive United States attorney in Manhattan, he came within single vote of having a contract put on his head by the leaders of the five New York organized crime families ....... prosecuted the five families as a single criminal enterprise. ...... John Gotti and Carmine Persico were in favor of the hit. The bosses of the Luchese and and BonnanoGenovese families rejected the idea ........ Carmine Persico is serving life in federal prison, and John Gotti died in prison in 2002. Giuliani Resembles Bush on Terrorism The Associated Press Bush on steroids ...... The former New York mayor says the government shouldn't be shy about eavesdropping on citizens. He is prepared to use military force to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons and root out terrorists in Pakistan. And he opposes a U.S. pullout from Iraq. ...... the mind-set and commitment of both the president and Mayor Giuliani to stay on offense ...... Giuliani sounds more muscular. ...... "I will keep America on offense in the terrorists' war on us." He constantly accuses Democrats of being afraid to use the term "Islamic terrorists." ....... Giuliani's message is, "'I'm a tough SOB; you give me the power, and I'll protect you ....... "They might argue that it's necessary," Keene said. "He might argue that it's fun." ...... retired federal judge Michael Mukasey, a longtime friend of Giuliani's who was advising the campaign until Bush picked him to serve as attorney general. ........ he wasn't sure if waterboarding, which simulates drowning, is actually torture. ....... he didn't know if "liberal media" had accurately described the technique. ...... "we can't abandon aggressive questioning of people who are intent on coming here to kill us or killing us overseas ....... argues for bombing Iran to stop it from building a nuclear arsenal. ...... Iran, like Iraq and Afghanistan, is another front in the same war sparked by the Sept. 11 attacks. He calls this World War IV, the Cold War being World War III. ........ the calm, decisive leader ....... "I probably have one of the strongest arguments to make about executive experience and handling crisis and getting results" ...... he should never have put the city's emergency command center inside the World Trade Center when the complex was already a potential target for terrorists, and that he failed to make sure firefighters had working radios, making it impossible to learn the complex's towers were about to collapse. .......... Giuliani is exaggerating when he claims, as he often does, to have studied Islamic terrorism for 30 years Security Council likely to extend UN's Mission in Nepal – envoy ReliefWeb We must bomb Iran, says US Republican guruTelegraph.co.uk Iran be bombed using cruise missiles and "bunker busters" to set back Teheran’s nuclear programme by at least five years. ........ Norman Podhoretz, one of the founders of neoconservatism, who has also imparted his stark advice personally to a receptive President George W. Bush. ...... "None of the alternatives to military action - negotiations, sanctions, provoking an internal insurrection - can possibly work" ........ the former New York mayor whom he briefs daily ...... he takes part in weekly conference calls and is in daily email contact with the Giuliani campaign. ...... Daniel Pipes, who opposes a Palestinian state and believes America should "inspire fear, not affection" ......... sought a rare one-on-on audience with the US commander-in-chief. They met in New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel in the spring. ........ World War IV: the Long Struggle Against Islamofacsism ....... spent about 35 minutes outlining his case for air strikes against Iran as Mr Bush’s then chief adviser Karl Rove took notes. ........ "He was very cordial. He was warm. He listened. He occasionally asked a question as I made the case but he was truly poker faced." ..... Podhoretz left the meeting unshaken in his belief that Mr Bush would attack Iran before he leaves office. ...... "The spirit of the questions was not to try to refute or contradict what I was saying. I didn’t get any negative vibes." ...... "the debate [over Iran] is secretly over and the people who are against military action are now preparing to make the case that we can live with an Iranian bomb". ....... either one would authorise military action once they were convinced Iran had passed the point of no return with its uranium enrichment programme. ........ with air strikes, we’ve got three carriers in the region and a lot of submarines ......... "I would say it would take five minutes. You’d wake up one morning and the strikes would have been ordered and carried out during the night. All the president has to do is say go." Iran threatens 'decisive strike' if US attacksIran has threatened to hit back with an "even more decisive strike" if the US bombs its nuclear installations, as international tensions rise following Washington's imposition of sanctions against Teheran. ....... Putin of Russia comparing the Bush administration to "mad people wielding razor blades" ...... Nicholas Burns, US assistant secretary of state, suggested that Russia and China are propping up President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime. Analysis: Iran and US in political fluxAt present, the two countries are firmly set on the path towards confrontation. Iran continues to develop a nuclear programme which, it says, is nothing more than a grand scheme to generate electricity for a rapidly growing population, already exceeding 70 million. ....... In parallel with this, Britain and France are now pushing for the European Union to restrict trade and investment in Iran. ....... Deep divisions have emerged inside Iran's regime, with Mr Ahmadinejad installing his hardline allies in key positions. Parliamentary elections will take place next March and opponents of Mr Ahmadinejad have a good chance of winning a majority. ....... Divisions in Teheran are mirrored by those in Washington. Both Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, and Robert Gates, the defence secretary, are opposed to military strikes on Iran. Vice-President Dick Cheney is believed to be in favour. By imposing tough sanctions, Miss Rice and Mr Gates are trying to show there is an effective alternative to war. 18 October 2007: George Bush warns Putin over 'World War III'Feeling increasingly isolated and fearing an American attack, the Islamic republic received a major boost from the visit by Mr Putin, who said US military action against Iran would be wrong. At the same time, the Russian leader resisted Iranian pressure to set a firm starting date for the nuclear power plant that Russia is building at Bushehr. ........... intense speculation about possible US air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and other targets. ...... The Pentagon is known to have drawn up attack plans and Mr Bush's close advisers are divided between those who think Teheran needs to be taught a lesson and those who think bombing raids would hand Mr Ahmadinejad a propaganda victory. ......... "There is clearly an apocalyptic streak in his rhetoric, but his historical understanding is very limited. ....... it wouldn't be World War Three because Iran is not a major power. It would be more of a colonial style war." ...... "This is not my first rodeo," the president said. 10 April 2007: Iran is enriching uranium 'on an industrial scale' Teheran announced that it had started enriching uranium on an "industrial scale". ........ In a carefully orchestrated atmosphere of national celebration, Mr Ahmadinejad said: "I proudly announce that as of today Iran is among the countries which produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale." ....... If uranium is enriched to three per cent purity, it can be used to fuel nuclear power stations. If it reaches 90 percent purity, then it becomes weapons-grade and can form the basis of a bomb. ........ Iran is believed to be using 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that with this number of centrifuges it is about two years away from having enough weapons-grade uranium for one bomb. ........ It was billed as "good nuclear news" and came as the climax of a day of festivities marking what Iran called its first "National Nuclear Day". ......... Across Iran phones buzzed with text messages announcing that its nuclear programme had "reached a new stage." In Teheran, militia members formed a chain outside its Atomic Energy Agency chanting "death to America - death to Britain". ....... urged world powers to accept the "new reality" of Teheran's nuclear status. ..... today's developments will strengthen the hand of hawks in Washington who see military intervention as the only way to halt Iran's nuclear threat. Scores of trains booked to ferry rally volunteersGulf News nearly three dozen special trains to ferry supporters to Patna for a rally here on October 28. ...... his party was paying Indian Railways for booking the rally special trains. Bihar attracting big investment India PRwire attracting funds worth Rs. 370 billion (over $9 billion) in the past two years. ....... big industrialists have been showing keen interest after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar initiated some measures to develop the state's infrastructure. ...... Most of the investments are in the power, sugar and cement sectors. ...... would provide direct employment to 90,000 people and indirect employment to nearly 500,000 people ...... roads, bridges and power .... The government has also prepared a land bank to make land available to investors. UPDATE 1-US Senate OKs 7-year extension of Internet tax ban Reuters A Missed Moment In Iraq Washington Post would undermine the stability of the only part of Iraq where the United States is welcome. ..... could plunge Turkey into an Iraq quagmire of its own. ....... lack of imagination, incompetence and sheer lack of knowledge at the State Department has caused this impasse. ........ PKK, which has waged an insurrection for more than 20 years, has been using northern Iraq as a haven, training ground and headquarters. ........ headquarters is perched high in the Qandil mountains, near the Iranian border and safe from Turkish artillery. ....... Kurds, in search of cultural and political rights, have been in some form of rebellion or political agitation since the inception of the Turkish republic in the 1920s. ........ The civil-military discord has hampered Turkey's Iraq policy. ........ the PKK .... its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in prison ...... a Kurdish north at peace with Turkey is the best antidote to separation from Iraq. ...... The only other thing to hope for is bad weather. With the onset of winter and dwindling military activities, Washington will perhaps have the diplomatic window of opportunity it almost closed. Three years late, it will be much harder to succeed. Turks pressure leaders for military actionLos Angeles Times Fighting Escalates Near Stronghold of Pakistani Cleric New York Times a suicide bomber killed 20 people, most of them border guards, in the same area. ....... The sharp rise in violence in the area, Swat Valley, which is relatively isolated from the lawless tribal areas on the Afghan border, demonstrates the growing strength of Islamists. ....... also known as Maulana Radio for his illegal broadcasts calling for Taliban-like Islamic law, and who is thought to have some 4,500 followers. ....... son-in-law of Sufi Muhammad, the founder of Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi, the Movement for the Implementation of Muhammad’s Law ........ The provincial government deployed 2,500 more border guards to the area on Wednesday. Retaliation was swift: the suicide attack on Thursday. ..... The four men, said to be in their mid-20s, all had their hands tied behind them ..... one of the militants as declaring shortly before the beheadings: “Let this serve as a warning to all those who spy for the government or extend help. The sons of Bush will meet similar fate.” India-China ties: Tensions remain Times of Indiarapid modernisation of the 2.5 million People's Liberation Army and military infrastructure build-up in Tibet to the ever-increasing "intrusions" by Chinese troops into Indian territory ..... China and its quest for more and more trans-border military capabilities ...... "differing perceptions" about the still unresolved 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries Putin Denounces US Missile Shield New York Times Facing international pressure over human rights problems and restrictions on free speech in Russia, Mr. Putin proposed setting up a new joint institute, perhaps based in Brussels, that would examine human rights issues both in Russia and in the European Union. ........... neo-Nazism, ethnic tensions, minority rights and immigration could be put on the institute’s agenda. ...... “Analogous actions by the Soviet Union, when it deployed rockets on Cuba, provoked the Cuban missile crisis,” Mr. Putin said. ........... Putin, who is barred by the Russian constitution from seeking a third term in office, will instead strengthen the powers of the prime minister and then seek that post. But Mr. Putin brushed aside the idea today. ....... Putin had agreed to permit the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to monitor next year’s Russian elections. ....... Russia and the union had reached a stalemate over energy. ...... Europe’s relations with Moscow are in limbo ahead of next year’s presidential elections. ...... Nothing significant will happen before March 2008. ........ “Putin started out prioritizing Europe. But he ends his term arguing instead that Russia, India, China and Brazil’s economic growth should be transferred into political influence.” ......... “The clear message is: ‘We are back. We want to be involved in all international issues.’ ” Putin: US risks new Cuban missile crisisGuardian Unlimited Court frees US teen jailed 10 years for oral sex Reuters for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17 ...... a case that sparked a national campaign on his behalf. ...... was convicted in 2005 of aggravated child molestation for having oral sex at a New Year's Eve party in a hotel in Georgia. The act was captured on an amateur video. ....... the sentence constituted "cruel and unusual punishment" banned under the U.S. Constitution. ..... we must acknowledge that Wilson's crime does not rise to the level of culpability of adults who prey on children ...... Georgia's attorney general, Thurbert Baker, who challenged the lower court's ruling in June and thus kept Wilson in jail, said he accepted Friday's decision. Wilson Spent Two Years in Prison for Consensual Oral SexABC News Court ruling is legislating from the benchAtlanta Journal Constitution Keeping Up the Hard Line on Cuba TIME Few would argue that democracy and human rights are as rare in Cuba as meat and modern appliances. ...... "The socialist paradise is a tropical gulag" ....... Fidel said Bush's speech reflected the U.S.'s desire to "reconquer" Cuba. And the Castro brothers aren't exactly cowed by these traditional verbal assaults. They have thrived on it in the past: heated U.S. rhetoric usually bolsters their image at home as the island's anti-Yanqui defenders. ......... lifting the ban on U.S. travel to Cuba — something even most Cuban-Americans in Miami now favor, and which many Cuba watchers suggest the Castros actually fear ....... "American citizens have always proven the best ambassadors of freedom and democracy." ....... the Miami Cuban exile community — whose anti-Castro hardliners, with their dreams of resurrecting a pre-Castro Cuba, are as disliked by many Cubans on the island as the Castros themselves are. ....... Oswaldo Paya, an engineer who is the most prominent of Cuba's dissidents, says he is uncomfortable whenever the White House tries to co-opt him and his colleagues. He says it simply makes their goals more difficult to achieve. Iran War Drumbeat Grows LouderThe prospect of war with Iran is beginning to look real. The hardening of positions in both Tehran and Washington over the past week has brought relations to their lowest point since the Iran hostage crisis that began in 1979. ...... turning their differences into all-out regional power struggle. ...... Rice criticized Iran's "emboldened foreign policy" and "hegemonic aspirations," while asserting that the U.S. will continue to be engaged on economic, political and security issues in the Middle East. "We are there to stay" ........ Tehran and Washington are now engaged in a game of geopolitical chicken, which favors hard-liners on both sides, making compromise more difficult, escalation more likely and war — by accident, if not by design — a greater possibility than before. ......... "It looks like a slow-motion train wreck" ....... The showdown has elements of a perfect storm. The decline of U.S. fortunes in Iraq has been accompanied by a rise in Iranian assertiveness ........ Ahmadinejad abandoned Khatami's "dialogue of civilizations" for more confrontational rhetoric, calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and goading the West by denying the Holocaust. Iran enthusiastically backed Hizballah and Hamas in their confrontations with Israel, and denounced the U.S. occupation of Iraq. ........ Ahmadinejad has repeatedly pooh-poohed the idea that the U.S. might take military action against Iran, to the anger and alarm of others in the Iranian leadership structure, who accuse him of downplaying a real danger. Ahmadinejad says that he considers the U.N.'s case against Iran's nuclear program closed, and dismisses U.N. sanctions as "piles of paper." Bragging that Iran's uranium-enrichment efforts have succeeded in achieving "the capacity for industrial-scale fuel cycle production," he also recently withdrew a compromise Iranian proposal that would base its enrichment activities in an international consortium that would allow Western countries to participate in and monitor Iran's activities. "The proposal was based on the situation last year," Ahmadinejad explained. "New terms must be defined." ............... Last week, Ahmadinejad accepted the resignation of Ali Larijani, the pragmatic conservative chief negotiator who is a bitter political rival to the President. Although all Iranian leaders defend their right to uranium-enrichment technology for purposes of producing nuclear energy, Larijani believes it is in Iran's national interests to reach an understanding with the West. ........ the Administration designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction, and named the Corps' Quds division as a supporter of terrorism. ...... U.S. policy has taken a subtle, yet decisive, turn toward not merely stopping Iran's nuclear program, but seeking the end of the Islamic regime. Cheney's objections to Iran went well beyond its uranium-enrichment activities, to include Iran's policies toward Israel and the U.S., its activities in Iraq, its suppression of domestic opposition and what he called its drive for "hegemonic power" in the region ........ Iranians have a "right to be free from oppression, from economic deprivation and tyranny" ..... "America looks forward to the day when Iranians reclaim their destiny." Polygamy Survivor Carolyn Jessop Who Needs Facebook? Forbes Google .... may already have all the pieces it needs to patch together a homegrown social networking site--one that could even trump Facebook. ........ Google's first homespun networking site, Orkut, which debuted in 2004, has gained traction in Brazil and India. ....... Google is planning to revamp the website in November by opening the programming code to developers, who can then design a host of new applications for the network. It's a play straight from Facebook, which now offers users hundreds of different applications--but Google could go a bit further. ...... On Facebook, developers are required to work within the site to participate. Google may open the doors wider, by allowing developers to not only operate applications in the site, but also push data outside, into non-Google applications. ....... By adding new applications, and stitching together iGoogle and its communication programs, Google could have an unusual--and powerful--social networking presence. ....... just about every company is still scrambling to make sense of social networking. WiMax Gets Two New Friends: Cisco And The United Nations Amitabh favourite actor of Egyptians Daily Times the Egyptians are also big fans of Bollywood films. Salman beats Abhishek to Madame Tussauds Rediff Microsoft Surges After Sales, Profit Beat Estimates (Update5) Bloomberg Microsoft: 88 Million Copies of Vista ShippedPC World Acer Passes Lenovo Group and Targets Dell Enews 2.0 After its recently purchasing Gateway, Acer has passed Lenovo Group and has become the third largest personal computer vendor of the world. Still, the company has high hopes and desires, as it targets now at Dell’s spot. ..... in 2008 Acer could take up to a 12 percent share of the personal computers market from all over the world. ......... Acer’s chairman, J. T. Wang, has talked today about all these plans and hopes with the occasion of Acer’s third quarter investors’ conference from Taipei. ....... the people’s starting to focus on laptop personal computers, which currently represents the hottest segment of the computers market. Acer’s strategy of working closely with its distributors has also contributed to its current success. ........ The Taiwanese company has accounted for 8.1 percent of the PC shipments from all over the world during the quarter, which is a big difference comparing to its 5.9 percent share during the same time in 2006. Global warming not a factor in wildfires Los Angeles Times the dangerous mix of drought and wind that has plagued the region for centuries or more. ....... rising temperatures are already increasing fire damage in many parts of the West. ...... nearly seven times more land burned from 1987 to 2003 than in the previous 17 years. ...... mainly attributed this to a 1.5-degree rise in average spring and summer temperatures. With spring arriving earlier and snow melting faster, the forests dried out sooner, extending the average fire season by more than two months. ....... eventually global warming could make Southern California's occasional droughts more persistent, exacerbating the fire danger. ....... Conditions as dry as the Dust Bowl of the 1930s could prevail in the Southwest by the middle of this century ....... climate models showing how warmer temperatures would expand the reach of a powerful atmospheric circulation pattern known as the Hadley cell. Changes to the cell would dry air through the subtropics, including a swath from Colorado to California. ....... rising temperatures, fueled by greenhouse gas emissions, would eventually push peak Santa Ana winds from mid-October to late November. ....... Global warming, he said, could intensify wind flow by increasing the difference between inland and coastal temperatures. Apple's Leopard arrives in San Francisco CNET News.com prospective customers waited hours in line to buy Leopard, even though they could have preordered a copy from Apple or Amazon.com and have spent that time installing their new OS. ....... The free coffee went quickly, but the first 500 people in line were given T-shirts to mark the occasion. ...... Time Machine and Spaces, a feature that lets you switch between four separate work areas to help organize your thoughts when working with multiple applications.
