tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60321762457930000222011-11-27T15:30:49.406-08:00news picsFotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.comBlogger1051100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-48753660242286139342009-02-09T16:07:00.000-08:002009-02-09T16:08:46.078-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SZDFhVhK2kI/AAAAAAAAOPY/enIAdpg6qpM/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 159px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SZDFhVhK2kI/AAAAAAAAOPY/enIAdpg6qpM/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300953937917696578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Extienden plazo para cumplir con la cuota Hilton de carnes<br />La Secretaría de Agricultura prorrogó por espacio de treinta días el vencimiento de los plazos fijados para el cumplimiento del 70% de los envíos de los cortes vacunos de calidad que son exportados a los países europeos.<br />La medida entrará en vigencia en los próximos días con su publicación en el Boletín Oficial, consignó la cartera agropecuaria a través de un comunicado de prensa.<br /><br />En los considerandos, la Secretaría sostiene que la medida se tomó a causa de "la situación excepcional por la que están atravesando los mercados internacionales; la volatilidad cambiaria y de los precios de los principales commodities y productos comercializados internacionalmente, que la crisis financiera global ha generado".<br /><br />También sostiene que "esta coyuntura ha afectado en forma adversa al mercado internacional de la carne bovina, contrayendo la demanda de los principales compradores frente a un escenario de mayor incertidumbre".<br /><br />Además, la resolución de la Secretaría advierte sobre "la necesidad de adecuar las exigencias respecto del cumplimiento relacionado con la acreditación de exportaciones, dado que forzar su aplicación actuaría en detrimento de las partes involucradas".<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4875366024228613934?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-15267567584815780812009-02-08T14:26:00.001-08:002009-02-08T14:27:07.795-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY9cGgJDamI/AAAAAAAAOAI/F9m8sanlrwc/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY9cGgJDamI/AAAAAAAAOAI/F9m8sanlrwc/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300556553215240802" border="0" /></a><br />Cristina inició su primera visita oficial por España<br /> Es su primera visita oficial, se reunirá con el presidente José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero y los reyes Juan Carlos y Sofía.<br /><br />La presidenta Cristina Fernández de Kirchner fue entrevistada hoy por medios españoles, tras su llegada a España, donde mañana inicia su primera visita de Estado al país europeo.<br /><br /><br />La primera entrevista de la Jefa de Estado fue con el programa "Los Desayunos de TVE", una producción de los Informativos de Televisión Española cada mañana. La periodista Pepa Bueno dirige y presenta cada día este programa de análisis de actualidad y entrevistas en la televisión pública.<br /><br /><br />Cristina recibió, luego, a la Cadena Ser, la radio de mayor difusión de España. Asimismo, en el transcurso de esta tarde la mandataria tenía prevista una entrevista con el diario ABC y la cadena de<br />televisión La Sexta<br /><br /><br />La presidente mantendrá mañana una reunión con el jefe de gobierno español José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero y el martes será recibida por los reyes Juan Carlos y Sofía.<br /><br />Cristina partió hacia España con la meta de recomponer la relación bilateral en su primera visita oficial a la Península Ibérica.<br /><br />La Presidente viaja acompañada por el canciller Jorge Taiana, el gobernador bonaerense, Daniel Scioli, el ministro de Planificación Federal, Julio De Vido y el titular de la CGT, Hugo Moyano, entre otros.<br /><br />El lunes, Cristina Kirchner comenzará su agenda de la jornada al mediodía, con la visita al ayuntamiento de Madrid, donde será recibida por el alcalde madrileño, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón; luego a las 13 se realizará una reunión conjunta entre Taiana y su par español, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, con la comitiva argentina.<br /><br />A las 14 la mandatario argentina se trasladará al Palacio de la Zarzuela, donde será agasajada con un almuerzo por los reyes Juan Carlos y Sofía de Borbón.<br /><br />Luego, se dirigirá al Palacio de La Moncloa donde a las 17 se concretará el encuentro bilateral con Zapatero, en el que se aguarda que evalúen el impacto de la crisis internacional y las medidas adoptadas por ambos países para morigerar la debacle.<br /><br />En ese encuentro, Zapatero tiene previsto hablar de la situación de las empresas españolas en la Argentina, con la expectativa de un acuerdo con el grupo Marsans por el conflicto desatado por la expropiación de Aerolíneas Argentinas.<br /><br />El apoyo del Ejecutivo español a empresas de ese origen motivó que el viaje de la mandataria argentina fuera postergado en tres oportunidades en 2008, el peor año de la relación.<br /><br />En el marco de la visita oficial, los jefes de Estado tienen previsto firmar convenios de cooperación en Ciencia y Tecnología, tema que ocupa por igual a la mandatario argentina como a Zapatero, según lo han hecho notar durante las últimas cumbres de Jefe de Estado y de Gobierno.<br /><br /><br /><br />Por otra parte, los ministros Carlos Tomada (Trabajo) y Julio De Vido (Planificación Federal) mantuvieron esta tarde en Madrid una "reunión de trabajo" con los jefes de la CGT y la UIA.<br /><br /><br />Los ministros se reunieron por espacio de una hora y media junto a Hugo Moyano y Juan Carlos Lascurain en un "buen clima para desarrollar el diálogo social", según apuntó a Télam uno de las personas que participó del encuentro.<br /><br /><br /><br />En el salón de reuniones La Moncloa, del hotel Intercontinental, también participaron, por el lado de los<br />trabajadores, Omar Viviani (taxistas) y Antonio Caló (metalúrgicos).<br /><br /><br />Además de Lascurain, los empresarios presentes fueron José Ignacio De Mendiguren, Guillermo Moretti, Luis Morales (transportistas) y Jorge Aimaretti, titular de UART, cámara que agrupa a las empresas de seguro de riesgos de trabajo.<br /><br /><br />"En el encuentro hablaron de todos los temas que hacen a la realidad argentina", añadió la fuente. Entre los temas se destacaron la búsqueda de consenso para lograr una Ley de ART y la visita que hará la delegación argentina mañana al Consejo Económico Social.<br /><br /><br />En ese marco, el ministro Tomada les transmitió a "los actores sociales" la intención de la Presidenta de enviar al Congreso nacional, ni bien comience el período de sesiones ordinarias, el proyecto de ley de ART.<br /><br /><br /><br />En el "ámbito de espíritu tripartito" en el que se desarrolló hoy, una fuente explicó a Télam que "hay un aceptable consenso" con relación a los diferentes puntos entre las partes sobre la ley.<br /><br />Con la intervención de la Justicia, declarando tiempo atrás la inconstitucionalidad de artículos de la ley de riesgo de trabajo, el Gobierno viene trabajando con el objetivo de hallar un proyecto con la colaboración de la CGT y la UIA.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1526756758481578081?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-33285855240193672422009-02-08T14:15:00.000-08:002009-02-08T14:16:21.217-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY9ZrjNLMxI/AAAAAAAAN_g/L8gMAhthIIM/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 206px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY9ZrjNLMxI/AAAAAAAAN_g/L8gMAhthIIM/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300553891158110994" border="0" /></a><br /><div><h1 class="headline">Creció más de un 200 por ciento la instalación de cercos electrificados</h1></div><div><h2 class="summary"><table><tbody><tr><td class="bullet"><br /></td><td>En algunas zonas, como San Isidro, la demanda de los equipos aumentó un 600 por ciento</td></tr><tr><td class="bullet"><br /></td><td>Los especialistas aseguran que las personas buscan seguridad por su cuenta, ya que sienten que no encuentran la protección institucional</td></tr></tbody></table></h2></div><div id="vsmcontent" class="vsmcontent"><p>La <strong>instalación de cercos electrificados creció más de un 200 por ciento en la Ciudad de <nobr id="epl_kw_a42ee19c55910b40_0">Buenos Aires</nobr> y el Conurbano bonaerense </strong>, modalidad que surgió en los countries y que el año pasado se trasladó con fuerza a los centros urbanos, ante el miedo de las familias de sufrir la pesadilla de la inseguridad.</p> <p> </p> <p>"En algunas zonas en particular, como por ejemplo San Isidro, <strong>la demanda de los <nobr id="epl_kw_a42ee19c55910b40_1">equipos</nobr> aumentó un 600 por ciento </strong>", aseguró Guillermo Valls, gerente comercial de Alari3, empresa con prestigio en el rubro, en declaraciones a Diario Popular.</p> <p><br />Además, el especialista consideró que el incremento "tiene que ver con la necesidad de las personas de <strong>buscar seguridad por su cuenta,</strong> ya que sienten que <strong>no encuentran la protección institucional</strong>".</p> <p><br />"Los lugares donde tenemos mayor presencia son los barrios de <strong>Núñez, Belgrano y determinadas zonas de San Isidro</strong>, aunque la demanda se extiende por toda la ciudad y el primer cordón del Conurbano. Es un <nobr id="epl_kw_a42ee19c55910b40_2">sistema</nobr> utilizado por fábricas, predios comerciales y <strong>cada vez más en hogares</strong>", precisó.</p> <p> </p> <p>Los expertos afirman que los cercos electrificados "cumplen una función exclusivamente disuasiva", al explicar que "<strong>el sistema detecta al intruso y lo rechaza</strong>", aunque también aclararon que "no hay electrocución, porque no se usa corriente sino tensión".</p> <p> </p> <p>De acuerdo a los especialistas, el cerco funciona con hilos de acero que se colocan en murallas altas y emiten pulsos cada segundo de 5.000 a 8.000 voltios y al no tener amperaje, no causan electrocución, ni tampoco producen dolor y quemaduras.</p> <p><br />Por otro, la comercialización de instalaciones "truchas" de cercos electrificados creció de igual manera a como lo hizo la inseguridad y hubo casos que terminaron con delincuentes y hasta propietarios electrocutados.</p> <p> </p> <p>En ese sentido, un comisario bonaerense reveló que muchas personas realizaron "instalaciones eléctricas en sus viviendas para prevenir robos", y recordó un caso en Florencio Varela, donde un joven de 16 años murió electrocutado tras ingresar a una vivienda con fines de robo.</p> <p><br />"Al avanzar la Justicia en la investigación de esta muerte, se comprobó que la instalación se había hecho con una batería común enchufada un alambre, realizada por un electricista veinteañero. La dueña de la casa, harta de robos, había pagado por el servicio unos cien pesos", contó.</p> <p><br />Los especialistas aconsejan "<strong><nobr id="epl_kw_a42ee19c55910b40_3">comprar</nobr> equipamiento eléctricamente seguro </strong>, y para ello es necesario que el fabricante exhiba los certificados de fabricación emitidos por un ente certificador reconocido por el Estado Nacional, caso IRAM ó Bureau Veritas". </p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3328585524019367242?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-14439245300727831452009-02-08T14:05:00.000-08:002009-02-08T14:06:54.135-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY9XXjQRQbI/AAAAAAAAN-w/IlDRagSJVvc/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 231px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY9XXjQRQbI/AAAAAAAAN-w/IlDRagSJVvc/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300551348550451634" border="0" /></a><br />El psicólogo Jorge Corsi negó las acusaciones en su contra y dijo que "la pedofilia no es delito"<br /> Además dijo que nunca se relacionó con el chico que lo acusa.<br /> La causa se inició en mayo de 2007. El psicólogo recuperó su libertad en enero, luego de pagar una fianza<br />Esperamos tu comentarioVer comentarios<br />El psicólogo Jorge Corsi, acusado de integrar una presunta banda de abusadores de menores, negó las acusaciones en su contra y sostuvo que la pedófilia no constituye una conducta delictiva.<br />"Soy una persona incapaz de nada de esas cosas de las cuales se me acusan. Desde que comenzó este caso, me vi en una situación muy desventajosa porque se publicaba una enorme cantidad de<br />información que sabía que era falsa o deliberadamente distorsionada", señaló Jorge Corsi.<br />El prestigioso profesional afirmó que "desde el punto de vista de los códigos penales la pedofilia no es delito", y aclaró que "delito es el abuso o la corrupción de menores".<br />"Ni soy abusador, ni nunca he sido pedófilo. Nunca trabajé con menores, salvo alguna excepción, y siempre fui coherente con lo que desarrollé en mis trabajos, lo que enseñé", indicó en declaraciones al diario Perfil.<br />Además, Corsi mencionó que "existen personas que son, desde un punto de vista estricto de la definición, pedófila, pero nunca han abusado sexualmente de nadie".<br />"Está lleno de lugares donde las personas realizan tareas en relación con menores porque sienten una atracción especial, pero cuando se incluye lo sexual, estamos en el ámbito del abuso sexual. Si llevamos las cosas al extremo, tendríamos que decir que San Martín fue pedófilo porque Remedios tenía trece años", comentó<br />De todas maneras, el especialista consideró que "hay una mayor probabilidad de que el pedófilo se pueda inclinar hacia una atracción sexual por los niños".<br />Con respecto al menor cuyos padres iniciaron la causa al hacer la denuncia, el psicólogo expresó su preocupación por el lugar de víctima al que lo llevaron. "La victimización a la que está siendo objeto este muchacho desde el comienzo a mí me preocupó. Me da mucha lástima que se lo esté utilizando para este tipo de cosa", señaló. Además, Corsi afirmó: "Nunca me relacioné con él, nunca tuve su teléfono, no sé dónde vive".<br />La causa se inició el 25 de mayo de 2007, tras la internación de un chico de 14 años en el Hospital Británico con una crisis emocional y luego de revelar que había sido abusado sexualmente, expuesto a material pornográfico y a consumo de drogas.<br />El psicólogo estuvo preso en el penal de Marcos Paz desde julio pasado y recuperó su libertad el 20 de enero luego de depositar una fianza de 100 mil pesos que le había impuesto la Cámara del Crimen porteña.<br />Corsi está acusado de ser el líder de una banda de pedófilos que reclutaba menores de edad para abusar sexualmente de ellos.<br />El psicólogo y los otros procesados estarán libres hasta la realización del juicio que se estima comenzará antes de que termine el año.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1443924530072783145?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-13369439580409118352009-02-07T06:14:00.000-08:002009-02-07T06:15:31.429-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY2Xe_qiJ1I/AAAAAAAANx4/RnyqSNVWv-A/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 220px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY2Xe_qiJ1I/AAAAAAAANx4/RnyqSNVWv-A/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300058895226644306" border="0" /></a><br />La oposición presentó su proyecto de 'boleta única'<br /> Aníbal Fernández dijo que la oposición "curra" con el tema y que la boleta "tendría el tamaño de una bandera".<br /> Le contestaron que el sistema ya se usa en otros países de América latina.<br /><br />Los bloques más importantes de la oposición presentaron el proyecto para la implementación de una reforma política que incluya la utilización de una boleta única en las elecciones.<br /><br />"La Argentina es el único país de Latinoamérica donde no funciona el proyecto de boleta única", subrayó el jefe del bloque de diputados de la Coalición Cívica, Adrián Pérez, al iniciar una conferencia de prensa en el edificio anexo del Congreso.<br /><br />Además, hubo críticas respuestas hacia el ministro Aníbal Fernández, a quien le cuestionaron que no haga "nada por mejorar el actual sistema".<br /><br />Participaban del acto los diputados Oscar Aguad (UCR), Paula Bertol (PRO) y el titular del Movimiento Independiente de Jubilados y Desocupados (MIJD), Raúl Castells, entre otros.<br /><br />Como una bandera<br /><br />El ministro de Justicia y Seguridad, Aníbal Fernández, dijo que de aplicarse el proyecto de boleta única que presentará la oposición en el Congreso, ésta tendría el tamaño de "la bandera nacional de ceremonia de una escuela" y consideró que la oposición "curra" con este tema.<br /><br />"Si hiciéramos esto que quieren hacer de una boleta única donde todas estuvieran incluidas, la boleta tendría más o menos el tamaño de la bandera nacional de ceremonia de una escuela, algo así como 1,50 por 1,20", dijo Fernández en declaraciones a radio Uno.<br /><br />Para el ministro, "hay muchos que dicen saber pero cómo curran con este tema".<br /><br />"Dicen que se hace en muchos países y no se hace en ningún país. Discutimos toda la vida 'la lista sábana no' y ahora lo que quieren hacer es una lista, no solo lista sábana, sino que ni siquiera quieren mostrar los nombres", indicó.<br /><br />Para el funcionario, los dirigentes de la oposición "hablan de lo que no conocen" y agregó: "Lo que en algún momento cuestionaron como lista sábana, ahora no solamente quieren que sea sábana, sino que vaya oculto en nombre de las personas".<br /><br />Fernández se refirió así al proyecto de ley que presentará esta tarde la oposición en la sede del bloque de diputados de la Coalición Cívica.<br /><br />La iniciativa contempla una boleta única para cada cargo electivo en juego, en la que aparezcan los candidatos de todos los partidos y el votante le haga una marca.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1336943958040911835?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-75918155052514295652009-02-07T06:10:00.001-08:002009-02-07T06:10:56.914-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY2WaiHTt5I/AAAAAAAANxg/atN-ojMp1Js/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SY2WaiHTt5I/AAAAAAAANxg/atN-ojMp1Js/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300057719063164818" border="0" /></a><br />Cristina viaja a España para reforzar la relación bilateral en medio de la crisis económica global<br /> La presidente se reunirá con el rey Juan Carlos y el jefe del gobierno español, Rodríguez Zapatero.<br /> Busca afianzar la relación bilateral en el contexto de la crisis mundial.<br />Cristina firmará acuerdos de cooperación con su par europeo y se reunirá con empresarios españoles que tienen intereses en Argentina, como el presidente de Repsol YPF, Antonio Brufau.<br /><br />La mandataria, quien viajará acompañada del canciller Jorge Taiana y el ministro de Planificación Federal, Julio De Vido, arribará a Madrid el domingo y se alojará en el Palacio Real de El Pardo, residencia de los Jefes de Estado extranjeros de visita oficial en España.<br /><br />Cristina llegará a España en un "muy buen momento de la relación bilateral", aseguró la secretaria de Estado para Iberoamérica, Trinidad Jiménez.<br /><br />La actividad más importante de la visita oficial de dos días tendrá lugar el lunes, cuando la jefa de Estado se reúna con el rey Juan Carlos y con Rodríguez Zapatero.<br /><br />España "recibirá a la presidenta argentina con un espíritu enormemente constructivo y afable, como corresponde a las relaciones entre dos países amigos, aliados y hermanos, que además son socios estratégicos", subrayó Jiménez.<br /><br />Los gobiernos de Argentina y España "hemos tenido que pasar momentos de mucho diálogo" y "ahora estamos en mejores condiciones para seguir avanzando", apuntó la funcionaria.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7591815505251429565?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-68382592827236766392009-02-06T04:56:00.002-08:002009-02-06T04:59:53.152-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYw0NNg99pI/AAAAAAAANUg/14W54Q8CZH8/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 146px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYw0NNg99pI/AAAAAAAANUg/14W54Q8CZH8/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299668263079114386" border="0" /></a><br />Las Bolsas europeas cierran la semana con ganancias<br />Los mercados están animados: la aprobación del plan de rescate económico en los EEUU cada vez está más cerca.<br />Madrid y París suben 0,85%; Londres, 0,54% y Francfort, 0,36 por ciento. En Asia también hubo alzas.<br /><br />Las bolsas del Viejo Continente iniciaron la última jornada de la semana con ganancias impulsadas por el repunte de Wall Street en el día de ayer y el fortalecimiento del dólar frente a otras monedas.<br /><br />Los mercados están animados, perciben que la aprobación del plan de rescate económico en los Estados Unidos cada vez está más cerca.<br /><br />El plan podría recibir finalmente su aprobación el próximo lunes, lo que despertó a los inversores, aunque los riesgos siguen muy presentes en los mercados.<br /><br />Tras el inicio de la rueda, los principales mercados de Europa evidencian las siguientes ganancias: Madrid y París suben, 0,85%; Londres, 054% y Francfort, 0,36 por ciento.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-6838259282723676639?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-45134771437366407562009-02-06T04:56:00.001-08:002009-02-06T04:56:50.887-08:00EE UU: Obama exhortó a los congresistas a aprobar el plan de rescate económico<br /><br />El mandatario brindó una conferencia donde volvió a pedir a los senadores que se apresten a votar el salvataje enviado al Capitolio<br /><br /><br />Barack Obama realizó una encendida defensa del plan de rescate durante una ronda de prensa con periodistas. "Los críticos a nuestro plan dicen que estos planes son dispendiosos pero no sólo nos permitirá ahorrar al gobierno, sino también establecerá un estándar en la industria privada", explicó.<br /><br />Asimismo, indicó que en el plano energético van a hacer "una inversión de fondo para un futuro más limpio”.<br /><br />"No podemos seguir con las dilaciones del pasado, estamos despericiando valiosa energía", manifestó el mandatario, y agregó que "el alcance y tamaño de este plan es el adecuado, así como su enfoque".<br /><br />"Estoy pidiendo a los miembros del Congreso que se pongan a la altura de las circunstancias", afirmó Obama, al tiempo que indicó que las críticas deben ser para hacer "cambios constructivos".<br /><br />"No estamos compitiendo en la economía global", sentenció.<br /><br />La aprobación del plan de rescate pasó su primera prueba en la Cámara de Representantes, aún con la oposición de la mayor parte de la bancada republicana.<br /><br />Ahora deberá ser discutida en el Senado, donde la aceptación de la oposición al proyecto sigue sin estar en los niveles que busca el presidente.<br /><br />En ese marco, Obama busca convencer a algunos sectores del Partido Republicano a votar positivamente por el salvataje para asegurar su aprobación.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4513477143736640756?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-24269856540090484572009-02-05T15:43:00.000-08:002009-02-05T15:45:32.755-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYt6CZp9QaI/AAAAAAAANTg/Kb7mnCJRtV8/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 390px; height: 319px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYt6CZp9QaI/AAAAAAAANTg/Kb7mnCJRtV8/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299463568196714914" border="0" /></a><br />El FMI pronostica 2009 sin crecimiento para el país<br />En un informe elaborado para los países del Grupo de los 20 le pide a la Argentina una mayor previsibilidad fiscal. También indican que la economía global aumentará sólo un 0,5% en todo este año.<br /><br />El Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) pronosticó que Argentina no crecerá en 2009 y pidió al país una mayor previsibilidad fiscal, justo cuando en la Casa Rosada se analizaría volver a pedir un préstamo para enfrentar la crisis.<br /><br />El organismo multilateral de crédito publicó un informe elaborado para los países del Grupo de los 20 (G-20), donde también pronosticó que el país volverá a crecer en 2010, pero a un ritmo tibio de 1,5 por ciento.<br /><br />Asimismo, ratificó que la economía global crecerá sólo medio punto en 2009, el nivel más bajo en 60 años, y que los precios de los commodities no se recuperarán mientras se mantenga una actividad económica deprimida.<br /><br />Sus perspectivas llegaron en un momento en el que el Gobierno analiza la posibilidad de volver a pedir préstamos, después de más de tres años de inexistente relación.<br /><br />Si bien las cuentas argentinas todavía no sufrieron mayores complicaciones, la desaceleración en la actividad, el freno en la recaudación impositiva y la necesidad de no tocar las reservas de Banco Central desvelan al Ejecutivo.<br /><br />La administración de Cristina Kirchner pretende una flexibilización del organismo dirigido por Dominique Strauss-Kahn tratando de evitar que imponga condiciones que afecten su política económica en caso de adquirir un crédito.<br /><br />Justamente, en la reunión del G-20 que se concretará el 2 de abril en Londres, Inglaterra, se debatirá un proyecto –con alto voltaje kirchnerista- para modificar el Fondo.<br /><br />En 2004, el entonces presidente Néstor Kirchner y Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva presentaron la Cumbre de las Américas un "proyecto americano" para cambiar las exigencias del FMI.<br /><br />El pedido de ambos gobiernos se centró en la necesidad de modificar el criterio utilizado para calcular determinadas metas fiscales, como superávit primario.<br /><br />Además, el segundo punto señala que el aspecto social también debe ser tomado en cuenta a la hora de establecer un marco de negociación para las deudas de los países con el organismo.<br /><br />Argentina y Brasil conforman en términos económicos casi toda la influencia latinoamericana, pero el reclamo beneficiaría a los 32 países americanos que pertenecen al Fondo.<br /><br />El país es formalmente miembro del organismo, junto a otros 180 países de todo el mundo, pero desde que en diciembre de 2005 pagó unos 9,810 millones de dólares con reservas la relación con los directivos fue poco menos que virtual.<br /><br />Por su parte, a pocos días de asumir, Barack Obama dijo que quiere una reforma del FMI que permita "dar mayor voz a las naciones en desarrollo".<br /><br />Por ello, el proyecto argentino brasileño se convertirá en una cuestión clave en el encuentro del G-20, siendo también un punto de inflexión para analizar la posibilidad del reinicio del diálogo entre la <span style="font-weight: bold;">Casa Rosada y el FMI.</span><br /><br />De todas maneras, en los últimos días el Gobierno hizo un par de guiños a Strauss-Kahn.<br /><br />En primer lugar, envió al vicepresidente del Central, Miguel Pesce y a los secretarios de Finanzas, Hernán Lorenzino, y Política Económica de Hacienda, Martín Abeles a Londres, donde se reunieron con directivos de segunda línea del organismo.<br /><br />Y en segundo lugar, el ministro de Economía Carlos Fernández almorzó junto al embajador de Estados Unidos, Earl Anthony Wayne, con quién analizó la próxima cumbre del G-20 y conversó la necesidad de un cambio en el Fondo.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2426985654009048457?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-21251443075765492882009-02-05T15:05:00.000-08:002009-02-05T15:06:48.959-08:00La Bolsa subió casi 3% y recuperó los 1·100 puntos<br />El índice Merval de 14 empresas líderes negoció al cierre con un alza de 2,93%, hasta los 1·110 puntos, gracias al avance de Tenaris, la firma con mayor ponderación en el panel.<br /><br /><br />La Bolsa de Comerico de Buenos Aires subió este jueves, por tercera rueda consecutiva, apoyada nuevamente por las acciones de la siderúrgica Tenaris, principal empresa de la plaza local, que avanzó 6,9 por ciento.<br /><br />"El poder de Tenaris es el que lleva al Merval al alza, ya que el resto del mercado se muestra endeble a la debilidad de los mercados internacionales", dijo a Reuters Hernán Labrone, analista de Fénix Compañía Financiera.<br /><br />El rendimiento extraordinario de los papeles de la productora de tubos sin costura, que avanzaron casi 7%, impulsó el índice Merval de 14 empresas líderes de la Bolsa de Comercio porteña, donde registró un alza de 2,93 puntos porcentuales, mientras los títulos públicos sufrieron renovadas pérdidas.<br /><br />El Merval subió hasta los 1.110,72 puntos en la plaza local, que negoció 53 millones de pesos en acciones, con alzas destacadas para Petrobras Brasil (+3,09%) y Banco Macro (+1,9%), y caídas para la autopartista Mirgor (-1,76%) y Molinos (-1,44%).<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"La firmeza que vienen experimentado los metales está provocando a nivel mundial una corriente de compras en papeles siderúrgicos y Tenaris se enganchó con esa tendencia", explicó Labrone.</span><br /><br />Tenaris explicó casi el 67% de los negocios de la fecha y el título de la empresa emblema del Grupo Techint subió cerró 38,70 pesos.<br /><br />Por supuesto, contribuyó la recuperación de los precios del petróleo crudo en los EEUU, donde los contratos para marzo cerraron con un alza de 85 centavos, o un 2,11%, a u$s41,17 por barril, tras operar desde 39,46 a 41,25 dólares.<br /><br />Para los expertos, el mercado local se movió en buena medida con la mirada puesta en los indicadores externos, o como simple relejo de lo que sucede en Wall Street.<br /><br />"La reacción que se observa en Wall Street obedece a dos posibles noticias que todavía estén en estado embrionario", opinó el analista Jorge Taboada, consultado por Télam.<br /><br />La primera de ellas se refiere a que en los Estados Unidos se anunciaría finalmente la creación del "bad bank" (banco basura en la jerga de los mercados), y la otra especie apunta a la posibilidad de una limitación en la venta "short" o en descubierto.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2125144307576549288?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-44340997057763635322009-02-05T15:04:00.001-08:002009-02-05T15:05:10.887-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYtwoRCKlDI/AAAAAAAANSg/PKUEfHniV5E/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYtwoRCKlDI/AAAAAAAANSg/PKUEfHniV5E/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299453223601083442" border="0" /></a><br />Castro duda de la ética del Presidente de EE.UU.<br />El ex presidente cubano Fidel Castro negó hoy haber arremetido contra el presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, en sus artículos, pero aclaró que duda que este pueda resolver "contradicciones" capitalistas sin transgredir "la ética".<br /><br />En un nuevo artículo para la prensa desde su retiro por motivos de salud, citado por la agencia italiana Ansa, Castro se quejó de que "hay quienes se rasgan las vestiduras si se expresa cualquier opinión crítica sobre el importante personaje, aunque se haga con decencia y respeto".<br /><br />Se refería a otro comentario suyo reciente en el cual "señalé algunas ideas de Obama, que indican su papel dentro de un sistema que es la negación de todo principio justo".<br /><br />Castro agregó que mediante "el terror mediático"..."cualquier crítica mía es calificada sin excepción de arremetida, acusación y otros sustantivos similares, que reflejan desconsideración y descortesía con la persona a la que van dirigidas".<br /><br />En su nuevo comentario expuso varias preguntas sobre políticas y acciones de Estados Unidos.<br /><br />Mencionó los intentos de "asesinato a un adversario político extranjero" que calificó de "prerrogativa" del presidente de Estados Unidos, y preguntó si Obama "renuncia o no" a ésta.<br /><br />Se refirió a otras acciones norteamericanas en los últimos 50 años contra Cuba como el ataque militar de Playa Girón (Bahía de Cochinos), operaciones de guerra bacteriológica contra Cuba y al bloqueo económico norteamericano.<br /><br />Describió además planes generales económicos estadounidenses que según su criterio dañarán los intereses de países pobres o el medio ambiente. "¿Es correcto prometer la conciliación de tan contradictorios y antagónicos intereses sin transgredir la ética?", interrogó.<br /><br />Recordó que Obama nació de "padre kenyano, musulmán y negro y madre norteamericana, blanca y cristiana. Eso, por el contrario, constituye en la sociedad de Estados Unidos, un mérito excepcional, que soy el primero en reconocerle". Pero subrayó que "como viejo político y luchador, no cometo ningún pecado al exponer modestamente estas ideas.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4434099705776363532?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-78623718110915838092009-02-05T11:17:00.000-08:002009-02-05T11:20:30.856-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYs79MYbPjI/AAAAAAAANMA/E2hOVzZ6J-s/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYs79MYbPjI/AAAAAAAANMA/E2hOVzZ6J-s/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299395309013253682" border="0" /></a><br />Cristina Kirchner: "No sé si Obama leyó a Perón, pero pareció"<br />Así lo afirmó la Presidente en Olivos, en el acto del acuerdo por Aerolíneas Argentinas.<br />Destacó que en todo el mundo "se toman medidas que parecen copiadas del modelo" que arrancó en 2003. Resaltó que en los EEUU los sindicalistas entraron a la Casa Blanca.<br /><br />La Presidente argumentó que la nacionalización de Aerolíneas Argentinas se produjo en julio del año pasado, cuando "no estaba este nuevo escenario internacional y todo lo que tuviera olor a Estado era mal visto".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Ahora vemos cómo en todo el mundo, los que nos criticaron porque eramos estatistas, proteccionistas, todos ellso están tomando decisiones en materia de estatización e intervención del Estado" en sus respectivas economías, afirmó Cristina Kirch</span>ner.<br /><br />“En la época de las ganancias siempre está el sector privado, pero a la hora de las pérdidas siempre queda sólo el Estado”, consideró la primera mandataria, durante el acto en el que se firmó el acuerdo por Aerolíneas Argentinas.<br /><br />"Cuando de ganar se trata, ahí están todos, pero ahora estamos frente a las épocas difíciles y en todos lados aparece la intervención del Estado", consideró.<br /><br />Finalmente, destacó que en todo el mundo "se toman medidas que parecen copiadas de lo que ha sido este modelo desde el 2003", países entre los cuales destacó principalmente a los Estados Unidos.<br /><br />"No sé si Obama habrá leído a Perón, pero déjenme decirles que se me pareció mucho", consideró Cristina Kirchner en la Quinta Presidencial de Olivos.<br /><br />Un pedido de la Presidente<br />La Jefe de Estado llamó a todos los sectores a deponer diferencias y a seguir trabajando para lograr que la Argentina aproveche la oportunidad que tiene de recuperarse como país sólido.<br /><br />"Con todas las dificultades y los errores que puede haber en este Gobierno, déjenme decirles que me siento muy orgullosa de los resultados, pero quiero más", aseguró y añadió que “todo se podrá lograr sólo si hay unidad”.<br /><br />Pidió a los argentinos que sean “capaces de entender” que la Argentina necesita que todos depongan “actitudes de fuerza, de creer que sólo uno tiene la razón, de amenazas, de puño crispado” porque el país "ha dado mucho y tiene inmensas posibilidades".<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7862371811091583809?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-2357452752056527912009-02-05T11:16:00.001-08:002009-02-05T11:17:13.112-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYs7Ibs92EI/AAAAAAAANL4/F7ywOFm_4hc/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYs7Ibs92EI/AAAAAAAANL4/F7ywOFm_4hc/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299394402592872514" border="0" /></a><br />Sube la Bolsa porteña y el dólar cotiza a 3,51 pesos<br /><br />En tanto, el billete norteamericano no registra cambios respecto al cierre de ayer.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">El euro baja un centavo</span>, a $4,51.<br /><br />La Bolsa porteña abrió la jornada de hoy con una suba de 1,61% en el índice Merval, que engloba los papeles líderes.<br /><br />El dólar al público no ofrecía cambios, pero en el mercado mayorista la divisa borraba una leve baja inicial y retornaba a los valores de ayer.<br /><br />Así, el billete norteamericano se negociaba a 3,48 pesos para la compra y a 3,51 pesos para la venta, mientras que las operaciones entre bancos se resolvían a 3,49<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-235745275205652791?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-1301594363643284652009-02-05T10:54:00.000-08:002009-02-05T10:55:32.174-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYs2F7X89FI/AAAAAAAANLw/rJoYYzj9AtM/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYs2F7X89FI/AAAAAAAANLw/rJoYYzj9AtM/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299388861996921938" border="0" /></a><br />“Dos décadas de socialismo en la ciudad de Rosario es muchísimo, ya que carecen de ideas"<br />Entrevista a Arturo Gandolla, quien preside en el Concejo de la Municipalidad de Rosario del bloque del Frente para la Victoria, con motivo de la fuerte tormenta que sufrió dicha ciudad • Además, expresó que es “un disparate” el marcado incremento de la tasa municipal y sostuvo que hoy el socialismo “carece de ideas”.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-130159436364328465?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-23823477621924698302009-02-05T09:05:00.001-08:002009-02-05T09:06:25.793-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYscehpXcFI/AAAAAAAANLo/AAOzhI-KIIc/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 222px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYscehpXcFI/AAAAAAAANLo/AAOzhI-KIIc/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299360697285046354" border="0" /></a><br />Para el Gobierno, rescatar Aerolíneas es recuperar el prestigio del Estado<br /><br />La presidente Cristina Kirchner presentó en la quinta Residencial de Olivos un acuerdo institucional para la recuperación empresaria de Aerolíneas Argentinas-Austral y sus controladas, donde dijo que el rescate de la empresa permitió que el Estado “recupere el prestigio”.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2382347762192469830?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-75628686174233324232009-02-04T12:17:00.000-08:002009-02-04T12:18:30.325-08:00Condenan a dos chicas argentinas a siete años de cárcel en Jordania por tráfico de cocaína<br /> Las encontraron culpables de haberse tragado 50 bolas de droga cada una e intentar ingresarlas al país árabe.<br /><br /><br />Dos mujeres argentinas fueron condenadas a siete años y medio de cárcel por un tribunal jordano, que las declaró culpables de intentar traficar con cocaína en el país, informó hoy el diario al-Dustor.<br /><br />Las mujeres, cuya identidad no ha sido revelada, deberán además pagar cada una, según el periódico, una multa de 5.000 dinares jordanos (7.062 dólares).<br /><br />El tribunal, que emitió su veredicto ayer, las condenó primero a quince años de prisión y a una multa de 10.000 dinares por persona (14.124 dólares), pero finalmente decidió reducir el castigo debido a la "juventud" de las acusadas.<br /><br />De acuerdo con la acusación, cada una de las mujeres se tragó 50 bolas de cocaína antes de tomar el avión en Argentina con destino Amán.<br /><br />Después de haber sufrido fuertes dolores de estómago durante el vuelo, levantaron las sospechas de las fuerzas de seguridad en el aeropuerto de la capital jordana.<br /><br />Las jóvenes fueron trasladadas al hospital, donde los cirujanos las operaron y recuperaron la droga de sus estómagos.<br /><br />El veredicto puede ser apelado en los próximos 30 días, dijo una una fuente judicial al periódico.<br /><br />Fuentes del Consulado de Argentina en Siria, que se encarga también de Jordania, dijeron a la agencia EFE que fuentes de la cárcel jordana donde están recluidas las argentinas confirmaron el fallo judicial del que se hizo eco el periódico jordano.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7562868617423332423?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-22340799302857978682009-02-04T12:15:00.001-08:002009-02-04T12:15:48.975-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYn3ZTFPzqI/AAAAAAAANFE/F4u_OWFHPGo/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 246px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYn3ZTFPzqI/AAAAAAAANFE/F4u_OWFHPGo/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299038450569170594" border="0" /></a><br /><div><h1 class="headline">Otra de 'Google': un servicio para buscar personas desde el celular</h1></div><div id="vsmcontent" class="vsmcontent"><p>El gigante de <nobr id="epl_kw_a42ee19c55910b40_0">internet</nobr> Google lanzó una nueva aplicación, <em> Google Latitude</em>, que permite a los<br />usuarios localizar físicamente, a través de los teléfonos móviles, a sus contactos que también estén suscritos, informó la propia empresa en su blog oficial.</p> <p> </p> <p>Disponible desde el martes, Google Latitude ("latitud") se promociona como<strong> <em>"una forma divertida de estar en contacto con los más cercanos",</em> </strong>puesto que indica la localización "aproximada" de la gente, según señaló el grupo con sede en Mountain View (California, oeste).</p> <p> </p> <p><em>"En adelante usted sabrá si su esposa está atascada en el tráfico, si uno de sus compañeros vino a la ciudad por el fin de semana, o tranquilizarse confirmando que un ser querido que viajaba en avión llegó a su destino",</em> explicó Google. </p> <p> </p> <p>Anticipándose a las críticas por las posibles amenazas a la vida privada que esto implica, la empresa reconoció "el carácter sensible de la localización en línea", pero hizo hincapié en las garantías de seguridad para los usuarios del nuevo servicio: todo <em><strong>"es opcional",</strong></em> una persona puede elegir quiénes pueden localizarla y existe el "modo escondido", detalló.</p> <p> </p> <p>Disponible en 27 países, 14 de ellos en la Unión Europea, el servicio se extenderá progresivamente a otras regiones. El grupo británico de <nobr id="epl_kw_a42ee19c55910b40_1">telefonía</nobr> móvil Vodafone y la empresa informática estadounidense Loopt ya habían desarrollado el servicio de localizadores en teléfonos móviles. </p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2234079930285797868?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-9412106519187622782009-02-03T13:03:00.001-08:002009-02-03T13:03:43.757-08:00Exorcista del Vaticano dice que Satanás está detrás de la crisis<br /> El padre Gabriele Amorth, aseguró hace dos días que la recesión financiera que se vive actualmente es culpa del Demonio.<br />35 comentariosVer comentarios<br />El decano mundial de los exorcistas, padre Gabriele Amorth, aseguró hace dos días que la recesión financiera que se vive actualmente es culpa del Demonio, que sugiere decisiones económicas equivocadas para dividir y empobrecer a los países.<br /><br />En una entrevista a la página web católica Pontifex Roma, el sacerdote dijo que "él se lo pasa en grande (Satanás) e inevitablemente las crisis y desórdenes económicos tienen influencia también en la esfera personal: crean alejamiento y fractura, exactamente lo que quiere Satanás".<br /><br />El padre Amorth agregó también que la crisis de la aerolínea Alitalia "también tiene algo funestamente satánico".<br /><br />El religioso se refirió además a otros temas, como la falta de exorcistas y aseguró que la estrategia de fondo de Satanás es la de "hacer creer que no exista, y pasar inobservado".<br /><br />Añadió además que parte del clero y algunos obispos han dejado de creer en el demonio, lo que a su juicio, certifica "la victoria de Satanás".<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-941210651918762278?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-20106261985766412702009-02-03T13:02:00.000-08:002009-02-03T13:03:19.243-08:00Desbaratan una banda de policías que hacían "salideras" bancarias<br /> Dos efectivos de la Policía Federal fueron detenidos acusados de haber participado en una salidera bancaria en el barrio de Boedo.<br /> Los investigadores buscan a un tercer integrante también pertenciente a la Federal.<br />25 comentariosVer comentarios<br />Dos efectivos de la Policía Federal fueron detenidos acusados de haber participado en una salidera bancaria ocurrida en las últimas horas en el barrio porteño de Boedo, informó el Ministro de Justicia y Seguridad, Aníbal Fernández.<br /><br />Se trata de dos suboficiales de la comisaría 41 de la Policía Federal, quienes fueron apresados en Pichincha y la avenida Garay, mientras que los investigadores de la División Robos y Hurtos buscan a un tercer integrante de la banda, también policía.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2010626198576641270?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-46852274951436455172009-02-03T12:59:00.000-08:002009-02-03T13:00:33.800-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYiwXociP1I/AAAAAAAAMuU/sd1kuOs0F18/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 220px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYiwXociP1I/AAAAAAAAMuU/sd1kuOs0F18/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298678881641971538" border="0" /></a><br />Piden anular multas por mal estacionamiento tras el retiro de parquímetros<br /> La Asociación Malditos Parquímetros presentó ayer un petitorio para que el gobierno de Mauricio Macri anule todas las multas por mal estacionamiento.<br /> El pedido es posterior a la decisión del gobierno porteño de retirar los polémicos parquímetros.<br /><br />Vecinos agrupados en la Asociación Malditos Parquímetros presentaron ayer un petitorio para que el gobierno porteño anule todas las multas por mal estacionamiento, tras la decisión de retirar los parquímetros en cuatro barrios de la ciudad.<br /><br />La Asociación que encabeza Sandra Vellido se presentó en la sede de la jefatura de gobierno porteño para presentar este petitorio, ya que consideran injusto que sigan vigentes las multas cuando el gobierno ya retiró los aparatos.<br /><br />"El gobierno admitió su error en haber colocado los parquímetros por lo que también debería anular las multas por mal estacionamiento que realizó durante la vigencia de esos instrumentos", dijo Javier Miglino abogado de la entidad.<br /><br />El gobierno de la Ciudad comenzó a extender los parquímetros en diciembre pasado al barrio de San Telmo y luego a Barrio Norte, Recoleta y la zona de Once para desalentar el uso del automóvil y en el marco del plan de reordenamiento de tránsito.<br /><br />Distintas agrupaciones vecinales realizaron cortes de tránsito y presentaron petitorios, un recurso de amparo y un proyecto de ley para oponerse a los parquímetros en los barrios, al tiempo que habían recolectado unas 7.500 firmas contra su instalación.<br /><br />Javier Miglino, abogado de la entidad vecinal, destacó que al dar el gobierno marcha atrás con los parquímetros, también cayó el recurso de amparo y el proyecto de ley pero no así una denuncia que la Asociación presentó en la Auditoría General del gobierno porteño.<br /><br />Esta denuncia señala "irregularidades en los contratos de concesión de las dos empresas encargadas de instalar y recaudar por los parquímetros, STO y SEC, que vencieron en el 2001 y que fueron renovados por sucesivas prórrogas".<br /><br />"Ambas empresas tributan mil pesos al gobierno porteño como canon y la recaudación de los parquímetros es de 570.000, lo que viola el artículo 954 del Código Civil que habla sobre las desmedidas ganancias que puedan tener una de las partes en un contrato de concesión", dijo Miglino.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4685227495143645517?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-63297397581568356382009-02-03T12:53:00.000-08:002009-02-03T12:54:49.516-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYivEvEeCwI/AAAAAAAAMt0/aXgHnb3WgQ8/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 227px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYivEvEeCwI/AAAAAAAAMt0/aXgHnb3WgQ8/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298677457490938626" border="0" /></a><br />Colombia: las FARC liberan a ex gobernador que llevaba siete años como rehén en la selva<br /> El ex gobernador del departamento de Meta Alan Jara fue liberado hoy por las FARC y se encuentra en poder de la Cruz Roja después de siete años de secuestro, confirmó un delegado del organismo humanitario.<br /><br />El ex gobernador Alan Jara llegó esta tarde al aeropuerto de la ciudad de Villavicencio, a bordo del helicóptero que lo rescató de la selva en la zona del Guaviare, tras estar más de siete años secuestrado en poder de las FARC.<br />Con sombrero, un poncho blanco y jean, Jara fue el segundo en bajar de la nave, a las 15.12 locales (las 17.12 en Buenos Aires) y de inmediato se abrazó con su esposa y su hijo, que habían corrido hasta el helicóptero, según se observó en la transmisión en directo por televisoras colombianas.<br />Los familiares del ex mandatario abrazaron luego a la senadora Piedad Córdoba, quien estuvo al frente de la delegación que ya logró el rescate de cinco secuestrados y prevé todavía liberar el jueves al ex congresista Sigifredo López.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-6329739758156835638?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-90860697661885155972009-02-02T11:09:00.001-08:002009-02-02T11:09:36.304-08:00Daniel Scioli criticó a Zaffaroni y a las políticas "muy hipergarantistas"<br />El gobernador bonaerense, Daniel Scioli, volvió a cuestionar las "políticas demasiado hipergarantistas, hiperpermisivas" que "han alterado la convivencia del orden público", en respuesta a las críticas que recibió del juez de la Corte Suprema Eugenio Zaffaroni.<br /><br />"Éste es uno de los puntos en los cuales tengo una visión diferente a la que tiene Zaffaroni", apuntó el gobernador, quien aseguró que la gente pide "una justicia más ágil y eficiente", y "limitar la facultad de los jueces de liberar detenidos".<br /><br />De esta manera, Scioli replicó los dichos del juez, quien en declaraciones periodísticas había asegurado que el mandatario provincias "se equivocó al dar autonomía a la policía", porque de ese modo dicha fuerza "se descontrola".<br /><br />El gobernador aseguró que "la gente más humilde, los trabajadores" y "la clase media" son quienes están pidiendo medidas contra la inseguridad.<br /><br />Dijo que le exigen que impongan "orden y justicia", sobre todo para aquellos miembros que han defraudado la confianza de la sociedad, en referencia a los efectivos policiales investigados por el secuestro del empresario Leonardo Bergara.<br /><br />"Lo primero es terminar con las políticas pendulares, yo en este sentido soy muy claro, no podemos<span style="font-weight: bold;"> ir y venir de la mejor policía del mundo, como la llamábamos en un momento a la policía, a la maldita policía. Yo esto trabajando para ordenarla, nunca dije que esto fuera fácil y éste es el trabajo que estoy encarando", señaló Scioli en declaraciones a Radio 10.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Al ser consultado sobre el acciona</span>r de la Bonaerense, aseguró que "son muchos más los buenos policías que día a día libran una batalla sin cuartel para proteger la seguridad de las familias de la Provincia".<br /><br />"No es cuestión de andar haciendo las cosas al boleo y echar a media policía, porque formar a una mujer o un hombre de la fuerza es una inversión que hace el Estado y yo tengo que ser cuidadoso en esto y no generalizar", dijo.<br /><br />Sobre la investigación llevada adelante por el secuestro de Bergara, Scioli reiteró su deseo de que "vayan presos los responsables" y se "esclarezca" el caso.<br /><br />"Las características de este secuestro han sido muy extrañas, por el tiempo y por la manera en que se liberó al secuestrado", concluyó.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-9086069766188515597?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-70849840190437084062009-01-31T10:24:00.000-08:002009-01-31T10:25:57.342-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYSXry4T4pI/AAAAAAAAMGU/sKXCKXEeb7w/s1600-h/1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 176px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SYSXry4T4pI/AAAAAAAAMGU/sKXCKXEeb7w/s400/1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297525840342672018" border="0" /></a><br />Chávez anuló el día de San Valentín para decretar su "semana del amor"<br />Como el festejo cae un día antes del referendo, el bolivariano lo pospuso.<br /><br />"Es que el 14 no habrá tiempo de nada nadita. Estaremos preparando la batalla", dijo. Vea el video con la insólita protesta.<br /><br />La intervención de Hugo Chávez en la vida social de los venezolanos parece no tener techo. Ahora se le ocurrió suspender el día de San Valentín, el próximo 14 de febrero, porque sospecha que el electorado chavista puede llegar a desconcentrarse el día previo al referendo de la enmienda a través de la cual el caudillo bolivariano pretende eternizarse en el poder.<br /><br />Por eso, el autócrata decretó "la semana del amor" a partir del 16 de febrero. "Como el 14 no va haber tiempo de nada nada nadita… Estamos preparando la batalla… A lo mejor habrá tiempo de algo, de un piquito, de algo por encimita", dijo en su tono informal habitual Chávez, durante un encuentro político en Caracas que fue televisado.<br /><br />"Después del 15 celebramos la semana del amor. El 16, el 17, el 18, 19, 20, 21 y 22.. Y dele que son pasteles… Hasta el Carnaval", siguió el cuadillo bolivariano, como si hablase desde el living de su casa.<br /><br />E incluso preguntó a los militantes presentes: "Levanten la mano los que piensan que el 14 habrá tiempo de algo alguito". Y todos los presentas, de camiseta roja, quedaron cruzados de brazos.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7084984019043708406?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-54970310269161730152009-01-31T09:52:00.000-08:002009-01-31T09:53:31.647-08:00Una página web avisa cuándo las mujeres están con la regla o menstruando 'en esos días' para que sus parejas ni se acerquen<br /> La ayuda que faltaba, desde un sitio donde ellas les pueden avisar a sus conocidos que no están de humor.<br />2 comentariosVer comentarios<br />Es “la primera página recordatoria del ‘síndrome premenstrual’”, es decir, un sitio de Internet donde las mujeres pueden registrar sus ciclos menstruales y advertirle a la gente que las conoce cuándo estarán irritables. La página propone soluciones… y ofrece un servicio de citas por si acaso.<br /><br />Bajo la dirección “PMSBuddy.com”, el sitio de “Amigos del Síndrome Premenstrual (SPM)” ofrece una variante de soluciones que el hombre puede encontrar para lidiar con la semana anterior a que se indisponga su pareja, que van desde regalarle lencería para que no se sienta “inflada y poco atractiva”, hasta ofrecer otro sitio de Internet, para conseguir una cita online.<br /><br />También hay un espacio para compartir historias –y sufrimientos- provocados por la “semana fatal”, como si se tratara de una comunidad online de veteranos de algún tipo de contienda bélica. De hecho, el lema del sitio es “salvando relaciones, un mes a la vez”, como si al saber cuándo sufrirá el SPM la mujer pudieran evitarse las catástrofes emocionales que ocurren en su momento de mayor volatilidad hormonal.<br /><br />Muchas mujeres se deprimen debido al SPM, y otras se vuelven irritables o se sienten mal una semana antes de volver a empezar su ciclo. Pero la página ofrece un servicio para avisar prolijamente a todos los usuarios que las mujeres registradas estarán pasando por el SPM, para que nadie las contradiga… o se les acerque, para el caso.<br /><br />Además, el sitio lleva una estadística prolija: 12 mil 102 mujeres registradas, y 413 usuarias que empiezan con su semana de SMP hoy. El objetivo final es avisarles a los hombres cuándo no interponerse en el camino de sus amadas pero especialmente irritables mujeres.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-5497031026916173015?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-90620383249424879772008-11-11T04:33:00.001-08:002008-11-11T04:33:45.581-08:00MSNBC to Launch Fucking Joe<br /><br />Just minutes after "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough dropped an F-bomb live on the air, MSNBC announced that it was re-launching the show to capitalize on its star's salty vocabulary.<br /><br />"Starting on Tuesday, MSNBC's morning show will be known as Fucking Joe," said MSNBC spokesperson Carol Foyler. "We want to send the message that if you tune in to this show, you'll get a unique mix of breaking news and XXX-rated chat."<br /><br />MSNBC's decision to reformat the show to accommodate Mr. Scarborough's weakness for expletives surprised many in the cable industry, especially since the show owes its origins to the cancellation of shock-jock Don Imus' ill-fated morning program.<br /><br />But for Mr. Scarborough's part, the move to "porn up" his morning show came as no surprise.<br /><br />"This move is a fucking home run and anyone who doesn't think so is a fucking cocksucker," Mr. Scarborough said, adding, "Fuck."<br /><br />Around the cable industry, insiders expressed surprise that Mr. Scarborough had slipped into profanity while on the air.<br /><br />"I never thought Joe Scarborough would be the first one to drop an F-bomb on that show," one observer said. "I thought it would be Andrea Mitchell."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-9062038324942487977?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-72808008920093504882008-11-11T02:38:00.000-08:002008-11-11T04:32:41.507-08:00Right-Wing Media Already Feeding Its Post-Election Anger<br />An article in Sunday's Los Angeles Times takes a look at how the right-wing media is responding to Obama's victory last week. Already, it seems, the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have started to rile up their listeners/viewers by going after Obama. The relationship of Fox News and the Obama administration will be particularly interesting to watch, given that Fox News was cut out of the questioning at the first Obama press conference. As for Obama's harshest critics among fellow politicians, the New York TImes reported yesterday on how many of them have, for various reasons, rushed to praise him.<br /><br />From the LA Times:<br /><br /> Opening his first post-election rant against the president-elect, Limbaugh launched in with a certain relish. "The game," he told his radio listeners, "has begun."<br /><br /> Sean Hannity, on the other hand, insisted on feigning a post-election detente, telling his Fox News television audience last week, "I want Barack Obama to succeed."<br /><br /> Didn't he think anyone would notice that, just a moment later, he was back parroting the failed campaign argument that Obama is a "mystery"?<br /><br /> "I fear [this] is the guy that has these radical associations 20 years ago," Hannity added, an odd way of demonstrating support for the new commander in chief.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7280800892009350488?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-27237070402639132462008-11-11T02:35:00.000-08:002008-11-11T02:37:36.841-08:00Obama Dispatching Aides To Georgia Senate Race<br /><br />Democratic officials confirm that Barack Obama is sending aides to help with the runoff senatorial campaign in Georgia, putting his post-election coattails to an immediate test.<br /><br />Organizers who worked on behalf of the Illinois Democrat are heading to the Peach State to offer similar assistance to Jim Martin, the Democratic challenger who is facing a second-round contest against incumbent Saxby Chambliss after neither candidate received 50 percent of the initial vote.<br /><br />The investment by Obama, confirmed by an official working on behalf of the Senate campaign, apparently includes "ground team" members as well as "online specialists and bloggers," and represents one of the earliest tests of the influence he can wield on the political landscape. A Daily Kos diarist first heard about the move from the Martin team.<br /><br />It remains unclear whether Obama himself will appear in the state. His campaign put limited paid resources into Georgia during the general election, mainly during the waning weeks of the campaign, though Obama's registration efforts there were lauded for making the presidential contest in that state much closer than the historical norm.<br /><br />Martin's race to replace Chambliss was even closer. The longtime Georgian Democrat finished with just under 47 percent of the vote to Chambliss' 49.8 percent. Because neither candidate was able to win a majority of the vote, the two will square off again on December 2.<br /><br />While Martin will be assisted in the effort by the Obama campaign, Chambliss will be banking on GOP star-power to help propel him into office for a second term. Already it has been reported that Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and John McCain will be either making campaign stops on the Georgian's behalf or providing volunteers and aide.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2723707040263913246?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-11277483398182858382008-11-10T16:22:00.000-08:002008-11-10T16:23:19.191-08:00Names floated for top Obama jobs<br /><br />outsiders, including some Republicans, for top administration posts, according to Democratic officials.<br /><br />Obama has signaled that he will make no Cabinet-level appointments immediately, and his deliberations are tightly held by his closest aides. But that hasn't stopped Democrats and interest groups from circulating lists and offering recommendations to the Obama transition team.<br /><br />Some are surprising, such as former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell as possible education secretary. Others are high-profile governors or members of Congress. Yet many are also little known to the general public — and may remain so.<br /><br />Obama takes office Jan. 20. Some names often mentioned as possible appointees to top posts:<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1127748339818285838?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-68285980082884429172008-11-10T16:21:00.002-08:002008-11-10T16:22:26.593-08:00GM needs federal aid in coming weeks: chief<br /><br /> General Motors is in such dire financial straights that it needs to line up a federal aid packaged before president-elect Barack Obama takes office in January, the automaker's chief executive said Monday.<br /><br />"This is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently," Wagoner told Automotive News, adding that now is the time to "overshoot, not undershoot" the level of assistance.<br /><br />GM is willing to offer the government preferred stock, speed the introduction of fuel-efficient vehicles and set limits on executive compensation in exchange for financial aid, Wagoner said.<br /><br />But Wagoner did not think it would be "a very smart move" for him to resign.<br /><br />"It's not clear to me what purpose would be served" Wagoner said. "I think our job is to make sure we have the best management team to run GM."<br /><br />On Friday the biggest US automaker warned it would run out of cash in the first half of next year and appealed to the US government for help to save it from collapse.<br /><br />The company announced a third-quarter loss of 2.5 billion dollars and said it had burned through another 6.9 billion of cash during the three-month period, leaving it with cash reserves of 16.2 billion.<br /><br />GM has said it needs cash reserves of between 11 and 14 billion dollars to cover the cost of its operations.<br /><br />Wagoner said that while the company's cash burn in the fourth quarter should ease to one billion dollars a month, it will likely not be able to survive without government help.<br /><br />GM has developed a turnaround plan which assumes that sales fall to 11.7 million vehicles next year from recent averages of around 15 million a year.<br /><br />"I'd question whether the US industry as a whole could survive that without support," Wagoner said, adding that even with government help the automaker will have to do "significantly more restructuring" if industry sales stay that low.<br /><br />Wagoner and executives from Ford, Chrysler and the United Auto Workers Union asked for the federal government to speed up delivery of 25 billion dollars in loan guarantees for the development of fuel-efficient vehicles.<br /><br />They also requested another 25 billion in loan guarantees to support operations amid a sharp economic downturn which has pushed vehicle sales to a 25 year-low.<br /><br />Democratic leaders in the US Congress called Saturday for funds contained in a 700-billion-dollar federal rescue plan for the financial sector to be diverted to the struggling auto industry.<br /><br />Obama's chief of staff urged swift action Sunday to rescue the US auto industry, but declined to say whether Obama supported the appeal by Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid.<br /><br />"As president-elect Obama has said throughout the campaign and as I think as recently as Friday ... the auto industry is an essential part of our economy and an essential part of our industrial base," Congressman Rahm Emanuel told ABC.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-6828598008288442917?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-413841691907093202008-11-10T16:21:00.001-08:002008-11-10T16:21:34.637-08:00Obama, Candidate of Change, Looks to Old Hands From Clinton Era<br /><br />Barack Obama, elected president as an agent of change, is building his new team with old hands from the Clinton administration.<br /><br />His first appointment, chief of staff, went to Rahm Emanuel, an Illinois representative and veteran of the last Democratic White House. Leading Obama's transition team is John Podesta, who was President Bill Clinton's chief of staff.<br /><br />Obama's most dramatic step would be to name New York Senator Hillary Clinton, his defeated rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, as secretary of state. Two Obama advisers confirm the idea has been discussed, though they say they don't know how seriously the president-elect is considering it or whether Clinton would accept it.<br /><br />Faced from day one with an economic crisis and two wars, Obama's campaign theme of changing the way Washington works is about to be overtaken by getting to work in Washington. For that, experience helps.<br /><br />``Once you become president-elect, the rubber hits the road, and you're going to want to put people in positions of power who have a proven track record,'' says Chris Lehane, who was a special assistant counsel to Clinton.<br /><br />The presence of Clinton-era advisers has drawn fire on blogs: from liberals who viewed the Clinton administration as too centrist and conservatives for whom the former president remains a favorite target.<br /><br />The other risk for Obama is that his administration ``can quickly look like the Clinton administration, now defined, by his campaign, as the status quo,'' says Julian Zelizer, a history and public-affairs professor at Princeton University in New Jersey.<br /><br />New and Old<br /><br />From his transition team to his economic advisers, Obama, 47, has surrounded himself with both loyalists new to government and a group of familiar Democratic Party figures who formed something of an administration in exile during Republican President George W. Bush's administration. Some of those who have advised Obama reach back to Jimmy Carter's administration, such as Paul Volcker, 81, the former Federal Reserve chairman.<br /><br />The pattern is familiar, even for presidents who ran for office as outsiders.<br /><br />Bush, who came to office with little Washington experience, relied on many advisers from past Republican administrations, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. His first chief of staff, Andrew Card, was transportation secretary in the administration of his father, former President George H.W. Bush.<br /><br />Campaign slogans aside, when it comes to the reality of governing and finding the best people to carry out a vision, Obama needs people with Washington experience if he wants to succeed, say political analysts and historians.<br /><br />Experienced Hands<br /><br />``Change from President Bush was an important theme in the election,'' says Karlyn Bowman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. ``Americans will want to see some new faces in the Cabinet, but they also know that you need experienced hands to run the ship in Washington.''<br /><br />Republicans, looking ahead to potential battles after Obama takes office on Jan. 20, were quick to highlight his appointment of Emanuel, who is known for his sharp partisanship in the Clinton administration and as the No. 4 ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives.<br /><br />House Republican leader John Boehner called Emanuel, 48, ``an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington.''<br /><br />But Fred Greenstein, a presidential historian at Princeton, says voters largely aren't interested in such inside-the-Beltway maneuvering.<br /><br />``Obama may get insider criticism for using retreads,'' but he ``is drawing on people who served well in the Clinton presidency.''<br /><br />Reaching Out<br /><br />Obama spent time during the campaign reaching out to Clinton's economic advisers, including former Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers. Summers, 53, is often mentioned as a possibility to resume his post at the Treasury Department under Obama. Rubin, 70, has told Obama he isn't interested in returning to government service but would consider taking on special projects.<br /><br />``The real issues on this score will crop up after Jan. 20,'' says Rogan Kersh, a public-service professor at New York University. ``Will there be a Clinton-loyalists versus Obama- faithful dynamic in the White House? That could be a hindrance to the swift, smooth start the new administration dearly needs.''<br /><br />Advisory Board<br /><br />An advisory board that will help with transition planning includes former Clinton administration officials Carol Browner, who was the former president's Environmental Protection Agency administrator; William Daley, who served as his commerce secretary; and Federico Pena, former transportation secretary.<br /><br />Other Clinton officials who have been reported to be candidates for possible posts in an Obama White House include Richard Holbrooke, former United Nations ambassador, as secretary of state and Eric Holder, who was part of Obama's vice-presidential selection committee and deputy attorney general for Clinton, as attorney general.<br /><br />``What you're going to see with Obama is a mixture of wise men and young Turks,'' says Democratic consultant Peter Fenn.<br /><br />While Obama may endure criticism for calling on some ``usual suspects,'' he'd be in more trouble if his picks proved unqualified, Fenn says.<br /><br />``You don't want the head of the Arabian Horse Association as your FEMA director,'' says Fenn, referring to Michael Brown, Bush's choice to run the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who was ousted after the botched government response to Hurricane Katrina.<br /><br />Still Beloved<br /><br />Clinton, 62, is still beloved by many in the Democratic Party, and his support and approval of Obama's policies might well boost the new president's efforts. When Clinton made his first campaign appearance for Obama in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 1, he veered from prepared remarks to offer special praise for the way Obama was handling the financial crisis.<br /><br />``He got his advisers on the phone, then he called all of mine, then he called some more,'' Clinton said. ``And you know what he said? Tell me what the problem is and how to fix it and don't bother me with the politics. Let's do the right thing, and we'll sell it to America.''<br /><br />Presidential historian Robert Dallek, a biographer of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, says Clinton veterans can be agents of change.<br /><br />``They will be under Obama's command,'' he says. ``It's not as if they are going to say we've got to go back to what Bill Clinton was thinking 10 years ago.''<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-41384169190709320?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-13057516386767064652008-11-10T16:19:00.000-08:002008-11-10T16:20:46.021-08:00Obama plans U.S. trials for Gitmo detainees<br /><br />Obama's advisers are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of imprisoned terrorism suspects to the United States to face criminal trials, a plan that would make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison but could require creation of a controversial new system of justice.<br /><br />During his campaign, Obama described Guantanamo as a "sad chapter in American history" and has said generally that the U.S. legal system is equipped to handle the detainees. But he has offered few details on what he planned to do once the facility is closed.<br /><br />Under plans being put together in Obama's camp, some detainees would be released and many others would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts.<br /><br />A third group of detainees — the ones whose cases are most entangled in highly classified information — might have to go before a new court designed especially to handle sensitive national security cases, according to advisers and Democrats involved in the talks. Advisers participating directly in the planning spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans aren't final.<br /><br />The move would be a sharp deviation from the Bush administration, which established military tribunals to prosecute detainees at the Navy base in Cuba and strongly opposes bringing prisoners to the United States. Obama's Republican challenger, John McCain, had also pledged to close Guantanamo. But McCain opposed criminal trials, saying the Bush administration's tribunals should continue on U.S. soil.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1305751638676706465?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-39415644368745790802008-11-08T07:23:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:24:39.571-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWvMEbo7kI/AAAAAAAAAm4/7O4INJbXL7k/s1600-h/service_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWvMEbo7kI/AAAAAAAAAm4/7O4INJbXL7k/s400/service_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266307961162624578" border="0" /></a><br />Office-Equipped Busses Mean No More Traffic Jam Excuses For Microsoft China Employees In what seems to be an attempt at greater productivity, Microsoft China executives are now being driven to work in busses that are equipped with computers that clock you in the moment you log in. However, I have to wonder—besides snooping eyes—what would make you actually do work, instead of goofing off and playing Minesweeper, or even browsing your most favorite blog ever<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3941564436874579080?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-88659558424857790472008-11-08T07:21:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:22:40.027-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWuutPNn9I/AAAAAAAAAmw/oTZMk9Mpxnw/s1600-h/dieboldcrash.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 243px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWuutPNn9I/AAAAAAAAAmw/oTZMk9Mpxnw/s400/dieboldcrash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266307456720281554" border="0" /></a><br />Diebold Sued for GPL Violations, Allegations of Puppy Kicking to Come<br />Artifex, makers of the Linux Ghostscript Postscript interpreter, is suing Diebold for breaking the fair use terms of its software. Diebold used the freely-available software, which is fine, but when they authored some changes to Ghostscript Postscript, they neglected to follow the very reasonable rules such use requires. Biggies like HP, Xerox, and IBM all use Ghostscript legally and honestly, so why can't Diebold?<br /><br />They neither publicly released the changes they'd made nor paid Artifex for the privilege to keep the changes to themselves, and in the hippie-dippie share everything world of Linux, that doesn't fly. Luckily our new President of the Universe Barack Obama won by a large enough margin that we can't question the results, but good god, it's beyond time to ditch this aggressively stupid company and get an electronic balloting system that, you know, works.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8865955842485779047?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-43177192260584320522008-11-08T07:19:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:20:59.846-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWuVMbZ3kI/AAAAAAAAAmo/QiIhIY7xeAE/s1600-h/internet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 242px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWuVMbZ3kI/AAAAAAAAAmo/QiIhIY7xeAE/s400/internet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266307018416315970" border="0" /></a><br />Question of the Day: Which One of You Has the Fastest Internet Connection Much like the typing speed question I asked over the summer, this question is designed to pit you head-to-head against one another to see who has the biggest e-wang (so to speak). All you need to do is follow this link to test your internet connection speed. The poll after the break is broken down to get a basic range, but make sure to include your exact figures in the comments.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4317719226058432052?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-18050343165855757012008-11-08T07:15:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:19:23.075-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWt8lVVE6I/AAAAAAAAAmg/ChP_NSGpZDA/s1600-h/medium_3009782547_a3c49d50f3_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWt8lVVE6I/AAAAAAAAAmg/ChP_NSGpZDA/s400/medium_3009782547_a3c49d50f3_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266306595604992930" border="0" /></a><br />German Train Crash Spills New Porsches Onto Tracks<br /><br />Here's an expensive fender bender. It seems a train carrying oil rear-ended a train carrying 106 Porsches in the sleepy town of Dillenburg, Germany. The result — 18 cars totaled with damages estimated around at least €1 million, or about $1.28 million in US Federal Reserve issued fiat money. If your name was on one of these Porsches, we're sorry, but insurance will cover it and the image of a Porsche chilling on the tracks like the Delorean in Back to the Future II cracks us up.German Train Crash Spills New Porsches Onto Tracks<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1805034316585575701?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-57206324772248705052008-11-08T07:10:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:13:35.615-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWsmuLYRlI/AAAAAAAAAmY/ROow3qv1RzI/s1600-h/auto_gridlock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 106px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWsmuLYRlI/AAAAAAAAAmY/ROow3qv1RzI/s400/auto_gridlock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266305120510428754" border="0" /></a><br />Mobile Millennium Project is a Poor Man's Traffic-Relaying GPS<br /><br />On Monday Nokia, NAVTEQ and UC Berkeley will launch the Mobile Millennium project which will use GPS data from thousands of cell phones to gather traffic information in the San Francisco Bay Area. By having users relay and access the information, it will enable them to find and avoid traffic congestion, similar to the Dash Express GPS system. I'd participate, but I wonder how much researchers would benefit from my daily commute from bed to kitchen table.<br /><br />In order to get the needed information, the project uses a Java program that participants can download onto their phone.Traffic is then calculated using an algorithm researchers have developed. The software is eventually expected to work on most GPS-enabled phones on GSM networks. The project will not require many users, but does require them to be spread out for better results. Mobile Millennium plans to post the data it receives on the Web, but users who have the Java software will be most up-to-date. Luckily, for all the privacy-seekers, the information culled will be kept anonymous. Because the software uses a lot of data, only users with unlimited data plans are advised to sign up because you certainly don't want to end up with a $218 trillion phone bill. [Mobile Millennium via IT World]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-5720632477224870505?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-89621696016222867732008-11-08T07:09:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:10:42.893-08:00Financial Advisers Must do More to Protect Clients in Tough Times<br /><br />For while sales of some protection policies have picked up in recent weeks, the volume is not nearly enough to protect the numbers of people that are expected to be swept away in an unemployment surge.<br /><br />The European Commission predicts that unemployment in Britain will hit 7.1 per cent - the worst performing country in the 15-nation eurozone area.<br /><br />"Make no mistake, we are in for very turbulent times and many people will suffer the hardship of being out of work," she said.<br /><br />"This will lead to severe consequences for some families and in the worst case scenario this could involve them losing the very roof over their heads - but it doesn't have to be this way.<br /><br />"People need to wake up to the new economic reality. The excesses and easy credit of the last decade or more have gone for the foreseeable future and people need to take the steps to protect themselves for the hard times ahead.<br /><br />"But because many people have had it so good for so long they have never had to think about what action to take if things suddenly sour. That's when it is vital that financial service intermediaries make their clients aware of what insurance products exist to provide the peace of mind that there will be an income should they be unfortunate to lose their job as we embark upon difficult economic times," she said.<br /><br />And she slammed the lending community for exacerbating what is already a very serious problem.<br /><br />"Lenders are doing little to stem the flow of the unemployed. Rather they are contributing to the crisis by refusing to restructure finance in the favour of small and medium-sized businesses that constitute the backbone of the economy," said Burgess.<br /><br />"The unique aspects of this credit crunch mean that firms are unable to borrow their way through the downturn as has been the case in other recent economic downturns. This will result in major job losses as firms look to lay off staff or cease trading altogether.<br /><br />"At a time when it is predicted that three million homeowners or more than one fifth of households could end up in negative equity as the value of properties continues to slump this adds up to a national dereliction of duty.<br /><br />"The fact that it took taxpayers' money to bail out the banks and they have responded by snubbing their noses at the government when it has urged a return to higher lending levels makes it all the more galling," she said.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8962169601622286773?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-77060763920127927362008-11-08T07:07:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:09:46.756-08:00Robust Financial Position, New Business up 5 Percent Say Legal and General<br /> * Worldwide new business £1,137m (9M 07 £1,085m) up 5%<br /> * UK new business £1,047m (9M 07 £993m) up 5%<br /> * UK Risk: new business £381m (9M 07 £295m) up 29%<br /> * Pension buyout sales more than trebled up 226%<br /> * Group protection sales continue to grow up 13%<br /> * UK Savings: new business £666m (9M 07 £698m) down 5%<br /> * Unit trust and ISA(2) sales remain strong up 35%<br /> * Non profit pensions boosted by SIPP success up 27%<br /> * Unit linked bonds remain at lower levels as anticipated down 49%<br /> * Investment management gross new funds £28.3bn (9M 07 £33.4bn)<br /> * IGD surplus £2.9bn at end of September(3)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7706076392012792736?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-79073924001382319922008-11-08T07:04:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:07:54.021-08:00Ingram's Water &amp; Air Equipment Announces New Reasons to Use Geothermal Systems<br /><br />With rising energy prices, gas and electric heating systems are costing home owners more and more every month. Ingram's Water &amp; Air Equipment can provide a geothermal system to heat and cool your home so that you'll have more money in your pocket. Visit http://www.ingramswaterandair.com to see just how much a geothermal system really costs.<br />geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption--and corresponding emissions--up to 44% compared to air-source heat pumps and up to 72% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning equipment.<br />There are approximately 50,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year.<br /><br />Paducah, KY (PRWEB) November 8, 2008 -- For many years homeowners have installed traditional heating and cooling systems believing this was the only option. Many believe that more efficient systems like geothermal heat pumps are either too expensive to install or too large for their homes. The staff at Ingram's Water &amp; Air Equipment believes this simply isn't true. These systems are more plausible today than ever, and installing a system from Ingram's Water &amp; Air Equipment is easier than you might think.<br /><br />Federal Tax Credit Available! Check locally for other credits and rebates!<br /><br />The installation of a geothermal system can save 30 to 70% on heating and cooling bills annually compared to a traditional system. These systems produce three to four units of heat for every one unit of energy it uses to power the system; traditional systems give you less than a one to one ratio. In fact, geothermal systems are recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as the most environmentally-safe, cost effective heating and cooling system on the market. Most geothermal systems pay for themselves in five years or less.<br /><br />According to the EPA, "geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption--and corresponding emissions--up to 44% compared to air-source heat pumps and up to 72% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning equipment." In one article the Department of Energy states "There are approximately 50,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year."<br /><br />If you're still not sure if geothermal is right for you, think again! Startup costs for geothermal equipment can range from as low as $4000 depending on system setup. With multiple ways to setup geothermal systems, lowering your heating and cooling bills can be as easy as connecting a unit to an existing well. Ingram's Water &amp; Air Equipment can provide you with Do-It-Yourself systems that can be up and running in no time. Additionally, geothermal systems not only heat and cool your home; some equipment can provide you with free hot water. This gives you one more way to cut down on energy bills.<br /><br />Due to the recent passage of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424) there are new benefits to installing a geothermal heating and cooling system. This bill offers a one-time tax credit of 30% of the total investment for all residential ground loop or ground water geothermal heat pump installations. The maximum is $2,000 for a single residence.<br /><br />Energy Star requirements must be met or exceeded and the unit must be installed after December 31, 2007, to qualify for this tax credit. To file for the credit, owners should complete the Renewable Energy Credits subsection on their tax return forms or speak to a professional tax associate. No proof of purchase is required; however, owners are encouraged to keep records of the purchase and installation. The tax credit is retroactive to January 1st, 2008, and is available through December 31, 2016.<br /><br />All of these reasons make installing a geothermal system in your home or business more enticing than ever. Installing a geothermal system will allow you to cut down on energy costs and provide you capital to spend elsewhere. The next time you look at your electric or gas bill, don't get angry, get even. Let Ingram's Water &amp; Air Equipment help you install a geothermal system today. Please visit us Online or call our office at 860-360-1569.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7907392400138231992?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-72283733138763311802008-11-08T07:01:00.002-08:002008-11-08T07:03:23.159-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWqNHMg-2I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/dvARINox-V4/s1600-h/gay.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWqNHMg-2I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/dvARINox-V4/s400/gay.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266302481526225762" border="0" /></a><br />Gays see rights growing despite election losses<br /><br />California revoked same-sex marriage this week and more states joined the strong majority that define marriage as between a man and a woman -- yet gay rights activists see a bright future for their cause.<br /><br />While a conservative-backed ballot measure banning same-sex marriage passed in America's most populous state on Tuesday, it is a measure of the gay movement's success that it is now fighting for civil rights instead of mere acceptance of a sexual orientation that was seen as deviant and criminalized just a few decades ago.<br /><br />San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he was "tremendously optimistic" about the future of same-sex marriage in California despite the election loss. Gay couples wed for nearly half a year in California after winning a state Supreme Court battle in May.<br /><br />A San Francisco candlelight vigil on Wednesday night that turned into a cheering session on the steps of City Hall, and Los Angeles area clashes with police in riot gear were two post-election signs that the gay community does not expect to fade quietly away.<br /><br />"How can you just decide 'OK we can't have rights, I guess we'll just have to be cool with that'? It's my country, too, goddamnit," said Becki Holub at the San Francisco rally.<br /><br />Signs of newfound respect from gay marriage opponents were clear in the California campaign, in which the two sides raised at least $70 million, because it did not hinge on the morality of homosexuality.<br /><br />"I think we won because we stuck to our guns of being pro-marriage and not anti-gay," said Jeff Flint, one of the managers for the campaign that passed the California ban.<br /><br />Gay marriage ban supporters avoided criticizing homosexuals explicitly, even when they said they did not want schools to "teach" gay marriage.<br /><br />"The broad consensus in California and the nation is -- protect marriage but create sort of civil union or domestic partnership laws to recognize those relationships," Flint said.<br /><br />Many U.S. states have made clear they don't want same-sex marriage -- more than half have laws defining marriage as between a man and a woman, including additions by California, Arizona and Florida on Tuesday, when Arkansas also stopped gay couples from adopting children.<br /><br />But younger people were much more supportive of gay marriage than older ones, polls showed.<br /><br />And in a sign of growing support for gay marriage, the thin margin of victory for the California measure -- a few percentage points -- was many times less than when California voted against gay marriage eight years earlier.<br /><br />OBAMA LIKELY TO HELP<br /><br />In 2004 similar initiatives in key states were credited with helping President George W. Bush win re-election, drawing evangelical voters, a key Republican base, to the polls.<br /><br />This year, Democratic President-elect Barack Obama still won California and Florida, where gay marriage was banned<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7228373313876331180?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-50180322612150513182008-11-08T07:01:00.001-08:002008-11-08T07:01:51.116-08:00Obama looks presidential but not president yet<br /><br />But at his first news conference since being elected on Tuesday, the next American leader appeared in a stately setting flanked by a who's who of economic heavyweights as he sought to convey confidence and authority to markets rattled by negative economic data and poor corporate earnings.<br /><br />The man who ran a cool, calculated campaign for two years did not appear to break a sweat or veer off message during the 20-minute news conference -- although he did spark chuckles when he referred to himself as a "mutt."<br /><br />Standing in front of eight American flags and at a podium with a sign reading "The Office of the President Elect," Obama repeated words he said often during the campaign but with a new, sober tone.<br /><br />GONE WERE THE ATTACKS ON THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND CLAIMS that it had caused the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.<br /><br />Instead Obama repeatedly pointed out that the country had only one president at a time and he was not going to do anything to undermine President George W. Bush before he is sworn in to office on January 20.<br /><br />"Immediately after I become president, I'm going to confront this economic crisis head on by taking all necessary steps to ease the credit crisis, help hard-working families, and restore growth and prosperity," he said.<br /><br />But the man who campaigned on a promise of change was also quick to warn it would not come easy or quickly -- especially with regard to the economy. He also indicated he would not be rushed on announcing his choice for the new Treasury secretary and other cabinet appointments, despite jittery markets.<br /><br />Most of his news conference was serious as he dealt with questions about the ailing economy, how much he could actually do to change it in the first 100 days and questions about Iran and national security.<br /><br />But Obama took time to throw out a few personal lines, asking about a reporter's injured arm and giving a long, detailed response to her question about what kind of dog the Obamas would get for their daughters.<br /><br />He called the question of the dog "a major issue," saying it had generated more interest on his Web site than "just about anything."<br /><br />Then Obama went on in his trademark style, ticking off the different elements of the problem: the family had to reconcile the need to find a hypoallergenic pet with their desire to help out dog from an animal shelter.<br /><br />"Obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me," Obama, the son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya, said to laughter.<br /><br />"So whether we're going to be able to balance those two things I think is a pressing issue on the Obama household."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-5018032261215051318?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-58038928414166624402008-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:01:04.131-08:00Berkshire Hathaway profit tumbles 77 percent<br /><br />Friday third-quarter profit fell 77 percent, the fourth straight quarterly decline, hurt by weaker results from insurance underwriting and a big loss on derivatives contracts.<br /><br />Net income for the Omaha, Nebraska-based insurance and investment company declined to $1.06 billion, or $682 per Class A share, from $4.55 billion, or $2,942, a year earlier.<br /><br />Operating profit fell 18 percent to $2.07 billion, or $1,335 per share, from $2.56 billion, or $1,655. It fell short of analysts' average expectation for $1,429 per share, according to Reuters Estimates. Revenue fell 7 percent to $27.93 billion. Berkshire's net worth nevertheless rose to $120.2 billion from $118 billion at the end of June.<br /><br />"You can look at the results as a glass half-full or half- empty," said Frank Betz, a principal at Carret/Zane Capital Management LLP in Warren, New Jersey, which owns Berkshire stock. "Earnings were down, but book value went up. Berkshire hasn't been battered by extraordinary insurance claims and there's nothing alarming in the results that's tied to Berkshire's exposure to the economy."<br /><br />Berkshire is a roughly $175 billion conglomerate that owns several dozen businesses in such areas as insurance, energy, housing, kitchen supplies, clothing and food.<br /><br />It also tries to invest in out-of-favor companies with strong earnings and management. Insurance typically generates half of results. Buffett is the second-richest American according to Forbes magazine and an economic adviser to President-elect Barack Obama.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-5803892841416662440?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-79683004725622361002008-11-08T06:59:00.000-08:002008-11-08T07:00:14.879-08:00Victim drives sleeping rapist to police station<br /><br />A New Zealand rape victim drove her rapist to a police station when he fell asleep in his car after assaulting the woman, local media reported on Wednesday.<br /><br />Vipul Sharma, 22, was found guilty of abduction and two charges of rape by the Auckland District Court Tuesday, court officials told Reuters Wednesday.<br /><br />The New Zealand newspaper said Sharma met the woman at an Auckland bar in 2006 and later drove her first to a park where he raped her in the back seat of his car.<br /><br />After the attack Sharma allowed the woman to drive and fell asleep in the passenger seat, so the woman drove him to Auckland Central police station where he was arrested, said the newspaper.<br /><br />"She showed a lot of bravery and common sense. I have nothing but respect for what she has endured," police detective Simon Welsh told the newspaper.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7968300472562236100?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-27948667233923010252008-11-08T06:58:00.000-08:002008-11-08T06:59:45.464-08:00Little House on the Prairie," adults-only version!<br /><br />Finland has rated the DVD release of the much-loved children's television series "Little House on the Prairie" suitable for adult viewing only.<br /><br />To save money, Universal Pictures decided not to submit the series to state inspection, the company's Finland marketing manager Meri Suomela told Reuters on Wednesday.<br /><br />Finnish authorities charge 2 euros ($2.57) per minute for assessing the correct age limit on films and television series. Distributors who forego this can only sell their shows with a sticker saying "Banned for under-18s."<br /><br />"Long series can get quite expensive to check, and some use this exemption in the law to their advantage," said Matti Paloheimo, Director at the Finnish Board of Film Classification.<br /><br />"Such unchecked material should not be shown to children publicly," he added.<br /><br />Little House on the Prairie, which ran from 1974 to 1983, portrayed life in the U.S. West in the late 1800s and was based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder's children's book of the same name.<br /><br />It remains popular in Finland, and is still shown weekly on Sunday mornings on state-owned broadcaster YLE.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2794866723392301025?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-81453495236324054112008-11-08T06:56:00.000-08:002008-11-08T06:58:01.930-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWo9FAO_TI/AAAAAAAAAmI/KlWQiVoDzZE/s1600-h/om.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 157px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWo9FAO_TI/AAAAAAAAAmI/KlWQiVoDzZE/s400/om.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266301106548309298" border="0" /></a><br />Michelle Obama's election outfit gets dressing down<br /><br />Despite comparisons during the campaign to stylish 1960s first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Michelle Obama was derided in opinion polls for her choice of a black and neon-red dress from Narciso Rodriguez's spring 2009 ready-to-wear collection.<br /><br />In an online poll by USA Today, 65 percent of more than 10,000 readers believed the Harvard-educated corporate lawyer and future first lady "had an off day" and 35 percent said "She looks fantastic as always."<br /><br />An online poll by People magazine mirrored those results, while a Los Angeles Times online poll found 45 percent hated the dress and 34 percent loved it.<br /><br />"The normally impeccable Michelle O made a questionable choice for her husband's historic election night victory," wrote Lesley Scott, editor of fashion and lifestyle blog www.fashiontribes.com . "It's less than flattering."<br /><br />"However, every fashionista worth her salt takes risks," Scott said, "which means the occasional misstep."<br /><br />Not everyone disliked Obama's choice, which was shown on the catwalk only two months ago and is not yet available in stores. New York magazine hailed Obama for being able to hold her own against France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a former supermodel.<br /><br />"We have a feeling she'll continue to mix affordable pieces with designer pieces as First Lady, but this wardrobe choice proves this woman knows fashion and we have an exciting four years of political fashion ahead of us," the magazine said.<br /><br />"What will she choose for the inaugural ball? The suspense is so exciting! And you know what else is great about this? We don't have to envy France for Carla Bruni anymore!"<br /><br />Interest in Obama's fashion has soared since she won particular praise for the purple sheath dress and black belt she wore in June when her husband clinched the nomination as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.<br /><br />While Republican candidate John McCain's wife Cindy and his vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin drew criticism for their high-end wardrobes, Obama won fans for affordable style.<br /><br />Obama wore a $150 dress on "The View" talk show, which became an instant hit. For "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" last week, she donned an outfit from chain store J.Crew.<br /><br />She has even inspired a website -- www.mrs-o.org -- dedicated to taking "a regular look at what and who she's wearing" and encouraging enthusiasm for "the budding style icon, Mrs O."<br /><br />Obama already has a fashion track record, appearing in Vogue and being named twice on Vanity Fair's international best-dressed list.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8145349523632405411?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-27888515337672575612008-11-08T06:54:00.002-08:002008-11-08T06:56:01.281-08:00said on Saturday that now with the long presidential election season behind the nation, it is time for Americans to put aside political differences and work together to solve the economic crisis.<span id="midArticle_1"></span> <p><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6032176245793000022">Obama, who won a decisive victory against Republican </a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6032176245793000022" title="Full Election 2008 coverage of John McCain's campaign">John McCain</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6032176245793000022"> in Tuesday's presidential election and will become the first black American president on January 20, vowed to seek unity.</a></p><span id="midArticle_2"></span> <p>He noted that Republican President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush had invited Obama and his wife Michelle to the White House on Monday and that the Bushes offered to do all they could to help with Obama's transition to the White House.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span> <p>"This speaks to a fundamental recognition that here in America we can compete vigorously in elections and challenge each other's ideas, yet come together in service of a common purpose once the voting is done," Obama said in the Democratic Party's weekly radio address.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span> <p>"And that is particularly important at a moment when we face the most serious challenges of our lifetime," he said.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span> <p>Obama noted that jobless figures released on Friday showed a 10th straight month of decline, bringing the total number of unemployed Americans to about 10 million.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span> <p>"Tens of millions of families are struggling to figure out how to pay the bills and stay in their homes," Obama said. "Their stories are an urgent reminder that we are facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime, and we must act swiftly to resolve them."</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span> <p>Obama said he and his transition economic advisory board -- a well-regarded group of America business leaders, former top Washington officials and economic experts -- discussed the economic challenges at a meeting on Friday and started developing a series of policies to address the crisis.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span> <p>"While we must recognize that we only have one president at a time and that President Bush is the leader of our government, I want to ensure that we hit the ground running on January 20th because we don't have a moment to lose," said Obama.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span> <p>The first-term senator from Illinois, who excited crowds across the country with his promise for change and attacks on the Bush administration for causing the economic crisis, which is now global, vowed to help working class families and to stem the problems before they get worse.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span> <p>He said the country "can't afford to wait" on moving forward with his priorities like clean energy, reforming health care, improving education and tax relief for middle class families.</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span> <p>"I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead," said Obama. "We've taken some major actions to date, and we will need further actions during this transition and subsequent months."</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span> <p>"Some of those choices will be difficult, but America is a strong and resilient country. I know that we will succeed if we put aside partisanship and work together as one nation. And that is what I intend to do."</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2788851533767257561?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-45778415969397573702008-11-08T06:54:00.001-08:002008-11-08T06:54:54.255-08:00UPDATE 1-U.S. judge orders Apple executive to stop workUPDATE 1-U.S. judge orders Apple executive to stop work<p> Federal District Judge Kenneth Karas in White Plains ordered that Mark Papermaster "immediately cease his employment with Apple Inc until further order of this court."</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span> <p> Apple announced on Tuesday that Papermaster would lead the engineering teams making Apple's highly successful iPods and iPhones and that he would report directly to Chief Executive Steve Jobs. On Friday it said he would cease work for now.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span> <p> "We will comply with the court's order but are confident that Mark Papermaster will be able to ultimately join Apple when the dust settles," a spokesman said.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span> <p> Karas said Papermaster could submit any objections to his order by Tuesday and he set another hearing for Nov. 18.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span> <p> Papermaster had worked for IBM for 25 years. IBM said in a court filing that, before Papermaster left, he agreed to avoid working for any competitor for a year.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span> <p> Papermaster's lawyers argued that forcing him "to 'sit out' of the electronics industry for a year would be incredibly damaging to his career."</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span> <p> They said that Apple was a "once-in-a-lifetime 'dream job'" and that Papermaster would be unable to return to IBM, given the litigation.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span> <p> Papermaster also argued that there were signficant differences between between the two companies because IBM makes big machines for big business and Apple makes little devices for consumers.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span> <p> IBM disagreed.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4577841596939757370?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-28480577559609340142008-11-08T06:53:00.000-08:002008-11-08T06:54:01.487-08:00<h1 style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">FBI finds most terrorism threat reports baseless</h1><br /><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI tracked about 108,000 potential terrorism threats or suspicious incidents from mid-2004 to November 2007, but most were found groundless, a Justice Department review found on Friday.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span> <p>The department's office of inspector general gave the figure in an audit of the FBI's terrorism case-tracking system, called Guardian, launched in 2002 after the September 11 attacks.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span> <p>"The FBI determined that the overwhelming majority of the threat information documented in Guardian had no nexus to terrorism. However, as a result of information reported in Guardian the FBI initiated over 600 criminal and terrorism-related investigations from October 2006 to December 2007," the inspector general's report said.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span> <p>The report did not discuss the result of the investigations.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span> <p>FBI policy requires that each threat or suspicious incident reported by the public or other government agencies and law enforcement officers be reviewed to determine whether there is a link to terrorism.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span> <p>The report expressed concern over delays in the development of a related system, called E-Guardian, for sharing terrorism-related information with local law enforcement. It said the automated Guardian system had improved since it was first implemented, and the number of incidents tracked had grown dramatically.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span> <p>FBI spokesman John Miller said the agency had implemented steps to resolve concerns and it accepted recommendations made by the inspector general.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2848057755960934014?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-87250863629159884422008-11-08T06:47:00.000-08:002008-11-08T06:52:54.734-08:00U.S. Carmakers Said to Seek $50 Billion in U.S. Loans<br /><br /> General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, strapped for cash as sales plunge, are seeking $50 billion in federal loans to help them weather the worst auto market in 25 years, a person familiar with the matter said.<br /><br />The package would be $25 billion for health-care spending and $25 billion for general liquidity that could be delivered in different ways, including short-term borrowing from the Federal Reserve, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the plan isn't public. In return, the companies would be willing to take steps such as granting stock warrants, the person said.<br /><br />The automakers should receive ``additional help'' from President George W. Bush's administration, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said after meeting with their chief executive officers in Washington yesterday. The auto executives also met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat.<br /><br />``One of the things we've been talking to them about is if things really degraded dramatically in the economy, more than they are today, would it be appropriate for us to have like a bridge loan that allows us to get through this,'' Ford CEO Alan Mulally said in an interview today.<br /><br />The three companies, their unions and legislative allies are hunting for aid after a combined $28.6 billion in combined first- half losses. New vehicles sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 10.6 million in October, the lowest since 1983.<br /><br />European Request<br /><br />Ford is also among automakers approaching European governments for 40 billion euros ($51 billion) in loans, Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth told reporters today after the company posted a $2.98 billion third-quarter operating loss and said it used up $7.7 billion in cash.<br /><br />GM said today it may not have enough cash to keep operating this year. The automaker reported a $4.2 billion third-quarter operating loss and said it used up $6.9 billion in cash.<br /><br />Rick Wagoner, GM's chief executive officer, said in an interview he's confident that when government officials see ``the clarity of the challenges being faced that we'll get the support that's necessary.''<br /><br />GM fell 44 cents, or 9.2 percent, to $4.36 at 4:15 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Ford rose 4 cents, or 2 percent, to $2.02.<br /><br />U.S. Efforts<br /><br />``Four or five'' options are being considered for automakers, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters in Washington today. Those include allowing some of the $700 billion for the financial-system rescue plan to be used to aid the automakers' financing arms, said Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat.<br /><br />Automakers' needs weigh into the consideration of whether Congress will hold a post-election session the week of Nov. 17 to consider stimulus legislation, Hoyer said. The prospect of a session isn't yet clear because Bush hasn't said whether he would sign a stimulus bill, Hoyer said.<br /><br />The Bush administration should use its existing authority to provide help to the automakers, Reid said yesterday in a statement, without being specific as to the amount. Congress will also continue exploring ways to aid the companies, the Nevada Democrat said.<br /><br />``We have great concern for the health of the auto industry,'' White House spokesman Tony Fratto said at a press briefing today.<br /><br />The Bush administration already has authority to supply direct loans to automakers, Representative Sander Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said in an interview today.<br /><br />``They don't yet seem to have the same sense of the crisis that's facing all of America,'' Levin said.<br /><br />`High Priority'<br /><br />President-elect Barack Obama said today that policy options to help the auto industry ``weather the financial crisis'' will be a ``high priority'' for his transition team.<br /><br />``I've asked my team to explore what we can do under current law and whether additional legislation will be needed,'' Obama said at a news conference in Chicago.<br /><br />Spokesmen for the automakers and the CEOs haven't said how much assistance they're seeking. The UAW said Nov. 5 it backed $25 billion in loans for automakers' health-care costs and other aid for ``immediate liquidity.''<br /><br />Wagoner, Mulally, Chrysler's Robert Nardelli and United Auto Workers President Ronald Gettelfinger didn't take questions from reporters while in Washington yesterday for their meetings.<br /><br />Nardelli said in a statement after the meetings that Chrysler was ``encouraged'' by the lawmakers' understanding of the importance of the auto industry.<br /><br />The government wants to ``ensure the viability of this industry,'' Pelosi told reporters yesterday. U.S. officials also will be ``looking out for taxpayers,'' she said.<br /><br />Automakers, the UAW and state political leaders have sought support from the Energy Department, the Fed, the Treasury Department and from Congress.<br /><br />The Energy Department said Nov. 5 it has moved ahead with one piece of automaker aid as it set the interim rules for the $25 billion low-interest loan program, which was crafted to help the companies retool plants to build more-efficient vehicles.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8725086362915988442?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-92186632675254324622008-11-08T06:46:00.000-08:002008-11-08T06:47:19.187-08:00Europa irá a Washington con la firme voluntad de defender la línea de la transparencia y la refundación del sistema financiero global", con la esperanza de evitar nuevas crisis, declaró anoche el presidente francés, Nicolas Sarkozy en Bruselas, al término de una cumbre informal de la UE, la primera desde el triunfo electoral de Barack Obama en los Estados Unidos. <p> Los europeos propondrán a las potencias industrializadas y emergentes comenzar rápidamente una serie de importantes reformas. </p> <p>La UE pretende, sobre todo, proceder a la regulación "o por lo menos al control" de todas las instituciones financieras: los grandes grupos financieros internacionales, los fondos especulativos, las agencias calificadoras de riesgos y los paraísos fiscales, algunos de los cuales se encuentran en territorio europeo. </p> <p>Europa también desea reforzar el papel del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) para transformarlo en el "pivote de un sistema internacional renovado", dijo Sarkozy, presidente temporal de la UE. La institución estaría encargada de prevenir las crisis financieras. El bloque reclama asimismo "un sistema de alerta precoz" para identificar los riesgos de crisis o de "burbujas". </p> <p>Los 27 defienden por fin una "convergencia de las normas contables" y un "código de buena conducta", para evitar que las instituciones financieras tomen riesgos excesivos, incluyendo la cuestión de las remuneraciones. </p> <p>Previendo la negativa de Estados Unidos a la adopción de medidas demasiado intervencionistas, Sarkozy advirtió que Europa "no pretende pasar de la ausencia de reglamentación a demasiada reglamentación". "Queremos cambiar las reglas del juego financiero", explicó. </p> <p>Con ese objetivo de "obtener progresos regulares y rápidos", la UE quiere una segunda cumbre del G-20, que debería decidir las medidas de aplicación de las reformas "100 días" después de la reunión del 15 de noviembre, es decir a partir de fines de febrero, una vez que Obama haya asumido sus funciones en EE.UU. </p> <p>Los europeos estarán representados en Washington por Francia, Gran Bretaña, Alemania e Italia. Sarkozy también se declaró favorable a la presencia de España, que podría utilizar uno de los dos sitios que corresponden a Francia (como presidente <i> pro tempore </i> de la UE y como miembro del G-7) y de Holanda. </p> <p> Brasil, la India, Rusia, China, Corea del Sur, la Argentina, Australia, México, Arabia Saudita, Turquía y Sudáfrica también estarán presentes en la cumbre del G-20 como integrantes del grupo de países emergentes. </p> <p> Los europeos tendrán, en todo caso, la ardua tarea de convencer a Estados Unidos y China de lo oportuno de sus propuestas. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-9218663267525432462?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-374264016060130762008-11-08T06:44:00.001-08:002008-11-08T06:46:30.334-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWmJoplj6I/AAAAAAAAAmA/qWcL7BJcUnk/s1600-h/ppppppppp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWmJoplj6I/AAAAAAAAAmA/qWcL7BJcUnk/s400/ppppppppp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266298023740542882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWl7rHRHKI/AAAAAAAAAl4/grAGULz8ytY/s1600-h/ffffffff0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWl7rHRHKI/AAAAAAAAAl4/grAGULz8ytY/s400/ffffffff0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266297783883734178" border="0" /></a><br />Toda la intimidad de la noche ganadora de Obama<br /><br />mientras la expectativa en los Estados Unidos y en el mundo crecía por conocer el nombre del próximo presidente norteamericano, Barack Obama permanecía en el búnker demócrata, atento a las cifras que se conocían minuto a minuto del boca de urna de las mesas cerradas al sufragio.<br /><br />Con la mirada concentrada en el enorme televisor de la habitación especialmente acondicionada en un hotel de Chicago, Obama seguía expectante el desarrollo de la votación junto a su esposa Michelle, sus hijas, su suegra, Marian Robinson, su compañero de fórmula Joe Biden y su esposa, y un grupo cercano de colaboradores.<br /><br />A tres días de ese crucial momento, el sitio oficial en Internet del presidente electo y Flickr publicaron una colección de fotos que muestran cómo siguió la noche electoral su gran triunfo.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-37426401606013076?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-24863141537042342622008-11-08T06:43:00.001-08:002008-11-08T06:43:42.307-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWll-JoiaI/AAAAAAAAAlw/BIRgyradm_I/s1600-h/ffffffff0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LGl3U-TBI_E/SRWll-JoiaI/AAAAAAAAAlw/BIRgyradm_I/s400/ffffffff0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266297411036809634" border="0" /></a><br />Obama: reactivar la economía llevará años<br /><br />Como es costumbre desde que fue elegido el primer presidente negro de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama volvió a tener un amanecer amargo.<br /><br />La economía lo despertó con la noticia de que unos 240.000 norteamericanos habían perdido sus trabajos en octubre y que el desempleo había llegado al 6,5%, el punto más alto en los últimos 14 años.<br /><br />Una advertencia, una promesa y una demanda lanzó, entonces, el senador demócrata, en su primera conferencia de prensa desde que, el martes último, logró una victoria apabullante sobre su rival republicano, John McCain.<br /><br />La advertencia fue para todo Estados Unidos. En tono sereno pero sombrío, el presidente electo alertó a los norteamericanos sobre que reanimar su economía llevará años.<br /><br />"No será ni fácil ni rápido salir del agujero en el que nos hemos metido", dijo Obama.<br /><br />La demanda fue para el gobierno de George W. Bush y para el Congreso. Obama instó a ambos a poner en marcha, "más temprano que tarde", un millonario "paquete de estímulo económico". Si no lo aprueban, lo hará él apenas asuma, el 20 de enero próximo.<br /><br />La promesa fue para la clase media. Dijo que la "rescatará" del mundo de incertidumbre y golpes en el que la sumió la crisis financiera. Y, sin perder el tono optimista, agregó que "un nuevo presidente puede tener un impacto enorme" en una eventual recuperación.<br /><br />El senador demócrata estuvo rodeado por su compañero de fórmula, Joe Biden; su flamante jefe de gabinete, Rahm Emanuel, y por su consejo de asesores económicos en la abarrotada sala de un lujoso hotel de Chicago.<br /><br />En pocos minutos, Obama pasó de hablar del plan nuclear de Irán a hacer comentarios sobre el perro que comprará para sus hijas cuando la familia llegue a la Casa Blanca. Pero dijo que su desvelo, su prioridad, es y será la economía. "No hay que subestimar la enormidad de la tarea que nos espera. La crisis es el mayor desafío de nuestra vida", dijo<br /><br />Sin descanso desde que es mandatario electo, Obama vivió los últimos tres días con el ritmo propio de un presidente en funciones. Hizo designaciones para su gabinete; recibió el resumen presidencial de inteligencia; conversó con decenas de líderes mundiales y delineó los ejes de sus primeras acciones de gobierno. Sin embargo, Obama advirtió ayer que el presidente todavía es Bush. "Estados Unidos sólo tiene un gobierno a la vez", dijo.<br /><br />La advertencia dio paso al reclamo. Y el futuro presidente instó a su predecesor inmediato y al Congreso a que aprobaran el paquete de estímulo que hace recordar al New Deal de Franklin D. Roosevelt y que uno y otro discuten en este momento. El plan de 100.000 millones de dólares acompañaría al salvataje financiero para los bancos. E incluye créditos para el consumo, mayores beneficios para los desempleados, préstamos a los estados para cubrir los crecientes gastos de ayuda médica para los más pobres, un recorte de impuestos y más obra pública. Este punto es el que divide a un Capitolio de mayoría demócrata y al saliente gobierno republicano.<br /><br />La aprobación del plan antes de su asunción daría a Obama más armas para combatir la inminente recesión. Si el paquete no es aceptado antes, el futuro presidente deberá dedicar sus primeras semanas a presionar por el plan de estímulo. Ayer, prometió -como lo hizo en la campaña- que trabajará con demócratas y republicanos para aprobarlo y "salvar a la clase media".<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2486314153704234262?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-38165428195143365002008-11-08T06:39:00.000-08:002008-11-08T06:40:44.918-08:00Obama promete afrontar la crisis<br /><br />El presidente electo de los Estados Unidos ha asegurado que "tomará todas las medidas necesarias" contra la crisis y ha pedido al Congreso aprobar un plan de estímulo económico que incluya la extensión de los subsidios por desempleo y un plan de rescate que ayude a la clase media.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3816542819514336500?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-61939635605109917282008-11-08T06:38:00.002-08:002008-11-08T06:39:46.608-08:00SE UTILIZA ESTE SISTEMA QUE PODRÍA SER CALIFICADO DE INJUSTO<br />Cuando la Constitución de Estados Unidos fue escrita en 1787, los 13 estados originales cuidaban celosamente sus derechos y los más pequeños temían ser relegados por las regiones más grandes.<br /><br />Los arquitectos de la constitución rechazaron tanto la elección del presidente por parte del Congreso, para mantener la separación de poderes, como la elección por voto popular directo, argumentando que los individuos votarían por sus candidatos locales y entonces los grandes estados serían dominantes.<br /><br />Además, los estados sureños favorecían el sistema del Colegio Electoral. Los esclavos, por ejemplo, no tenían voto pero contaban como tres quintos de una persona a la hora de contabilizar el tamaño de la población de un estado.<br /><br />La idea original era que sólo las grandes figuras de cada estado se convirtieran en delegados ante el Colegio Electoral.<br /><br />Con los años, el funcionamiento del Colegio Electoral ha ido cambiando para reflejar mejor el voto popular.<br /><br />El sistema goza de respeto por sus raíces históricas y porque normalmente sí refleja el voto popular.<br /><br />Además, favorece a los estados más pequeños (ya que todos tienen el mismo número de senadores, independientemente del tamaño de su población), y ése es uno de los mecanismos de balance de poder que la constitución estadounidense pretende fortalecer.<br /><br />Este sistema también hace que el candidato ganador deba obtener un apoyo electoral repartido por todo el país.<br /><br />Sin embargo, el modelo no está exento de críticas.<br /><br />Además de la representación no proporcional de delegados, se le cuestiona que, como en muchos estados los resultados están cantados, hay muy poco incentivo para que el individuo vote y para que los candidatos hagan campaña allí.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-6193963560510991728?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-16617391512381208752008-11-08T06:38:00.001-08:002008-11-08T06:38:32.704-08:00<b><a name="xq1"> <div class="ch1"><b>¿CUÁL ES LA FUNCIÓN DEL COLEGIO ELECTORAL?</b></div> </a> <!-- E IANC --> </b> <p> </p><p> El presidente de Estados Unidos no es elegido directamente por el pueblo, sino por el Colegio Electoral, que es el que toma la decisión final. </p><p> En unas elecciones muy reñidas, la importancia del Colegio Electoral cobra particular importancia. </p><p> <!-- S IIMA --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="203"> <tbody><tr><td> <div> <br /> <div class="cap">Las elecciones de 2000 fueron muy reñidas y el resultado se definió en el ámbito legal.</div> </div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> </p><p> </p><p>Para la elección presidencial, cada uno de los 50 estados (además de Washington D.C.) tiene un número distinto de delegados ante el Colegio Electoral. </p><p> Ese número es el resultado de la suma de dos cifras: por un lado, el número de senadores (que son siempre dos por estado), y por otro, el número de representantes (que varía de acuerdo al tamaño de la población de cada estado). </p><p> Por ejemplo, California, el estado más poblado, designa 55 delegados, mientras que los estados más pequeños tienen sólo tres. </p><p> Técnicamente, al votar los estadounidenses no están eligiendo a su candidato, sino al delegado que más tarde votará en su lugar ante el Colegio Electoral. </p><p> En total el Colegio Electoral cuenta con 538 delegados. Para convertirse en presidente, el candidato necesita conseguir los votos de 270. </p><p> <!-- S IBOX --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="208"> <tbody><tr> <td width="5"><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" width="5" height="1" hspace="0" /></td> <td class="sibf"> <div class="sih"> POR EJEMPLO... </div> <div class="mva"><div class="bull">En el estado X, que tiene 10 delegados ante el Colegio Electoral, el partido A obtuvo un 60% de lo votos y el partido B obtuvo el 40%.</div> <div class="bull">Los delegados ante el Colegio Electoral no se reparten proporcionalmente entre uno y otro partido (es decir, 6 para A y 4 para B) de acuerdo al voto popular... </div> <div class="bull">...sino que el ganador (A) se lleva los 10 delegados.</div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IBOX --> </p><p> En caso de producirse un empate de votos en el Colegio Electoral, la decisión sobre quién será presidente es tomada por la Cámara de Representantes. </p><p> En Maine y Nebraska el sistema de representación de delegados es proporcional al del voto popular, pero el resto de los estados funcionan bajo la premisa de que el partido que obtiene la mayoría de los votos se adjudica todos los delegados que representan a ese estado ante el Colegio Electoral. </p><p> Esta peculiaridad del sistema permite que un candidato pueda llegar a obtener la victoria en el Colegio Electoral sin que necesariamente haya ganado el voto popular nacional. </p><p> </p><p> Eso precisamente fue lo que ocurrió en los comicios presidenciales de 2000, cuando el entonces candidato demócrata, Al Gore, ganó el 48% de los votos comparado con el 47,87% que obtuvo George W. Bush. Pero Bush ganó porque obtuvo 271 votos en el Colegio Electoral, frente a los 266 de su contrincante. </p><p> Lo que decantó la victoria republicana fueron los 25 delegados del estado de Florida ante el Colegio Electoral, que fueron todos para Bush a pesar de que la diferencia del voto popular de ese estado fue sólo de 537 papeletas. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1661739151238120875?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-41266928989076140812008-11-08T06:37:00.001-08:002008-11-08T06:37:38.667-08:00<b>El sistema electoral de Estados Unidos es complejo, tanto, que a veces el ganador pierde en el voto popular nacional pero obtiene la victoria, gracias a que consigue más votos de delegados al Colegio Electoral.</b><b>El sistema electoral de Estados Unidos es complejo</b><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4126692898907614081?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-34364016106001433602008-11-08T06:34:00.000-08:002008-11-08T06:37:08.785-08:00Lo mejor del discurso de Obama<br /><br /> <br /> ¿QUÉ SE PUEDE ESPERAR DE OBAMA?<br />Obama tiene ante si un reto inmenso (...) "Cambio" es su lema y honrar esa promesa conlleva muchas cosas. Como cubano espero que sea valiente y termine con 50 años de bloqueo y desencuentro entre nuestros paises<br />obama, quien tiene 47 años de edad, se posesionará el próximo 20 de enero.<br /><br />Justin Webb, editor para Estados Unidos de la BBC, cree que el resultado de las elecciones tendrá un profundo impacto en el país. Lo mejor del discurso de Obama<br /><br />Según Webb, los estadounidenses mostraron estar profundamente descontentos con el estado actual de las cosas y, además, tratan de cerrar la puerta al pasado racista de su país.<br /><br />De los 50 estados americanos, Obama ganó 27, y entre ellos los que figuraban como "indecisos" en las encuestas previas a las elecciones. Éste fue el caso de Indiana, Florida y Ohio, que finalmente se inclinaron por Obama.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3436401610600143360?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-66826240573644096642008-11-04T20:20:00.001-08:002008-11-04T20:22:48.592-08:00Obama winer upp<br />realemente felicitamos al nuevo presidente de usa . esperemos logre hacer una politica interncional como corresponde y otorge oportunidades y creditos ...a latinoamerica y no siga con ningun conflicto armado esperamos la paz .....<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-6682624057364409664?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-35735043570056101552008-11-01T12:40:00.015-07:002008-11-01T12:40:29.998-07:00<p>AP poll shows Obama backers gleeful, McCain's glum</p> <p>By ALAN FRAM and TREVOR TOMPSON, Associated Press Writers</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AP) &#8212; That smiling guy walking down the street? Odds are he's a Barack Obama backer. The grouchy looking one? Don't ask, and don't necessarily count on him to vote on Tuesday, either.</p> <p>More John McCain supporters feel glum about the presidential campaign while more of Obama's are charged up over it, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll released Saturday.</p> <p>The survey shows McCain backers have become increasingly upset in recent weeks, a period that has seen Obama take a firm lead in many polls. One expert says the contrasting moods could affect how likely the two candidates' supporters are to vote on Election Day, possibly dampening McCain's turnout while boosting Obama's.</p> <p>While 43 percent of the Democrat Obama's backers said they are excited over the campaign, just 13 percent of McCain's said so, according to the survey of adults, conducted by Knowledge Networks. Six in 10 Obama supporters said the race interests them, compared to four in 10 backing McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona.</p> <p>On the flip side, 52 percent of McCain supporters said the campaign has left them frustrated, compared to 30 percent of Obama's. A quarter of McCain backers say they feel helpless, double the rate of those preferring Obama, the Illinois senator.</p> <p>More McCain supporters also feel angry and bored, while Obama's are likelier to say they are proud and hopeful.</p> <p>All of this is a bad sign for McCain, according to George E. Marcus, a political scientist from Williams College who has studied the role emotion plays in politics. Negative feelings about a campaign can discourage voters by making them less likely to go through what can be a painful process: Voting for someone who will lose.</p> <p>&quot;If I'm getting my head handed to me by a tennis player, my brain is saying, 'Do I want a second match? No,'&quot; Marcus said. &quot;Why do something that's going to lead to failure?&quot;</p> <p>Marcus said such emotions can be overcome by outside events, such as a campaign or neighbor urging a person to vote. There's also the danger exuberant Obama backers might decide not to vote because of overconfidence. The Obama and McCain organizations have combined to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for those very reasons.</p> <p>Obama leads McCain among likely voters in the AP-Yahoo News poll, 51 percent to 43 percent.</p> <p>Supporters of McCain cite a dislike for Obama, dissatisfaction with the campaign's tone and frustration with how news organizations have treated their candidate.</p> <p>&quot;Flat disgusted, how's that,&quot; said Billie Hart, 80, a Houston Republican backing McCain. &quot;Because that's the way I feel about it. I don't like the individual.&quot;</p> <p>Many Democrats say they're energized by a candidate they perceive as different from most politicians and who can make a real difference.</p> <p>&quot;Elections have always been so ho-hum,&quot;said Kathleen Rockwell, 61, an Obama supporter from Redmond, Wash. This time, &quot;I feel connected. And that feels good.&quot;</p> <p>The AP-Yahoo! News poll, which has followed the same group of 2,000 people since last November, underscores how individuals have reacted to the campaign's currents. For many McCain supporters, it's not been a happy period.</p> <p>Three in 10 McCain backers who report being frustrated now said in September they weren't. That is quadruple the number who became less frustrated.</p> <p>At the same time, one in five McCain supporters are not interested in the campaign now who said they were in September. Half that number gained interest. By similar margins, McCain backers report becoming more angry, bored, overwhelmed and helpless and have become less excited, proud and hopeful.</p> <p>&quot;I'm real interested in having it over,&quot; said Michele Roos, 64, a McCain supporter from Newport News, Va.</p> <p>Enthusiasm by Obama backers has largely stayed steady since September, though slightly more of them &#8212; 31 percent &#8212; now say the campaign makes them feel proud.</p> <p>&quot;I didn't like the candidates before,&quot; said Angelique Sims, 38, an Obama supporter from Shawnee, Okla. &quot;I like his character. I like the things he represents. He represents my views.&quot;</p> <p>A closer look at the numbers show how that emotions are playing out to Obama's advantage in several pivotal groups of voters.</p> <p>Forty-eight percent of those under age 30 who support Obama say they are excited over the race, compared to just 21 percent of those young voters who back McCain. That age group has been a reservoir of strong support for the Democrat.</p> <p>Just 44 percent of whites supporting the Republican say the campaign interests them, compared to 58 percent of whites and 72 percent of blacks supporting Obama.</p> <p>At the same time, half of McCain supporters age 65 and up say they're frustrated, compared to three in 10 of Obama's older voters. Also saying they're frustrated are 53 percent of whites backing McCain &#8212; compared to 40 percent of whites and 12 percent of blacks behind Obama.</p> <p>The AP-Yahoo! News poll of 1,753 adults was conducted Oct. 17-27 and had an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. Included were interviews with 803 Obama supporters and 703 McCain supporters, with error margins of plus or minus 3.5 and 3.7 points respectively.</p> <p>The poll was conducted over the Internet by Knowledge Networks, which initially contacted people using traditional telephone polling methods and followed with online interviews. People chosen for the study who had no Internet access were given it for free.</p> <p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</p> <p>AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius and AP writer Christine Simmons contributed to this report.</p> <p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</p> <p>On the Net:</p> <p>which would amount to an electoral vote landslide. But, a natural tightening does not equal momentum. At least not yet</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3573504357005610155?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-83746191924777117702008-11-01T12:40:00.013-07:002008-11-01T12:40:25.864-07:00<p>A cover-up in Plumbergate?</p> <p>&#160;</p> <p>&#160;</p> <p>Send to a Friend | printer-friendly</p> <p>Looks like Ohio has a first-class political scandal brewing over Joe the Plumber. After Helen Jones-Kelley tried to bluff her way out of her actions to check Joe Wurzelbacher&#8217;s records when he became a national story, the employee who conducted the search says that she&#8217;s never heard of a &#8220;famous person&#8221; investigation. Vanessa Niekamp also says her supervisors lied to her about the investigation, and then asked her to lie about it afterwards:</p> <p>Vanessa Niekamp said that when she was asked to run a child-support check on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher on Oct. 16, she thought it routine. A supervisor told her the man had contacted the state agency about his case.</p> <p>Niekamp didn&#8217;t know she just had checked on &#8220;Joe the Plumber,&#8221; who was elevated the night before to presidential politics prominence as Republican John McCain&#8217;s example in a debate of an average American. &#8230;</p> <p>Director Helen Jones-Kelley said her agency checks people who are &#8220;thrust into the public spotlight,&#8221; amid suggestions they may have come into money, to see if they owe support or are receiving undeserved public assistance.</p> <p>Niekamp told The Dispatch she is unfamiliar with the practice of checking on the newly famous. &#8220;I&#8217;ve never done that before, I don&#8217;t know of anybody in my office who does that and I don&#8217;t remember anyone ever doing that,&#8221; she said today.</p> <p>The case gets even murkier. The Dispatch, which has done yeoman work on this story, got the public records surrounding the Wurzelbacher inquiry &#8212; but Niekamp&#8217;s e-mail wasn&#8217;t included. Nor did the records indicate any redaction or gap, as required by law. Afterwards, a spokesperson for Governor Ted Strickland acknowledged the omission, saying that Niekamp&#8217;s status as a child-welfare agent exempted them from providing her e-mail.</p> <p>What&#8217;s becoming apparent is that Ohio officials have something to hide. The records-check request came from an assistant deputy director for child support. When the story went public, the deputy director &#8220;literally demanded&#8221; Niekamp write the e-mail that would get them off the hook. The agency&#8217;s leadership engaged in a cover-up &#8212; and that strongly implies that a crime got committed.</p> <p>Niekamp told the Dispatch that she&#8217;s seen people get fired for unauthorized records checks, and that she herself fired one employee for the violation of public trust. This has gone beyond just a mere firing. It now looks as though Helen Jones-Kelley&#8217;s staff engaged in an attempt to obstruct justice, and Jones-Kelley&#8217;s lie about the Famous People Records Check appears to be part of it.</p> <p>argument that things are moving in McCain&#8217;s direction</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8374619192477711770?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-75058251987928438802008-11-01T12:40:00.011-07:002008-11-01T12:40:20.562-07:00<p>AP poll shows Obama backers gleeful, McCain's glum</p> <p>&#160;</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AP) &#8212; That smiling guy walking down the street? Odds are he's a Barack Obama backer. The grouchy looking one? Don't ask, and don't necessarily count on him to vote on Tuesday, either.</p> <p>More John McCain supporters feel glum about the presidential campaign while more of Obama's are charged up over it, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll released Saturday.</p> <p>The survey shows McCain backers have become increasingly upset in recent weeks, a period that has seen Obama take a firm lead in many polls. One expert says the contrasting moods could affect how likely the two candidates' supporters are to vote on Election Day, possibly dampening McCain's turnout while boosting Obama's.</p> <p>While 43 percent of the Democrat Obama's backers said they are excited over the campaign, just 13 percent of McCain's said so, according to the survey of adults, conducted by Knowledge Networks. Six in 10 Obama supporters said the race interests them, compared to four in 10 backing McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona.</p> <p>On the flip side, 52 percent of McCain supporters said the campaign has left them frustrated, compared to 30 percent of Obama's. A quarter of McCain backers say they feel helpless, double the rate of those preferring Obama, the Illinois senator.</p> <p>More McCain supporters also feel angry and bored, while Obama's are likelier to say they are proud and hopeful.</p> <p>All of this is a bad sign for McCain, according to George E. Marcus, a political scientist from Williams College who has studied the role emotion plays in politics. Negative feelings about a campaign can discourage voters by making them less likely to go through what can be a painful process: Voting for someone who will lose.</p> <p>&quot;If I'm getting my head handed to me by a tennis player, my brain is saying, 'Do I want a second match? No,'&quot; Marcus said. &quot;Why do something that's going to lead to failure?&quot;</p> <p>Marcus said such emotions can be overcome by outside events, such as a campaign or neighbor urging a person to vote. There's also the danger exuberant Obama backers might decide not to vote because of overconfidence. The Obama and McCain organizations have combined to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for those very reasons.</p> <p>Obama leads McCain among likely voters in the AP-Yahoo News poll, 51 percent to 43 percent.</p> <p>Supporters of McCain cite a dislike for Obama, dissatisfaction with the campaign's tone and frustration with how news organizations have treated their candidate.</p> <p>&quot;Flat disgusted, how's that,&quot; said Billie Hart, 80, a Houston Republican backing McCain. &quot;Because that's the way I feel about it. I don't like the individual.&quot;</p> <p>Many Democrats say they're energized by a candidate they perceive as different from most politicians and who can make a real difference.</p> <p>&quot;Elections have always been so ho-hum,&quot;said Kathleen Rockwell, 61, an Obama supporter from Redmond, Wash. This time, &quot;I feel connected. And that feels good.&quot;</p> <p>The AP-Yahoo! News poll, which has followed the same group of 2,000 people since last November, underscores how individuals have reacted to the campaign's currents. For many McCain supporters, it's not been a happy period.</p> <p>Three in 10 McCain backers who report being frustrated now said in September they weren't. That is quadruple the number who became less frustrated.</p> <p>At the same time, one in five McCain supporters are not interested in the campaign now who said they were in September. Half that number gained interest. By similar margins, McCain backers report becoming more angry, bored, overwhelmed and helpless and have become less excited, proud and hopeful.</p> <p>&quot;I'm real interested in having it over,&quot; said Michele Roos, 64, a McCain supporter from Newport News, Va.</p> <p>Enthusiasm by Obama backers has largely stayed steady since September, though slightly more of them &#8212; 31 percent &#8212; now say the campaign makes them feel proud.</p> <p>&quot;I didn't like the candidates before,&quot; said Angelique Sims, 38, an Obama supporter from Shawnee, Okla. &quot;I like his character. I like the things he represents. He represents my views.&quot;</p> <p>A closer look at the numbers show how that emotions are playing out to Obama's advantage in several pivotal groups of voters.</p> <p>Forty-eight percent of those under age 30 who support Obama say they are excited over the race, compared to just 21 percent of those young voters who back McCain. That age group has been a reservoir of strong support for the Democrat.</p> <p>Just 44 percent of whites supporting the Republican say the campaign interests them, compared to 58 percent of whites and 72 percent of blacks supporting Obama.</p> <p>At the same time, half of McCain supporters age 65 and up say they're frustrated, compared to three in 10 of Obama's older voters. Also saying they're frustrated are 53 percent of whites backing McCain &#8212; compared to 40 percent of whites and 12 percent of blacks behind Obama.</p> <p>The AP-Yahoo! News poll of 1,753 adults was conducted Oct. 17-27 and had an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. Included were interviews with 803 Obama supporters and 703 McCain supporters, with error margins of plus or minus 3.5 and 3.7 points respectively.</p> <p>The poll was conducted over the Internet by Knowledge Networks, which initially contacted people using traditional telephone polling methods and followed with online interviews. People chosen for the study who had no Internet access were given it for free.</p> <p>The McCain Surge That Wasn&#8217;t</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7505825198792843880?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-24343703254556460482008-11-01T12:40:00.009-07:002008-11-01T12:40:16.318-07:00<p>&#160;</p> <p>What's the difference between a flat tax and a fair tax?</p> <p>Most agree that America's current tax code isn't perfect. Many point to tax policy in other nations, saying they have been more effective and the United States is lagging behind. Two alternatives that claim to improve the system have come to the forefront in American politics: the flat tax and the FairTax.You've probably heard talk of these plans in the media. In the 2000 presidential campaign, Green Party candidate Ralph Nadar supported the flat tax, and in the 2008 campaign, Republican Mike Huckabee threw his favor behind the FairTax. But as you hear names thrown around and see bumper stickers promoting one or the other, you may have been confused about what exactly the differences are between the two.To better understand how each plan would change things, we first have to know the basics of the current system and the major criticisms of it. As it stands, Americans pay a progressive income tax -- meaning that higher incomes get taxed at higher percentages than lower incomes. Specifically, the current system uses margins -- also known as tax brackets, or ranges of income -- to determine what percentage a person pays. Taxable income can also depend on how much you've earned in capital gains or on specific deductions and exemptions that apply. The federal government taxes a corporation's profits in a similar way.</p> <p>Ma&#173;ny critics consider the tax code confusing and impossible for the average taxpayer to decipher&#173; -- often requiring a hired professional. Even the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner has admitted that complexity of the tax code contributes to both honest mistakes and tax evasion [source: IRS]. Others go further, saying that the progressive tax system is inherently unfair, as it puts an excessive burden on the wealthy. In relation to this criticism, opponents claim that this burden discourages behavior that would promote economic growth. Were the government to revamp the system to change this, the argument goes, all would benefit from a more prosperous economy in the long run.</p> <p>Although they both have similar goals and would entail significant overhaul of the current system, the plans differ is some fundamental ways. Whereas the flat tax would tax all income at the same percentage, the FairTax wouldn't tax income at all -- it would instead institute a national sales tax. Next, we'll explain the differences in more detail.</p> <p>Political Perceptions</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2434370325455646048?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-69719520992175274842008-11-01T12:40:00.007-07:002008-11-01T12:40:12.837-07:00<p>Washington in 5 Minutes</p> <p>VICE PRESIDENT</p> <p>Cheney aide picked for case deposition</p> <p>A group suing Vice President Dick Cheney to preserve a wide range of records from his time in office can depose one of his top aides, federal courts ruled Friday.</p> <p>U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Claire O'Donnell, the vice president's deputy chief of staff, to make herself available to lawyers from a private group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, known as CREW. CREW is suing Mr. Cheney and the Executive Office of the President in an effort to ensure that no presidential records are destroyed or handled in a way that makes them unavailable to the public.</p> <p>The group had wanted to depose Mr. Cheney's chief of staff, David Addington, but a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said deposing Mr. Addington &quot;would constitute an 'unwarranted impairment' of the functioning of&quot; the vice president's office.</p> <p>Appellate Judges Douglas H. Ginsburg, David S. Tatel and Thomas B. Griffith ordered that another aide be substituted, but they refused to throw out Judge Kollar-Kotelly's order requiring the deposition. Mr. Cheney's lawyers contended the depositions were an unprecedented intrusion into the vice president's prerogatives, but the appellate judges said the deposition would &quot;cause little to no inconvenience.&quot;</p> <p>SENATE</p> <p>Stevens juror told to explain absence</p> <p>A federal judge Friday ordered a juror who vanished during Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens' corruption trial back to court to explain her disappearance.</p> <p>The woman identified as Juror No. 4 left the jury deliberating the charges against Stevens a week ago to fly to California after her father's death. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan halted the deliberations to wait for her, but court officials say she never responded when they tried to contact her to determine when she was returning to Washington.</p> <p>prevents Obama from winning 55 percent of the vote or more</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-6971952099217527484?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-33065435351927683972008-11-01T12:40:00.005-07:002008-11-01T12:40:09.083-07:00<p>Facts don't get in the way of Web political rumors</p> <p>SAN FRANCISCO &#8211; With just days to go before the election, gossip, hearsay, innuendo and smears are flying through the Internet as gadflies and rumormongers hope to sway voters before they head to the polls.</p> <p>&quot;It's a lot of mud being slung, it's understandable, but I think it's still kind of sad,&quot; said Nick DiFonzo, a psychologist and rumor expert at Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York.</p> <p>Candidates and their campaigns are circulating negative bits of information in mainstream venues, raising questions about their opponents in speeches and dropping sour hints in their advertisements. But only on the Internet can entirely false rumors persist, stories told without back up, persistently bouncing from one blog to another.</p> <p>Some have been out there for years, despite repeated rebuttals from the campaigns. Others surfaced only this past week. And they range from the truly silly (Weekly World News Web site: &quot;OCTOBER SURPRISE: ALIEN ENDORSES MCCAIN!&quot;) to the multitude of bloggers who report results even though votes have yet to be counted: (&quot;Has John McCain Won Florida?&quot; asked the Red State Web site Thursday.)</p> <p>Most voters say they have already made their decisions about who they want to have as their next president. So the Internet rumors are targeted at the shrinking pool of undecided voters who are still waiting, wondering and potentially still gathering information.</p> <p>&quot;The online rumors can affect their last-minute decisions,&quot; said UC Santa Cruz psychology professor Anthony Pratkanis, who researches propaganda and social influence.</p> <p>Here's a chance to vet the Net:</p> <p>___</p> <p>The Rumor: The Huffington Post Web site, among others, has reported that John McCain used an obscene word to describe his wife Cindy during his 1992 Senate campaign.</p> <p>The Facts: This is unsubstantiated. Author and blogger Cliff Schecter initiated this rumor this spring online and then in a book called &quot;The Real McCain.&quot; He wrote that three reporters told him that in response to some teasing, McCain told his wife: &quot;At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop,&quot; with an expletive. Schecter has not provided any evidence this happened, and he hasn't identified the three reporters who he says spoke to him on condition of anonymity.</p> <p>___</p> <p>The Rumor: Barack Obama isn't a citizen, suggested bloggers at the Free Republic Web site. Or if he is, he's hiding his birth certificate for some mysterious reason. Or if he's shared his birth certificate, it's a fake because he's lying about who his real father is. New iterations on this theme pop up almost everyday at various Web sites.</p> <p>The Facts: Obama plainly is a citizen because he was born in the U.S. In response to the allegations, Obama's campaign in June posted the Illinois senator's birth certificate on his campaign Web site, http://fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate. The nonpartisan Web site Factcheck.org examined the original document and said it does have a raised seal and the usual evidence of a genuine document. On Friday, officials in Hawaii said they had personally verified that the health department holds Obama's original birth certificate. Judges in Washington state, Ohio and Pennsylvania have dismissed lawsuits challenging his citizenship.</p> <p>___</p> <p>The Rumor: Daily Kos Web site, among others, has said Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's son Trig, born in April, was actually born to her 17-year-old daughter Bristol.</p> <p>The Facts: Unsubstantiated. After McCain tapped Palin as his running mate, bloggers accused Palin of faking a pregnancy to cover up for her daughter's accidental pregnancy. As proof, bloggers said Palin hadn't appeared pregnant before Trig was born, and that she said she traveled from Texas to Alaska while she was in labor. In an effort to rebut the rumors, the campaign announced that Bristol was, in fact, pregnant. After all, how could Trig be Bristol's baby if she was pregnant only months later? The announcement slowed the rumors, but didn't stop the ongoing questions about Trig's parentage. Even this past week, bloggers were demanding Sarah Palin's medical records to prove she gave birth to Trig.</p> <p>____</p> <p>The Rumor: 1960s radical William Ayers wrote Obama's autobiography &quot;Dreams From My Father.&quot;</p> <p>The Facts: Unsubstantiated. Obama says he didn't meet Ayers until 1995. The book was published in 1995, which means most of it would have been written in 1994. Blogger Jack Cashill has been floating this rumor at the World Net Daily Web site &#8212; and it has moved on to many more &#8212; hinting that the book's &quot;fierce, succinct and tightly coiled social analysis&quot; was closer to Ayers' style than Obama's. &quot;Utter hogwash,&quot; said Obama organizers.</p> <p>&#8212; privately &#8212; that the ideological makeup of the country probably</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3306543535192768397?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-42096254904035483382008-11-01T12:40:00.003-07:002008-11-01T12:40:05.332-07:00<p>Facts don't get in the way of Web political rumors</p> <p>SAN FRANCISCO &#8211; With just days to go before the election, gossip, hearsay, innuendo and smears are flying through the Internet as gadflies and rumormongers hope to sway voters before they head to the polls.</p> <p>&quot;It's a lot of mud being slung, it's understandable, but I think it's still kind of sad,&quot; said Nick DiFonzo, a psychologist and rumor expert at Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York.</p> <p>Candidates and their campaigns are circulating negative bits of information in mainstream venues, raising questions about their opponents in speeches and dropping sour hints in their advertisements. But only on the Internet can entirely false rumors persist, stories told without back up, persistently bouncing from one blog to another.</p> <p>Some have been out there for years, despite repeated rebuttals from the campaigns. Others surfaced only this past week. And they range from the truly silly (Weekly World News Web site: &quot;OCTOBER SURPRISE: ALIEN ENDORSES MCCAIN!&quot;) to the multitude of bloggers who report results even though votes have yet to be counted: (&quot;Has John McCain Won Florida?&quot; asked the Red State Web site Thursday.)</p> <p>Most voters say they have already made their decisions about who they want to have as their next president. So the Internet rumors are targeted at the shrinking pool of undecided voters who are still waiting, wondering and potentially still gathering information.</p> <p>&quot;The online rumors can affect their last-minute decisions,&quot; said UC Santa Cruz psychology professor Anthony Pratkanis, who researches propaganda and social influence.</p> <p>Here's a chance to vet the Net:</p> <p>___</p> <p>The Rumor: The Huffington Post Web site, among others, has reported that John McCain used an obscene word to describe his wife Cindy during his 1992 Senate campaign.</p> <p>The Facts: This is unsubstantiated. Author and blogger Cliff Schecter initiated this rumor this spring online and then in a book called &quot;The Real McCain.&quot; He wrote that three reporters told him that in response to some teasing, McCain told his wife: &quot;At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop,&quot; with an expletive. Schecter has not provided any evidence this happened, and he hasn't identified the three reporters who he says spoke to him on condition of anonymity.</p> <p>___</p> <p>The Rumor: Barack Obama isn't a citizen, suggested bloggers at the Free Republic Web site. Or if he is, he's hiding his birth certificate for some mysterious reason. Or if he's shared his birth certificate, it's a fake because he's lying about who his real father is. New iterations on this theme pop up almost everyday at various Web sites.</p> <p>The Facts: Obama plainly is a citizen because he was born in the U.S. In response to the allegations, Obama's campaign in June posted the Illinois senator's birth certificate on his campaign Web site, http://fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate. The nonpartisan Web site Factcheck.org examined the original document and said it does have a raised seal and the usual evidence of a genuine document. On Friday, officials in Hawaii said they had personally verified that the health department holds Obama's original birth certificate. Judges in Washington state, Ohio and Pennsylvania have dismissed lawsuits challenging his citizenship.</p> <p>___</p> <p>The Rumor: Daily Kos Web site, among others, has said Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's son Trig, born in April, was actually born to her 17-year-old daughter Bristol.</p> <p>The Facts: Unsubstantiated. After McCain tapped Palin as his running mate, bloggers accused Palin of faking a pregnancy to cover up for her daughter's accidental pregnancy. As proof, bloggers said Palin hadn't appeared pregnant before Trig was born, and that she said she traveled from Texas to Alaska while she was in labor. In an effort to rebut the rumors, the campaign announced that Bristol was, in fact, pregnant. After all, how could Trig be Bristol's baby if she was pregnant only months later? The announcement slowed the rumors, but didn't stop the ongoing questions about Trig's parentage. Even this past week, bloggers were demanding Sarah Palin's medical records to prove she gave birth to Trig.</p> <p>____</p> <p>The Rumor: 1960s radical William Ayers wrote Obama's autobiography &quot;Dreams From My Father.&quot;</p> <p>The Facts: Unsubstantiated. Obama says he didn't meet Ayers until 1995. The book was published in 1995, which means most of it would have been written in 1994. Blogger Jack Cashill has been floating this rumor at the World Net Daily Web site &#8212; and it has moved on to many more &#8212; hinting that the book's &quot;fierce, succinct and tightly coiled social analysis&quot; was closer to Ayers' style than Obama's. &quot;Utter hogwash,&quot; said Obama organizers.</p> <p>argument that things are moving in McCain&#8217;s direction</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4209625490403548338?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-41894185320720734742008-11-01T12:40:00.001-07:002008-11-01T12:40:01.717-07:00<p>Editorial: No Child Left Behind</p> <p>A pre-emptive fix</p> <p>One of the biggest challenges facing the next president is fixing the No Child Left Behind Law.</p> <p>Education Secretary Margaret Spellings this week made a pre-emptive strike to help shape the future of the law. She announced sweeping new rules that will put more requirements and pressure on states.</p> <p>It is an attempt by the Bush administration to put its final stamp on the law that set standardized-test benchmarks in math and language arts for students at every grade level to meet by 2014.</p> <p>The administrative changes make sense and should be left intact whenever the new Congress takes up reauthorizing the 2002 law.</p> <p>They will require schools nationwide to use the same formula to calculate high school graduation rates by 2011.</p> <p>States have been using different methods, often based on unreliable dropout data that has resulted in overestimates.</p> <p>A recent study by the Education Trust found that more than half the states have graduation targets that don't make schools get better. One in four students drop out; among blacks and Hispanics, one in three leave school without a diploma.</p> <p>Schools will also be held accountable for improving graduation rates for students in racial, ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups and for disabled students and English-language learners.</p> <p>The shift should help paint a more accurate picture of the dropout problem and force schools to beef up efforts to graduate more students.</p> <p>The new rules also require low-performing schools to do a better job of informing parents that their children are eligible for free tutoring or for a transfer to a better-performing school in their district.</p> <p>Critics, including the National Education Association, say Spellings should not have changed the regulations in the waning days of the Bush administration. Most of the regulations are too late to change anything in the current school year.</p> <p>Spellings said she used her administrative authority because Congress left the issue on the table when it recessed without reauthorizing the federal law. Some Democrats and Republicans backed the new rules.</p> <p>While the changes may cause states and school districts some angst, that is no reason to hold off on implementing the new rules.</p> <p>A universal method of calculating high school graduation rates is long overdue. States should start working on a better system to track how many freshmen graduate four years later.</p> <p>Even with new regulations, there is still much work ahead to fix the largely unpopular law. End unrealistic benchmarks for student performance and unfair sanctions against schools slow to progress. And fund NCLB's mandates at a proper level.</p> <p>Change must begin now because our children have already waited too long for a better education.</p> <p>The very idea that Indiana is shaping up to be a nip and tuck race seems to belie the Republican</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4189418532072073474?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-16847702901143188982008-11-01T12:39:00.025-07:002008-11-01T12:39:58.318-07:00<p>Cities brace for election revelry</p> <p>CHICAGO (AP) | Authorities are bracing for as many as a million people in downtown Grant Park Tuesday night to cheer on Sen. Barack Obama as election returns come in, a potential celebration and security headache.</p> <p>Police in Chicago and elsewhere around the country say intense interest in the election and the possibility of large crowds in major cities are leading them to take crowd-control precautions usually seen during Super Bowls and World Series. In addition, local police will be providing security at polling stations to keep things running smoothly on Election Day.</p> <p>Security preparations in Mr. Obama's hometown include orders for off-duty firefighters to haul their helmets, breathing tanks and other gear home until after the election in case of any emergency. All Chicago officers have also had their days off canceled and are required to work Tuesday, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said.</p> <p>&quot;I'm extraordinarily confident that we can keep Senator Obama safe, that we can keep the citizens of Chicago safe and that we can keep the neighborhoods safe,&quot; he said, adding later that, &quot;We always prepare for the worst and hope for the best.&quot;</p> <p>Other parts of the country are thinking through security as well.</p> <p>In Los Angeles, police typically deploy extra squad cars at polling places on Election Day and Tuesday will be no different, said Michael Downing, the Los Angeles Police Department's deputy chief. But he added that nothing suggests &quot;people are going to riot or conduct themselves inappropriately depending on who gets in.&quot;</p> <p>In Detroit, most of the city's 3,000 officers will be working Election Day, said police spokesman James Tate.</p> <p>&quot;That's any presidential election,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Asked whether preparations are more intense than in previous years because of the heightened emotions surrounding this election, Steve Martin, chief sheriff's deputy in Franklin County, Ohio, said, &quot;I think we take all of those into consideration.&quot;</p> <p>A permit application for the Chicago event said 65,000 spectators would likely show up, but many more without tickets are expected to arrive for what Obama backers hope will be a celebration of the first black American elected to the presidency. Sen. John McCain is planning a smaller election-night party in his hometown of Phoenix.</p> <p>Chicago police have imposed sweeping street closures and parking bans that will effectively shut down the city center late Tuesday.</p> <p>Mayor Richard M. Daley told reporters that he would have preferred the rally at a stadium, where crowd control would be easier. But he said with a laugh, &quot;Could you see me saying 'no' to Senator Obama? Give me a break. I'm not that dumb.&quot;</p> <p>Some church leaders, including the Rev. Albert Tyson, encouraged people to stay away from the event if they don't have a ticket. Mr. Tyson and other religious leaders around the city are hosting neighborhood viewing parties.</p> <p>&quot;One of the things that Chicago is known for, besides broad shoulders, is common sense,&quot; he said. &quot;Common sense says if you don't have a ticket, don't show up at the affair.&quot;</p> <p>Mr. Daley estimated the cost to the city of helping to stage the event - including adding more police and extra transit trains - at around $2 million, and the Obama campaign has said it will pay all those costs.</p> <p>Hilary Shelton, the director of the NAACP's Washington bureau, criticized anyone who might suggest that Obama supporters in black communities might react violently if their candidate loses after having led in polls for weeks.</p> <p>ASSOCIATED PRESS Chicago is readying Grant Park for as many as a million people expected to gather Tuesday evening to cheer on Sen. Barack Obama as election returns come in. Other cities are also bracing for large crowds of revelers.</p> <p>&quot;It does raise some racial insensitivity concerns,&quot; he said.</p> <p>He added that the importance of Election Day security was driven home by the recent arrest of two white supremacists accused of plotting to kill Mr. Obama, though he said that such extraordinary security might intimidate voters.</p> <p>&quot;We've unfortunately seen there's a few fringe people who want to create havoc, so it makes sense to have extra security,&quot; he said. &quot;The flip side's that is that any heavy-handed presence of law enforcement at polls could be intimidating.&quot;</p> <p>is a prime example of how McCain might be getting a small boost but</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1684770290114318898?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-30059555373989267392008-11-01T12:39:00.023-07:002008-11-01T12:39:54.338-07:00<p>Bush staying close to home at campaign's end</p> <p>WASHINGTON &#8211; The unpopular President Bush is staying off the campaign trail in the race to succeed him.</p> <p>The president is raising money. But for voters in the swing states that count &#8212; Florida and Ohio, for example &#8212; Bush is the invisible incumbent. With a mere 26 percent approval rating, Bush was expected to keep a low profile in John McCain's campaign. As it turns out, Bush has been a virtual no-show &#8212; except in Democratic television ads that regularly tie him to Republican candidates.</p> <p>Since Bush endorsed McCain in the Rose Garden on March 5, the two have appeared in public only three times for a total of 12 minutes. That's in stark contrast to the scores of fundraisers and rallies Bush did before midterm elections in 2002 and 2006.</p> <p>As McCain and Democrat Barack Obama make their final pitches to voters this weekend, Bush will be spending time at the Camp David presidential retreat. He has no public events on Monday or Tuesday, not even an Election Day photo op.</p> <p>He cast an absentee ballot for McCain last week; the White House sent it down to Texas to be counted.</p> <p>On election night, Bush is expected to watch the returns on television at the White House with friends and celebrate first lady Laura Bush's 62nd birthday.</p> <p>The White House says Bush has been trying to stay out of the public spotlight &#8212; that he's busy with the financial crisis, two wars and the upcoming transition to a new administration. The economy and recent hurricanes on the Gulf Coast prompted Bush to cancel appearances at fundraisers.</p> <p>In early September after Hurricane Gustav, Bush scrapped his planned opening-night speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. That worked out well for McCain who has tried hard to distance himself from the president.</p> <p>Asked on Friday if Bush feels unloved by his party, White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto said:</p> <p>&quot;I haven't had this kind of conversation with him, but I don't believe he takes it personally. He's been in politics his entire life &#8212; he's been around it his entire life &#8212; and he knows that it's a rough-and-tumble business.&quot;</p> <p>White House aides say the administration and the McCain camp jointly decided months ago that the Arizona senator would do his own politicking and that the president's time was best spent helping the Republican Party and House and Senate candidates. According to GOP officials, Bush has appeared at 84 events during the 2008 election cycle, raising more than $147 million.</p> <p>Congressional Republicans, however, rarely &#8212; if ever &#8212; mention Bush's name on the stump. House and Senate Democrats regularly feature him in spots accusing Republican candidates of being in lockstep with Bush.</p> <p>Some close to the president are out on the trail. Vice President Dick Cheney campaigned in Wyoming on Saturday for three Republicans running for the House and Senate, and Mrs. Bush was expected to be in Kentucky on election eve at a get-out-the-vote rally.</p> <p>In the three weeks leading up to Election Day, Bush has been at only three political events &#8212; all closed to the public. He helped raise $500,000 for Republicans at a fundraiser in Michigan. He attended a $1 million event in Washington for Senate Republicans. He also stopped last week at GOP congressional campaign headquarters in Washington to buck up political workers scrambling to prevent Republican House and Senate losses.</p> <p>There were early hints that McCain and Bush would not be chummy on the trail.</p> <p>At Bush's 10-minute endorsement of McCain in March, the president told reporters he would campaign for or against McCain &#8212; whatever was best for the GOP. &quot;If he wants me to show up, I will. If he wants me to say `You know, I'm not for him,' I will,&quot; Bush said.</p> <p>McCain was noncommittal, saying the two would campaign together &quot;in keeping with the president's heavy schedule.&quot;</p> <p>After a fundraiser in Arizona a few months later, the two smiled and shook hands at an airport. The encounter on the tarmac lasted less than a minute.</p> <p>The last time they were seen in public was on Sept. 25, when Bush, McCain and Obama met at the White House with congressional leaders to talk about the economic crisis. McCain, sitting a few chairs down from Bush at a shiny long table in the West Wing, smiled widely and nodded during the one-minute photo-op, but said nothing publicly.</p> <p>In 2006 &#8212; the year the Republicans lost control of the House and Senate &#8212; Bush was on the campaign trail giving upbeat talks about how the GOP was &quot;roaring&quot; into Election Day. Four years earlier, Bush campaigned nonstop in the run-up to the election from South Dakota to Appalachia, Florida to central Illinois.</p> <p>Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore kept President Clinton, scarred by a sex scandal and impeachment, at arm's length too.</p> <p>But Clinton not only raised money as Bush has done. He also campaigned &#8212; though not with Gore &#8212; right up through Election Day, speaking at get-out-the-vote rallies coast to coast, making calls to radio stations and doing interviews.</p> <p>His days in office winding down, Bush had only to look out the window this week for a reminder.</p> <p>Workers began building Inauguration Day grandstands along Pennsylvania Avenue.</p> <p>___</p> <p>Associated Press writer Julie Hirschfeld Davis in Washington contributed to this report.</p> <p>Barack Obama, writes Washingtonpost.com&#8217;s Chris Cillizza.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3005955537398926739?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-84619500109604751962008-11-01T12:39:00.021-07:002008-11-01T12:39:49.684-07:00<p>Oil price fall, crisis may delay US climate, energy policy</p> <p>attendant refuels a car in Teaneck, New Jersey. The financial crisis and falling oil &#8230;</p> <p>* McCain attacks 'tax and spend' Play Video Video: McCain attacks 'tax and spend' BBC</p> <p>* McCain wants America to fight Play Video Video: McCain wants America to fight CNN</p> <p>* Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status Play Video Video: Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status AP</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AFP) &#8211; The financial crisis and falling oil prices risk setting back attempts by the next US president and Congress to promote renewable energy and the fight against climate change, analysts say.</p> <p>&quot;Either candidate is going to have a very difficult time promoting a new alternative (energy) if oil comes back down because it (the price) is not going to be seen by most Americans as a crisis any more,&quot; said Charles Ebinger, director of the Energy Security Initiative at the Brookings Institution.</p> <p>The price of oil has fallen from its high of 147 dollars a barrel earlier this year to around 65 dollars a barrel recently. Ebinger predicts further falls to about 50 dollars in 2009.</p> <p>&quot;It's going to be more and more difficult with lower prices to convince people to stop using conventional fuel and use more expensive renewables in the near term,&quot; he added.</p> <p>&quot;The difficulty Mr McCain or Obama will have is keeping energy or the environment at the center (of their agendas) when it's believed by households to be the least of the problems they are confronting compared to losing their retirement, savings, jobs and so forth,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Americans vote in presidential elections contended by Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain on November 4.</p> <p>Ebinger's analysis is shared by some on the Republican side.</p> <p>&quot;If the economy is weak, it will be very hard to make the case for an aggressive policy that puts the economy further in jeopardy,&quot; said Frank Maisano from powerful lobbying firm Bracewell Giuliani.</p> <p>The law firm represents a number of electricity producers.</p> <p>McCain and Obama are both committed to putting in place a system of emissions trading and fixing a target for reducing carbon dioxide, ideads opposed by President George W. Bush.</p> <p>Barack Obama wants to reduce carbon dioxide emission by 80 percent in the next 50 years, while McCain wants a cut of 60-65 percent.</p> <p>The Democrats, who are expected to increase their majority in the Congress in the elections, are divided on the energy issue, according to Maisano.</p> <p>Democrats from coal-producing states such as Western Virginia or Montana or those from car-producing states such as Michigan will probably oppose environmental or energy measures that damage their industries.</p> <p>&quot;The largest question is how the Democrats will work through those issues ... I don't think anyone knows even those who are going to be involved in it,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Ebinger believes it will be difficult for the next president to convince Congress to spend money on renewable energy efforts or climate change because of the existing large budget deficits and focus on the economy.</p> <p>Obama has pledged to spend 150 billion dollars on a program to promote technology for renewable energy, which he hopes will generate thousands of new jobs.</p> <p>McCain has promised to build 45 new nuclear power stations.</p> <p>Obama and McCain also support the idea of having a commercially available electric car in the next two to three years with batteries that can be quickly recharged from the mains.</p> <p>The McCain Surge That Wasn&#8217;t</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8461950010960475196?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-42724081775358113762008-11-01T12:39:00.019-07:002008-11-01T12:39:45.742-07:00<p>MIAMI &#8211; When the Boston Tea Party's presidential candidate Charles Jay went to register to vote in Florida this summer the clerk at the elections office wasn't sure what to do.</p> <p>&quot;I've never heard of it,&quot; she said of his new political group, which joins the Christmas Party and Surfers Party of America among Florida's registered third parties.</p> <p>Jay was unshaven and going on a few hours sleep, &quot;I had to tell her, 'I'm the presidential candidate,'&quot; he said.</p> <p>Jay, 47, is on the ballot in Florida, Tennessee and Colorado. It is the first time his party has had a presidential nominee since Libertarians dissatisfied with their party formed it in 2006. And while Barack Obama's slogan is &quot;Change we can believe in&quot; and John McCain's is &quot;Country first,&quot; Jay's party is telling voters that it is, &quot;Time to party like it's 1773!&quot;</p> <p>&quot;Obviously this is a party that wants low or no taxes, and I think we're just naturally rebellious,&quot; said Jay, linking his party to the colonists who tossed tea into the Boston harbor to protest British taxes. &quot;We're bad boys and bad girls.&quot;</p> <p>In speeches he often invokes colonists' cry, he said, &quot;no taxation without representation.&quot;</p> <p>Jay said he and his party, which counts 500 members nationwide on its Web site, also have one clear goal. What they want, their party's single-sentence platform, is to reduce the &quot;size, scope and power of government at all levels.&quot;</p> <p>Their four-point program is the same as former Republican primary candidate Ron Paul's: to bring troops home from Iraq and other locations around the globe; to repeal the USA Patriot Act and other laws the party believes infringe on privacy and civil liberties; to not increase the national debt; and to end taxpayer bailouts of corporations and corporate subsidies.</p> <p>Jay, meanwhile, is frank about the fact he isn't a career politician. He has hosted radio shows, worked in television and promoted boxing. Now he lives in Hollywood, Fla., and develops content for companies' Web sites. He is not married and has no children.</p> <p>Four years ago he ran as the presidential candidate for the Personal Choice Party along with Marilyn Chambers, who Jay describes by saying, &quot;you know, the porn star.&quot; In Utah, the only state they were on the ballot, they got just shy of 1,000 votes.</p> <p>This time he may do better. The party isn't on the ballot in Massachusetts, site of the original tea party, but it is on the ballot in Colorado.</p> <p>&quot;We don't have any oceans or harbors to keep the party alive, but they're on the ballot,&quot; said Rich Coolidge, a spokesman for the Colorado Secretary of State.</p> <p>&quot;It's not like we're going to win the election,&quot; said Thomas L. Knapp, who founded the party in 2006 and is now one of its four vice presidential nominees &#8212; a way to generate interest in some states by putting a local person on the ticket.</p> <p>Jay said he's like any other candidate running in a race where an opponent is heavily favored &#8212; a Democrat in a heavily Republican district or vice versa. Like those candidates, his goal is to get people to hear his message and provoke people to think about their choices.</p> <p>Currently the party has 51 registered voters in Florida &#8212; more than six other parties recognized by the state &#8212; but Jay said he'd be happy to get 5,000 votes nationwide. For him, it's a win just to be on three ballots, to be invited to third-party debates and to talk at a number of high schools.</p> <p>Still, Jay isn't sure if he'll run again four years from now. Being a third-party candidate has been tiring. He has spent $4,000 of his own money on travel and things like campaign buttons. He answers his own e-mail and picks up his own suits from the dry cleaners. In early October, he was in Nashville rushing to a third-party candidate debate when all traffic stopped. McCain's motorcade needed to pass. Jay, sitting in his Dodge Stratus rental car, had to wait.</p> <p>Earlier this month, he spoke to students at a South Florida middle school and took questions.</p> <p>&quot;Who do you want to win the presidential election?&quot; one student asked him.</p> <p>&quot;I looked at the teacher,&quot; Jay said. &quot;And said, 'I don't know if I want to answer that one.'&quot;</p> <p>Political Perceptions</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4272408177535811376?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-74381478674099757912008-11-01T12:39:00.017-07:002008-11-01T12:39:41.966-07:00<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Like all good celebrities, Joe the Plumber has hired a publicity team.</p> <p>The Press Office in Nashville, where clients include rockers Grand Funk Railroad and Eddie Money, will help him handle the flood of interview and appearance requests that have poured in since he was mentioned during a presidential debate and quickly became a household name.</p> <p>&quot;It's like any other celebrity who is in the public eye,&quot; said Jim Della Croce, who owns the agency. &quot;There needs to be someone acting as a clearinghouse and interpreting the opportunities and coordinating the media requests, and he truly is being inundated.&quot;</p> <p>Despite rumors to the contrary, he's not planning to release an album, though a book is in the works.</p> <p>&quot;He's not doing a country record,&quot; Della Croce said flatly yesterday. &quot;I think that was an angle that was presumptuous.&quot;</p> <p>Joe the Plumber, whose real name is Samuel J. &quot;Joe&quot; Wurzelbacher, 34, of Ohio, gained national attention when Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told him during a campaign stop that he wanted to &quot;spread the wealth around.&quot;</p> <p>Their exchange about Obama's tax plan aired countless times on cable news programs. Republican nominee John McCain repeatedly cited Joe the Plumber in a debate, saying Obama's plan would hurt people like him who want to own their own businesses.</p> <p>Wurzelbacher campaigned for the Republican ticket on his own bus tour around Ohio this week and appeared with Sarah Palin on Wednesday. His name comes up at just about every GOP rally.</p> <p>But with the election next week, what's next?</p> <p>A lot of things are too premature to talk about, Della Croce said, but a book is already planned.</p> <p>&quot;Certainly Joe will go down in history and will be a celebrity regardless of which way the election turns,&quot; Della Croce said. &quot;He is a curiosity. He's touched a nerve with the common man, and people are curious as to what's on his mind. I think he speaks for a lot of people.&quot;</p> <p>So many, apparently, that he needs three managers at The Press Office, among them country singer Aaron Tippin. Wurzelbacher met Tippin, also a McCain supporter, when they appeared on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's Fox News talk show.</p> <p>The media scrutiny hasn't always been kind to Wurzelbacher, who turned out to be an unlicensed plumber with unpaid back taxes.</p> <p>At first, Wurzelbacher insisted he wanted no part of the spotlight and predicted he'd be a small footnote in the campaign.</p> <p>&quot;I'm a flash in the pan, a novelty. It's going to be a fun couple of days,&quot; he said.</p> <p>It has lasted much longer.</p> <p>Della Croce has managed rock stars, but Joe the Plumber is a special case.</p> <p>&quot;Never in 25 years have I seen this level of interest in a celebrity,&quot; Della Croce said.</p> <p>-- The Associated Press</p> <p>&#8212; privately &#8212; that the ideological makeup of the country probably</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7438147867409975791?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-81630625597215239622008-11-01T12:39:00.015-07:002008-11-01T12:39:38.040-07:00<p>A cover-up in Plumbergate?</p> <p>Looks like Ohio has a first-class political scandal brewing over Joe the Plumber. After Helen Jones-Kelley tried to bluff her way out of her actions to check Joe Wurzelbacher&#8217;s records when he became a national story, the employee who conducted the search says that she&#8217;s never heard of a &#8220;famous person&#8221; investigation. Vanessa Niekamp also says her supervisors lied to her about the investigation, and then asked her to lie about it afterwards:</p> <p>Vanessa Niekamp said that when she was asked to run a child-support check on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher on Oct. 16, she thought it routine. A supervisor told her the man had contacted the state agency about his case.</p> <p>Niekamp didn&#8217;t know she just had checked on &#8220;Joe the Plumber,&#8221; who was elevated the night before to presidential politics prominence as Republican John McCain&#8217;s example in a debate of an average American. &#8230;</p> <p>Director Helen Jones-Kelley said her agency checks people who are &#8220;thrust into the public spotlight,&#8221; amid suggestions they may have come into money, to see if they owe support or are receiving undeserved public assistance.</p> <p>Niekamp told The Dispatch she is unfamiliar with the practice of checking on the newly famous. &#8220;I&#8217;ve never done that before, I don&#8217;t know of anybody in my office who does that and I don&#8217;t remember anyone ever doing that,&#8221; she said today.</p> <p>The case gets even murkier. The Dispatch, which has done yeoman work on this story, got the public records surrounding the Wurzelbacher inquiry &#8212; but Niekamp&#8217;s e-mail wasn&#8217;t included. Nor did the records indicate any redaction or gap, as required by law. Afterwards, a spokesperson for Governor Ted Strickland acknowledged the omission, saying that Niekamp&#8217;s status as a child-welfare agent exempted them from providing her e-mail.</p> <p>What&#8217;s becoming apparent is that Ohio officials have something to hide. The records-check request came from an assistant deputy director for child support. When the story went public, the deputy director &#8220;literally demanded&#8221; Niekamp write the e-mail that would get them off the hook. The agency&#8217;s leadership engaged in a cover-up &#8212; and that strongly implies that a crime got committed.</p> <p>Niekamp told the Dispatch that she&#8217;s seen people get fired for unauthorized records checks, and that she herself fired one employee for the violation of public trust. This has gone beyond just a mere firing. It now looks as though Helen Jones-Kelley&#8217;s staff engaged in an attempt to obstruct justice, and Jones-Kelley&#8217;s lie about the Famous People Records Check appears to be part of it.</p> <p>argument that things are moving in McCain&#8217;s direction</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8163062559721523962?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-14994228661738076382008-11-01T12:39:00.013-07:002008-11-01T12:39:34.652-07:00<p>&#160;</p> <p>ANCHORAGE, Alaska &#8212; A loyal Democrat, Kenny Powers never shared Sarah Palin's conservative politics. But the United Way organizer confesses a fondness for the governor who paired a folksy charm with scorn for Alaska's Republican old guard.</p> <p>&quot;She was such a breath of fresh air,&quot; he says.</p> <p>That was then. Nearing the end of a bruising campaign, the Republican vice presidential candidate has seen her appeal to her party's conservative base feed speculation about a future national campaign at the same time increasing numbers of others recoil from her.</p> <p>&quot;She changed her personality,&quot; Powers, 55, said at a downtown espresso shop, where the front window features a Palin portrait over the boldface word &quot;Hype.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;It makes me wonder whether I knew her.&quot;</p> <p>Palin introduced herself to a nation as a conventional homemaker eager to shatter convention _ the hockey mom roughing up the power brokers, a reformer with a bipartisan streak. But that maverick image _ along with her poll numbers _ has been scuffed, if not reshaped.</p> <p>The designer eyeglasses are the same, but it's clear many voters outside the Republican base are looking at her through a changed lens. A woman who ascended to power in Alaska by challenging the Republican establishment now represents it on the national ticket. In her coming-out convention speech, Palin said, &quot;I took on the old politics as usual,&quot; but in two months on the national political stage she has encountered questions about expenses and trips charged to taxpayers, as well as her account of actions she took as governor.</p> <p>Duke University political scientist David Rohde says Palin has alienated independents at the very time the Republican ticket needs to attract votes from the political center.</p> <p>is a prime example of how McCain might be getting a small boost but</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1499422866173807638?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-39782560500700711902008-11-01T12:39:00.011-07:002008-11-01T12:39:31.442-07:00<p>Former Saturday Night Live cast member Victoria Jackson, who earlier this week was dispatched by the GOP to go after Al Franken, graced the set of the &quot;O'Reilly Factor&quot; Friday night, where she delivered an amusingly incoherent attack on Obama. Having previously called Obama everything from a racist to a communist, she told O'Reilly that Obama reminds her of &quot;Castro In Cuba, the guy in China.&quot; (Mao?) She also noted, proudly, that she's read &quot;1984,&quot; twice! O'Reilly, meanwhile, defended Obama as being ostensibly a capitalist because he &quot;buys things.&quot;</p> <p>prevents Obama from winning 55 percent of the vote or more</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3978256050070071190?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-26058150399400879382008-11-01T12:39:00.009-07:002008-11-01T12:39:28.320-07:00<p>Paparazzi Lawsuits - Sienna Miller Sues Photographers For Harassment</p> <p>Hollywood star Sienna Miller is not going to wait for the proposed anti-paparazzi &#8220;Britney&#8217;s Law&#8221;. In fact, Sienna Miller has begun legal action against photographic agency Big Pictures (UK) Limited and its founder, Darryn Lyons.</p> <p>Sienna Miller&#8217;s lawyers claim these paps are guilty of harassment and invasion of privacy, and explained to London&#8217;s High Court that Sienna Miller&#8217;s life has been made &#8216;intolerable&#8217; because of a &#8220;campaign of harassment&#8221; by photographers causing her &#8220;substantial alarm, fear and enormous distress.&#8221;</p> <p>It&#8217;s a well known fact that celebrities don&#8217;t like the paparazzi&#8217;s invasion of their privacy (unless they are Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt or Britney Spears during her trainwreck days), but it&#8217;s very rare that a celebrity would pursue such legal action. It would be very interesting to see the outcome of Sienna Miller&#8217;s case.</p> <p>prevents Obama from winning 55 percent of the vote or more</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2605815039940087938?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-11904529379496962542008-11-01T12:39:00.007-07:002008-11-01T12:39:25.428-07:00<p>Political Perceptions: The McCain Surge That Wasn&#8217;t</p> <p>The polls are definitely tightening as we head into the final sprint, but the truth is the momentum&#8217;s still with Sen. Barack Obama, writes Washingtonpost.com&#8217;s Chris Cillizza. Indiana, where Sen. John McCain is up three points according to a Rasmussen poll, is a prime example of how McCain might be getting a small boost but not a surge. George W. Bush carried the state by 21 points in 2004. &#8220;The very idea that Indiana is shaping up to be a nip and tuck race seems to belie the Republican argument that things are moving in McCain&#8217;s direction in the final days&#8230;Even the most ardent Democratic strategists largely agree &#8212; privately &#8212; that the ideological makeup of the country probably prevents Obama from winning 55 percent of the vote or more, which would amount to an electoral vote landslide. But, a natural tightening does not equal momentum. At least not yet.&#8221;</p> <p>The very idea that Indiana is shaping up to be a nip and tuck race seems to belie the Republican</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1190452937949696254?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-51854285687365482612008-11-01T12:39:00.005-07:002008-11-01T12:39:22.159-07:00<p>&#160;</p> <p>The polls are definitely tightening as we head into the final sprint, but the truth is the momentum&#8217;s still with Sen. Barack Obama, writes Washingtonpost.com&#8217;s Chris Cillizza. Indiana, where Sen. John McCain is up three points according to a Rasmussen poll, is a prime example of how McCain might be getting a small boost but not a surge. George W. Bush carried the state by 21 points in 2004. &#8220;The very idea that Indiana is shaping up to be a nip and tuck race seems to belie the Republican argument that things are moving in McCain&#8217;s direction in the final days&#8230;Even the most ardent Democratic strategists largely agree &#8212; privately &#8212; that the ideological makeup of the country probably prevents Obama from winning 55 percent of the vote or more, which would amount to an electoral vote landslide. But, a natural tightening does not equal momentum. At least not yet.&#8221;</p> <p>is a prime example of how McCain might be getting a small boost but</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-5185428568736548261?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-14670920236638889682008-11-01T12:39:00.003-07:002008-11-01T12:39:18.967-07:00<p>&#160;</p> <p>In the last weekend of campaigning before the elections, the presidential candidates and their running mates focused their efforts on winning over the undecideds and encouraging their supporters to get to the polls.</p> <p>Republican presidential nominee John McCain campaigned in Virginia Saturday and planned stops in eastern Pennsylvania before a guest appearance on &quot;Saturday Night Live.&quot;</p> <p>MCCAIN: GOP looks to defend Va., wrestle Pa. away from Democrats</p> <p>Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama planned final get-out-the-vote rallies in Nevada, Colorado and Missouri for Saturday. He was scheduled to campaign in Ohio all day Sunday, including a Cleveland rally with singer Bruce Springsteen, then hit Virginia and Florida on election eve</p> <p>which would amount to an electoral vote landslide. But, a natural tightening does not equal momentum. At least not yet</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1467092023663888968?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-14252935789911687112008-11-01T12:39:00.001-07:002008-11-01T12:39:15.169-07:00<p>The polls are definitely tightening as we head into the final sprint, but the truth is the momentum&#8217;s still with Sen. Barack Obama, writes Washingtonpost.com&#8217;s Chris Cillizza. Indiana, where Sen. John McCain is up three points according to a Rasmussen poll, is a prime example of how McCain might be getting a small boost but not a surge. George W. Bush carried the state by 21 points in 2004. &#8220;The very idea that Indiana is shaping up to be a nip and tuck race seems to belie the Republican argument that things are moving in McCain&#8217;s direction in the final days&#8230;Even the most ardent Democratic strategists largely agree &#8212; privately &#8212; that the ideological makeup of the country probably prevents Obama from winning 55 percent of the vote or more, which would amount to an electoral vote landslide. But, a natural tightening does not equal momentum. At least not yet.&#8221;</p> <p>The very idea that Indiana is shaping up to be a nip and tuck race seems to belie the Republican</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1425293578991168711?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-6521622439173952442008-11-01T12:14:00.015-07:002008-11-01T12:14:40.491-07:00<p>State Verifies Obama's Birth Certificate <br />Health Department Receives Multiple Requests For Copies </p> <p>HONOLULU -- The state's Department of Health director on Friday released a statement verifying the legitimacy of Sen. Barack Obama birth certificate. </p> <p>The state has received multiple requests for a copy of Obama's birth certificate. State law does not allow officials to release the birth certificate of a person to someone outside of the family. </p> <p>There were rumors that Obama was born in Kenya, where his father is from. The Constitution requires that the president be a natural born citizen of the U.S. <br />Click here to find out more! </p> <p>While many sites and news organizations have released copies provided by the Obama campaign, the rumors have persisted. </p> <p>&quot;There have been numerous requests for Sen. Barack Hussein Obama&#8217;s official birth certificate. State law (Hawai&#8216;i Revised Statutes &#167;338-18) prohibits the release of a certified birth certificate to persons who do not have a tangible interest in the vital record,&quot; DOH Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino said. </p> <p>&quot;Therefore, I as Director of Health for the State of Hawai&#8216;i, along with the Registrar of Vital Statistics who has statutory authority to oversee and maintain these type of vital records, have personally seen and verified that the Hawai&#8216;i State Department of Health has Sen. Obama&#8217;s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures. No state official, including Governor Linda Lingle, has ever instructed that this vital record be handled in a manner different from any other vital record in the possession of the State of Hawai&#8216;i,&quot; Fukino said. </p> <p>Multiple lawsuits were filed to try and force Obama to provide proof of citizenship.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-652162243917395244?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-9656593580525600862008-11-01T12:14:00.013-07:002008-11-01T12:14:37.295-07:00<p>Making It Official: I Endorse Barack Obama <br />RSS stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust mixx.com <br />Read More: Air America, Barack Obama, Campaign 2008, Obama, Reagan Obama, Ron Reagan, Ron Reagan Barack Obama, Ron Reagan Endorses Barack Obama, Ron Reagan Obama, The Ron Reagan Show, Politics News </p> <p>I assumed most people already knew that I had supported Obama. Anyone who has spent five minutes listening to my program would have known that. But if it helped to make it official, I'm happy to make it so.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-965659358052560086?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-82599744597917578102008-11-01T12:14:00.011-07:002008-11-01T12:14:33.990-07:00<p>McCain Campaign Pulls Out of Tech Debate, Apologizes With a Telegram </p> <p>&#160;</p> <p>After weeks of wrangling, Wired had finally gotten commitments from high-level surrogates from both the Obama and McCain campaigns to participate in a debate about technology yesterday afternoon. So how did it go? It didn't. The McCain campaign canceled a few hours before the event, with no plans to reschedule. While McCain's personal indifference to technology , difficult-to-defend tech policies, personal vendettas and general oldness all come to mind as reasons for this decision, more likely than not they just didn't see this as the most effective way to, you know, win. Oh well. </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8259974459791757810?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-27141415463940513282008-11-01T12:14:00.009-07:002008-11-01T12:14:25.777-07:00<p>Where the Supreme Court of the state ruled constitutional the joining in matrimony any two adults who consent, whether it is man/man, woman/woman or man/woman, the conservative bigots in the state have found issue with and drafted legislation to ban such marriages that are other than man/woman. </p> <p>This issue is not one of 'majority' decision and should not lie in the hands of the voters. This is an example of the explicit reasoning considered when drafting state and federal constitutions, that the &quot;inalienable&quot; rights of the few will not be trampled upon by the many. There is nothing inherently 'wrong' with gay marriage and the sole opposition appears to lie in an uncomfortable bigotry against 'gayness', whether it be from religious doctrine or another learned prejudice. A secular state government cannot endorse the former and should fight against the latter. </p> <p>Because same sex relationships are not a particular individual's preference, does not mean we should be allowed to force that preference upon others. The divisive, bigoted and hateful speech from those who support such measures to limit the freedom of choice regarding a spouse, hearkens back to a time when similar measures were proposed for interracial marriage. </p> <p>So, when brought into the light and examined for its merits, the ballot measure to ban gay marriage is an example of an effort to impede the rights of the few with the will of the many, and constitutionally... that is just wrong!</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2714141546394051328?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-38612988366073334972008-11-01T12:14:00.007-07:002008-11-01T12:14:22.877-07:00<p>McCain Was Strong Supporter Of Group Accused Of Terrorist Activities </p> <p>During the closing weeks of the election, Sen. John McCain has gone to great lengths to present his opponent, Barack Obama, as someone too willing to coddle to groups that have ties to terrorists or terrorist activity. </p> <p>It is important to understand which individuals and organizations Obama has been associated with, the refrain usually goes, as it is reflective of his foreign policy as a whole. </p> <p>But if that is indeed the standard by which voters are to judge the candidates, than McCain has some questions of his own. </p> <p>During the late 1990s, the Senator supported and reportedly helped arm an organization that, while eventually tolerated by the U.S. foreign policy establishment, was accused of terrorist activities and -- among it's more fringe critics -- allegedly having ties to al Qaeda. </p> <p>During the late stages of the Balkan War, the Kosovo Liberation Army was known for committing incredible atrocities in its efforts to facilitate Kosovo's independence from Yugoslavia. The guerrilla group often was responding to acts of violence committed against its own people. But its tactics were, nevertheless, viewed as condemnable: abductions and murders, systematic burning and looting of homes, and harassment and intimidation of Yugoslav officials. </p> <p>President Clinton's special envoy to the Balkans, Robert Gelbard, described the KLA in 1998 as, &quot;without any questions, a terrorist group.&quot; </p> <p>Eventually, the KLA went from being criticized for threatening a fragile peace process to, gradually, being recognized as a military force that had popular roots within the Albanian community and a shared mission with America. But within the United States, the group was never publicly praised and often considered dangerous. </p> <p>&quot;As far as I know, no one ever turned around and said, 'these were freedom fighters and I support them,'&quot; said Fred Abrahams, who documented the Balkans War for Human Rights Watch.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3861298836607333497?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-58062711894476450782008-11-01T12:14:00.005-07:002008-11-01T12:14:19.213-07:00<p>Local GOP Chairman distributes racist e-mail </p> <p>Temple Terrace, Florida - The long lines of early voters at the Temple Terrace Library have caused concern for the Republican Headquarters a block away. It has also caused a major storm in local politics. </p> <p>The head of the Hillsborough GOP, David Storck, distributed an email from a Republican Party volunteer saying the voters are a threat. </p> <p>That's because, as the volunteer says in the email, he sees &quot;car loads of black Obama supporters coming from the inner city to cast their votes for Obama.&quot; </p> <p>It goes on to say, &quot;This is their chance to get a black president and they seem to care little the he is at minimum a socialist and probably Marxist in his core beliefs.&quot; The Republican volunteer says that is because, &quot;After all he is black- no experience or accomplishments but he is black.&quot; </p> <p>Hillsborough Commissioner Kevin White says, &quot;There's no place in our community for those types of views.&quot; White, who can't believe the email was distributed, says Storck should resign. </p> <p>White says when he reads emails like this, he realizes hatred and racism is still alive and well. </p> <p>Storck says he didn't pay enough attention to the email before he sent it out. &quot;Now I know that was a mistake. I never should have done it. I do not agree with the statement or anything else. That's not what we're all about.&quot; </p> <p>Despite Storck's apology, Curtis Stokes, an African American Republican who is also the head of the Tampa NAACP chapter, echoes White's call for Storck to resign. </p> <p>Earlier in the day in Sarasota, Barack Obama told supporters that America is five days away from change and color doesn't matter; anybody can be president. But it seems not everybody feels that way. </p> <p>Obama supporter Terrance Dryseale, who is African American, says &quot;Of course there still is racism and a lot of people have said they don't want to vote for a black man.&quot; </p> <p>The e-mail sent out by a chairman of a major political party drives that point home. </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-5806271189447645078?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-79006572447931247282008-11-01T12:14:00.003-07:002008-11-01T12:14:14.208-07:00<p>georgia gives green light to racial targeting at polls UPDATEDx2 <br />by ProgressiveSouth <br />Fri Oct 31, 2008 at 09:04:05 AM PDT </p> <p>THANKS FOR REC'ing -- DIGG STORY HERE! Cross-posted at Facing South as part of our special Voting Rights Watch coverage -- breaking updates every day! </p> <p>In a bold move this week, Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel (R) announced she was sending letters to 4,770 registered voters that they may have to cast &quot;challenge&quot; ballots that won't be counted on election day. </p> <p>In a striking announcement, she also declared that regular citizens could address the &quot;problem&quot; of non-citizen voting by contesting the citizenship of fellow voters at the polls -- forcing them to also cast challenged ballots that won't be included in election day tallies. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; * ProgressiveSouth's diary :: :: <br />* </p> <p>The surprising announcement is the latest in a winding saga between Handel, Georgia voters, the Department of Justice and a panel of federal judges over a new and aggressive state policy to flag and purge voters whose citizenship is in question based on state records. </p> <p>Earlier this month, the ACLU sued the state of Georgia on behalf of Jose Morales, a Cherokee County voter who was targeted to be purged from the roles despite having become a citizen in November 2007. Earlier, the Department of Justice had argued that Georgia's citizenship purge violated the Voting Rights Act because it had not be pre-cleared with the DOJ, something Georgia must do because it falls under the Act. </p> <p>After the DOJ questioned the purges, many counties stopped mailing letters to flagged voters. A three-judge panel of federal judges said on Monday of this week that the state must notify those who have been flagged and find a way to allow them to vote. </p> <p>But it's not at all clear that Handel's decision to do an end-run around the counties and directly mail letters to 4,770 flagged voters will in reality allow them to vote. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Those whose citizenship is in question can go to a county elections office before Election Day and produce documents proving their citizenship and resolve the issue, Carrothers said. </p> <p>But if the letters were only mailed Wednesday, that means that many flagged voters will only be receiving the letters today -- giving them only 1-2 business days at crowded election offices to resolve the problem. If they're not able to, Handel has made it clear the votes might not count: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; The letter from Handel&#8217;s office tells the voters that if they appear at their polling place with the issue still unresolved, they will be given a &quot;challenge&quot; ballot &#8212;- a paper version of the ballot that appears on electronic voting machines. The ballot will not be included in the precinct&#8217;s vote totals, Handel said. </p> <p>Even more worrisome is that Handel explicitly stated that any voter's citizenship can be contested by any other voter on election day, a policy which could be used to target the state's rapidly-growing Latino population and other racial groups. As the AJC reports: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Any voter can challenge another&#8217;s qualifications to cast a ballot by notifying a precinct poll manager, Handel said. That voter then would be given a challenge ballot and would have to go before the election board. </p> <p>And as Handel has made clear, &quot;challenge ballots&quot; will not be automatically counted, putting an extra burden on those who are challenged to prove their citizenship later. </p> <p>Handel seems to admit the approach opens the door for a form of vigilante, racially-targeted voter intimidation at the polls, but dismissed the threat: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; If large numbers of challenges are made on Election Day, Handel said, her office will investigate whether they are part of an orchestrated effort to influence the election&#8217;s outcome. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; But, she said, &quot;I&#8217;m not anticipating any kind of huge issue there.&quot; </p> <p>Handel has drawn widespread criticism for her uniquely partisan approach to running Georgia's elections. In a scathing editorial today, the AJC editorial board looks at other controversies surrounding Handel and finds her reputation damaged: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; No matter the outcome of Tuesday&#8217;s election, a loser has emerged &#8212;- Secretary of State Karen Handel. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Her relentless crusade to bounce Democratic Public Service Commission candidate Jim Powell from the ballot, her posturing over yet-to-be-seen voter fraud and her flippant dismissal of voter delays this week have tarnished her and her office. </p> <p>UPDATE: As a few commenters have noted, several other states have laws on the books like Georgia's that allow voters to challenge other voters. For example, Republicans recently pushed through a similar law in Florida which provoked widespread controversy: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Challengers [in Florida] need not prove their accusations. Instead, the challenged voter has two days to justify his right to cast a ballot. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; State Republican lawmakers who pushed the law say it will help combat fraud. Democrats call it a vote-suppression measure </p> <p>What seems especially pernicious about what's happening in Georgia is that Secretary of State Handel appears to be encouraging Georgians to use the law as a way to deal with the &quot;problem&quot; she and Republicans see of non-citizens voting on election day. In a tight election with these controversies making big headlines in Georgia, that seems very dangerous. </p> <p>UPDATE 2: Karen Handel takes great pride in being a zealous leader of the Republican &quot;anti-voter fraud&quot; movement. As commenter stevej points out, on her own website Handel boasts of supporting controversial laws beyond her own state: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Secretary Handel filed a brief of amicus curiae in December 2007 in support of Indiana&#8217;s photo ID voting requirement. Handel&#8217;s amicus brief noted that since the Murphy ruling &quot;there has not been one single demonstrated deprivation of any right to vote or any other violation of a constitutional or statutory right resulting from the photo ID requirement.&quot;</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7900657244793124728?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-78006478297353208032008-11-01T12:14:00.001-07:002008-11-01T12:14:03.792-07:00<p>US election: If Iraqis could vote it would be for McCain&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; <br />Oct 30 01:02 PM US/Eastern <br />Iraqi men watch a repeat of the final US presidential debate... </p> <p>U.S. Hands Southern Baghdad Province Over To Iraqis </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; For five years Ali and Mohammed have lived alongside US soldiers in their Baghdad neighbourhood near Rasheed Street, a prominent commercial artery running through the heart of the Iraqi capital. </p> <p>During that time American culture and politics have become familiar to them, and they say that if they could, they would vote for Republican candidate John McCain in next week's US presidential election. </p> <p>&quot;McCain would be best for Iraq because he would ensure stability,&quot; said Ali, 66, an expert on the Sumerian era. </p> <p>The personal qualities and political platforms of McCain and his Democrat rival Barack Obama are of little import to Ali, however. His focus is on Iraq and its neighbours such as Iran. </p> <p>&quot;The Iranians believe that if Obama is elected he will not take action against them despite their nuclear ambitions. That worries me,&quot; said Ali, sitting on an old bench in Al-Zahawi coffee shop. </p> <p>&quot;If the Iranians get the bomb they will become the Tarzan of the region,&quot; said the former teacher and lecturer at the University of Baghdad, referring to the vine-swinging strongman of the jungle in old Hollywood movies. </p> <p>Mohammed, also a professor at the university, said he too preferred McCain &quot;because Obama supports a rapid withdrawal of US troops.&quot; </p> <p>&quot;Our army is still too weak and Turkey and Iran are threats. Iran's President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad has warned Iran would fill the void left when US troops depart,&quot; he said. </p> <p>Rasheed Street with its 1920s-style buildings is still closed to vehicles, and groups of anti-Al-Qaeda fighters guard the stretch that runs north to south. </p> <p>The street was the scene of major attacks by insurgents after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 to US-led invading forces. But even before that many business establishments had begun to move away from the thoroughfare. </p> <p>Today, a few hundred metres (yards) from Al-Zahawi coffee shop, is the famous Al-Mutnabi books market, the only place where Baghdadis can find English books and magazines. </p> <p>Booksellers display a range of computer publications, periodicals, works of fiction and school textbooks on wooden shelves. </p> <p>Barack Obama's image peers out between two editions of &quot;Vanity Fair&quot; magazine kept next to the memoirs of former US president Bill Clinton. </p> <p>But &quot;The Audacity of Hope,&quot; one of Obama's books, has yet to find a buyer. </p> <p>&quot;I have no customer for this book. Iraqis are interested in the campaign, but they prefer to read texts translated into Arabic,&quot; said bookseller Shallan Zaidan. </p> <p>Such Arabic versions, translated and published by Lebanese companies, include &quot;My Year in Iraq&quot; by Paul Bremer, the former US administrator of Iraq, and &quot;Bush at War&quot; by renowned investigative journalist Bob Woodward. </p> <p>But there are no translations of books on the two candidates bidding to enter the White House. </p> <p>Iraqis prefer instead to rely on the latest issues of weekly news publications such as Time and Newsweek, said government official Whamith Shadhan, who was browsing through second-hand books and magazines. </p> <p>&quot;I trust the Republicans more. They're more capable of establishing democracy in the world, especially in Arab countries,&quot; said the 33-year-old. &quot;Obama is far too left.&quot; </p> <p>Since the invasion more than five years ago, the Mutanabi market has been twice hit by bombs. The area is predominantly Sunni, and judging by some graffiti on the walls Al-Qaeda is never far away. </p> <p>&quot;The insurgents aren't bothered by political books sold on the street. They focus on religious ones,&quot; said Yasser Ali, an Obama supporter and seller of books for 22 years. </p> <p>Obama &quot;interrupted his campaign to visit his sick grandmother. That speaks volumes about the man,&quot; he said. </p> <p>Back on Rasheed Street itself, Abu Ahmed waited at a men's hairdresser as his friend got a shave. </p> <p>&quot;We accept black people more readily in the Middle East. We feel closer to them. We have common sufferings,&quot; said the long-time sports coach. </p> <p>&quot;It would be nice if the Americans elected a black person. And Obama seems less inclined to engage in another war.&quot; </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7800647829735320803?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-76592437188647534812008-11-01T12:13:00.019-07:002008-11-01T12:13:56.799-07:00<p>Neil Cavuto on John McCain: 'On economic matters, you have no convictions' <br />By John Amato Thursday Oct 30, 2008 6:45am </p> <p>icon Download | Play&#160;&#160; icon Download | Play </p> <p>On FBC's Cavuto show, Neil Cavuto lambasted John McCain over his economic policies, or lack thereof. It's a searing commentary on McCain's nonsensical approach and the shifting positions he has taken during his campaign. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Cavuto: Frankly, neither of your numbers adds up. But I&#8217;ve come to see a consistent pattern in Obama's. For the life of me, Senator Straight Talk, I see no such straight thing with yours. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; {snip} </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; You rail against big government, yet continue to push cockamamie spending plans that make a mockery of it. That's why you're losing right now, Senator McCain. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Not because you don't have the courage of your convictions. But because on economic matters, you have no convictions, period </p> <p>. </p> <p>Obviously Cavuto disagrees with Obama's economic policies, but explains that he's been consistent throughout his entire candidacy. McCain on the other hand shouts &quot;Socialism&quot; at Obama while embracing the same philosophy as Obama for the most part where convenient. Or, he just doesn't know that much about the economy. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; * &quot;I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated.&quot; (November 2005) </p> <p>Cavuto just rips McCain apart in his &quot;The Deal&quot; segment. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; John McCain, I figured out today why you're losing. Your positions are always changing. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; You voted for the $700 billion rescue package. Yet today lumped your opponent with the Bush Administration for essentially pushing the same package. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; What's the deal with the Straight Talk Express? </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; He voted for this rescue, but now says Barack Obama and the White House, who voted for the same rescue, apparently voted for something different. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; (Transcript below the fold)icon Download | Play&#160;&#160; icon Download | Play </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Specifically, McCain wants to target the $700 billion into solving the mortgage crisis, not helping Wall Street banks. Look, I wasn't for this rescue, but I kind of knew what it was about...shoring up the banks. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; If Senator McCain didn't know that, he shouldn't have voted for that...maybe he should have read that. Because he is smarter than this, and the verbal gymnastics that rival anything John Kerry was ever for before he was against...way, way before this. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Not that Barack Obama's positions are any more encouraging...but they are consistent. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; I don't like the left-leaning, spread-the-wealth approach, but it's a consistent approach and the Democratic nominee has never veered from it. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; You can accept him and his views or not. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; With John McCain I&#8217;m not so sure. But I am sure I'm not the only one confused. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; ...confused by a man who says he hates government spending, but supports pushing $300 billion to bail out folks behind on their mortgage. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; You can't say you're against earmarks when you're earmarking that kind of dough, Senator. Or adding more than $50 billion to a stimulus plan you cannot pay for...all the while blasting your opponent for coming up with programs he can't pay for. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Frankly, neither of your numbers adds up. But I&#8217;ve come to see a consistent pattern in Obama's. For the life of me, Senator Straight Talk, I see no such straight thing with yours. Obama argues big government d spells out why we need it...accept it or reject it. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; You rail against big government, yet continue to push cockamamie spending plans that make a mockery of it. That's why you're losing right now, Senator McCain. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Not because you don't have the courage of your convictions. But because on economic matters, you have no convictions, period.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7659243718864753481?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-90987119513518061402008-11-01T12:13:00.017-07:002008-11-01T12:13:50.858-07:00<p>Court Docs: GOP Donor Secretly Funneled $75K To Coleman Family </p> <p>The CEO of a major marine technology company is alleging that he was pressured by a friend and associate of Norm Coleman to secretly funnel tens of thousands of dollars to the Senator's family. </p> <p>Paul McKim, the founder and CEO of Deep Marine Technology, alleges in a civil suit that Nasser Kazeminy -- a longtime Republican donor, friend of Coleman, and DMT shareholder -- directed the company to send $75,000 to the Senator and his wife. </p> <p>The transaction, which occurred in 2007, allegedly went as follows: DMT would make payments for services to Hays Company, even though no services would be rendered. Since Norm Coleman's wife Laurie worked at Hays, that money would be given to her in the form of 'salary.' </p> <p>According to the suit filed against Kazeminy and several other defendants: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; In March 2007, Kazeminy began ordering the payments of corporate funds to companies and individuals who tendered no goods or services to DMT for the stated purpose of trying to financially assist United States Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota. In March 2007, Kazeminy telephoned B.J. Thomas, then DMT's Chief Financial Officer. In that conversation, Kazeminy told Mr. Thomas that &quot;U.S. Senators don't make [expletive deleted]&quot; and that he was going to find a way to get money to United States Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota and wanted to utilize DMT in the process. Mr. Thomas later approached Mr. McKim, asking him whether this was appropriate and whether they should follow Kazeminy's orders. Mr McKim told him that it was not appropriate and shortly thereafter he also spoke with Kazeminy.&quot; </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; In this same conversation, Kazeminy told Mr. McKim that he [Kazeminy] would make sure there was paperwork to make it appear as though the payments were made in connection with legitimate transactions, explaining further that Senator Coleman's wife, Laurie, worked for the Hays Companies, an insurance broker in Minneapolis, and that the payments could be made to Hays for insurance. When Mr. McKin made further objections, Kazeminy repeatedly threatened to fire Mr. McKim, telling him &quot;this is my company&quot; and that he and Mr. Thomas had better follow his orders in paying Hays. </p> <p>All told, the court documents, which were filed on Monday in a Texas district court, allege that three payments of $25,000 were sent through Hays Company to the Colemans from May 2007 through September 2007. Two of those came without McKim's approval because Kazeminy went around him. A fourth payment was &quot;in the process of being made&quot; before being stopped by McKim, the suit alleges. </p> <p>Sen. Coleman was initially asked about these findings on Wednesday, when two investigative reporters from the Minneapolis Star Tribune cornered him at a campaign rally. He ducked their questions. </p> <p>On Thursday, Coleman's campaign manager Cullen Sheehan was asked about the issue during a press conference, He claimed that &quot;the lawsuit was withdrawn,&quot; and said he had no further details to offer. &quot;I just know there was a lawsuit filed and it was withdrawn.&quot; </p> <p>Casey T. Wallace, the attorney representing McKim, confirmed the withdrawal and said he would have more comment later in the day [updated below]. A person familiar with the case, however, emphasized that while the complaint may have been withdrawn, the charges contained within it were still valid. </p> <p>&quot;It doesn't affect that,&quot; said the official. &quot;By withdrawing the complaint and withdrawing the petition, we are not saying now that our allegations are false.&quot; </p> <p>Requests for comment from McKim and the Coleman campaign went un-returned. But lawyers familiar with Senate ethics law say that if the complaint turns out to be true, Coleman could be in hot water, possibly facing a trial and potentially jail time. </p> <p>&quot;This is why [Sen]. Ted Stevens just got convicted,&quot; said a Washington D.C.-based attorney. &quot;If this is true and Kazeminy gave a gift -- which includes money to a candidate's family member -- it doesn't mean that you can't take it, but you would have to report it on [your financial disclosure form]... If he knew about it, and of course, all of this has to be proven to be true, then yeah,&quot; he could go to jail. </p> <p>The attorney additionally noted that the firm representing McKim in this suit is Haynes and Boone, &quot;a pretty serious law firm that is a major player in Houston. I can't believe they would have agreed to file this if they didn't have documentation to support this.&quot; </p> <p>Kazeminy, a reclusive businessman who serves as chairman of Minnesota-based NJK Holding Corporation, has significant ties to Coleman. The Kazeminy family has contributed more than $75,000 to the Senator directly and has paid for flights for him and (occasionally) his wife to the Bahamas, Paris and Jordan, often described as fact finding missions. Kazeminy is even alleged to have paid for Coleman's suits, a charge that the Coleman campaign has never denied. </p> <p>UPDATE: An official close to the proceedings tells the Huffington Post that the case is now going back to court. The two parties, he said, had reached an agreement to drop the suit and hammer out a settlement. But negotiations broke down and the suit has been re-introduced. </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-9098711951351806140?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-23393204583987122982008-11-01T12:13:00.015-07:002008-11-01T12:13:44.321-07:00<p>Here is a handy dandy guide to watching election night. The East Coast states will report first. If John McCain is going to win, then he will win Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. And then it will take the rest of the night to figure out if he still has enough electoral votes. Obama's victory could be a lot easier to figure out. </p> <p>If Obama wins Virginia - it's over. That simple. He is comfortably ahead in all of the blue states that John Kerry won in 2004. He is very likely to win all of those. He is also comfortably ahead in Iowa and New Mexico. So, that means all he has to do to get an electoral majority is win Virginia, or Ohio, or Florida, or Colorado. Any of them will do. If McCain wins three out of the four, he still loses. </p> <p>So, unless something gargantuanly unexpected happens, if they call Virginia for Obama, you will know at that moment that he is the next President of the United States. </p> <p>Notice North Carolina is not on the list of states that Obama needs. That's because if he wins North Carolina, then he probably won all of those other states anyway and he has blown John McCain out of the water. So, if they call North Carolina for Obama, that's the moment you know that we have a landslide on our hands. </p> <p>Now, none of this is bound to happen. The polls are just polls, they are not actual votes. That's why they play the games on Sunday (and in this case, do the voting on Tuesday). But this is just a quick guide to watching the game. Virginia equals Obama win. North Carolina equals Obama landslide. </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-2339320458398712298?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-83548266429024761932008-11-01T12:13:00.013-07:002008-11-01T12:13:37.757-07:00<p>Palin: First Amendment Rights Threatened By Criticism </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by &quot;attacks&quot; from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; &quot;If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations,&quot; Palin told host Chris Plante, &quot;then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media.&quot; </p> <p>Salon's Glenn Greenwald explains why this argument is frighteningly wrong: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; If anything, Palin has this exactly backwards, since one thing that the First Amendment does actually guarantee is a free press. Thus, when the press criticizes a political candidate and a Governor such as Palin, that is a classic example of First Amendment rights being exercised, not abridged. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; This isn't only about profound ignorance regarding our basic liberties, though it is obviously that. Palin here is also giving voice here to the standard right-wing grievance instinct: that it's inherently unfair when they're criticized. And now, apparently, it's even unconstitutional. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; According to Palin, what the Founders intended with the First Amendment was that political candidates for the most powerful offices in the country and Governors of states would be free to say whatever they want without being criticized in the newspapers. The First Amendment was meant to ensure that powerful political officials would not be &quot;attacked&quot; in the papers. It is even possible to imagine more breathaking ignorance from someone holding high office and running for even higher office?</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-8354826642902476193?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-34701339657600443392008-11-01T12:13:00.011-07:002008-11-01T12:13:32.656-07:00<p>Eagleburger Blisters Palin: &quot;Of Course&quot; She's Not Ready </p> <p>A former Republican Secretary of State and one of John McCain's most prominent supporters offered a stunningly frank and remarkably bleak assessment of Sarah Palin's capacity to handle the presidency should such a scenario arise. </p> <p>Lawrence Eagleburger, who served as Secretary of State under George H.W. Bush and whose endorsement is often trumpeted by McCain, said on Thursday that the Alaska governor is not only unprepared to take over the job on a moment's notice but, even after some time in office, would only amount to an &quot;adequate&quot; commander in chief. </p> <p>&quot;And I devoutly hope that [she] would never be tested,&quot; he added for good measure -- referring both to Palin's policy dexterity and the idea of McCain not making it through his time in office. (Listen to audio below.) </p> <p>The remarks took place during an interview on National Public Radio that was, ironically, billed as &quot;making the case&quot; for a McCain presidency. Asked by the host whether Palin could step in during a time of crisis, Eagleburger reverted to sarcasm before leveling the harsh blow. </p> <p>&quot;It is a very good question,&quot; he said, pausing a few seconds, then adding with a chuckle: &quot;I'm being facetious here. Look, of course not.&quot; </p> <p>Eagleburger explained: &quot;I don't think at the moment she is prepared to take over the reins of the presidency. I can name for you any number of other vice presidents who were not particularly up to it either. So the question, I think, is can she learn and would she be tough enough under the circumstances if she were asked to become president, heaven forbid that that ever takes place? </p> <p>&quot;Give her some time in the office and I think the answer would be, she will be [pause] adequate. I can't say that she would be a genius in the job. But I think she would be enough to get us through a four year... well I hope not... get us through whatever period of time was necessary. And I devoutly hope that it would never be tested.&quot; </p> <p>The indictment of Palin was all the more biting because both she and McCain have held Eagleburger up repeatedly during the past several weeks as evidence that the Republican ticket has firm standing and support within foreign policy circles. (In fact, McCain conferred with Eagleburger by phone just this week, on matters pertaining to national security.) <br />Story continues below <br />advertisement </p> <p>In a recent co-interview on NBC, Brian Williams asked McCain and Palin &quot;about what must have been a hurtful Sunday for you,&quot; referring to Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama and specifically to the &quot;heart of his quote&quot; -- Powell's claim that Palin is not &quot;ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of vice president.&quot; </p> <p>&quot;Obviously General Powell does not know Governor Palin's record,&quot; McCain responded. &quot;All I can say is, I see all these attacks on Governor Palin. I don't live in a bubble. But those people obviously are either not paying attention to, or don't care about the record of the most popular governor in the United States of America.&quot; </p> <p>Palin interjected, citing the &quot;five former secretaries of states&quot; that have endorsed their campaign and see in their candidacy &quot;the ability to win the wars and to keep our nation safe and on course.&quot; </p> <p>Days later, the Arizona Senator again touted the Eagleburger endorsement during a spot on CNN. During that interview, McCain tried to downplay the significance of Colin Powell's criticisms of Palin by noting that Powell had never taken the time to understand her political gravitas. </p> <p>&quot;I especially disagreed when he said the comments that he made about Governor Palin,&quot; McCain said. &quot;And I hope that sometime General Powell will take time out of his busy schedule to meet with her. I know she'd be pleased to meet with him.&quot; </p> <p>Perhaps Eagleburger, too, should sit in on that meeting. </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3470133965760044339?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-12491209794108703032008-11-01T12:13:00.009-07:002008-11-01T12:13:28.458-07:00<p>The Mandatory Rejection of Sarah Palin </p> <p>One week from today, we'll have a newly minted president-elect and, as I wrote in the preface of my new book, the last days of this dark ride will, at long last, be at hand. </p> <p>It goes without saying that this historic threshold will be especially awesome if we happen to be celebrating a President-elect Obama. Of course I hasten to add the &quot;Remember New Hampshire&quot; caveat here. Knowing what we know about the Rove/Schmidt/Drudge/FOX News Republicans, the odds of a President-elect McCain remain too strong for comfort. They're definitely up to something with their hyping of a tight-race narrative. I just haven't figured it out yet. Whenever I read a Drudge headline, I give the headline one of those incredulous Larry David looks -- studying it carefully for an underlying scam. </p> <p>Nevertheless, after eight dark years, next week officially commences the Final Days of Bush. </p> <p>But what's almost as thrilling is the prospect of Sarah Palin finally going away. Next Wednesday at this time, it's entirely possible that we'll see the last of Sarah Palin on the national stage. At least for now. </p> <p>Sure, she's provided us with a bottomless cup of blogging material and, more importantly, she's a huge drag on the McCain campaign. And this week, with the Conga line of McCain campaign insiders dishing out leak after delicious leak about Palin, the slow-motion McTrain-wreck has been especially entertaining. But ultimately, the schadenfreude and the hilariously inexplicable interviews are merely distractions from the truly awful things that Sarah Palin represents. </p> <p>I've seriously had enough of the winking, the giant-chinned-smirking, the too-sibilant forks-on-a-chalkboard &quot;s&quot; sounds, the &quot;nookyooler,&quot; the &quot;you betchas,&quot; and especially her Romper Room-like penchant for naming and labeling everyone in her audiences: &quot;Romper bomper stomper boo, tell me, tell me, tell me, do! I see Joe the Plumber, Roscoe the Racist, Zed the Gimp...&quot; Yeah, she's not unserious enough as it is. Give her something really stupid to do on the stump. Good call, McCain people. </p> <p>I mean, can anyone seriously argue that she wasn't chosen purely for the optics? She's otherwise a wholly unserious choice for the Republican ticket, and she's behaved in a wholly unserious way. So she's being treated as such. </p> <p>McCain reaps what McCain sows. For example, the establishment media's treatment of Palin has very little if anything to do with bias. Instead, the recent negative press has everything to do with Sarah Palin and the Republican ticket being inarguably FUBAR. If there existed any actual real-life good news about McCain campaign, doubtless you'd hear the familiar refrain &quot;this is good for McCain&quot; echoing throughout every newsroom in America. </p> <p>It turns out, the only thing that's actually working for the McCain campaign is the daily inciting of rage, fear and hatred among the easily-led gomers lined up outside of Sarah Palin's rallies. I repeat. The one thing that appears to be working nicely for Sarah Palin and John McCain right now is the really evil and divisive stuff. </p> <p>And we simply can't allow Sarah Palin's fear-mongering -- her Neo-McCarthyism and her Neo-Southern Strategy -- to ultimately be the one successful thing about this otherwise laughable McCain campaign. We can't let this be the one thing that might win the election for the Republican ticket. </p> <p>It's not so much that I'm looking forward to the end of Palin shrieking about Democrats who &quot;pal around with terrorists.&quot; I am. Very much so. Or her ham-fisted declarations about which parts of America are more patriotic. It's not so much that I'm looking forward to the end of the red scare hysteria she's whipping up when she tells her Audience the Stupid that somehow a vote for the Democratic ticket is a vote for communism. More than Palin herself, I'm looking forward to the end of an era in which the aforementioned gomers -- these relatively small pockets of bigots and witch hunters -- have enjoyed undeserved attention and disproportionate sway over American politics and policy. </p> <p>The truth is that politicians like Sarah Palin are merely manipulating, exploiting and inciting these people. In other words, it's the ignorance, stupid. And next Tuesday, we have a chance to seriously marginalize this darker, uglier side of America. </p> <p>It'd be crazy, though, to suggest that Tuesday will be the last day. To be sure, if Senator Obama wins, we'll be hearing from these knee-jerk wackaloons quite a bit. Hell, Sarah Palin might try to run for president in four years. Nevertheless, we have a chance to tell the Sarah Palin's of the world that there's no room in American politics for fire-eaters who stoke archaic prejudices and fears rather than ameliorating them. We have a chance to tell them that not only doesn't it work anymore, but that it actually exacerbates electoral failure. </p> <p>So irrespective of what the polls look like, we have no choice but to show up en masse and unequivocally reject Republicans like Sarah Palin -- hurling them onto the slagheap of history next to Orange Alerts, HUAC and the Willie Horton ad. Imagine what an undisputed electoral victory would say to Republican strategists like Bill Kristol who suggested to John McCain that the easiest path to victory was the politics of fear. Imagine the eardrum-bursting shockwaves a massive Obama victory would send through the heads of the McCain operatives who fed the &quot;domestic terrorist&quot; attacks into Sarah Palin's empty dome. </p> <p>There are a lot of things to ridicule about Sarah Palin's incomprehensible speaking style, her pathological dishonesty and her backwards, simplistic views on the issues. But it's her politics of fear and division that must be wholly rejected on Tuesday because it's too terrible to imagine waking up one week from today in an America that rewards the awfulness and fear which she and her subterranean allies require in order to politically exist. </p> <p>So before we arrive at the end of the Bush dark ride, let's make sure the Sarah Palin dark ride comes to a complete stop on Tuesday. </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1249120979410870303?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-10097372710710194422008-11-01T12:13:00.007-07:002008-11-01T12:13:24.484-07:00<p>Five Reasons Why the Obama Infomercial was Worth the Cost </p> <p>Let's be honest: the Obama infomercial was about comforting white Americans -- especially middle and working class white Americans. That said, it was arguably necessary and -- for what it was -- very effective. </p> <p>Although only time will tell, it appears that the Obama infomercial accomplished exactly what it needed to do: soothing skittish white undecided voters without alienating current supporters. </p> <p>1. With a set evocative of the Oval Office, Obama's presence in the piece served as a preview to what it would look like if he were to be elected as President. By providing a chance for the still uneasy undecideds to envision this future, it will likely work to move some of those voters out of their reluctance. Despite the McCain campaign's increasingly strident assertions to the contrary, Obama gave every appearance of being more than &quot;ready&quot; to step into the role of a world leader. </p> <p>2. By showing numerous photos of Obama interacting with white working class Americans of different ages (in addition to black and Latino Americans), the infomercial leveraged the power of visual imagery to contextualize Obama as &quot;one of us&quot; within the minds of those voters. This is a welcome and much-needed change from advertisements by the campaign that have, up until now, sometimes focused too much on words alone to convey their messages. In addition, the narratives within the piece evoked emotional response and connection -- again, very welcome and somewhat different than the frequently more conceptual and cognitive appeal of previous Obama campaign advertising. </p> <p>3. For those who resonate to the cognitive, the infomercial also clearly presented (again) specifics of Obama's plans to address the most pressing issues on the minds of many voters. If you believe their words, undecided voters tend to respond well to specifics and to talk about &quot;needing more information&quot; when asked about why they continue to be undecided. </p> <p>4. If, however, you do not believe the words of the undecided voters tell the whole story, the piece was still effective. By any objective measure, Obama came across as reasonable, knowledgeable and -- most importantly for the sake of television -- likeable. As anyone who is familiar with media knows, that is the primary goal of any television appearance. People seldom remember more than one point someone makes (if they even recall one) when they appear on television, but they are strongly affected by how the person comes across. </p> <p>5. Within the biographical parts of the piece, Obama's life story was reiterated as epitomizing the American dream. Certainly it can be said that it would take someone very determined to continue to characterize Obama as a &quot;terrorist&quot; within their own minds after watching the infomercial -- and those people would never vote for him anyway. Additionally, when Obama talked about his mother's death and about his own lack of perfection -- saying even &quot;I will not be a perfect president&quot; -- his humanity came through powerfully. </p> <p>The Obama infomercial was a risk -- but the piece will likely go down in history as yet another way that the Obama campaign has forever changed the face of political campaigning through its creative use of media.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-1009737271071019442?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-90887811848024224502008-11-01T12:13:00.005-07:002008-11-01T12:13:18.894-07:00<p>New GDP Numbers Strongest Signal Yet The Country Has &quot;Hurtled Into Recession&quot; </p> <p>WASHINGTON &#8212; Scared and out of money, Americans stopped buying everything from cars to corn flakes in the July-September quarter, ratcheting back spending by the largest amount in 28 years and jolting the national economy into what could be the most painful recession in decades. </p> <p>With retailers bracing for a grim holiday buying season, the economy isn't just slowing; it's actually shrinking, the government confirmed Thursday. It reported that the nation's gross domestic product declined at an annual rate of 0.3 percent in the year's third quarter and consumers' disposable income took its biggest drop on record. </p> <p>In simpler words, &quot;The train went off the tracks,&quot; said Brian Bethune, economist at IHS global Insight. </p> <p>Wall Street took comfort in the fact that it wasn't even worse. The Dow Jones industrials rose 190 points. </p> <p>But economists say tougher times are still ahead. Believing consumers are cutting back even more right now, they predict a much larger economic decline _ anywhere from a 1 to 2 percent rate _ during the current October-December period. That would meet a classic definition of a recession _ two straight quarters of shrinking GDP. </p> <p>Not that there's any real doubt now. </p> <p>Clobbered by pink slips, shrinking nest eggs and falling home values _ consumers are holding ever tighter to their wallets. The new report said Americans' disposable income fell at an annual rate of 8.7 percent in the quarter, the largest in records dating back to 1947. </p> <p>The dismal news came just days before the nation picks the next president. Whether Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain wins the White House, he will inherit a deeply troubled economy and a record-high budget deficit that could cramp his spending plans. </p> <p>Each side said the new figures supported its political case. </p> <p>&quot;The decline in GDP didn't happen by accident _ it is a direct result of the Bush administration's trickle down, Wall Street first, Main Street last policies that John McCain has embraced for the last eight years,&quot; Obama said. He pledged to provide tax relief to middle class families and help people facing foreclosure. </p> <p>Pointing to the economy's sad state, Doug Holtz-Eakin, senior policy adviser for the McCain campaign, shot back that &quot;Barack Obama would accelerate this dangerous course.&quot; McCain said his tax cuts, free-trade policies and help to struggling homeowners would help turn things around. </p> <p>More than in recent recessions, consumers _ the lifeblood of the economy _ are bearing the brunt of the country's housing, banking and other ailments. The third-quarter decline in their spending was the first in 17 years, and the 3.1 percent annualized cutback was staggering _ the most since the spring of 1980 when the country was in the grip of what some call the worst downturn since the Great Depression. </p> <p>Walloped by such a huge pullback, the economy toppled into negative territory. </p> <p>The latest reading on GDP, which measures the value of all goods produced within the United States, showed a rapid turn from the 2.8 percent growth rate logged in the second quarter. The new figure was the worst since the 1.4 percent rate of decline in the third quarter of 2001, when the nation was suffering through its most recent recession. </p> <p>Democrats on Capitol Hill are pushing for another economic stimulus package and are weighing whether to hold a lame duck session before the new president takes office. </p> <p>Under attack from Democrats and Republicans alike, the White House defended giving billions of bailout dollars to banks that now are rewarding shareholders and executives _ or even buying other banks _ rather than making loans to consumers and businesses. </p> <p>Ed Lazear, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, said the government is keeping close tabs on banks' use of the money, but he also said normal activities such as paying performance-related salaries or distributing dividends are allowed under the law Congress passed. </p> <p>White House press secretary Dana Perino said that &quot;not only rich people get dividend payments,&quot; which can form a significant portion of income for retirees and mutual funds. </p> <p>A collapse of the housing market and locked-up lending have produced the worst financial crisis to hit the country in more than 70 years. </p> <p>To cushion the fallout, the Fed slashed interest rates on Wednesday by half a percentage point to 1 percent, a level seen only once before in the last half century. </p> <p>Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has warned that the country's economic weakness could last for some time _ even if the government's unprecedented $700 billion financial bailout package and other steps do succeed in getting financial and credit markets to operate more normally. </p> <p>&quot;As of now, most forecasts indicate that we will experience a serious recession, perhaps comparable to the recession of the early 1980s, but nothing like the Great Depression,&quot; said Simon Johnson, former chief economist to the International Monetary Fund and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. During the 1980-1982 recession, unemployment topped 10 percent. </p> <p>Other analysts, including Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, predicts the downturn will be much more severe than the 2001 and 1990-1991 recessions but not as bad _ in terms of unemployment or lost growth _ as the 1980s one. </p> <p>The unemployment rate, now at 6.1 percent, could hit 8 percent or higher next year. </p> <p>The Labor Department said Thursday that new claims for unemployment benefits last week held steady at 479,000, an elevated figure that continued to point to troubles in the jobs market. </p> <p>In the third quarter, consumers cut back on purchases of cars, furniture, household appliances, clothes and almost everything else. </p> <p>Businesses cut back, too, trimming spending on equipment and software at a 5.5 percent pace, the most since the first quarter of 2002. And home builders slashed spending at a 19.1 percent pace, marking the 11th straight quarterly cutback. </p> <p>Slower growth for U.S. exports _ reflecting less demand from overseas buyers who are coping with their own economic problems _ also factored into the weak GDP report. Exports grew at a 5.9 percent pace in the third quarter, less than half the second quarter's 12.3 percent rate.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-9088781184802422450?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-37807399902480511882008-11-01T12:13:00.003-07:002008-11-01T12:13:12.443-07:00<p>In No Particular Order.... </p> <p>Note 1: On Thursday's Larry King episode, Ben Stein took a stab at graciousness but -- damn it -- came up just shy. He started out okay, complimenting the efficiency of the Obama campaign. But sadly, that wee moment of sanity goosed his fight-or-flight adrenals, kayoed his nervous system and caused him to say the Obama team had run the most brilliant campaign since Nixon in 1972. </p> <p>Nixon. In. 1972. </p> <p>Imagine, Obama's team can be mentioned in the same breath as those who composed the Canuck Letter to destroy Edmund Muskie. David Axelrod's strategies can revel in being as effective as Nixon's squadron of USC boys who sabotaged Democrats through &quot;rat fucking.&quot; David Plouffe can take the same pride in his efforts as those who planned the break-in of DNC headquarters leading to Nixon's resignation as the most disgraced public official in American History. </p> <p>Note 2: Considering the money his campaign blows on make-up, it is astonishing to see McCain on the stump. He's been pancaked into looking like a long-time fugitive whose face has been digitally aged to approximate his current appearance. A fugitive on an Un-Wanted Poster. Even Cindy, standing icily behind him looking like someone who can hang up on you in person, seems to glance at her husband as if he's someone who seems only vaguely familiar. </p> <p>Note 3: As has been the case for 40 years, the most insightful and incisive coverage of the Presidential race comes from Garry Trudeau. Only Doonesbury boils things down without the crushing repetitiveness of all other media. And for Trudeau's most dazzling trick, he keeps the strip just as up-to-the minute as everyone else. </p> <p>Oh... and he's a lot funnier. </p> <p>Outside the Doonesbury oasis of thought, following the campaign coverage is a zero sum game. Or maybe a once-in- three-weeks sum game. That's about the frequency of actual news amid the exhausting accounts of campaign stops, the blizzard of polls that drip toward obsolesence the minute they come out and the tortuous man-on-the-street interviews with the small town Democrat for Obama, the same small town Republican for McCain, the same small town attention junkie who's undecided and the same small town rebel who won't vote because the whole thing is fixed anyhow. </p> <p>(Dumb people were so much more pleasant before they got cynical, no?) </p> <p>Note 4: If McCain loses, can Sarah Palin go back to Alaska and be happy? She'd miss those outfits, those private jets, those SNL appearances, wouldn't she? When you think about it, her situation is just like the Dalai Lama's situation. (No really. Hang in. This is brilliant) After years of hanging out with Brad Pitt and Richard Gere and all of those demi-zen actress, would the Dalai Lama really be happy if China relented and he had to move back to Tibet? </p> <p>Whatever the case, it's nice in a We-Are-The-World kind of way to muse over how Sarah Palin and the Dalai Lama share common concerns. </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-3780739990248051188?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-73922192822310426002008-11-01T12:13:00.001-07:002008-11-01T12:13:08.223-07:00<p>The Mandatory Rejection of Sarah Palin </p> <p>One week from today, we'll have a newly minted president-elect and, as I wrote in the preface of my new book, the last days of this dark ride will, at long last, be at hand. </p> <p>It goes without saying that this historic threshold will be especially awesome if we happen to be celebrating a President-elect Obama. Of course I hasten to add the &quot;Remember New Hampshire&quot; caveat here. Knowing what we know about the Rove/Schmidt/Drudge/FOX News Republicans, the odds of a President-elect McCain remain too strong for comfort. They're definitely up to something with their hyping of a tight-race narrative. I just haven't figured it out yet. Whenever I read a Drudge headline, I give the headline one of those incredulous Larry David looks -- studying it carefully for an underlying scam. </p> <p>Nevertheless, after eight dark years, next week officially commences the Final Days of Bush. </p> <p>But what's almost as thrilling is the prospect of Sarah Palin finally going away. Next Wednesday at this time, it's entirely possible that we'll see the last of Sarah Palin on the national stage. At least for now. </p> <p>Sure, she's provided us with a bottomless cup of blogging material and, more importantly, she's a huge drag on the McCain campaign. And this week, with the Conga line of McCain campaign insiders dishing out leak after delicious leak about Palin, the slow-motion McTrain-wreck has been especially entertaining. But ultimately, the schadenfreude and the hilariously inexplicable interviews are merely distractions from the truly awful things that Sarah Palin represents. </p> <p>I've seriously had enough of the winking, the giant-chinned-smirking, the too-sibilant forks-on-a-chalkboard &quot;s&quot; sounds, the &quot;nookyooler,&quot; the &quot;you betchas,&quot; and especially her Romper Room-like penchant for naming and labeling everyone in her audiences: &quot;Romper bomper stomper boo, tell me, tell me, tell me, do! I see Joe the Plumber, Roscoe the Racist, Zed the Gimp...&quot; Yeah, she's not unserious enough as it is. Give her something really stupid to do on the stump. Good call, McCain people. </p> <p>I mean, can anyone seriously argue that she wasn't chosen purely for the optics? She's otherwise a wholly unserious choice for the Republican ticket, and she's behaved in a wholly unserious way. So she's being treated as such. </p> <p>McCain reaps what McCain sows. For example, the establishment media's treatment of Palin has very little if anything to do with bias. Instead, the recent negative press has everything to do with Sarah Palin and the Republican ticket being inarguably FUBAR. If there existed any actual real-life good news about McCain campaign, doubtless you'd hear the familiar refrain &quot;this is good for McCain&quot; echoing throughout every newsroom in America. </p> <p>It turns out, the only thing that's actually working for the McCain campaign is the daily inciting of rage, fear and hatred among the easily-led gomers lined up outside of Sarah Palin's rallies. I repeat. The one thing that appears to be working nicely for Sarah Palin and John McCain right now is the really evil and divisive stuff. </p> <p>And we simply can't allow Sarah Palin's fear-mongering -- her Neo-McCarthyism and her Neo-Southern Strategy -- to ultimately be the one successful thing about this otherwise laughable McCain campaign. We can't let this be the one thing that might win the election for the Republican ticket. </p> <p>It's not so much that I'm looking forward to the end of Palin shrieking about Democrats who &quot;pal around with terrorists.&quot; I am. Very much so. Or her ham-fisted declarations about which parts of America are more patriotic. It's not so much that I'm looking forward to the end of the red scare hysteria she's whipping up when she tells her Audience the Stupid that somehow a vote for the Democratic ticket is a vote for communism. More than Palin herself, I'm looking forward to the end of an era in which the aforementioned gomers -- these relatively small pockets of bigots and witch hunters -- have enjoyed undeserved attention and disproportionate sway over American politics and policy. </p> <p>The truth is that politicians like Sarah Palin are merely manipulating, exploiting and inciting these people. In other words, it's the ignorance, stupid. And next Tuesday, we have a chance to seriously marginalize this darker, uglier side of America. </p> <p>It'd be crazy, though, to suggest that Tuesday will be the last day. To be sure, if Senator Obama wins, we'll be hearing from these knee-jerk wackaloons quite a bit. Hell, Sarah Palin might try to run for president in four years. Nevertheless, we have a chance to tell the Sarah Palin's of the world that there's no room in American politics for fire-eaters who stoke archaic prejudices and fears rather than ameliorating them. We have a chance to tell them that not only doesn't it work anymore, but that it actually exacerbates electoral failure. </p> <p>So irrespective of what the polls look like, we have no choice but to show up en masse and unequivocally reject Republicans like Sarah Palin -- hurling them onto the slagheap of history next to Orange Alerts, HUAC and the Willie Horton ad. Imagine what an undisputed electoral victory would say to Republican strategists like Bill Kristol who suggested to John McCain that the easiest path to victory was the politics of fear. Imagine the eardrum-bursting shockwaves a massive Obama victory would send through the heads of the McCain operatives who fed the &quot;domestic terrorist&quot; attacks into Sarah Palin's empty dome. </p> <p>There are a lot of things to ridicule about Sarah Palin's incomprehensible speaking style, her pathological dishonesty and her backwards, simplistic views on the issues. But it's her politics of fear and division that must be wholly rejected on Tuesday because it's too terrible to imagine waking up one week from today in an America that rewards the awfulness and fear which she and her subterranean allies require in order to politically exist. </p> <p>So before we arrive at the end of the Bush dark ride, let's make sure the Sarah Palin dark ride comes to a complete stop on Tuesday. </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-7392219282231042600?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-57689922015315561482008-11-01T12:12:00.003-07:002008-11-01T12:12:57.891-07:00<p>Palin: First Amendment Rights Threatened By Criticism </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by &quot;attacks&quot; from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; &quot;If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations,&quot; Palin told host Chris Plante, &quot;then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media.&quot; </p> <p>Salon's Glenn Greenwald explains why this argument is frighteningly wrong: </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; If anything, Palin has this exactly backwards, since one thing that the First Amendment does actually guarantee is a free press. Thus, when the press criticizes a political candidate and a Governor such as Palin, that is a classic example of First Amendment rights being exercised, not abridged. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; This isn't only about profound ignorance regarding our basic liberties, though it is obviously that. Palin here is also giving voice here to the standard right-wing grievance instinct: that it's inherently unfair when they're criticized. And now, apparently, it's even unconstitutional. </p> <p>&#160;&#160;&#160; According to Palin, what the Founders intended with the First Amendment was that political candidates for the most powerful offices in the country and Governors of states would be free to say whatever they want without being criticized in the newspapers. The First Amendment was meant to ensure that powerful political officials would not be &quot;attacked&quot; in the papers. It is even possible to imagine more breathaking ignorance from someone holding high office and running for even higher office?</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-5768992201531556148?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-6917341449279898872008-11-01T12:12:00.001-07:002008-11-01T12:12:39.721-07:00<p> Are You Ready for Some Half-Time? <br />By Richard Sandomir </p> <p>&#8220;Monday Night Football&#8221; on Election Day eve will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the Washington Redskins &#8212; and Senators John McCain against Barack Obama as the half-time entertainment. </p> <p>The presidential candidates will tape their interviews earlier in the day, at still-to-be-determined locations, with Chris Berman questioning them from an ESPN studio in Bristol, Conn. </p> <p>Which interview will be seen first, at approximately 10:15 p.m. Eastern time? </p> <p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll flip a coin,&#8221; said Norby Williamson, an ESPN executive vice president. He said he will not ask campaign officials to call heads or tails. &#8220;We&#8217;ll do it amongst ourselves,&#8221; he said. </p> <p>Mr. Williamson said that ESPN started planning months ago for the half-time interviews, whoever the candidates turned out to be, and wanted the Washington backdrop. (The game is actually being played in nearby Landover, Md., at FedEx Field.) The network successfully lobbied the National Football League for the Redskins game. </p> <p>Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain won&#8217;t get much air-time on &#8220;Monday Night&#8221; &#8212; they will split about 6 1/2 minutes &#8212; but should consider their ESPN detour worthwhile if they reach the 12.2 million viewers the series has been averaging this season. &#8220;I&#8217;d think given our promotion of this, we&#8217;d get a spike at halftime,&#8221; Mr. Williamson said. </p> <p>The questions are expected to touch on football and the candidates&#8217; feelings as they wind down the end of an arduous campaign. &#8220;We don&#8217;t want to get into a public policy discussions,&#8221; Mr. Williamson said. &#8220;We&#8217;ll keep it light, have some fun. We know Obama is a Chicago Bears fan and McCain is an Arizona Cardinals fan.&#8221; </p> <p>Mr. Berman, who has interviewed one sitting president, Bill Clinton, said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;ll get into Darfur, although I&#8217;d be interested in their responses. I don&#8217;t know what I&#8217;ll ask. Something might happen over the weekend to change things. But I&#8217;m not going to sit and ask McCain about the Arizona Cardinals linebackers, although he might know the answers. And Obama might tell you about Devin Hester&#8221; &#8212; a Bears receiver. </p> <p>Known for the nicknames he gives athletes, Mr. Berman said he would only bestow one on Mr. McCain or Mr. Obama if they ask in advance. </p> <p>&#8220;This isn&#8217;t going to be a mind-changer,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but it might give people one or two things to think about before they go into the voting booth.&#8221; </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-691734144927989887?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6032176245793000022.post-40077608321206968032008-11-01T12:11:00.009-07:002008-11-01T12:11:44.774-07:00<p>&#160;</p> <p>Following a late night rally with Bill Clinton in Kissimmee, Barack Obama flew out of Orlando early Thursday morning to Sarasota, where he spent part of the day speaking and picking out pumpkins. He then flew to Virginia Beach, Virginia and Missouri for more--you guessed it!--rallies.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6032176245793000022-4007760832120696803?l=election-news-updated.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Fotos images fhoto newshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17383153844058294656noreply@blogger.com0