Yes, There Is A Hierarchy: Homework Is Online, Action Is Offline

Old Media Is The Reason Obama Is Lagging In The Polls

The Candidate And Michelle

Keep showing up.

Top Managers

The unpaid volunteers are the engine of this campaign. Make it possible for them to give all they can. This is a people power campaign.

Full Time Campaign Staff

Part Time Campaign Staff

The Top Volunteers In Each State/City/Town

Get on a first name basis with as many of the most dedicated volunteers as you can. Know each other well. Party together. Do team building exercises. Organize icebreakers. We are going to need the chemistry during crunch time down the line.

Dedicated/Trained Volunteers

Launch new neighborhood groups. Nurse old ones. How old can they be? We are not even started yet.

Volunteers

Sending people to BarackObama.com, getting them to sign up at the site, giving their email address to the campaign, and for people who are offline, getting them to sign up cards, give their snail mail address to the campaign: this is the single most important thing you can do for Obama 2008. Why? Because 2008 is going to be a DirectConnect race. This has never happened before. Technology is making it possible for the voter and the candidate to talk directly to each other. You are making possible a megaconversation. Flood the database at the Chicago headquarters with ever new names. That helps out the national effort, but that also helps when we do local events. The people in Chicago have more resources. There are professionals on the payroll, the very best in the game. Make them earn their paycheck. Flood the campaign database with names of supporters and volunteers.

Core Supporters

Help find new supporters. Reach out to everyone you know. Email people. Call people up. Go visit them.

Supporters

Show up for events small and big. Help bring in more new people, first timers.

People Who Have Not Signed Up Yet

Sign up.

People Who Have Never Heard Of Obama

"Hi, how you doing? Let me ask you something. Have you ever heard of Barack Obama? Do you like him? Why? Why not?"

Make small talk with strangers on the subway, on the bus, at the mall, at the movie theater. Wherever. This campaign is about creating community where none might have existed before. The entire country is one neighborhood, or will be by the time we are done.

The idea is to swell the number of supporters and volunteers and enhance and scale the two-way communication with the campaign staff.

Get your picture taken with Barack and Michelle.

1 Debate, 1 Major Policy Speech, 1 Rally, 1 Big Fundraiser A Month
Knock, Knock, Knocking On Heaven's Door
Political Socializing In NYC
Facebook: The Matrix Reloaded
Obama: 2007 Gameplan: Money, Message, Organization
Policy Making The Matrix Way
The Matrix
The Spectrum Concept: Wide Applications
A Different Kind Of Campaign, A Scientific Campaign
The 90 Minute Experience
Money, Message, Organization
Blacks, Hispanics At The Core Of The Democrat Rainbow Coalition
The Spectrum/Dialogue Concept Is Key To Power
Blogging Is Scalable Media
The One Voice Concept
One Blog One LinkUp One Atom
Takes Two Arms And Two Legs To Swim
More On Organization

On The Web: Ice Breakers, Team Building Exercises

Free Ice Breakers
BREAK THE ICE
Leadership - Icebreakers, Warm-up, Review, and Motivators Activities
Icebreakers to Inspire Communication : Eslflow webguide
Ice Breakers to help create a warm, friendly, personal learning ...
Team Building Exercises and Icebreakers
Team Building Activities that encourage people to work together as ...
team building games, business games and activities for team ...
Fun Team Building Workshops and Retreats to Improve Office Teamwork
Icebreakers, Energizers, Openers, Closers, Stories, and Activities ...

In The News

Eastern Nepal reels under strikes Times of India
Nepal's central bank governor suspended after graft investigation ... International Herald Tribune
Nepal Muslims demand seats in national election Reuters India

With grass-roots themes, Obama fires up a crowd Pioneer Press A young, racially diverse crowd of about 3,000 cheering partisans paid $25 each to pack into the atrium at International Market Square to help the freshman Illinois senator kick off his Minnesota campaign. ..... the "politics of can't do, won't do, won't even try" ..... People in Washington call him a naive "hope hugger" ...... Obama's 30-minute speech was light on policy details and heavy on emotional appeal. ...... Iraq. "We can be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in" ....... invoked Wellstone's name and Minnesota's tradition of grass-roots politics ..... After the rally, he attended a $1,000-per-person fundraising reception at the Minneapolis home of big-time Democratic contributors Sam and Sylvia Kaplan. The event reportedly drew more than 200 people. ...... "He's fresh and open to new ideas. I do think there's a generational attraction," she said. ..... Heidi and Clint McCowan drove four hours from Bayfield, Wis., to hear Obama's speech. Why? "Because this guy makes us feel patriotic again," Heidi McCowan said.

Britain on Edge as Blazing Jeep Slams Airport New York Times two men slammed a Jeep S.U.V. that caught fire into the departure doors at Glasgow Airport as thousands of people awaited flights on the first day of school summer vacations. .... a new threat: the use of relatively unsophisticated, homemade explosive devices to claim lives and spread mayhem. ...... alleged conspiracy last August to bomb transatlantic airliners using liquid explosives. .... the London and Glasgow attacks were “linked in some ways and, therefore, there are clearly individuals who have the capability and intent to carry out further attacks.” ...... two occupants of the car — both described by witnesses as men of South Asian descent — smashing bottles of gasoline and struggling with police and others who tried to restrain them. ...... One of the men in the car was said to have been ablaze, possibly after setting himself on fire. ..... the episode in Scotland seemed to have taken the authorities by surprise. ...... “less directed from Al Qaeda and more a matter of a homegrown group,” although the attack seemed to be modeled on terrorist attacks in Iraq. ...... the technology behind the foiled bombings seemed to be amateurish. While the attackers apparently tried to detonate the bombs using cellphones, “they didn’t go off ...... Britain’s terrorism threat is broader than the 2,000 suspected radicals known to the authorities ...... an improvised attack. .... the Jeep sped up to the building at around 30 miles per hour in an area where people usually drive much more slowly ..... “Then the driver swerved the car around so he could ram straight into the door” .....They were obviously trying to get it further inside the airport .... brought out a plastic petrol canister and poured it under the car. He then set light to it ....... a policeman came over, the passenger got out of the car and punched him. ..... London .... thwarted almost by accident .... sedans packed with gasoline, gas canisters and nails. ..... asked whether London had been “craving explosions from Al Qaeda” after authorities in June bestowed a knighthood on the author Salman Rushdie ...... vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. ..... the police had warned nightclub operators a few days ago of the threat of such attacks. ..... The two cars were parked around a corner from each other..... the “amateur construction” of the explosive device “and the way it was placed suggest the plotter or plotters have no connection to a major militant organization.” ..... theory that the two bombs had been designed to explode one after the other — the first to bring people into the street and the second to cause great loss of life ..... Thursday night at Tiger Tiger was ladies’ night ..... a conspiracy in 2004 in which British-born bombers said they wanted to attack women at a nightclub, whom they viewed as promiscuous

Obama: Fading to black? Chicago Sun-Times the first time a panel of journalists of color, with a black moderator, posed the questions to the candidates. ..... Hillary Clinton, spoke with greater confidence on race issues ...... a boldness that frankly was missing from Obama's responses. .... Obama continued a balancing act in which he points out the unfairness African Americans face in their daily lives but also criticizes the negative behaviors often found among the impoverished. ...... Michelle Obama, who has been tapped to convince women that her husband is the "real deal," was more passionate on the issues when she spoke at a fund-raising luncheon earlier in the day ..... the latest Gallup polls show Obama running neck and neck with Clinton in the race for black voters ..... Although the Obama campaign is being portrayed as a "grass-roots movement," Thursday night, it looked pretty ordinary.
It’s pouring millions for Hillary, Obama Indian Express
'08 hopefuls release fund-raising data Boston Globe
Richardson campaign raises $7 million Los Angeles Times
When Is Enough Enough? New York Times For black people, the current composition of the Supreme Court should be the ultimate lesson in the importance of voting in a presidential election.
Bill Clinton Dismisses Missile Shield Free Market News Network deriding it as a "colossal waste of money"
Why Giuliani is Still the Frontrunner Yahoo! News
Nepal Muslims demand seats in national election Reuters India Mohammed Nizamuddin, president of the Muslim group Awam Sahara Nepal, said Muslims were left out. .... Muslims comprise about 4 percent of the population. .... Ijaharul Hak Mikrani, president of another Muslim group, the Intellectual Muslim Association of Nepal, demanded at least 50 seats for the Muslims in the 497-member assembly.
Muslims in Nepal demand reservation Hindustan Times
Bihar temple comes of age with Dalit head priest Daily News & Analysis
Iran aims high with 2011 target to pump gas to India Business Standard
30 Afghan civilians killed in air strike: mayor Hindustan Times
Russia, US aim for thaw with talks Chicago Tribune
US Raids Baghdad Slum; 26 Iraqis Die Forbes
Google: You ain't seen nothin' yet National Post Forget iPhone, BlackBerry, Bell and Telus. Google is preparing to be the next giant of telecommunications .... has reportedly approached the Federal Communications Commission recently about obtaining wireless spectrum, the base upon which mobile-phone networks are built, in the U.S. agency's next auction. ...... a much larger, game-changing force in telecommunications lurking just around the corner. ..... Google Inc. has been putting together a massive cable network to provide customers around the world with telecommunications services ranging from broadband Internet to home and mobile phones. ........ the lucrative business, valued at US$1.3-trillion globally ..... US$163-billion market capitalization ..... what they plan to do is offer comprehensive services through their own backbone and effectively lock a lot of the traditional players out of the market. A lot of them don't even see it coming ...... past three years, the company has been buying up swaths of unused fibre-optic cable -- so-called "dark fibre" -- around the world ..... "They have enough potential capacity to compete in wholesale telecommunications or as an Internet service provider" ...... the massive data centres it is building around the globe ..... between 40 and 70 data centres filled to the brim with computing and storage power, with at least five new facilities under construction in the United States alone ..... The search company is building its data centres next to hydroelectric facilities in order to feed their huge power needs ........ the company is looking to buy GrandCentral Communications, a Web startup that allows users to consolidate their different home, work and mobile phone numbers into one through an Internet application ..... the U.S. agency's next auction, expected in 2009. That could be the target date for Google to make a big splash with its full mobile phone ..... The company is still very much focused on its core business, which is search and advertising, but Mr. McLaughlin admits that mobility is becoming increasingly vital for the company's growth prospects. ....... "We want people's information to be as accessible through their mobile phone as it is through their PC." .... two years ago bought tiny Waterloo, Ont.-based Reqwireless, whose staff have since been working feverishly to design Google applications for mobile phones. .... the profit margins in businesses such as phone and broadband provision just aren't worth it. ..... the company could save itself a ton in costs if it moves its web traffic off the networks owned by phone and cable firms and onto its own. ..... YouTube is responsible for about 10% of all Internet traffic. ..... Google won't have to stretch its core business strategy -- offering ad-based services for free to consumers - very far to offer telecommunications services. In fact, it's exactly the business model the company is experimenting with in mobile phones. ....."The only question is, how do you deliver ads on a phone in a way that isn't disruptive to callers?"
Australia Chooses WiMAX for Rural Broadband Nets TMCnet
Soccer fever strikes Canada Toronto Star
Advanced Micro Devices To Ship Processors In August CNNMoney.com

Clinton eyes Obama fundraising threat Los Angeles Times Obama trails Clinton in the national polls, but he matched her in fundraising in the first three months of the year, when each raised about $26 million. Obama raised his money from more than twice the number of donors as Clinton's 50,000 contributors. He announced early Wednesday that he had set a goal of 250,000 contributors by June 30 — or 150,000 for the second quarter, to add to his 100,000 in the first quarter. On Thursday, the campaign's website said that goal had been met...... That far outpaces the 70,000 who responded during the same time frame to Howard Dean's revolutionary Internet-based donor drive in the 2004 race. ..... Giuliani is leading in national polls, but Romney fares better in some of the crucial early primary and caucus states. ..... McCain is out of favor with conservatives because of, among other issues, his role as cosponsor of immigration legislation with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), which died Thursday in the Senate; and with moderates over his support for continuing military efforts in Iraq.

Obama Adds Campaign Cash in Minnesota Washington Post

Formula For Greatness

I Touched Obama: Babel, Barack
Barack's Primary Opponents
Obama Was In Town And I Missed It

"We will deliver New York to you for the primary," I told Barack.

I Touched Obama: Babel, Barack

"You give us Iowa, we will give you New York. We will make it quick and painless for Hillary," I told Michelle.

Michelle Obama Is Just Fabulous

On February 5, 2008, we will know Barack is the nominee and the next President Of The United States.

Jupiter And Obama

On February 6, 2008 he should announce that he has picked Hillary to be his running mate.

And from then until November we engage the American people in the most intense policy conversation any two people who ever ran for the White House ever did.

Abraham Lincoln is remembered as the greatest president because he partially liberated a few million people. Barack Obama has the option to top that by fully liberating billions. Like JFK set the goal of "a man on the moon by the end of the decade," Barack has to set the goal of a total spread of democracy by 2020, and he he has to set that goal in his inauguration speech in 2009. You spread democracy the progressive way, Nepal's April Revolution way. The message is you shut your country completely down for three weeks and you will have democracy. We from outside will provide you all moral and logistical support. It will be war with communications technology.

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

He has to deliver universal health care before his first term ends. It is very possible. And he has to deliver lifelong education before his two terms are over. Then America will finally be ready for the Information Age where human capital is at the center, physical and financial capital are on the periphery.

On energy there is only one option: go nuclear. That is the only way to provide abundant energy for limitless economic growth in all corners of the planet. Let's not talk about going back to the steam engine.

The Energy Solution: Nuclear Energy

In The News

Hillary concedes victory to Obama in dash for cash Chicago Sun-Times Obama's second quarter haul, according to estimates of knowledgeable observers, could reach $30 million -- most raised for the primary. ...... Michelle Obama was in Washington to headline a funder aimed at women; that lunch plus an event on Tuesday night at the City Museum collected $1 million from the Washington area.
Outsourcing is a problem: Hillary Clinton Rediff Terming outsourcing a "problem", New York Senator Hillary Clinton said tax breaks for "outsourcing" jobs have to be ended. "Outsourcing is a problem. We have to do several things: End the tax breaks that still exist in the tax code for outsourcing jobs; have trade agreements with enforceable labour and environmental standards; help Americans compete, which is something we haven't taken seriously, which goes back to the very first question about education and skills," she said. "Let's not forget that 65 per cent of kids in an age cohort do not go on to college. What are we doing to help them get prepared for the jobs that we could keep here that wouldn't be outsourced? And find a new source of jobs. Clean energy, global warming would create millions of new jobs for Americans," Senator Clinton added.
New Coulter Column Has More Harsh Words For Elizabeth Edwards Editor & Publisher and has also implied that John Edwards should die in a terrorist attack. Part of her quote: "If I'm going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I'll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot." ...... a take-off on a comment by Bill Maher, who said the death of Vice President Dick Cheney (a prime architect of the Iraq War) would mean that more people would live. ..... Coulter has "joked" a number of times over the years about wishing for the deaths of various liberals, journalists, Muslims, and others.

Dalit priest for Bihar temple Times of India
Supreme Court Quashes School Desegregation NPR
Democrats court black audience Los Angeles Times
Democrats Debate at Howard University Washington Post
Microsoft plans India push Boston Globe
Microsoft Launches Educational PC In India Forbes Microsoft has teamed up with Advanced Micro Devices and India’s Zenith Computers to launch a personal computer aimed at Indian students for 21,000 rupees ($513). .... more feature-rich than the $150 laptop that the One Laptop Per Child initiative is attempting to mass produce ..... India has an installed PC base of 22 million, or one computer for every 50 people .... The software giant could also reduce prices for its computer. “We don't see any gain in the short term. Our perspective is long term,” Venkatesan said.
Microsoft launches low-cost PCs for India ZDNet UK
Chavez not helping Russia’s tightrope act MSNBC
The West vs. the Rest? RIA Novosti
FACTBOX: Bush family's summer compound in Maine Reuters
Rocket fired at Ivorian PM plane BBC News
eBay Snub Reveals Google's Fatal Flaw TheStreet.com eBay served up 188 million ads for Google in 2006. That was almost double the No. 2 advertiser Target ..... eBay then claimed that its traffic actually went up on the week that it had no ads. .... Something like 99% of Google's revenue and earnings come from search. Google dominates search advertising, with somewhere between 56% and 65% (depending on which data service you believe) of all searches done using Google's search engine. All of Google's other fine products -- Gmail, Google Maps, Google Finance, even YouTube -- are like a drop in the bucket compared with search. ....... as more companies start putting money toward natural search marketing (figuring out how to get higher on search engines rather than paying for ranking), the keyword prices will go down. ...... 50 percent of users begin their search by scanning the top organic results. ..... only 30 percent of search engine users click on paid listings ...... a lot of keyword advertising was being done by mortgage brokers .... we're going to see a lot more interaction between the banner side of things and the search side.
Mobile WiMax Commercial Launch Planned For Northeast Region In August InformationWeek
WiMAX to lead $13bn capex boost in 2007-2012 Register
Chile govt wants 3G, WiMAX bidding by 2008 Telecom Paper
Chinese say US fish ban is unfair USA Today
BlackBerry shares soar as sales spike 70% Times Online
Long-Distance Air Travel Doubles Risk of Blood Clot, WHO Says Bloomberg
Supreme court permits Guantánamo appeal Guardian Unlimited
India may stop auction of Gandhi letter United Press International
Gandhi’s last letter may return to India Hindustan Times
Reactions To The Benoit Tragedy Ontario Now he strangled his family and then took his own life. There was evidence of prescription drugs including anabolic steroids present on the scene
Analysis: iPhone arrives Friday to huge expectations Macworld
Passive Smoking Raises Carcinogen Levels In Urine Rapidly Medical News Today
Venter Takes Step Toward Synthetic Cells Forbes
DNA team transforms one bacterium into another Los Angeles Times
Moore at his feverish best in hilarious, sobering 'Sicko' Boston Globe the celebrated (and reviled) filmmaker pulls up in a fishing boat outside the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay and announces via bullhorn, "I have three 9/11 rescue workers! They just want medical attention! The same you're giving Al-Qaeda ! ....... The US health-care system is a disaster, built to punish the sick and enrich corporations. Other countries do it better -- a lot better. ....... anecdotes of average Americans so cruelly abused by the system the only response is the laughter of disbelief. ..... One man lost two fingers to a tablesaw, then was told by doctors he could afford to have only one re attached, so would he prefer the middle or ring finger? ..... Another woman was told she must give back the money that paid for her operation because she hadn't disclosed a pre-existing condition: a yeast infection years earlier. ..... there's a tart little segment about a father desperate to get a second cochlear implant for his baby girl (the insurance company would only pay for one), who drops Moore's name in a phone message to the claims department. Bingo -- the implant is approved. ....... Moore talks to a doctor whose signature is on a series of denials to a woman suffering from a brain tumor; it turns out the signatures are stamped without the doctor ever reading the claims. ...... Clinton is now the second-largest recipient of contributions from health-care corporations. ...... a woman who sneaks over the border to Canada for health care ..... France .. Three months' paid leave for cancer survivors! Doctors who make house calls! Health-care nannies who do the washing for new mothers! ....... We have the highest infant mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere. ...... "Sicko" is built to persuade. It succeeds by making us ill with laughter and with shame.

Debate Showcases Clinton, Obama Rivalry CBS News While Obama's appearance on the debate stage caused a swell in the opening applause in the auditorium, it was Clinton who drew the night's loudest cheers in discussing the spread of AIDS among black women. ....... Thursday night's Democratic debate had little in common with the two that preceded it ..... issues like education, inner cities and racism. ..... a crowd largely composed of blacks, who have been one of the Democratic Party’s most dependable voting blocs since the Depression ....... held at historically black Howard University ...... "If HIV-AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 25 and 34, there would be an outraged, outcry in this country," she said, prompting an enthusiastic audience response. ....... Clinton spoke with the forceful words and aggressive tone ..... Darfur ... she would not hesitate to use military force to enforce a no-fly zone ...... our homophobia ..... Both had members of the Congressional Black Caucus on hand to promote their campaigns. In Clinton's corner were Democratic Reps. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio and Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas. Backing Obama were Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois and Elijah Cummings of Maryland. ....... Chris Dodd was solid, but never had a standout moment. .... Dennis Kucinich often crafted his answers to come to his pet issue, immediately ending the war in Iraq. ..... Mike Gravel — known for colorful debate performances and bizarre online campaign ads ..... Biden given his comments, made early this year, about Obama, who had then just entered the race, being "clean" ...... "I got tested for AIDS. I know Barack got tested for AIDS." ... The remark drew a somewhat confused look from Obama, who, once Biden was finished, gestured toward his wife, Michelle, in the audience and said "I just want to make clear, I got tested with Michelle when we were in Kenya and Africa."
Frank conversation at debate Chicago Tribune racial profiling in the criminal justice system. .... "I've just got to make it clear, I got tested with Michelle when we were in Kenya and Africa," Obama said, as his wife waved her arms in the audience and nodded her head in agreement. "I don't want there to be any confusion about what happened here." ....... blunt conversation about the most sensitive issues in churches, homes and communities across the country. ..... provocative academic Cornel West, prominent children's rights activist Marian Wright Edelman and former Surgeon General David Satcher. ....... Obama hinted at concrete benefits for African-Americans from the symbolic impact of electing a black man president in answering a question on criminal justice. ...... "The criminal justice system is not color blind. It does not work for all people equally," Obama said. "That is why it is critical to have a president who sends a signal that we are going to have a justice system that is not 'just us,' but is everybody." ....... Richardson argued that the next president should "speak passionately" about the need for dialogue among people of diverse backgrounds. "Issues of diversity for me, the first Latino to run for president, are not talking points," he said. "They are facts of life." ...... Smiley set the agenda this way: "You can't save people if you don't serve people," he said. "We ask tonight, 'What's the depth of your love for people?' "
Dem hopefuls focus on domestic issues, minority problems San Francisco Chronicle spending more on schools in poor neighborhoods to lower class sizes and raising salaries for teachers to prevent a drain of educators from inner-city schools ...... "Let me finish John's thought, because it was an important one," Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said, finishing a response by former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who was criticizing the White House response to Hurricane Katrina. "There are potential Katrinas all across this country that have been neglected." ........ "Let's face it, if Darfur had a large supply of oil, this administration would be occupying it right now," said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. .....an audience filled with prominent black leaders. ..... "Tavis, Tavis, Tavis, I just got to make clear -- I got tested with Michelle," Obama said, referring to his wife. ...... "I don't want any confusion here about what's going on," he said with a grin. ... None of the candidates performances appeared to stand out, and each of the best-known candidates drew relatively similar reactions from the audience. ..... Thursday's Supreme Court decision banning most affirmative action in public schools as a setback to racial relationships.
Vying to Be the 'Second Black President' Forbes with the crowd on his side, chanting his name as all eight Democratic candidates posed for pictures on stage ...... Clinton said in the biggest applause line of the night, bringing audience members to their feet. ...... Polls show that blacks are closely divided between Obama and Clinton ..... pulling on black voters out of a sense of loyalty. But Obama is pulling on them out of a sense of history ...... served just 2 1/2 years in Washington. "He didn't knock it out of the park," Brazile said, adding that Clinton was a standout. ..... Toni Morrison dubbed him "the first black president" in a 1998 essay. ....... Mike Gravel left the Senate in 1981. .... Because Clinton is white, she has more liberty to give black voters what they want to hear without fear of being seen strictly as a black candidate. ..... Democratic consultant Jenny Backus said Obama's effort to speak to whites and blacks resulted in his best debate yet. ..... "He was talking to both whites and blacks in his answers."
Obama to Pass Clinton in Money Raised, Her Aide Says Washington Post
Clinton and Obama Expect Near Record Fund-Raising New York Times
Clinton, Obama Making Big-Money ’04 Hopefuls Look Like Amateurs New York Times
Clinton’s Camp Projects $27M in 2nd Quarter New York Times
Analysis: Clinton, Obama Eye Black Votes Forbes

PM meets with Prachanda, agree to hold joint mass meetings NepalNews
Madhav Nepal accuses PM of working like a dictator
NRNs demand voting rights in CA polls
Bamdev's objection on Maoists being called “radical leftists”
Refugee leaders urge support from European community

Children make up nearly a quarter of Nepal's work force
Nepal govt to revive panel on acquiring royal property
Nepal ethnic leader wants interim house dissolved

Stoic Londoners Shrug at Latest Attack New York Times 1,700 people could have died at “ladies’ night” in the Tiger Tiger night spot. .... the car had exploded. ....... an explosive mixture of gasoline, nails and gas canisters in a car abandoned ....... “There’s been bombs in every city and in London all of my life. There are risks living in any city. I’ve lived in London for 20 years and nothing has ever happened to me.” ...... “If you’re near the bomb when it explodes, well, that’s really unlucky,” Ms. Klinkner said. ..... Sanjay Karsan, 22, a Briton of Indian descent, said that because of his South Asian background he was accustomed to getting suspicious looks whenever terrorism was in the news.

PBS Debate: Hillary Was Strong, Barack Was Warm, Edwards Was Composed

Riviera Cafe

225 W 4th St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 929-3250

What a great venue. It felt like there were roads on all sides to the bar. Am I on West 4th or am I on West 10th? That is what it felt like.

Jacki E and her husband were there in full force. Jacki was busy putting up balloons. They are hard core. Many of the usual faces were there. Raj showed up with his girlfriend. Vishesh showed up with a friend from his LSE school days, Hildur from Iceland. Jeff. Carlos. Karen. Sylvan.

I met Vishesh first at Raj's MeetUp at his apartment in SoHo only a few days back, one of the best MeetUps I ever been to. It started in this huge living room. Then it went onto the rooftop, and then to a bar. A BBC movie crew was there.

Hildur's verdict was that Hillary won the debate.

In the last debate Hillary's attitude was, I am Hillary, and I am hilarious. In this debate she exuded strength, seriousness and discipline. She was one candidate who always stayed within her time limit.

She was the most aggressive on stressing that yes, racism very much exists. And she had a whole bunch of black women standing and cheering. She said if AIDS were impacting white women from this to that age, this country would be much more riled up about AIDS.

"Race matters powerfully." Obama has said that before. I wish he had used that line today. This was the audience for it.

When a whole bunch of black women stood up and cheered Hillary, Obama probably felt that his wife was perhaps feeling bad. She is the one who has been trying to breathe life into the Women for Obama effort. So he made a wonderful love gesture on that same question. Biden said Obama had gone through a HIV test. When it was his turn Obama pointed out that his wife had as well, just to make sure noone got the wrong picture. And that joke had the audience hollering, and got his wife beaming.

It was also a smart political move to show off that he could get the audience excited just like Hillary.

Hillary is a policy wonk, and it showed. She came across as super prepared.

Obama needs to battle on the gender front with the same vigor. How about saying, yes, we live in a sexist country. We live on a sexist planet. I know I do.

It is very important for both Hillary and Obama to run a positive campaign, and to not start trading negatives. In a few months they are both going to get desperate, but the positive has to be maintained.

It is so obvious one of them is going to win and the other is going to be number two. When that happens, they must pair up. Handling race alone is hard. Handling gender alone is hard. It is best if you handle both at once. The two mega issues feed on each other for progress.

Why Hillary?

I am rooting for Hillary for Obama's running mate. Why?

1. For the same reason that JFK picked Johnson. You pick the person who finished second out of respect for all those who did vote for that person.
   
2. There are three billion women on the planet. There are 150 million in America.
   
3. Rudy is from New York. Bloomberg is from New York. Hillary is from New York.
   
4. You get Bill Clinton as bonus. You pay for one, and get one free.
   
5. She is smart, hard working, talented, disciplined, good looking.
   

1 Debate, 1 Major Policy Speech, 1 Rally, 1 Big Fundraiser A Month
Submit Your Questions For The Debates
Barack, You Can Do Debates
DNC Needs To Take Over The Monthly Debates
One National Primary, Monthly National Debates, Videoblogged
Debates Matter: The Election Is On
Barack Lost The South Carolina Debate
South Carolina Debate


In The News

WHO adjudges Nepal polio-free country Xinhua
Armed Groups Emerging In Southern Nepal Despite Maoists Giving Up Arms AHN
In May polling, Giuliani tops the field of GOP hopefuls Boston Globe
GOP voters hunt for a Reaganesque leader Boston Globe
It's Grand Ol' Pro-choice party - poll New York Daily News
Giuliani's 9/11 Conspiracy Theory AlterNet
LJP leader shot dead in Bihar Hindu
India's millionaire population crosses 1 lakh-mark Hindu
Millionaires club expanding in India Economic Times
India, Pakistan, Iran Discuss Pipeline Houston Chronicle
India, Pakistan reach agreement on gas pipeline Times of India
Venezuela, Russia to discuss oil and gas cooperation - Kommersant Forbes
China shuts 180 food plants Toronto Star
Sudan: China's Influence a Key to Peace in Darfur, Rice Says AllAfrica.com
A thoroughly modern foreign secretary Seattle Post Intelligencer David Miliband, Britain's new foreign secretary, became the first British Cabinet minister to post a blog last year - though his entries are often thick with technical jargon. ..... he also has an avatar in Second Life - an online world rarely inhabited by global statesmen - and his profile on the social networking site Facebook ...... Nicknamed "Brains" by Tony Blair's staff, the thoroughly modern Miliband is being groomed to be a candidate for prime minister. .... Miliband, whose wife Louise Shackelton is an American citizen and a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra .... He sparred with then-Prime Minister Blair over his refusal to call for an immediate Israeli cease-fire during last year's conflict in Lebanon. ..... Some legislators pushed him to stand against Britain's new prime minister, Gordon Brown, to succeed Blair - which would have sparked a vote among party members - but Miliband resisted, biding his time for a future bid for power. ....... "His style is very thoughtful, but also very inclusive - he will always listen to the views of those around him." ...... "He is going to be a key player in the climate agenda and he'll have to work to push the Americans to move further, faster" ...... The lawmaker, who adopted a son in the United States in 2004, hails from a family of political heavyweights. ...... He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988 after winning a scholarship.
Brown turns to youth for top cabinet roles The Australian
Somalia seeks UN peacekeepers, Security Council wary Reuters AlertNet
Islamists Invited to Somali Reconciliation Talks Voice of America
Google Eyes Enterprise Search PC World
Google Desktop Search Now For Linux Wired News
Google to help nonprofits with mapping software Salt Lake Tribune
Rajni meets Amitabh Times Now.tv
Exclusive: Rupert Murdoch Speaks TIME They can't sell their company and still control it — that's not how it works. ..... News Corp. — the world's third largest media conglomerate, with a value of $68 billion, and one of the few megacorporations controlled by a single individual — was at his desk on the eighth floor of his midtown Manhattan headquarters, trying to shore up a deal he had dreamed about for a decade ...... six muted flat-panel television monitors were tuned to 11 different stations — five split-screened and one devoted entirely to his beloved Fox News ...... to get the deal back on track, he had to threaten to walk — and mean it. ...... loathed his tabloid style and feared he would trample the Journal's independence ..... Murdoch hated the proposal. .. it would give the Bancroft family more involvement over the Journal after they sold it than they had exercised before. ....... threatening to pull his offer — a move that would have sent Dow Jones stock plummeting back to earth ..... and if the deal was going to die, he wanted to be the one to kill it ...... Any deal can blow apart at any time, and this one was especially combustible ...... the Bancrofts, whose Class B supervoting shares ..... Murdoch — the ultimate outsider, the ink-stained interloper who started in 1953 with a single paper in Adelaide, Australia ..... Murdoch's archrival, Sumner Redstone of Viacom, thought he had a deal for MySpace, but News Corp. swooped in and snatched it, bidding $580 million, $30 million more than Redstone and far more than anyone else thought it was worth. Then the site grew from 20 million members to almost 200 million, Google paid $900 million for the right to advertise on the site, and suddenly Murdoch's price looked cheap — and Murdoch looked like an Internet visionary. "I love being called that," he says, "but the truth is, I'm just lucky and nimble." ...... the most gifted opportunist in media, a man whose nose for a deal makes him the last of the true media moguls, the one who's still building — grabbing Dow Jones, dreaming about trading MySpace for a big chunk of Yahoo!, trying to launch a Polish TV network. ...... worth $9 billion. ...... lives like an old-fashioned tycoon too, hopscotching the planet on his 737 and recharging on his yacht off St. Tropez ...... London, where he got thrown from a horse (but didn't break anything — too busy) ........ threw a party in Kensington Gardens for 400 friends, including incoming British Prime Minister Gordon Brown ..... Murdoch and his third wife, Chinese-born Wendi Deng, 38, have added two daughters, ages 3 and 5, to a fiercely competitive yet surprisingly close-knit family of four adult siblings from his two previous marriages. Murdoch likes to say he has 20 good years left. ..... Dow Jones, which over the years has misplayed some juicy opportunities to sell financial information in the digital world ...... Others may look at Dow Jones and see an excellent, world-renowned (though economically stagnant) print newspaper with a successful subscription-only website; Murdoch sees the engine of a global, interactive, multiplatform business-and-finance network that will drive his soon-to-be-launched Fox Business Channel, power up his 24-hour Sky News channel in Europe and fuel a still inchoate collection of online financial services. ........ "We'll sell our business news and information in print, we'll sell it to anyone who's got a cable system, and we'll sell it on the Web." .... In 1976 he bought the failing, family-owned liberal New YorkPost and solemnly pledged to "maintain its present policies and traditions." Then he yanked it hard right and down-market. ...... tabloid terror ...... Each day brings another investigative story about Murdoch using his media properties to boost his business interests, reward his friends and punish his rivals ....... "Why would I spend $5 billion for something in order to wreck it?" he asks. ...... "At his tabloids, Rupert's word is treated as the word of God. At his serious papers, there's much more of a discussion." ........ he may not be the same scorpion at 76 that he was at 51 ...... the man who influences Prime Ministers and Presidents and still poses as a scrappy outsider ...... When you're a catalyst for change, you make enemies — and I'm proud of the ones I've got ...... "When the Journal gets its Page 3 girls," he jokes late one night, "we'll make sure they have M.B.A.s." ....... There's such a thing as a popular newspaper and an unpopular élite newspaper. They play different roles. We have both kinds. ....... Murdoch isn't a party-line guy. He's a pragmatist. He likes strong politicians and change agents and winners ..... Fox News, a channel that gives voice to angry middle-aged white guys. ...... It's not what they say. It's what they highlight ...... He'd like the newspaper to be a national counterpoint to the New York Times in setting the country's agenda. ....... Circulation and advertising revenues are ebbing away everywhere, he notes, proportional to broadband penetration. ......... "What if, at theJournal, we spent $100 million a year hiring all the best business journalists in the world? Say 200 of them. And spent some money on establishing the brand but went global — a great, great newspaper with big, iconic names, outstanding writers, reporters, experts. And then you make it free, online only. No printing plants, no paper, no trucks. ......................................... WSJ.com has more than 900,000 subscribers, making it the largest paid-subscription site on the Web, but less profitable, Murdoch suspects, than it might be with a hybrid model — with free users driving ad sales and premium users willing to pay for high-end content. ...... (Redstone called Murdoch's victory a "humiliation" and later fired Viacom CEO Tom Freston.) ..... Murdoch began very preliminary, exploratory talks about ....... "A media company is basically anything that communicates with people — news, ideas, entertainment, advertising — and allows them to communicate with each other," he says. "But trading the site for 25% or more of Yahoo!the Internet is teaching people every day to expect everything for free. So it has to be advertising supported." ........ unlike many of his contemporaries, Murdoch has consistently been able to see around the corner ...... Rupert, a man who buys ink by the barrel and isn't afraid to apply it.
Why Germany Hates Tom Cruise Because Cruise, as the Defense Ministry puts it, "has publically professed to being a member of the Scientology cult." .... Ursula Cabreta, director of a government-sponsored group that monitors Scientologist activities in Germany was more blunt. She called the selection of Cruise to play the role of von Stauffenberg a "scandal."
The iPhone's Carrier Problem Consumers have long been able to save e-mails, forward them at will and access them in whatever order they want, so why is voice-mail stuck in the dark ages? ....... Google recently proposed an auction system that would enable new players to buy into the wireless spectrum, an idea that could open the door to the sort of competition in the mobile world that enabled the high-speed access offered by better Internet Service Providers to topple AOL's old stranglehold on its customers. ....... by 2010, about as many people will have a cell phone as a toothbrush.
Why the CIA Is Airing Its Dirty Laundry The CIA is about to publish its "book of skeletons" .. Coups, assassinations, kidnappings, domestic spying, break-ins, illegal telephone taps .... Another way the White House used the CIA to skirt the law has been to secretly order it to assassinate foreign leaders. For a start, we don't do assassinations well. ...... "We have run operations to assassinate foreign leaders. We have never succeeded." ..... a CIA misused, ordered to do things it can't and shouldn't be doing
The Next Flashpoint in Iraq The Americans, who've been working with the national police to check sectarian tensions here, cut the corpse down, wrapped it in a body bag ..... the predominantly Shi'ite national police in Samarra, an overwhelmingly Sunni city ..... On June 16, Sadr urged Shi'ites to join an annual Shi'ite pilgrimage to Samarra the first week of July.
Beckham's US mission Hindu his $250 million transfer to Los Angeles Galaxy ...... finally, wiping out all traces of neutrality, a Hollywood connection in Tom Cruise. ..... What can the Beckham package deliver in a sporting nation that has its mind sufficiently occupied with American football, baseball and basketball? ...... America presents an irresistible combination of wealth and indifference. ........ We want to emerge as America's first super-club, to compete with Madrid and Man United. ...... I want to take soccer in the US to another level. I think it can go higher in America than anyone can believe. Soccer is huge all around the world except in America and that's where I want to make a difference with the kids," said Beckham earlier this year. ....... His 32-year-old injury-prone body ..... an unquenchable thirst for publicity .... The vibrant lifestyle resonates well with his and his wife's. ...... Beckham is by no means the world's best footballer, but he is no talent deficient mid-fielder who fluked it as a superstar.
Study Finds Many Injuries to Surgeons Go Unreported New York Times
Needle sticks endanger surgeons-in-training Reuters AlertNet
Needlestick Injuries Common Among Surgery Students Forbes
Dell Launches New Mobile Workstation eWeek They don't want to be known in the industry as just the low-cost PC provider ... The starting price for a workstation with some of the more advanced features is $1,750
Too much video gaming not addiction, yet Houston Chronicle
Bald Eagles No Longer Endangered, US Says New York Times
Apple's iPhone: Not A Disrupter ... Yet Forbes
Paris Hilton still doesn't get it Monsters and Critics.com Hilton telling King that her body cavity search was humiliating. ..... Hilton was still profiting on her sex tape out there for purchase and she never addressed the famous racial slurs she was videotaped saying ...... Hilton "had deputies act as her personal errand boys." ..... "She's got sheriffs bringing her food. This was unbelievable." ..... Hilton "had her hair extensions redone and got a facial.". .... has not suffered such "indignity since a renegade Web site revealed she has a prescription for Valtrex, a medication often used to fight STDs'"

NH poll: Clinton, Romney in lead MSNBC Clinton led the Democratic pack with 37%; Obama was second with 19%; Edwards and Richardson were tied at 9%. On the Republican side, Romney had 26%; Giuliani was next with 22%; McCain and Fred Thompson were tied at 13%. The margin of error for the poll is 4.38%. .... The survey finds Clinton’s lead over Obama is significant with voters 56 and older, who went for Clinton overwhelmingly, 47%-15%. Conversely, Obama and Clinton were virtually tied with younger voters (ages 18 to 45) with Obama having a slight 26%-25% edge. .... Three in 10 Clinton supporters say they would switch their vote to Gore if he were to get in the race. .... if Bloomberg jumps in, Republicans are the ones who would be hurt. Bloomberg would get about 6%-8% of a general election vote, according to the poll, and in all six general election scenarios, Democrats improved or maintained their margins.

Israeli President to Resign in Plea Bargain New York Times he would not face a jail term or rape charges but would plead guilty to a charge of indecent assault and other charges .... would also be charged with sexual harassment and harassing a witness .... charges of rape and other sexual misconduct related to four women who worked for him when he was tourism minister in the late 1990s or after he became president in 2000 ..... Mr. Olmert said Israel would cooperate with Mr. Blair to the fullest
Nearly 250000 Open Wallets for Obama San Francisco Chronicle
Sen. Obama Donors Near 250000 Individuals NewsMax.com
Obama gains even more support to his campaign Pravda
Nearly 250000 Open Wallets for Obama Forbes Obama has improved on his stunning support in the race for campaign cash ...... the average donation in the second quarter is likely to be less than the roughly $247 in the first quarter. ..... it collected more than 339,000 contributions - meaning that many individuals made repeat donations - and its goal will be to reach 350,000 by the deadline. ..... Obama's campaign announced the final push for cash on the same day as a Democratic presidential debate, an announcement that could rattle his rivals. .... "we do expect Senator Obama to significantly outraise us this quarter." .... That another candidate could even approach Clinton's fundraising prowess was unthinkable six months ago. But the freshman senator from Illinois has drawn supporters who have been inspired by his long-standing opposition to Iraq, his message of hope and his chance to be the first black president. ...... Obama has attracted the Wall Street executives, Hollywood moguls and other rich donors who traditionally have fueled political campaigns. But Obama has also concentrated on smaller donors who can give just $25 or $50 each, a practice that other campaigns said they also have adopted in the second quarter. ....... Obama still trails Clinton in national and most state polls ..... Howard Dean built a reputation for unprecedented grass-roots support when 70,000 people contributed about $10.5 million in the first two quarters of 2003. .... much of Obama's money comes in small-dollar donations made over the Internet. .... So far this quarter, Obama aides say $20 million would thrill them
Clinton’s Camp Projects $27M in 2nd Quarter New York Times
Edwards' Crumbling Campaign is Bad News for Clinton RealClearPolitics At the end of 2006, with Mark Warner out and former Vice President Al Gore on the sidelines, John Edwards posed the greatest threat to Senator Clinton's hold on the Democratic nomination. Obama's formal entry into the race immediately split the substantial anti-Hillary vote, which worked to Senator Clinton's advantage and John Edwards' detriment. ......... Edwards' crumbling campaign and its consequences on the Democratic contest .... Edwards, on the other hand, has lost over 30% of his support and has seen his national numbers fall to 12.4% ..... Edwards' implosion has strategically weakened Senator Clinton's hold on the nomination. .... The Clinton campaign wants to neutralize Edwards and to limit the odds of him breaking out with an early win in Iowa. But they don't want to see Edwards' campaign totally implode and allow the anti-Hillary forces to rally behind an increasingly powerful Senator Obama. .... the rumblings that the Obama campaign is poised to release a monster haul, the potential elimination of Edwards as a serious candidate, coupled with the Obama campaign's ability to not only compete with, but to beat, the vaunted Clinton machine, could be the catalyst that allows Obama to consolidate his position as the sole anti-Hillary candidate ..... He would then be in a very strong position to tighten those horserace numbers both nationally and in the key early states over the next quarter as we head into the fall.
More oh-eight: 250000 donors? Wow. MSNBC Hispanics are identifying with Democrats by a greater number than in 2004. ..... so far, the chief beneficiary of this Hispanic movement toward the Democrats is Hillary Clinton.
Perspective on Obama's donor numbers the Obama folks handed First Read a research document of past newspaper clippings showing that Howard Dean -- Mr. Grassroots/Netroots of the 2003-4 cycle ..... for the entire year of 2003, it was reported that about 280,000 people donated to his campaign -- a figure which Obama will seem to almost equal in just half a year.

US Senate heads for crucial immigration vote Reuters
Immigration bill faces key vote Baltimore Sun
Senate hands Bush major defeat on immigration Washington Post In a crucial make or break vote that exposed deep lack of support among Bush's own Republicans, the legislation fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed in the 100-member Senate to advance toward a final vote. ...... it was unlikely Congress would return to immigration reform before next year's presidential election. .... Bush made clear he was moving on from immigration to other issues like balancing the federal budget. .... Republicans who said it was an amnesty for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants ...... Only 46 senators -- 33 Democrats, 12 Republicans and 1 independent -- voted to advance the bill. Some 15 Democrats joined 37 Republicans and 1 independent to block the legislation. ...... Immigrant groups opposed measures in the bill that limited migration on the basis of family ties. .... Republican opponents of the bill said Bush should give up on broad immigration reform and concentrate on keeping illegal immigrants out. ...... Supporters of the bill were crushed. .... "It's like in Vietnam when they said 'we had to destroy the village to save it,' well here they are destroying the economy to save the U.S. border"



'Hilton's condition was feared life-threatening'Telegraph.co.uk "Our doctors said we had no solution for her medical problem — none. .... the socialite, an heir to the Hilton hotel empire .... Miss Hilton's punishment far exceeded the time served by most county inmates for similar offences - a conclusion supported by a Los Angeles Times analysis of 1,500 similar cases since 2002. ...... she attended the MTV Movie Awards immediately before she was jailed and was in apparent rude health as she left jail, smiling and waving to media and fans. ..... the heiress had conned her doctors and the sheriff's medical staff. ..... the multimillionaire celebrity said she was “basically in the foetal position, basically in hysterics,” during her first night in jail. .... "The doctors were observing me while I was there. They explained to Sheriff [Lee] Baca that they thought I was having severe anxiety, panic attacks, claustrophobia.” ..... rival networks reportedly turned down costly deals to secure the exclusive. ..... will not be paid for her CNN appearance. ..... a large media contingent keeps a round-the-clock watch at the gates ..... the sheriff's spokesman, said the case had become a “global phenomenon” ...... Mr Baca recently attended a conference on global terrorism in Turkey and later met police chiefs from Azerbaijan and Armenia. Afterwards, the sheriff told him: “Guess what they talked about on every leg of the trip? Paris Hilton.”
Hey, Paris Hilton! What Are You Going to Do Now? Washington Post She is free, but are we? .... She goes to parties . . . for a living. ..... obsessive media coverage of the Hilton Affair .... As opposed to her usual rather porny nightclub appearance, Hilton looked fresh-faced, almost innocent. ..... "I was not eating or sleeping. I was severely depressed and felt as if I was in a cage. I was not myself." ...... "I'm not the same person I was," Hilton says. "I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me. I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I have been thinking that I want to do different things when I am out of here. I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance." ....... Hilton said she would like to donate her celebrity to the challenges of breast cancer or perhaps multiple sclerosis or maybe "a kind of Paris Hilton playhouse, where sick children might come." .... in jail she read the Bible ..... a giddily crazed crush of paparazzi .... a giddily crazed crush of paparazzi, who swarmed their black SUV with cameras, pleading "Paris! Just one word! Paris," as if she were the oracle for our strange times. Hilton rolled down the window and told the press, "I'm great." She was smiling her trademark cipher smile. She did the chin dip. "Thank you for all your support," she said. ...... women's facility, where she had spent most of her jail time in solitary confinement or in the medical ward, news helicopters circled overhead and then aerially stalked her as she left the jail
Live Free or Die Hard: Fun and Forgettable TIME a rogue computer genius named Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) who has been shabbily treated by the federal government. He intends to get his revenge by hacking into every computer-run system in the country, beginning with the transportation grid and ending with the financial system, from which he intends to drain every last penny before he's finished. ....... nevermind the fact that McClane is so obviously computer illiterate .... the film's relentless, one-damn-thing-after-another pacing
Hilton says jail was 'traumatic' BBC News She said she was going to party less and be a "more responsible role model". ... "There's just so much more to me than what people think." .... said she wanted to set up a half-way house to help women when they are released from jail. .... Veteran interviewer Larry King later described Hilton's performance as "puzzling and perplexing", and said she was in denial about her crime.
'I hated it,' Paris Hilton says of time in jail CBC.ca
I didn't deserve to go to jail: Paris The Australian

Poll: Bloomberg could have Perot-like effect on 2008 race CNN Clinton of New York led the list of contenders with 43 percent. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was next with 25 percent .... Clinton 49 percent, Giuliani 48 percent. .... Bloomberg's support seems to be on the rise -- 17 percent in a three-way contest against Clinton and Giuliani. .... nearly matches the 19 percent of the vote Ross Perot got the first time he ran in 1992. .... Right now, Bloomberg would take votes about equally from Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, and the outcome would still be close (41 percent for Clinton, 38 percent for Giuliani). ..... Bloomberg is not well known nationally. If he were to run, he could spend a lot of money defining himself to voters across the country. .... the CNN-ORC poll shows that a lot of voters are open to a new choice.
Samsung Churns Out 1.8-Inch Flash Hard Drives TechNewsWorld the industry's first 1.8-inch solid state drives (SSD) at a whopping 64 gigabytes, making the high-density flash-memory-based drives suitable for widespread ultra-portable laptop use. ...... "They pull less power and generate less heat, and you don't have to shield them as heavily, so they result in a smaller overall form factor." ..... Flash drives are durable enough to run through a clothes washing machine ..... we're talking about PC boot times in the ten-second range
Obama launches two television ads in Iowa, the first commercials ... San Diego Union Tribune
Obama launches TV ads in Iowa with an assist from GOP friend Chicago Tribune
Obama's First Television Ads A Test Of Message Atlantic Online
Obama, in Houston, bringing out first-time donors Houston Chronicle
Clinton vs. Obama in Chicago Chicago Tribune
Clinton, Obama seek Chicago campaign money on same day Bloomington Pantagraph
Obama, in New TV Ads, Focuses on His Pre-Senate Years New York Times
Democrats 2008: Hillary 35%, Obama at 23% Angus Reid Global Monitor
Lessons Learned as Obama Shepherds a Following New York Times
Burned once, Clinton adopts cautious approach on health care reform Boston Herald

Obama, looking for jump-start, airs ads in Iowa USA Today Obama starts running two biographical TV ads Tuesday in Iowa, the first of his campaign for the Democratic nomination. ..... Obama at one point was close to or even with Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in some national polls, but has been 10 to 20 points behind her in the last eight. He's third in most polls of Iowa.
Obama on the Airwaves Washington Post a speech that made him a force in national politics almost overnight. ..... "negotiation skills" and "ability to understand both sides." ..... The Obama campaign released little information about the extent of the ad buy other than to say it is statewide and "low level." ..... Obama's outstanding fundraising in the first quarter and the widespread belief that he will equal or eclipse that showing when the next fundraising period ends on June 30, he is likely to have the financial resources to stay on the air in Iowa all the way through the Jan. 14 caucuses. ...... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) at 22 percent, followed by former senator John Edwards (N.C.) at 21 percent and Obama at 18 percent.
"Obama's Decline in the Polls: Who Turned Off the Electricity?" when the other side is telling a story about you that people are starting to believe, you'd better drop everything and offer a compelling counter-narrative ..... That two Democrats let George W. Bush make character an issue about them without ever turning his history of impulsivity, recklessness, drunkenness, investigation for insider trading, and draft evasion while cheerleading for the Vietnam War (not to mention his cheerleading at Yale -- not exactly a great visual image for a presidential nominee) into a voting issue speaks volumes about the way our party's leading strategists tend to understand the mind of the voter. ....... On the stump, Obama can be electrifying. And behind all that electricity is a first-rate intellect. ..... Northeastern intellectuals didn't care much for Bill Clinton, either, and he did what Edwards will likely need to do: he turned to alternative media (which are now much more powerful) and to local media, who are usually excited to talk with a major candidate rather than to run him into the ground. ...... Clinton, who is picking up votes the more she shows something other than the size of her cerebrum -- the warmth and humor whose lack have been her greatest emotional deficits. What Americans want most from their presidents are strength and warmth ..... We don't pick our spouses or friends based on their expected utility. And we don't pick our presidents that way, either. .... Let Obama be Obama.