How To Take Bush To a Court Of War?

Today I was discussing whether the Iraqi journalist, Muntazer al-Zaidi, was correct in throwing a shoe at Bush. As these last days of the Bush era press on, the world needs to be discussing whether the U.S. president should be tried by an international court for committing war crimes, rather than putting on pajamas and enjoying his retirement tour.

We should talk about the one hundred thousand civilians killed in Iraq, a country invaded and destroyed by a war Bush created, and based on a lie - a lie with hidden economic interests. Hundreds of those killed were children. The number of civilians maimed and the number of families destroyed by the war is immense. A country was devastated and will take decades to recover.

And is there a court for international crimes of war? What can be done to bring Bush to this this court? Who must we use? Can ordinary citizens be mobilized? Are there promoters of the international tribunal to receive and assess complaints against genocide? Anyway, what can you do as an ordinary citizen, one who does not accept that this carnage should be left unpunished? How do you bring Bush to the international court, such as the armed forces of Rwanda - which has just been sentenced to life imprisonment? Or like the genocide of the former Yugoslavia? Why them and not Bush? Why does the press not speak about it? Why not show the path of stones to process the executioner? Why not raise this discussion?


For Thanksgiving, to show his "magnanimity", Bush saved two turkeys from death, instead of the traditional one turkey. The fact was highlighted throughout the press with pictures of the smiley president. But throughout the month of November the same international press ran pictures of horror in Iraq. The connection between the two events should have been obvious, but nothing.

It seems that there is a machine in the world to shape opinions. This machine determines that, having been brought to the presidency through election, Bush can not go to trial and be judged by the carnage he sponsored. And opinion formers end up believing and dispersing that.

What should he get: life imprisonment or a nice retirement on a Texas ranch?

**This text was originally written in Portuguese by Rogerio Marques adapted and modified to English by BakedPanda Team.

Dick Cheney War Crimes

Today Dick Cheney admitted to committing war crimes (water boarding - a form of torture)

According to US CODE: Title 18,2441. War Crimes, Dick Cheney should face life in prison:

Offense.— Whoever, whether inside or outside the United States, commits a war crime, in any of the circumstances described in subsection (b), shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for life or any term of years, or both, and if death results to the victim, shall also be subject to the penalty of death.

So I thought, "Well I will just sue Cheney." Makes sense to me, right? So I got online and looked for a way to sue Dick Cheney which led me to read about the International Criminal Court. I got exited when I read that about persecuting "individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression."

Problem?

The U.S. does NOT belong to the International Court and the court only has jurisdiction within its member nations - which include the rest of North and South America, Oceania, Europe, and most of Africa. How is it that the U.S. is not on this list? This is the country that, within Dick Cheney's lifetime, hanged people for water boarding. What happened to our standing in the world, when did America loose its morals?

The New Terrorist Organization: America

Many people believe in the war against terror. McCain and Obama both spoke about it during their campaigns. In my opinion we, the Americans, are terrorists. President Bush sent troops into Iraq and Afganistan to fight terror, but many innocent lives have been lost - this is what terrorism is.

"American should take its army out of the country," Khan said. "They are considered terrorists," said Muslim Khan, a grizzled Taliban spokesman who is one of the most wanted men in Pakistan, in a rare interview with CNN.

Then today I read something that summed up exactly how I have been feeling: Terrorist - what the big army calls the small army.

This may be anit-America, whatever that is, but it is a sad reality that we need to accept - we are not saviors, we are terrorists.

Obama Introduces New Technology to the White House

Barack Obama has already introduced a new White House position, chief technology officer, and is planning on introducing even more technology to the White House. It is already being seen on his transition web site - for the first time ever, a YouTube version of President-elect Obama's weekly radio address will be posted online. This is the first visible step in Obama's attempt to speak more directly to the electorate, and it will likely work - Obama drew in more than 110 million viewers for his 1,800 campaign-related videos.

Obama's media team wants to make it easier for the public to speak to him as well. A prototype of how this will work was released at www.Obamacto.org. This setup allows people to post questions online and vote for the questions they like. The questions with the most votes are likely to be addressed by Obama. So far, the leader late Friday, with more than 10,000 votes, was "ensure the Internet is widely accessible & network neutral," which Obama backs. Not so the second-ranked priority, repealing the USA PATRIOT Act.

"If 10,000 people say they want Obama to answer a question, he's probably going to respond," said Andrew Rasiej, the founder of the Personal Democracy Forum.

Hopefully this will allow Obama to get his message out to the public, without the mainstream media butchering what he says in order to fit their beliefs and agendas. I think it will also allow grassroots organizations to get their concerns heard, not only by the general population, but also by Obama himself.

Barack Obama has promised a more transparent government, and I think he is well on his way to keeping that promise.

Dispute over missile revives the Cold War

For decades, Soviets and Americans are faced in a complex board which threatened to trigger an unprecedented conflict. During the Cold War, capitalism and communism duels engaged in the ideological and armed field. With the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the'80s, the Cold War left the scene. But the tension between Washington and Moscow never disappeared entirely.

Years later, the Cold War has changed its style and began to display a new facet in this globalized world. The world is not so polarized and technology adds a dose of drama. One scenario is the most alive Eastern Europe, where U.S. and Russia are facing in harsh dispute over missile. This undoubtedly will be one of the major challenges of the White House led by Barack Obama.

Fake Newspaper - New York Times Spoof

The liberal group the Yes Men handed out 1.2 million copies of a fake New York Times. The fake paper was dated 4 July 2009 and had the slogan, "all the news we hope to print." It included headlines such as: Universities to be free! Bike paths to be expanded! Thomas Friedman to resign, praise the Unitarian Jesus!

Although it is not funny like "The Onion" it did make people think, and more importantly, it made people hope for a better America and a better world.

The group also set up a web site mimicking the NY Times website. Take a look here.

Teenage Girl, Hannah Jones, Wins Right to Die

A terminally ill, 13 year old girl, has won the right to die after a hospital ended its bid to force her to have a heart operation.

The girl, Hannah Jones, has a hole in her heart due to medications she has been taking since the age of five when she had leukemia. "Hannah had been through enough already and to have the added stress of a possible court hearing or being forcibly taken into hospital is disgraceful," said her father Andrew.

Herefordshire Primary Care Trust dropped a High Court case after a child protection officer said Hannah was adamant she did not want the transplant surgery because the surgery itself has the potential to kill her. If the surgery did work, it would then be followed by constant medication.

The BBC's Jane Deith, who has followed Hannah's legal battle, said: "Hannah managed to convince this officer that this was a decision she had made on her own and she had thought about it over a long period of time, and eventually the court proceeding was dropped."

"She didn't take the decision lightly, and she had chosen that she wanted to live and die in dignity at home with her parents."

Secrets Surround Team Obama and Cabinet Selection

The whole nation is eagerly waiting for President-elect Barack Obama to drop some hints about who he will include in his Cabinet. At this point we know more about what factors will dictate the all-important decision of first puppy.

As Valerie Jarrett, co-chair of Obama's transition team, put it on "Meet the Press" Sunday: "I think one of the real strengths of Sen. Obama's campaign and now President-elect Obama's transition is that he really does like to think this through thoroughly and not telecast what he's going to do until he's ready to make a decision."

We may not know much about the reasoning behind his choice of future Secretary of Treasury, or any other Cabinet position for that matter, but at least we know one thing - Barack Obama and his closest advisers know how to keep a secret.

Americans are Ready for Obama's Inexperience

When Barack Obama moves into the White House on January 20th, the highest qualification that he will bring with him is having been the U.S. Senator representing Illinois, since 2005.

Despite his good oratory and ability to lead, many Americans - including his own followers - believe that Obama is still a "bet".

For many analysts, Obama's lack of experience (a subject that was widely exploited by his rival, John McCain, during the campaign) raises questions about its future ability to govern the country.

One of the biggest criticisms that Obama has, including from his partner and rival of the Democrat party, Hillary Clinton, was that he always voted "present" (ie refrain) - instead of "yes" or "no" - more than a hundred times.

In his defense, Obama and his campaign team argued that their abstentions were not indecision but vow of protest or political strategy - used to negotiate changes in projects where he was not totally against the proposals.

What we can learn from Obama is that even if your resume is short, you can still get an interview and convince employers that you are the ideal candidate for the post.

This is what happened for Obama, when millions of Americans voted for him - and we are already feeling a change in the tides.

Brits Not ready for a Black Prime Minister

Head of equality watchdog, Trevor Philips, say the United Kingdom is not ready for its own Barack Obama.

"If Barack Obama had lived here I would be very surprised if even somebody as brilliant as him would have been able to break through the institutional stranglehold that there is on power within the Labour party," Philips tole the Times. And although 13 of the 15 ethnic minority MPs (Members of Parliament) are Labour, with the other two representing the Tories, Philips said that, "the political system is to some extent closed to outsiders."

A poll of Guardian readers shows that 43% of Brits agree with Philips while 56% disagree. But taking into account the average 9% "Bradley Effect" it puts the two sides about equal, and may even be the reverse of what the poll suggests. It is very easy to say and even believe that you would vote for a black President (or in the UK's case, a black Prime Minister), but it is a much different thing to actually vote that person into office.

Prop. 8 - Gay Marriage Ban Hurts Economy

Same-sex weddings have been pulling many businesses out of the economic slump. A week before Election Day, Christopher Burnett’s floral shop filled with orders from many of the same-sex weddings. But now, since Proposition 8 passed on Tuesday, his sales have had a drastic drop off. “I have done a gay wedding every week,” he said. “And so it’s very disheartening, because other business is very slow.”

“We were afraid that they would pass Proposition 8,” Mr. Bobos said, “and that’s exactly what happened.”

Another area that is likely to take a hit - tourism. The New york Times writes that David Paisley, a San Francisco-based marketing executive with a specialty in gay tourism, said that California had four of the nation’s top 10 destinations for gay travelers: San Francisco, Palm Springs, Los Angeles and San Diego.

“California has always been perceived on the vanguard of gay-friendly destinations,” he said. “Well, when a ballot measure passes says it’s not, it’s terrible publicity for gay and lesbian tourism.”

Mr. Paisley said that it was too early to speculate on the exact economic impact of Proposition 8, but that some public relations damage might have already been done.

If you still this that this is just an overreaction, think again. In June, the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, which studies sexual orientation and the law, estimated that legalizing same-sex ceremonies in the state would result in about $63.8 million in government tax and fee revenue over three years.

That money could definitely help the $11.2 billion deficit California faces this year.

New Times for America - The Dream is Now Reality

I received this email from Michael Moore. In tears, and joy, i share with all of you. He has certainly made a big difference in fighting for a better America. Thank you too Mr. Moore.



Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

Friends,

Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.

In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.

There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.

It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.

But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.

We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.

An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.

We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.

I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.

But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com

Obama WINS Presidential Election 2008

It is now mathematically impossible for John McCain to win. Our prayers have been answered!

Now we just have to wait and see how much he wins by. A landslide victory will make quite a statement.

As you can see in the above CNN Prediction map, Obama is in the lead and there is no possible way he will loose California (55), Oregon (7), and Washington (11) - do the math 207 + 55 + 7 +11 = 280

And believe me these three states are a guarantee for Obama.

By the way the Democrats are also now enjoying a pretty large majority lead in the Senate. The House is still up in the air but the Democrats are leading.

This is going to be big!!!

Predictor Swing States for the Presidential Election 2008

Here are the predictor states to watch tonight (in order of poll station closing time):

-Virginia, Indiana and Georgia close. If Barack Obama takes two of these, it could be all over.

-Ohio; this swing state has voted with the winner in every presidential election since 1948 except for 1960, and polls indicate the state is on a knife edge. North Carolina, normally a Red state has been targeted by the Obama campaign, also closes.

-Pennsylvania and New Hampshire are key swing states to watch next, as is Missouri, which has voted with the winner of each presidential election since 1904, with the exception of 1956, and Mississippi (if Obama wins here, it's likely to be a massacre). Florida also closes – if McCain loses these key 27 electoral college votes, it could be an almost total loss for the Republican candidate.

-Colorado and New Mexico are key Red states that Obama has been targeting. If the race is close up to this point, Obama needs these states. Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, traditional Blue states, also close now. McCain must win these if he has failed to secure Pennsylvania.

Watch these states and you will have a very good idea of who will win the race... and folks, lets hope for a landslide!

Disabled Voting Still a Challenge

I work with adults with developmental disabilities. Today is an exciting day for them. This is when they feel like they really are part of the system. Most days they get stared at when they walk down the street and they have a hard time getting jobs. But today is the day when they are just like everyone else - hoping to change the world!

Here is the problem I encountered yesterday. My client, we will call her Sue, wants to vote. She lives in a group home and gets Social Security Income money for the state, which doesn't allow her many creature comforts. She wants Obama to win.

Her parents are wealthy - they are voting for McCain. Here is the catch. Her parents said they would not take her to vote because she is voting for Barack Obama.

Unfair? Yes.

Unheard of? No.

Many of my clients are not being taken out to vote. It so disappointing that on the one day they get to feel involved they get ignored.

So today, my coworkers and I will be shuttling clients from polling place to polling place.

Today if you see a disabled person walking down the street or bagging your groceries, ask them if they voted. Help them to feel necessary. Let them feel involved.

Get out and VOTE!

VOTE and Starbucks Will Give You A Free Coffee

Free Starbucks coffee - just one more reason to get ride of George W. on Nov. 4th

McCain Campaign May be Investigated for Breaking Federal Law

The story concerning Barack Obama's aunt and her illegal status was broken with perfect timing. With just days before the election many believe it may be a disgusting ploy by the McCain campaign.

The Associated Press cited two unnamed sources - one a federal agent - when they broke the story of an Obama aunt living illegally in the US, after being denied asylum from her native Kenya. Now, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they are investigating whether its privacy policy was violated.

Federal privacy law restricts U.S. immigration agencies from disclosing information about citizens and permanent residents. The Department of Homeland Security also has some privacy restrictions concerning the status of legal and illegal immigrants, although asylum-seekers are granted greater protection, due to the sensitive nature of their claims and the risks of retaliation.

"They are looking into whether there was a violation of policy in publicly disclosing individual case information," said Kelly Nantel, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "We can't comment on individual cases."

Florida Voting Results Will be Key in the Presidential Election 2008

To avoid Florida being the focus of attention of the presidential election - just as in 2000 - a week ago, thousands of voters facing the sun and heat waited in long lines in order to ensure that their vote is counted.

Eight years ago, the state was the scene of a controversial recount of votes, which ended up giving the victory to George W. Bush, in a process that involved accusations of intimidation against voters, buying votes, and the disappearance of ballots.
Florida has the greatest number of votes in the electoral college, among swing states, and has the potential to decide the American presidency.

California, Texas and New York is sending a greater number of representatives to the electoral college, but the results in these states can already be clear - Barack Obama should win in California and New York, John McCain in Texas.

McCain and Obama want to secure the 27 votes of Florida and therefore both have had a huge presence in the state in the final stretch of the election season.

Republican advantage

The Republicans have a clear historic advantage, since they won eight of the last elections in Florida, but the fact that McCain is being forced to continue the battle in the state up to the last week before the election indicates that the Democrats have a real chance of reducing the disadvantage.

Many were quick to point out defects in the Democratic challenger. "Obama is very young, he does not have any experience," said Cuban Maggi Muñoz to Newsnight. "And we need a person with great international experience."

New voters

Democrats and Republicans registered thousands of new voters for this election and several non-governmental organizations also worked hard to recruit specific groups, such as the Center for Guidance of Immigrants in Miami, chaired by Honduran Carlos Pereira.

"We managed to convince more than 12 thousand Latin Americans to take the U.S. citizenship test and register to vote this year," said Pereira.

About 20% of Florida's population is Hispanic, mostly Cuban, who tend to be loyal to the Republican Party.

But this year, Pereira noted, many Cubans have changed their side.

"The younger Cuban generations are tilting to the Democratic Party and the older generations remain loyal to McCain and the Republican Party.

Florida is one of the states most affected by the economic crisis and many residents have expressed disappointment with the government's current president, George W. Bush.

But a Democratic victory is not yet certain and it appears that once again the spotlight on 4th will be on Florida.

Racism can be an obstacle for Obama?

Two decades ago, Douglas Wilder saw his 9% advantage in the polls for government elections in the State of Virginia drop to only 0.1% when the votes were counted.

Still, he won the elections, becoming the first black man to be elected governor of a U.S. state. But the tight victory meant that analysts had speculate that he had been a victim of the hesitation of whites vote for a black candidate - also known as the Bradley Effect.

According to theory, some white voters say in opinion polls that will vote for a black candidate, but in the privacy of the ballot box on election day, they choose the name of a white candidate.

Tom Bradley was the African-American governor of Los Angeles where, competing in the elections for the governor of California in 1982, he saw his advantage in the polls evaporate just before the vote, giving the victory to his rival, the white Republican George Deukmejian.

In 1989, the same year that Wilder became the governor of Virginia, David Dinkins was elected the first black mayor of New York, but also saw an advantage of 18 points in the polls to become only 2% on election day.

Could this happen with Obama?

Charles Henry, a teacher from California who is among the first to examine the "Bradley Effect", says that Obama would need an advantage of two digits in the polls to feel confident about his victory.

Other scholars suggest that an advantage between six and nine points may be enough. According to most polls, this is the advantage that Obama has today.

Bradley reverse

Douglas Wilder, now mayor of the city of Richmond, Virginia, and supporter of Obama, thinks that racism should not have as great an impact this time.

"Will it have some effect? Yes. Are there still people that do not give their vote to an african-american? Yes. "

But he says: "America has grown, people have grown."

A survey of psychologist Anthony Greenwald and political scientist Bethany Albertson at the University of Washington, suggests that Obama had benefited from a "reverse Bradley Effect" in 12 states during the primary of the Democratic Party, while the "Bradley Effect" itself was only noted in three.

A study by researchers from Harvard, who analyzed 133 elections for government positions from 1989 to 2006, also showed no presence of a large "Bradley Effect."

A search of the Gallup institute suggests that 9% of Americans are more likely to vote for Obama because of his race, while only 6% say they are less inclined to vote him for the same reason.

Different Strategies for the Last Weekend

On the last weekend of campaigning before the US elections this Tuesday, the strategy of the two Presidential candidates are quite different. The Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, continues investing in states that traditionally vote Republican, while his opponent, John McCain, fights to ensure victory in states that George W. Bush won in 2004.

The two have commitments in South Carolina on Sunday, but Obama is also going to Missouri and Nevada, states that normally vote Republican. This Saturday McCain visited Virginia, a state that has been carried by the Republicans since 1964.

Obama predicted that McCain would play dirty in the end. This seems to be coming true with the picture perfect timing of the release of information regarding the illegal status of an Obama aunt.

Although Obama currently leads in the polls, McCain's campaign insists that the gap is closing fast. Political director, Mike DuHaime, said that according to the "Washington Post" the number of phone calls from Republican supporters is already 150% higher than the same period recorded in the 2004 elections.

This just goes to show that we cannot rely on the polls, which have been wrong before. We can't just say we are going to vote for Barack Obama but we actually need to go out and do it!

How the 2008 Presidential Elections Works and What is At Stake

Americans are already going to the polls to choose whether it will be the Democrat, Barack Obama, or Republican, John McCain, as the new president of the United States, replacing George W. Bush - who leaves office on January 20, 2009.

The process of choosing candidates formally began on January 3, with the completion of the Iowa Caucus.

Since then, Americans witnessed one of the most intense presidential campaigns in its history by pre-candidates and candidates for the White House.

The BBC produced a series of questions to help you better understand how the elections work and the importance of them.

When is the election and how it is done?

The 44th U.S. President will be elected on Nov. 4. At the same time, there will be elections to renew the full House of Representatives and one third of the Senate.

However, in several states, voters have the opportunity to vote early. By the end of October, about 15 million of the approximately 213 million voters registered in the United States had already voted.

As regard to how to vote, the U.S. adopted a very decentralized system.

In the United States, each county can decide how voting is done. There are those who choose to use paper ballots while others do electronic voting. Some allow early voting, others do not allow early voting. According to analysts, the variety makes the American system more vulnerable to problems like those recorded in the elections of 2000 in Florida.

Who competes?

The Illinois state senator, Democrat Barack Obama may be the first black American to assume the presidency. He has an unusual family history: Obama was born in Hawaii, his mother was from the state of Kansas and his father from Kenya. He also spent part of his childhood in Indonesia.

Obama won a tough battle with Senator Hillary Clinton by an indication of the party, and only managed to secure the nomination in June (usually, the candidate of a party is set months before). During the campaign, he faced accusations of links with controversial people and was criticized as being too inexperienced to assume the presidency, especially in the area of foreign policy. Perhaps to balance this, he invited veteran senator Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations, to be his running mate.

The Republican, John McCain, is an Arizona state senator. He is praised for its military past. As a pilot in the Vietnam War, his plane was shot down in 1967 and he was taken captive. McCain refused to be released before other prisoners of war and remained imprisoned for five years - two of them in solitary confinement.

In the campaign, McCain hastried distancing himself from unpopular George W. Bush. If elected, he will be the oldest person to assume the presidency, at 72 on Jan. 20. He chose Alaska Governor, Sarah palin, as his vice president. She was not well known by the rest of the country before accepting the invitation tby McCain. Palin, like Obama, is criticized for her lack of experience.

In addition to Obama and McCain, several other minor candidates are competing for the White House with no real chance of victory. Many of them only managed to register in some states.

The best known of them is Ralph Nader, a champion of consumer rights whom many Democrats credit the defeat of Al Gore to Republican George W. Bush in the controversial election of 2000. At the time, Ralph was accused of having "stolen" voters that, without him in the match, could have voted for Gore and have guaranteed him the victory.

What party has a greater chance of victory?

The latest polls indicate that Obama is ahead, although some of them put the Democrat ahead by a margin too small, so that he and McCain are technically tied.

According to an average of several national surveys of likely voters published by the Web site RealClearPolitics.com, covering the period between 23 and 29 October, Obama was ahead with 50% of electorate, compared with 43.7% for McCain.

However, analysts warn that there can be surprises, since many voters may be hiding their real voting intentions.

What were the main themes of the presidential campaign?

Earlier this year, the focus of the campaign seemed to be still in Iraq, reflecting the concerns of the American electorate with the deaths of soldiers in the long standing war. However, the strategy adopted by the United States in 2007 to expand the number of troops in the country, "the troop surge," has taken away some of the focus, the economic crisis has taken central stage.

In the three debates between Obama and McCain, in September and October, the main issue discussed was the economy.

Does the candidate who obtains highest number of votes get the presidency?

Not necessarily. The voters, technically, are not part of a direct election for the president. They choose "electors" that make up the Electoral College, who then promise to support a particular candidate based upon who wins the popular vote in that state. Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress There are 538 electors, and the more populous state, the more "voters" they have.

In almost all states, the winner of the popular vote takes all the electoral college votes of that state, even if the victory is by a very small margin. In other words: the distribution of delegates is not proportionate to the vote the candidate.

A candidate only needs 270 electoral college votes, and therefore, a candidate can win the presidency without having the popular vote.

What are the key states?

In recent years the trend has been that the majority of states on the east and west coasts vote Democrat, while the rest of the states vote Republican. But there are several states that could tilt to one side or another. Among them are Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania (each with 20 or more votes in the Electoral College) and also Colorado, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia.

Obama and McCain have focused their efforts in these states in recent days of the campaign.

Democratic voters outweigh the Republicans in early voting

This year the early voting is changing the campaign strategies behavior of the electorate more than any other time in U.S. history, according to analysts cited by the CNN network. Both Barack Obama and John McCain are investing these last days of campaigning in states that are still a toss-up.

So far early voting trends show the Democrats in the lead, 58% to 42%.

Paul Gronke, of the Information Center for Early Voting, said that Republicans may be holding their votes until election day.

Many Republican voters have polling places that do not generally have long snaking lines and have large amounts of voting machines. Whereas many Obama supporters, especially black and Hispanic supporters, live in poor neighborhoods where lines are usually hours long. This motivates them to vote early.

But David Plouffe, a leading name in the Democratic campaign, told CNN that they are confident many voters still have to vote.

Sarah Palin Struggles to win the confidence of Americans

The Republican candidate for vice president of the United States, Sarah Palin, admitted on Friday that many Americans do not feel comfortable with her because of their different political origin, but said that this will be overcome.

The governor of Alaska said that, if elected on Tuesday in the plate of John McCain, will be devoted to issues on which has experience - government reform, energy policy and as a mother baby with Down syndrome, measures to help children with special needs.

Palin, of 44 years, went through difficult times and are often taxed the inexperienced.

A research of The New York Times newspaper showed that 59 percent of North Americans not to feel that Palin is qualified to be vice president. Several analysts, including some Republicans, are also critical to it.

"It probably takes a little" so that the Americans get used to it, Palin said. "And those who have some hesitation, it is undoubtedly because you consider me as someone from outside of Washington."

But she noted that other leaders "came out of that elitism of Washington," as Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican Ronald Reagan.

"So it may take a while to get used to it, but I think that as more Americans in these next three days listen to our commitment to reform,they will be increasingly comfortable," she said.

The media speculated that Palin is launching this campaign as a candidate for president in 2012, as McCain appears in the polls. She denies this intention. "You know what I will be doing in 2012? Helping to re-elect John McCain ."

She said that the insistence of Republicans in saying that the Democrat Barack Obama will raise taxes is echoing with the electorate, and that the ticket McCain / Palin has chance to turn in several states, especially Pennsylvania, where the Democrats usually win.

"Yes, there is a feeling of motion. I feel that our campaign is set your step now, well in time. But of course I would like that we had more hours every day," she said, that criticized the presumption of Obama on the victory.

"I learned my own lessons there. I had a pair of athletic endeavors and thought: 'hey, I do not have to commit so much for victory', which was cheap for the victory was right, and just being shaken , "She said.

Palin is animated when talking about energy, a subject with which she already have involvement due to oil and gas resources in Alaska.

Majority of American Jews Support Obama

Israelis Analysts and Palestinians heard by Newsnight believe that if elected, the Democrat candidate for president, Barack Obama, should be stronger than his Republican rival John McCain in resolving the conflict between the two peoples.

The political analyst of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Akiva Eldar, told Newsnight that believes Obama could bring a "significant change" in attitude of the United States regarding the peace process.

"I am sure that there will be a change because Obama sees the solution to the conflict as an integral part of the path of exit from Iraq," said Eldar.

"Obama considers essential to creating stability in the Middle East in order to withdraw American troops from that country, and in this view, a solution to the Palestinian issue is essential."

For Eldar, the current economic crisis will take Obama to engage and be "more active" to create a new stability in the Middle East.

"The war in Iraq costs U.S. $ 100 billion a year and the price of oil also depends on the political situation in this region," he said.

Besides the political and economic aspects, Eldar believes the Democratic challenger "more sensitive to human rights issues and therefore more aware that situations of occupation can not continue."

Among Palestinians, some analysts also believe that Obama should get more involved in resolving the conflict, but many are skeptical regarding the possibility of a significant change in the attitude of the United States for Israel.

"In general, the Palestinians prefer Obama," said sociologist Ibrahim Nassar, "but I do not have high expectations for change.

"Obama will be more active, but not really think it will press Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories," he said.

"According to our experience in the past, both the Republicans and the Democrats always considered Israel its main ally in the Middle East and supported Israel. I do not expect drastic changes. "

Pro-Israel

Polls in Israel show, however, that most of the population prefers the Republican candidate.

According to the writer Shlomo Nakdimon, the preference of Israelis by John McCain "is obvious."

"McCain represents a continuation of the government of George W. Bush, who was the U.S. government more pro-Israel in decades, "said Nakdimon to Newsnight.

"There is no doubt that since the president (Harry) Truman, there was a U.S. president who has a very large and unconditional support to Israel as George W. Bush and it is clear that the Israelis give preference to applicants who consider that they would continue to this policy, "concluded the writer.

According a survey published this week, 46.4% of Israelis would vote on McCain and only 34% in Obama.

The possibility that Obama put pressure on Israel and its intention to hold talks with Iran explain the preference of Israelis by Republican candidate.

The survey was commissioned by the Office of United States-Israel Relations.

The director of the institute, Alon Pink, told a news site Ynet that the outcome of the research indicates a "significant difference" between the positions of Israelis and American Jews.

According to surveys, over 70% of American Jews want to vote for Obama.

Skepticism

According to the Palestinian Ghassan Hatib, director of the center of research and communications JMCC in East Jerusalem, few Palestinians believe in the possibility that Obama will change their situation.

According to a recent survey of JMCC, most Palestinians have no preference for any candidate in American elections.

The results of the survey, conducted in early October, indicate that 47.4% of Palestinians have no preference, 37.3% prefer Obama, and only 15.3% support McCain.

"I prefer Obama," said Hatib, "I think he will be more active and involved in the issue of the conflict and may even come to exert pressure on Israel, perhaps similar to the pressure exerted at the time of the government of Bush, the father of the current president. "

Financial crisis makes Obama advance in Indiana

The U.S. state of Indiana does not vote in a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 but this year, the Democrat Barack Obama is threatening the local domain of rival Republicans.

Four years ago, the then Democratic challenger for the U.S. presidency, John Kerry, not even set up a single office in Indiana. Now, Barack Obama has 40 HQs in the state.

Evaluation of Sarah Palin proves she is a Liability, says survey

Disapproval of the Republican candidate for the vice president of the United States, Sarah Palin, rose nine points this month, according to research released this Friday by the newspaper "New York Times. The survey also indicates that the vice is decisive for at least a third of American voters, making it more difficult to the Republican John McCain to reverse the advantage on Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, in the election next Tuesday. A search of the "NYT" indicates that with 51% of the preference of the electorate, Obama has 11 points of advantage over McCain, who gets 40%. The margin of error is 3%.

The newspaper says that 59% of voters consulted said that Sarah, who is governor of Alaska, is not ready to be vice president. At the beginning of the month, the figure was 50%. About the candidate for vice for Obama, Senator Joe Biden, the publication says that approximately three quarters of voters said he is prepared to pursue the job.

The research indicates that the Republican candidate improved their performance by insisting on a tax cut, including using the character "Joe, the plumber" to illustrate their proposals and criticizing his opponent. But Obama still has advantage in key subjects such as economics, health and the war in Iraq, says the newspaper.

The survey was done between days 25 and 29, with 1439 adults across the country, of which 12% had voted.

McCain Criticizes Scientific Research, Mocking His Own DNA Bear Bill

Today at a rally, McCain criticized a bill that he, himself voted for. At the rally, McCain said that he didn't want to spend our tax dollars, "to study the DNA of bears in Montana."

The presidential wannabe scoffs at pouring millions into studying grizzly bear DNA, but scientists say it's key to preserving the species. "I don't know if it was a paternity issue or criminal, but it was a waste of money," McCain said. The problem is that McCain actually voted for the bill to fund research studying the endangered grizzly bear in Montana.

Why does McCain, who has taken a firm stand on some other environmental issues—he believes more needs to be done to curtail global warming—consider the research to be a waste of time and money? One answer - pork. McCain calls this bill a pork barrel, which is one of his main talking points in this election. But scientists disagree:

"This is not pork barrel at all," says Richard Mace, a research biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP). "We have a federal law called the Endangered Species Act and [under this law] the federal government is supposed to help identify and conserve threatened species."

Do we want a president who can't remember what he has supported and what he has not? Do we need a president who mocks the research that goes in to studying and saving an endangered species? Moreover, do we need a vice president who would shoot those bears to death from a helicopter?

Legal Challenges Predicted on Election Day

Early voting is at record highs this election year. Experts are predicting long, snaking lines on election day. And with what is predicted to be a record breaking voter turnout, will come a lot of legal challenges.

If the race is close, and with a huge turnout, lawyers from both parties will undoubtedly be filing challenges related to provisional and absentee voting, the expertise of poll workers, the efficacy of polling machines, and the hours of operation at poling stations.

The concern, according to Edward B. Foley of Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University, "is whether the infrastructure can handle the volume that we will see."

If polling stations can't handle the high voter turn out then there will be major questions raised concerned with fraudulent voter activity - this was the case in 2000 and 2004.

Polling issues will only be a concern if the election turns out to be a tight one. This is why we need to make sure to give Obama a landslide victory. Get out and vote on November 4th.

President Bush Hurts McCain Campaign

It is now the closing days of the 2008 presidential election and John McCain still has one big problem. The name of that problem: George W. Bush.

Seven in 10 American's disapprove of the job performance of Bush. This number is close to the 70 year record for low presidential job performance ratings - a record held by George W.

What does Bush's low rating have to do with John McCain? Well, 50% of voters believe McCain will keep the US on the same general path that Bush has been leading us down for the past eight years. But there are people who do believe McCain will take the country in a new direction, 47% of voters to be exact.

Of the 47% of people who can actually envision McCain moving in a new direction, 82% of them support him. On the other hand, the 50% of voters who believe he will be the next George Bush, 90% support Obama. This is the most stark difference between the two candidates.

Although McCain is overwhelmingly favored by the few who still approve of Bush, he is loosing the 72% of voters who disapprove of Bush by a 3-1 margin, 71-27 percent.

Here is the bottom line - Even if every Bush supporter voted for McCain he would still have to win over at least a third of Bush disapprovers in order to catch up to Obama.

Hopefully American's will see McCain for what he really is, the next George W. Bush. A person who will keep us in a never ending war, with a VP who just got her passport and can see Russia from her backyard.

Obama and McCain: Last Weekend Surprises

It may already be too late to the much discussed "October surprise", but the Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain need to be attentive to the fateful "the last weekend."

The straight end of the last two presidential elections was unexpected events, which apparently influenced the outcome of disputes.

Five days from the election of Nov. 4, the chance for a fact that could turn the game in favor of McCain seems increasingly remote, but continues to exist.

"The end of last week can be a very weird and strange period in a presidential campaign," said Steven Schio, political analyst from Carleton College in Minnesota.

"It's when the last voters who were not paying attention are linked. Strange things can happen."

In 2004, Osama bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda, made an announcement on Friday prior to the election, moving the discussion to the terrorist threat, possibly helping in the reelection of George W. Bush - like his opponent John Kerry concede later.

In 2000, the latest campaign controversy arose on Thursday prior to the election - Bush, then governor of Texas, had been arrested in 1976 for driving drunk, and never publicly revealed the fact.

Advisers said that the complaint claimed the slight edge to Bush that he was in the national polls to vote. The Democrat Al Gore won the national election but lost the dispute in the Electoral College, after the recount of votes in Florida.

Until now, this campaign has been free of such shocks, which already constitute a political tradition in the U.S. - the "October surprises", which change elections a few days from the election (always at the beginning of November). It was thus in 1980, when Jimmy Carter, candidate for reelection, lost to Ronald Reagan after the failure of negotiations to free hostages in Irã.

The phenomenon had almost occurred in 1968, when Lyndon Johnson ordered to stop the bombing in North Vietnan, a week of the election - which did not prevent the Republican Richard Nixon beat the government candidate Hubert Humphrey.

But this year the October surprise came in September - the crisis on Wall Street and the financial package, which changed the polls in favor of Obama, better assessed by voters on economic issues. Such global economic crisis in the midst of a campaign was something unheard.

There are few surprises that McCain and Obama as to prepare for this final weekend. Both now are on strategic states such as Florida, Ohio, Missouri and Colorado.

In national polls, Obama leads by a margin of 3-8 percentage points. In search of Fox News Thursday, the advantage of Democrats fell in a week from 9 to 3 points. In this research, there are still 6 percent undecided. In others, the quota is even greater.

Barcelona Beach will have 10 thousand square meters portrait of Obama

The image of the Democratic candidate for president, Barack Obama, will be on a beach in Barcelona next week. A sculpture of 10 thousand square meters will appear in front of the Mediterranean Sea.

The design of plastic Cuban (exile in the United States) Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada is called Expectation.

According to the author is only a reflection of the overall impact of the U.S. elections. Gerada says the idea is "an artistic game."

The press service of the Mayor of Barcelona, which is helping to organize the event, said the intention is that the portrait is photographed by satellite Google Earth.

The sculpture, a portrait in high relief, will have 482 tons of sand and sawdust in shades of brown, black and white.

The portrait is in the open for a few days at the premises of the Forum in Barcelona, a center of public conventions, which sold the space free of charge to the artist.

Icon

In the presentation to the press-Gerada (who lives in New York) admitted that sympathizes with Obama, but said it wants to show the icon in Expectation that the candidate has become.

"Win or lose the election, Obama attracted a great expectation of change, which is opposed to decades of disillusionment with the political power," said the artist.

"I want to draw attention to the fact that if we are looking for a hero, it's because we need badly," added the Cuban.

The portrait in sand will cost 15 thousand euros only for the material, transportation and security. The artist now has support of private companies and the Mayor of Barcelona, which gave no money, but offered free spaces.

For the labor force, Gerada comes asking for help from volunteer students from art so that everything is ready for the weekend and is visible next Tuesday.

Gerada admits that many people may question the importance of showing an American candidate in a Mediterranean coast, thousands of kilometers away from the United States.

"We believe in a global world. What happens anywhere in the world affects us all", defends the artist. "No one could be indifferent, and our right is express our opinion."

Electronic ballot boxes can 'fork' votes in the U.S.

The lack of experience in electronic ballot boxes with votes is putting at risk the outcome of American elections. In this video you can see the damage that an electronic touch-sensitive (touchscreen) ballot box in the state of Virginia would make to Barack Obama. In the demonstration, the votes for the Democratic challenger are erroneously transferred to other candidates, including John McCain. It must be tough vote in a country so technologically backward.

Researcher estimates that 15 million have already voted in the U.S.

More than 15 million of the 213 million registered voters have voted in U.S. presidential elections, according to calculations of political scientist Michael McDonald of George Mason University in Virginia.

The estimate of McDonald is based on official data of the 32 states that allow Americans to vote for early elections on November 4.

The turnout of voters in early voting system recorded so far is record, with endless queues in several states, including Florida, one of the most disputed by candidates for the White House.

According to survey released on Tuesday by the Pew Research Center, the Democrat candidate Barack Obama appears in front of the voters that have already voted, with 53% of the vote compared to 34% of Republican John McCain.

The Democrats are asking their supporters out to vote now and avoid long queues further technical problems for the day of elections.

Shadow of Bush

According to the Pew survey of the institute, the approval of President George W. Bush has fallen considerably since January and is currently at around 22%.

That sentiment would have affected so sharply the chances of McCain, that the Republican has attempted to distance himself from the president in recent weeks.

Around 47% of respondents in the survey believe that Senator McCain adopt the same model of Bush.

Obama's campaign has used this information - at all events, Obama seeks to affirm the Republican vote "will continue with the policies of Bush."

"John McCain was the co-pilot of George W. Bush when he ran the economy to the precipice," said the Democrat. "Now, you take the wheel and step on the accelerator."

The Democrat was received for a rally on Tuesday by 9 thousand people, according to organizers, despite the cold rain that fell in Chester, Pennsylvania.

"This is an incredible crowd for such a climate," said Obama. "If on election day we have that same commitment, there is no way to change not reach the United States."

Bad weather

The Republican candidate also campaigned in Pennsylvania on Tuesday but had less luck than Obama and had to cancel two acts in Allentown and Quakertown because of bad weather.

McCain managed to keep the speech planned for Hershey, which is a famous chocolate factory, along with the candidate for vice Sarah Palin.

In addition to attacking Obama for wanting to "redistribute the wealth of the country," McCain took the opportunity to try to calm down the rumors that his campaign is being undermined by criticism of Palin.

"When two individuals with their own styles come together, they not always agree on everything, but it is much more fun," he said.

McCain also said that this is not the first time that the press and the polls bet on his defeat before the hour and pledged to continue fighting until the day on November 4.

Women begin process of $ 500 million against Dell

The North American manufacturer of computers Dell faces a collective action for alleged discriminatory practices towards women and officials from more than 40 years, claiming $ 500 million.

"Talk that there is no ceiling for women in Dell is a euphemism. Actually, there is, yes, a roof and cement" said the lawyer Steven Wittels, who represents the parties in dispute in this matter.

"When Dell publishes its statistics and documentation on their wages, promotions and dismissals, we believe that the truth appears and that the accusations of discrimination from our customers are justified," said one of the lawyers who work on the subject, David Sanford, said in a report.

The lawyers emphasized that the executive committee that runs the Dell is composed of 14 men and that the higher ranks of the company are occupied by 80% by men.

Four women who had positions of responsibility in Human Resources at Dell started the action on behalf of "thousands of current employees and former employees of Dell, women and older people affected, so disproportionately by the wave of layoffs in 2007 and 2008 , "Which added 8000 jobs eliminated, according to a note.

The four plaintiffs, who were dismissed from Dell, allege that when they were employees, had rejected their promotions and even listening to it would be impossible to move forward in the company.

World must abandon obsession with growth

In the midst of a global crisis, with governments and markets worried about a possible global recession, the British New Scientist magazine, was out this week with a cover in which argues that the search for economic growth is killing the planet and needs to be revised.

In a series of interviews and articles from experts on sustainable development, the magazine paints a picture in which all efforts to develop clean fuels, reduce carbon emissions and seek renewable energy sources can be useless while our economic system remains in search of growth.

"Science tells us that if it is to take seriously the attempts to save the planet, we must reshape our economy," says the magazine.

According to analysts consulted by the publication, the big problem in the equation of economic growth lies in the fact that while the economy seeks an infinite growth, natural resources of the earth are limited.

"Economists do not understand a simple fact that for scientists is obvious: the size of Earth is fixed, and it’s mass or the extension of the surface varies. The same is true for energy, water, earth, air, minerals and other resources present on the planet. The Earth is no longer able to sustain existing economy, much less one that continues growing, "says the economist Herman Daly, a professor at the University of Maryland and former adviser to the department for the environment of the World Bank.

For Daly, the fact that our economic system is based on the pursuit of growth above all means that the world is moving towards an ecological disaster and also economic, given the limitations of resources.

"To avoid this disaster, we need to change our focus from growth to qualitative and quantitative imposing limits on rates of consumption of natural resources of the earth," he writes.
"This economy of solid state, the values of the goods could still increase, for example, because of technological innovations and better distribution. But the physical size of the economy should be maintained at a level that can sustain the planet," concludes Daly, who compares the current economy to an airplane at high speed and its proposal to a helicopter, capable of flying without moving.

Reforming the capitalism

But these changes in the system will not be easy. In an interview to the magazine, James Gustav Speth, former advisor to Jimmy Carter administration (1977-1981) and the UN, says the environmental movement can never win within the current capitalist system.

"The only solution is reforming the current capitalism. The United States grew between 3% and 3.5% for a long time. Is there a dividend of this growth being placed on better social conditions? No. The United States has to focus on sustainable industries; Social needs, technology and decent medical care, and not sacrifices that make the economy grow. I do not advocate the socialism, but a non-socialist alternative to capitalism today, "he says.

He also makes criticism of the current environmental movement. "The environmentalist community, at least in the United States, is very weak when we talk about change in lifestyle, consumption and about his reluctance to challenge the growth or the power of corporations. We need a new political movement in the U.S., with values that reflect the human aspirations, and not only make more money.

Obsession with growth

The magazine also carries an article that discusses the argument that economic growth is necessary to eradicate poverty and that the wealthier they get, the lives of the poorest also improved. It is the so-called theory of trickle.

According to Andrew Simms, director of the New Economics Foundation in London, this argument, as well as "not honest" in any assessment, is "impossible".

"During the 1980s, for every $ 100 added in the global economy, about $ 2.20 was shared with those who were below the poverty line. During the 1990s, that figure rose to $ 0.60. This inequality means that for the poor to become a little less poor, the rich have to be very rich. "
According to him, this might seem unfair to some, but is not sustainable.

"Humanity is beyond the capacity of the biosphere support for our annual activities since the mid-1980s. In 2008, we exceeded the annual capacity at September 23, five days before the previous year."

He also says it is impossible that one day all of mankind has the standard of living of developed countries.

"It would take at least three planets Earth to sustain these needs if everyone lived in the patterns of Britain.”

For Simms, the Earth would be uninhabitable for a long time before that economic growth could eradicate poverty.

For the world to have an environmentally sustainable economy, according to Simms, we must put an end to the prejudice of some thought on the concept of "redistribution", which, for him, is the only viable way to end poverty.

"Only a few days it took to the governments of Britain and the U.S. to abandon decades of economic doctrines to try to rescue the financial system from a collapse. Why has it take longer to introduce a plan to halt the collapse of the planet brought by conduct an even more irresponsible and dangerous obsession call for growth? ".

Exxon Mobil has the largest quarterly profit in U.S. history

Exxon Mobil, the largest U.S. oil company, announced Thursday that an advance of 58% in its profit in the third quarter of 2008, to $ 14.83 billion, the highest result ever obtained for this period in the history of United States. From July to September, the company's total revenue was U.S. $ 137.7 billion.

Driven by high oil prices, which offset disruptions in production caused by hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, Exxon Mobil's profit exceeded the previous quarter, from $ 11.68 billion, which was also recalled.

Barack Obama and John McCain Dancing

Here is the funniest presidential video I have seen throughout the entire election season. It is a dance-off between Barack Obama, John McCain, and surprise guest Sarah Palin.



Although it is fake, the video is very well done.

Which candidate do you think won?

Obama ahead in Pennsylvania and Ohio

A survey released here Wednesday, 29, shows the Democrat candidate for president, Barack Obama, ahead of Republican rival John McCain in key states of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the two tied in a rough competition by Florida.

According to research conducted by the Office of Qunnipiac University, Obama leads with 51% of intentions to vote in Ohio, while McCain is with 42%. In Pennsylvania, Obama has 53% of intentions to vote and McCain has 41%, while in Florida is the Democrat with 47% and his Republican rival with 45%, indicating a technical tie.

Another survey released on Wednesday, the day of the Gallup shows that Obama holds a lead over McCain among potential voters and also among registered. The research indicates, however, that the difference between the two candidates fell slightly in the past two days.

No presidential candidate since John F. Kennedy in 1960 won election in the U.S. without any win two of three states, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Former president Bill Clinton was the only one to win the elections in three states in his reelection in 1996, in which obtained 379 votes in the Electoral College and an overwhelming victory over his Republican rival, Senator Bob Dole.

The researcher's Qunnipiac, Peter Brown, cited the government's low approval of the U.S. president, George W. Bush, as a reason for the drop in numbers of McCain. In Ohio and Pennsylvania, President Bush has an approval of only 23% of the population. Already in Florida, Bush is the approval of 27% of the population.

"Essentially, this means that John McCain has loaded an anvil during the entire campaign and this is evident in the numbers," said Brown. The survey interviewed 1425 voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania in 1364 and 1435 in Florida, with a margin of error of 2.6%, 2.7% and 2.6% respectively.

In Florida, the dispute came at the margin of error in intentions to vote. Since the last poll Qunnipiac, 23 October, Obama led with 49% to 44%. But Obama shows have a consistent lead in Ohio, where in the October 23 poll had 52% of intentions to vote, against 38% for McCain, and in Pennsylvania, where he led with 53% and McCain had 40%.

During the Democratic primary, the Democrats lost in the three states to Senator Hillary Clinton, in large part because the votes of the white electorate. But while the Republican now leads among white voters in Florida, with 53% of the voting intentions against 40% for Obama, the Democrat beat McCain by only small margins between the white voters in Ohio, 47% to 46%, and in Pennsylvania , 48% to 47%. If Obama win the most votes of whites in the whole country, will be the first Democrat since 1964 to accomplish that.

Gallup Poll

In the Gallup survey, published Wednesday in the institute's website on the Internet, Obama has 49% of intentions to vote and McCain has 46%, among potential voters, the poll from the traditional model, which takes into account the history of the electoral behavior of people in past votes.

In the poll on the 26th, Obama had 50% of intentions to vote and McCain had 45%. As the margin of error in this type of research is three percentage points up or down, it shows the two virtually tied in technical. The research among potential voters interviewed 2435 people.

The Gallup indicates that the race for the White House became more fierce in recent days. "The present results, based on research done between 26 and 28, show a dispute a little closer." On this night, Barack Obama will use part of the funds of a propaganda campaign to show 30 minutes on broadcast television.

Any possible impact on the voters will appear in the next few days. The Gallup found that only 4% of potential voters are truly undecided at that stage of the campaign, and they do not express a preference for Obama, McCain or any independent candidate, says the institute, emphasizing that in the search among registered voters, the Democrat maintained strong advantage during the entire month of October.

Obama will tax Oprah $16m, McCain will give her $9m back

Everyone knows that Oprah Winfrey is Barack Obama's long time friend and biggest supporter. She believes he stands for change:

“I think that what he stands for, what he has proven that he can stand for, what he has shown was worth me going out on a limb for – and I haven’t done it in the past because I haven’t felt that anybody, I didn’t know anybody well enough to be able to say, I believe in this person.”

We also hear about the tax differences between Obama and Republican rival John McCain. Oprah is one of the highest paid women in the US, obviously she makes more than $250,000. Obama's tax plan would effect her in a major way, but so would McCain's tax plan.

Obama wants to tax the top earners in the US, these are the people who make over $250,000. With Obama as president Oprah would be paying $16 million a year more in taxes.

McCain is proposing a $300 billion dollar tax cut for the wealthy and for large corporations. If McCain were to become president Oprah would be taxed $9 million dollars less than she currently is - like handing her a nice fat $9 million dollar check.

This is the best example of the stark differences between the two candidates. Under Obama the middle class will benefit, under McCain the wealthy will benefit.

What would you rather have? $16 million given back to the middle class, or $9 million handed back to the already wealthy?

It seems like an easy choice for me.

And although Oprah will be paying much more in taxes, she believes in what Obama stands for, and the changes he will bring. Please stand with me and vote for barack Obama on November 4th.

Meet the Packages of Obama and McCain on the Economy

The candidates for U.S. presidency, John McCain and Barack Obama, this week presented new proposals for economic recovery in the United States, while the authorities try to control the current government a financial crisis that is spreading across the planet. Below is a summary of their projects.

The Republican John McCain proposed a plan with expenditures of $ 52.5 billion, which provides:

- Use $ 300 billion from U.S. $ 700 billion financial rescue package of newly approved to buy delinquent mortgages and replace them with funds with fixed interest.

- Reduce by 10% in the next two years, the tax on the first $ 50 thousand in withdrawals from pension plans. Currently, these withdrawals are charged according to the normal rate of Income Tax, with rates of 10% to 35%.

- Suspend the rules requiring the top of withdrawals of funds within six months of receiving the complete 70 years.

- Increase of U.S. $ 3 to $ 15 thousand to loss of capital through the sale of shares and other securities that can be deducted from taxes.

- Reduce from 15% to 7.5% over two years, the roof of the capital gains tax rate for long-term.

- Exempt from taxes for two years the benefits for the unemployed.

In turn, Democrat Barack Obama proposes a package of $ 60 billion, which provides:

- Giving companies tax credit of $ 3000 U.S. dollars per job created full-time in the U.S. for two years.

- Allow small businesses immediately deduct up to 250 thousand dollars in spending for new equipment and goods that are made by the end of 2009. The stimulus package approved this year limiting the benefit only until the end of 2008.

- Eliminating taxes on capital gains arising from investments in small businesses.

- Providing immediate $ 25 billion to build and reform of bridges, roads, schools and other works of infrastructure.

- Providing $ 50 billion in loan guarantees, and keep open other options to help the automotive sector to develop a new generation of more economical cars. The Congress offered 25 billion dollars.

- Grant a permanent exemption to $ 500 for most workers, and $ 1 mil to families. Eliminate taxes for senior citizens who earn up to $ 50 grand a year.

- Expand the unemployment-insurance for chronically unemployed, who would no longer entitled to benefit. Temporarily suspend taxes on those benefits.

- Authorize temporarily, without penalty, withdrawals of up to 15% (with a limit of $ 10 thousand) of Provident accounts with tax advantages.

- Suspend the rules requiring the top of withdrawals of funds within six months of receiving the complete 70 years.

- Increase the value of aid-heating.

- Directing the Secretaries of Treasury and Housing and Urban Development to use its authority to demand better terms in real estate financing.

- Reforming the law on bankruptcy to help borrowers and encouraging refinancing.

- Implement a moratorium of 90 days in the actions of eviction for borrowers to demonstrate good faith to pay its debts.

- Provide $ 25 billion to states to help them cope with the crisis without increasing the IPTU or reduce public services.

- Provide a tax credit of 10%, paid in return for the interest of property taxpayers who do simplified declaration.

Barack Obama recorded its first fully advertisement in Spanish.

Barack Obama recorded its first fully advertisement in Spanish. It sounds as real as a note of three dollars, but worth it to stay in Florida.

Barack Obama - Most influential Man in 2008

Barack Obama was elected the most influential man in the world in 2008 in a poll whose results were published online this Tuesday. In the survey, men had to choose who most influenced their behavior, their shopping and their thoughts.

The Democratic candidate for president came first in voting by site askmen.com, before the president of Apple, Steve Jobs, and swimmer Michael Phelps, who finished in second and third places, respectively.

The Republican candidate, John McCain, was in tenth place on the list, based on 200 thousand votes from readers of the site, whose average age is 27-28 years. The winner of the last search, the English footballer David Beckham, dropped to 25th place in 2008. The survey asked men to consider not only professional success and charisma to 49 men choose their favorites.

James Bassil, editor-in-chief of the site, said the choice of Obama does not necessarily reflect support for his candidacy, but "the interest of the presidential race awakened in the United States."

Stephen Colbert, news anchor's satiric "The Colbert Report" was the only other political figure among the 10 best placed on the list of 2008, which was dominated by athletes, actors and musicians.

Check out the list of most influential men of 2008 the site askmen.com:

1) Barack Obama (candidate for president by the Democratic Party)

2) Steve Jobs (Apple's chairman)

3) Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer)

4) Robert Downey Jr. (actor)

5) Stephen Colbert (humorist)

6) Gordon Ramsay (chef)

7) Christian Bale (actor)

8) Rob Kay (creator of the video game "Rockband")

9) Cristiano Ronaldo (football player)

10) John McCain (candidate for president by the Republican Party)

Obama Set to Appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Tomorrow Barack Obama will be everywhere - first in a half hour advertisement he is planning to use for "closing arguments," then later the same night on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

This will be the Democratic presidential nominee's fourth time on The Daily Show. He first appeared in November, 2005, and again in August, 2007. His most recent appearance was on April 21, 2008 which was the eve of the Pennsylvania primary against then-presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

This was also during the time of the Reverend Wright controversy.

"The Rev. Wright controversy, the flag-pin controversy . . . Will you pull a bait-and-switch, sir, and enslave the white race? Is that your plan?" joked Stewart. To which Obama replied, "That is not our plan, Jon. But I think your paranoia might make you suitable as a debate moderator."

Later in the show Stewart mocked Obama's speaking style, by hilariously having Obama read everyday mundane phrases, turning them into pieces of inspiration.

As always, The Daily Show shouldn't let down, and I expect Obama and Stewart to be more entertaining than ever.

The Daily Show airs at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central.

World Series of Baseball Postponed for Obama

Tomorrow the Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays will be playing ball again after Game 5 was suspended due to severe rain. The game was tied at 2 in the sixth inning, with the Phillies leading the series 3-1.

But baseball fans will have to wait a half hour longer. This is thanks to Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, airing a 30-minute uninterrupted advertisement.

At Fox's request, Major League Baseball has agreed to delay the start of the game - which could decide the seven-game series - to fit in the commercial.

The teams are tentatively set to resume at 8:37 p.m. Wednesday.

Obama on TV tonight for "closing arguments"

Tomorrow is the day folks. Barack Obama will be making an appearance in millions of homes across America. He used his financial muscles to buy 30 minutes of uninterrupted advertisement time with NBC, CBS, FOX, and a another more surprising network - Univision.

Although the Obama campaign won't disclose the contents of the commercial, the Democratic presidential nominee is using the commercial to make his "closing arguments" to the entire country. This is coming at the end of his campaign race against Republican rival John McCain, less than a week away from the November 4th election date. It is set to air at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. Pacific) Wednesday October 28th.

Although most presidential candidates concentrate on a more targeted audience in key states during the closing days of an election, Obama's move is not the first of its kind. In 1992 Ross Perot famously aired a 30-minute ad during his independent presidential campaign.

What is unprecedented is the fact that Obama bought a separate 30-minute slot on Univision - the nations largest Spanish language network - a first in the history of presidential campaigns.

"Buying a half-hour on Univision is like putting a Spanish language ad on the Super Bowl -- it almost doesn't matter what you say because the main message is to say `I know you're there and I recognize you,' '' said Roberto Suro, a founder of the Pew Hispanic Center and a professor with the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication.

Tomorrow, Barack Obama will also be appearing on the popular late-night comedy programme, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which airs at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central.

Obama Says McCain Would be Worse than Bush

"John McCain has ridden shotgun as George Bush has driven our economy toward a cliff, and now he wants to take the wheel and step on the gas. When it comes to the issue of taxes, saying that John McCain is running for a third Bush term isn’t being fair to George Bush."

This is what Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said at a rally today in Chester, Pa. to a cheering crowd, gathered in the pouring rain.

"This is an unbelievable crowd for this kind of weather, thank you so much. I just want all of you to know, if we see this kind of dedication on election day, there is no way were not going to bring change to America,” he said.

At the rally Obama said that McCain is proposing a $300 billion tax cut for the wealthy and for large corporations. He went on to say that McCain supports $700,000 in tax cuts for Fortune 500 CEO's, which he hopes would eventually trickle down to the the middle-class. Obama said that McCain is not planning on any direct tax relief for the more than 100 million middle-class families.

“That’s not something even George Bush proposed," he said. "The fact is, there's only one candidate with a plan that could eventually raise taxes on millions of middle-class families, and it isn't me. It's my opponent, who'd make you pay taxes on your healthcare benefits for the first time ever."

Sarah Palin asks Alaska Senator Ted Stevens to resign

Breaking news: Sarah Palin asks Sen. Stevens to resign from the senate seat for the state of Alaska. Just as Palin was found guilty by the Alaskan commission on ethics, Stevens was also found guilty of corruption in 7 counts.

Sen. Ted Stevens, Alaska's powerful benefactor in Washington for four decades, was indicted on public corruption charges -- a development that threatens to uproot the Republican Party's hold on the state and reverberate in the rest of the country.

Even though he has being found guilty, his pension will be guaranteed for life, which is U$122,000.00 per year. Sarah Palin, with a double standard, asked Stevens to step down from the senate seat. So based on this information, she should also step down of her VP race, since she also was found guilty of an ethics scandal in Alaska.

Way to go Sarah now is your turn to step out and live your own words.

Energy Policy Dilemma - McCain vs Obama

All other issues between Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain aside, the two actually have general similarities when it comes to energy this election. They both support "energy independence" as well as a large-scale reorganization of the U.S. economy in the name of climate change. So you could say that the candidates are just different shades of green.

The Issues:

Global Warming:

Both believe it is man made. Both McCain and Obama also support the taxation and regulation on greenhouse gasses, which is one of the top priorities of the Democratic party. A "cap and trade" system is supported by both candidates, which would put an economy-wide limit on emissions that would decline every year. This would allow businesses to buy and sell permits that stand for the right to emit the gasses that are causing global warming. The business would then pass the cost down the chain eventually to the consumer.

The main difference here: McCain wants to lower emissions by 60%, while Obama is more optimistic shooting for 80%.

Cap and Trade:

McCain is more lenient. Obama is strict.

McCain would allow built-in incentives to induce behavioral changes for a postcarbon emission economy. His plan also includes offsets, which allow businesses meet emission targets by paying others to reduce carbon usage. These offsets are more market friendly but would result in fewer real emission cuts.

Obama really want to make a change, but that is going to require a much stricter stance on the environment. Here's what he wants to do:
-increase ethanol and biofuel production requirement to 60 billion gallons a year by 2030, which is 67% higher than the current goal
-double fuel economy standards for cars and trucks and require new vehicles to be flex-fuel. This means vehicles will be able to run on any blend of gasoline and ethanol
-require all new buildings be carbon neutral by 2030
-detail a ten year, $150 billion project of research, directed by the government, into alternative energy
Although it is strict, at least we will be able to catch up to countries like Brazil - a third world country, by the way - who have cars that run on gasoline, ethanol, natural gas, and diesel, or any combination of these. (And on a side note, Ford already has these flex cars in Brazil, and they are VERY popular)

Carbon Auctions:

Obama's approach is more efficient. Obama wants to auction off all permits on a "polluter pays" principle. Once the permits are out there they automatically have a dollar value and have the potential to raise trillions of dollars. this money would be used to offset and economic drag caused by the carbon crackdown, go towards Obama's "green-collar jobs" program, or to compensate South and Midwest states that would be hit hard by a cap and trade program.

McCain, on the other hand, wants to give out permits to industries, such as utilities, and introduce auctions over time.

Nuclear Power and Electricity:

McCain is all for increasing the use of nuclear power, which does not release any carbon emissions or other greenhouse gasses. He also plans on putting this on the fast track and creating 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030.

Although Obama hasn't ruled out nuclear power, he wants to ensure the safe treatment and storage of nuclear waste - think Chernobyl. Instead he wants utilities to generate 25% or more of their power from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, by 2025 through his "renewable portfolio standard."

Both want to modernize the the electricity grid through smart metering and distributed storage.

Fossil Fuels:

During McCain's 2000 presidential bid he was skeptical about increased drilling, but he currently favors expanded drilling, as seen by his "drill, baby, drill" offensive. He would also give states who allowed drilling off their coasts a share of the royalties.

As for Obama, although he opposed offshore drilling, he changed his stance in August and said he could support it if it was part of a larger environmental energy package. Obama has also called for a windfall profits tax on the American oil majors.

I love to surf, and I don't want my nice beaches ruined. If McCain wins it is almost 100% that offshore drilling will happen. If Obama wins then the Democrats will most likely reinstate the long standing moratorium on offshore drilling, which was pun in place after a large oil spill off the Southern California coast killing miles of coastal ecosystems. Energy policy - just one more reason to vote for Obama.

Could Twitter become terrorists' newest killer app?

US Army intelligence has released a draft report indicating the popular micro-blogging service Twitter as a potential terrorist tool. Although it has not actually been used in this way, the report says that, "Twitter is already used by some members to post and/or support extremist ideologies and perspectives."

Twitter has already been used by activists at the Republican National Convention:

"Twitter was recently used as a countersurveillance, command and control, and movement tool by activists at the Republican National Convention. The activists would Tweet each other and their Twitter pages to add information on what was happening with Law Enforcement near real time.”

The real time use of Twitter was showcased during the July 29, 2008, 5.4 magnitude earthquake in Los Angeles. Before any media outlets were reporting on the earthquake Twitter users already had a map of the epicenter, videos, and various accounts of the earthquake.

One Twitter user, named 'parislemon,' noted that, "It takes reporters time to set up and get the story, but Twitter turns thousands of regular people into citizen journalists — all of whom are on the scene."

The incredible real time action is what US military intelligence believe may become a threat. One Islamic extremist site discusses, for example, the benefits of "using a mobile phone camera to monitor the enemy and its mechanisms."

The intelligence report laid out three possible scenarios for terrorist use of Twitter:

Scenario 1: Terrorist operative “A” uses Twitter with… a cell phone camera/video function to send back messages, and to receive messages, from the rest of his [group]... Other members of his [group] receive near real time updates (similar to the movement updates that were sent by activists at the RNC) on how, where, and the number of troops that are moving in order to conduct an ambush.

Scenario 2: Terrorist operative “A” has a mobile phone for Tweet messaging and for taking images. Operative “A” also has a separate mobile phone that is actually an explosive device and/or a suicide vest for remote detonation. Terrorist operative “B” has the detonator and a mobile to view “A’s” Tweets and images. This may allow ”B” to select the precise moment of remote detonation based on near real time movement and imagery that is being sent by “A.”

Scenario 3: Cyber Terrorist operative “A” finds U.S. [soldier] Smith’s Twitter account. Operative “A” joins Smith’s Tweets and begins to elicit information from Smith. This information is then used for… identity theft, hacking, and/or physical [attacks]. This scenario… has already been discussed for other social networking sites, such as My Space and/or Face Book.

Some say that the functionality of Twitter could easily be recreated using SMS, carrier pigeons, and smoke signals. So I wouldn't raise the threat level to Orange just yet - because as Steven Aftergood, a veteran intelligence analyst at the Federation of the American Scientists, says, "it's important to keep some sense of proportion."