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."

Barack Obama for President

Barack Obama for President.

For those that support a healthy and safe America, make sure you vote on November 4th.

I will respect your decision on who you vote for, but this page and its creators support 100% Barack Obama. We are afraid of what the republican ticket can bring to this land.

No matter what the weather is, how long it takes, or how difficult it is to get out and vote, we are committed to making a difference and cast our vote for change.

Thank you,

Baked Panda Team

McCain Dismisses Low Poll Numbers - Warns of SuperMajority

A Newsweek poll showed Obama ahead by 13 points nationally, and also holding a lead in key swing states. In Iowa, John McCain dismissed these polls saying that his campaign is "doing fine."

"This is going to be a very close race, and I believe I'm going to win it," McCain said.

McCain has also switched campaign tactics for the 1,154th time, warning his "friends" of the terrors of a SuperMajority, with Democrats on track for sizable gains in its majority in the Senate and the House, as well as the increasing likelihood of a Democratic president.

McCain spoke of higher taxes and a bloated federal bureaucracy, "That's what's going to happen if the Democrats have total control of Washington. We can't let that happen."

The Republican presidential nominee also defended his choice of running mate, rejecting the notion that Gov. Sarah Palin is unqualified for the job.

"I don't defend her. I praise her. She is exactly what Washington needs," McCain said.

"We're going to bring change. With Sarah Palin, I'll guarantee you we'll do it a lot faster. She has inspired millions of Americans with her record of reform," he added.

This comes at a time when polls show McCain's numbers floundering and rumors from within his own campaign speaking of the ever increasing gap between McCain and Palin.

Let's see what else can possibly go wrong for McCain - at least he still has his Republican supporters - oh, wait.....

Syria Accuses US in Deadly Helicopter Attack

The United States military is currently investigating claims out of Syria saying that US helicopters based in Iraq killed eight people Sunday in Syrian territory.

SANA, Syria's state news agency, reported that five US military helicopters struck a civilian building on a farm five miles within the Syrian boarder, killing three men, the wife of a guard, and four children, before returning to Iraqi air space.

Sgt. Brooke Murphy, a U.S. military spokeswoman, told CNN: "Unfortunately, we cannot confirm anything at the moment."

The attack occurred near a Red Crescent camp for Iraqi refugees, in the town of Al-Bukamal.

Obama Endorsed by Alaska's Largest Newspaper

In a fun twist of fate, Alaska's largest newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News, has endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

The paper said Sunday that Obama "brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand."

This is just one more blow for the McCain campaign, whose vice-presidential nominee is governor of the state of Alaska. The McCain/Palin campaign has also been suffering due key Republican leaders jumping ship and endorsing Barack Obama, saying that John McCain has "stumbled and fumbled badly" in dealing with the economic crisis.

"Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it," the paper said.

And although Sarah Palin is governor of Alaska, the paper writes that, "Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency — but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and down, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation."

"Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time," the paper concluded.

Palin Pipeline Terms Created Flawed Bidding

A contract to build a 1,715 mile long natural gas pipeline came out of flawed bidding process. The contract, which was signed by Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin, was won by a bidding process that limited the bidding field to a company that has ties to the Palin administration.

The flawed bidding process slanted the terms away from an important group - the global energy giants that own the rights to the gas. And instead of creating a process that had the potential to attract many builders, Palin disqualified all other bidders for failing to satisfy the bill's stringent requirements - leaving only TransCanada.

Palin offered a multimillion-dollar subsidy to the winning bider, which members of Palin's team say was necessary because without the incentive, the pipeline may not have received any bids for the risky undertaking.

Palin's team was led by Marty Rutherford, who had been a partner at a lobbying firm that worked on behalf of a TransCanada subsidiary. Rutherford's former business partner at the lobbying firm, interestingly enough, was TransCanada's lead private lobbyist for the $40 billion dollar pipeline, and interacted with legislatures in the weeks leading up to the vote to grant TransCanada the contract. Also, a former TransCanada executive served as an outside consultant to Palin's pipeline team.

"Most definitely TransCanada got a sweetheart deal this time," said Republican Sen. Bert Stedman, who voted against the TransCanada license. "Where else could you get a $500 million reimbursement when you don't even have the financing to build the pipeline?"

"I'm not saying someone's getting paid off for a sweetheart contract, but it's very hard to ignore that this is your former partner and your former client standing there before you," said Republican Sen. Lyda Green, a Palin critic who in August was among the handful of lawmakers who voted against awarding TransCanada the license. "Every time it was mentioned to the governor or to the commission, it was like, 'How could you question such a wonderful person?'"

This shady pipeline deal goes further to question Ms. Palin's ethics in government.

McCain Adviser: "Palin is a diva"

With 10 days until the election, a crevice the size of the grand canyon is growing between McCain and Palin. Tensions between the two are growing so intense, in fact, that key aides to McCain are spilling out the details. One even went as far as to tell CNN that Palin is "going rogue."

A second McCain advisor said that she has complete disregard for the campaign McCain is trying to run and is looking out for her own interests instead. "She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.

"Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

These reports are coming out after Palin wandered over to a press group on a Colorado tarmac for an impromptu Q&A session. Tracy Schmitt tried several times to end the unscheduled session.

Some argue that Palin should be able to talk to the press at her own will, but two sources, one Palin associate and one McCain adviser, defended the decision to keep her press interaction limited after she was picked for the VP nomination. Both flatly said that she was not ready and that her missteps had the potential to be a lot worse.

McCain advisers have admitted that, "Her lack of fundamental understanding of some key issues was dramatic," and that she was probably the "hardest" to get her "up to speed than any candidate in history."

And with McCain's candidacy running on empty, his senior adviser said that "this is what happens with a campaign that's behind; it brings out the worst in people, finger-pointing and scapegoating," And now Palin may be looking out for her own future.

"She's no longer playing for 2008; she's playing 2012," Democratic pollster Peter Hart said. "And the difficulty is, when she went on 'Saturday Night Live,' she became a reinforcement of her caricature. She never allowed herself to be vetted, and at the end of the day, voters turned against her both in terms of qualifications and personally."

Parsons Corporation Spent U$72 Million on Useless Buildings in Iraq

Cost Plus contract: the more you spend, the more you earn. That is how Iraq has been managed by the Bu$h administration. How does it work? For example, Parsons Corporation will make 3% profit for the amount spent on their rebuilding Iraq efforts. The problem on this approach is that Parsons instructed their managers to spend as much as they needed, to hire as much they could. As to no surprise to anyone, they spent U$72 million dollars in useless buildings.

This is the current strategy done in Iraq. They are giving us the finger, and that is all we get. When Congress stepped in and asked to get our money back from Parsons Corp, Parsons Statement clarifies and emphasizes the middle finger in the tax payer’s face:

"I have some conjecture, but that's all it would be."

Please see this spectacular video here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/16076312/the_great_iraq_swindle

7 Ways Election Day Could Go Wrong

1. Voters could be turned away.

In the last election, there were reports of voters getting turned away at election sites. In the 2004 elections, electoral problems prevented many thousands of Ohioans from voting. In Columbus, bipartisan estimates say that 5,000 to 15,000 frustrated voters turned away without casting ballots.

It is recommended that you do not wear any Obama paraphernalia to your election site. If you do please bring a sweater that can cover it up - just in case election officials try to turn you away for passive electioneering.

2. Lack of time and money, especially in the failing economy.

Like in 2004, many new voters are registering. Many of these new voters are Obama supporters who live in poor neighborhoods. In 2004 election officials did not account for this rise, and when thousands of people showed up to vote there were not enough machines, leaving people to wait for up to five hours - sometimes in the rain - to vote.

Poor people, who are often minorities, will not have the time or money to afford taking a few hours off of work to go and vote. This could be a problem because these are the people who are likely to vote for Barack Obama.

3. College students won't get the opportunity to "Rock the Vote"

Across the country students on college campuses were unable to vote. For example, some Kenyon College students waited 10 hours to vote. "They had to skip classes and skip work," said Matthew Segal, a 19-year-old student.

Barack Obama has huge support within the college community. Especially now, when studies are showing that recent grads are the ones suffering from the economic inequality and high unemployment rates.

4. Many votes are never even counted.

In Georgia, one-third of the election districts did not record a single provisional - which are given to voters whose names do not appear on registration rolls - ballot in 2004. Studies show that minorities and poor voters cast a disproportionate number of provisional ballots.

5. Machines can be tampered with.

In Florida, ground zero for 2000's election meltdown, Democratic counties in southern Florida may have given at least 130,000 excess votes for Bush due to machinery malfunctions. Florida's touch screens also do not leave a paper trail, which Berkeley sociologist Michael Hout says he has, "always viewed this as a software problem, not a corruption problem." And went on to say that, "We'd never tolerate this level of errors with an ATM. The problem is that we continue to do democracy on the cheap."

But here is the nail in the coffin: In 2004 an electronic voting machine in Youngstown, Ohio (Mahoning County) recorded NEGATIVE 25 MILLION votes for Kerry.

6. The Bradley Effect.

The Bradley effect is named after former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African-American who ran for California governor in 1982. The exit polls had shown Bradley leading by a wide margin. But Bradley and the polls were wrong and he ended up loosing to Republican George Deukmejian.

According to the theory, leading up to election day people say that they will be voting for a black candidate - Obama - but once they enter the voting booth they vote for the white opponent - McCain.

Hopefully most Americans have moved beyond race, and will vote for the more qualified candidate.

7. And last but not least, the worst thing that could happen is John McCain and Sarah Palin actually winning on election day.

Top 5 Reasons Why the World Will End if Mccain/Palin Win

1. Sarah Palin sued George W. Bush for putting polar bears on the endangered species list, saying that it affects where oil companies can drill for oil. The Anchorage Daily News reported that she and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts.

"She's either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading, and both are unbecoming," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Alaska deserves better."

"Even the Bush administration can't deny the reality of global warming," she said. "The governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this."

2. With a vice presidential nominee who does not believe global warming is man made, and a presidential nominee who has a 1 in 5 chance of dying during his first term, the state of the world will be in trouble.

"Further global warming of 1 °C defines a critical threshold. Beyond that we will likely see changes that make Earth a different planet than the one we know." So says Jim Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

Increased deaths, displacements, and economic losses are projects due to more extreme weather events. There will be species extinction, decreased agricultural yields, and an increase in the range of disease vectors.

3. Her husband works for BP oil, so I'm sure she is very unbiased about the above complaints.

4. McCain once called his wife a cunt:

In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, who at one point playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, "You're getting a little thin up there." McCain's face reddened, and he responded, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt."

His excuse was that he had had a long day. Sorry Sen. McCain, but the president, I'm sure, will have even longer days. Is this the kind of man who should be in charge of the country?

5. Speaking of McCain's temper, he's called opponents and colleagues "shitheads," "assholes" and in at least one case "a fucking jerk."

But don't worry America, there is another man in the white house who has a temper - Dick Cheney - who once recommended Sen. Patrick Leahy to "fuck yourself."

So when you go to vote, be sure to picture four more years of hot headed Cheney, and do not vote for "McNasty." (McCain's high school nickname)

So number four and five may not bring about the end of the world as we know it, but it sure will lower even further the standing of America in the world's eye. But the first three reasons, dealing with the environment, do have a high potential to destroy the world as we know it.

US Pilot Ordered to Shoot Down UFO Over UK

On Monday secret files from the Cold War were released. In the files released the details of a pilot who was seconds away from firing 24 missiles at an object that was flying erratically.

The pilot, Milton Torres, now 77 living in Miami, said the radar gave a reading like a "flying aircraft carrier," and said it spent motionless periods in the sky before it reached speeds of more than 7,600 mph.

"I was only a lieutenant and very much aware of the gravity of the situation. I felt very much like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest," Torres said.

"The order came to fire a salvo of rockets at the UFO. The authentication was valid and I selected 24 rockets.

"I had a lock-on that had the proportions of a flying aircraft carrier," he added. "The larger the airplane, the easier the lock-on. This blip almost locked itself."

Right before he fired the object disappeared off the radar and the high-speed chase was called off.

When he returned to base he was debriefed by a man who "looked like a well-dressed IBM salesman." The unnamed man threatened Torres "with a national security breach if I breathed a word about it to anyone," he said.

The documents gave no official explanation for the event but UFO expert David Clarke said, "Perhaps what this pilot had seen was some kind of experiment in electronic warfare or maybe it was a UFO. Something very unusual happened."

Jennifer Hudson's Mother Killed, Nephew Still Missing

Neighbors of the Hudson household are saying that a few weeks ago a member of the Hudson family attempted to steal a car, an argument ensued, and the person vowed revenge. Now the body of Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were found earlier today, shot to death in their Chicago home.

Police have taken William Balfour into custody, although he is refusing to cooperate with police and will not supply any information. Balfour is currently on parole after serving jail time for attempted murder.

Still missing is Hudson's nephew, 7-year-old Julian King, pictured in the photo above.

Rich-Poor Gap Widens in Europe and North America

The gap between the rich and the poor is widening according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which spans 20 years and 30 countries. Here are the facts:

• The U.S. has the greatest inequality in the OECD after Mexico and Turkey -- and the gap has grown rapidly since 2000. The richest 10 percent of Americans earn an average of $93,000 (highest in the OECD) - whereas the poorest 10 percent of Americans earn an average of $5,800 (about 20 percent lower than the OECD average).
• Since 2000, income inequality has grown fastest in Germany, although Germany's gap remains below the OECD average.
• British inequalities have been falling since 2000, but the rich-poor gap there is still wider than in three-fourths of OECD countries.
• The rise in inequality is generally due to the rich improving their incomes relative both to low- and middle-income people.
• Older people are much less likely to be poor than in the past. Poverty has shifted from pensioners to young adults and families with children.

So not only is the gap between the rich and poor growing, but the middle class is now stagnating. And yet people are complaining about Obama wanting to spread the wealth. This is not socialism, it is called a GOOD IDEA. America is supposed to be a country based on the availability to freely move between social classes. The American Dream will die with a McCain/Palin victory.

Sarah Palin Mocks Scientific Research to Cure Autism

This morning vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin gave her first policy speech. She used this time to urge the federal government to fully fund Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), saying that, "Early identification of a cognitive or other disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference."

She then went on to say that the amount that Congress spends on earmarks “is more than the shortfall to fully fund IDEA.” And followed that up by ridiculing the projects saying that they, "really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not."

The problem is that she is totally unaware that scientific research done on fruit flies has led to important discoveries that have boosted autism research. This was seen at a study conducted at he University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, which by the way Mr. Palin is not in Paris, have shown that, "a protein called neurexin is required for..nerve cell connections to form and function correctly. The discovery, made in Drosophila fruit flies may lead to advances in understanding autism spectrum disorders, as recently, human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism."

The study of fruit flies has also been used in other forms of research and, according to ScienceDaily, has "revolutionized" the way birth defects are studied and identified.

This just goes to show how out of touch Ms. Palin really is. She has a child with autism yet publicly criticizes the people and funds that go towards bettering the lives of developmentally disabled people - I kid you not.

Obama Visits Grandmother - Creates Melancholy Biography Tour

For the past twelve months Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has been watching her grandson from afar, glued to a television screen in Hawaii. She can't travel so she had a corneal transplant in order to glue herself to CNN to watch as her grandson makes history. Now Obama is back in Hawaii visiting his gravely ill grandmother, and it may be his last time to say goodbye.

It is unusual for a presidential candidate to leave the campaign trail only eleven days before the election, but Obama said that his trip was non-negotiable. He had missed his chance to say goodbye to his mother in 1995 and did not want to make the same mistake with his grandmother, who remains a main fixture in his life.

Obama's grandmother, whom he calls "Toot" short for Tutu - grandma in Hawaiian - played an integral part in his campaign with her American roots. She worked on B-29s in Wichita while her husband fought in World War II.

“My grandparents held on to a simple dream, that they would raise my mother in a land of boundless dreams,” Mr. Obama said. “I am standing here today because that dream was realized.”

In August, as Mr. Obama prepared to accept the Democratic nomination, he delivered a long-distance message to his grandmother in a televised speech.

“Thank you to my grandmother, who helped raise me and is sitting in Hawaii somewhere right now because she can’t travel, but who poured everything she had into me and who helped to make me the man I am today,” Mr. Obama said. “Tonight is for her.”

We wish the Obama family and friends well, and hope to see "Toot" live to see her grandson in the White House.

Ashely Todd Admits to Making up Political Attacker Story

What did I tell you - Ashley Todd, the woman who said she was attacked by a man after he saw a McCain/Palin bumper sticker on her car, was making the whole story up.

Assistant Police Chief Maurita Bryant said that, "She is stating that she was in her vehicle driving around, and she cam up with this idea. She said she has prior mental problems and doesn't know how the backward letter 'B' got on her face." Todd, however, was the only one in the vehicle, and "when she saw the 'B; she thought she must have been the one who did it." Bryant said.

Bryant reported that Todd came clean this morning when she arrived to create a composite sketch of her attacker. She entered into the police station and told officers, "I just want to tell the truth." 

It sucks that she took up so much time and the story was so widely covered. Hopefully she will get some help, it seems like she needs it.

If Elected, John McCain may not survive his first term

Scientist John Alam, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, physician with 17-years in clinical research who now works as a biotechnology consultant, says that John McCain may not survive his first term in the white house. Alam says McCain has a 1 to 5 chance, or 6% per year (22% over 4 years) that he may become inapt to to his job as The United States president.

According to Alam, his research is independent and not influenced by his political views. It is common for a relapse in John McCain’s clinical situation, and added that to his age, his chances of being alive and ready to respond to the incredible pressures posed as part of his job are not that promising.

For comparison, a quick web search reveals the odds of dying in the US of other causes, natural and unnatural:
* Heart disease (lifetime) 1 in 5
* Poisoning (lifetime): 1 in 180
* Firearm (lifetime): 1 in 324
* Car accident (lifetime): 1 in 247
* Bicycle accident (lifetime): 1 in 4,472
* Defenestration (lifetime): 1 in 6,422
* Venomous plants and animals (lifetime): 1 in 46,539
* Legal execution (lifetime): 1 in 72,494
* Lightning (lifetime): 1 in 81,949
* Fireworks (lifetime): 1 in 1,884,832
* Shark (annual): 1 in 8,000,000

Palin Stylist Draws Higher Pay than Policy Adviser

This expenditure report shows what the priorities are over the republican party of Sarah Palin.

The hypocrisy of Srah Palin goes one step further on the last according to campaign finance reports for the first two weeks in October. According to the reports, Amy Strozzi, who works on the reality show "So You Think You Can Dance" and has been Palin's traveling stylist, was paid $22,800. Thet is more than McCain's foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, was paid $12,500, the report showed.

Each day I watch such news I become more discussed with Gov. Palin. She shows complete disregard for tax payers dollars in her day to day life. On top of that, she denies publicly that she has not spent all this money (including the U$150,000 in clothes), thinking that the American public is idiot.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune and Fox News on Thursday, Palin said the clothes bought for the Republican National Convention were not worth $150,000 and said most have not left her campaign plane. She also said the family shops frugally.
"Those clothes are not my property. We had three days of using clothes that the RNC purchased," Palin told Fox News in an interview that aired Thursday night.
We are about 2 weeks of the elections 2008. Please vote smart. Vote for change.

Asha Mandela Pictures

She has been growing her dreads for over 20 years. Now, at almost 9 feet long, Asha Mandela is about to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for the Longest Dreadlocks, the first entry in a new category.

It must be amazing to live and manage such a gigantic amount of hair.

Also below ,is the picture of MaVynee Oshun Betsch, also known as the known as "The Beach Lady and the unofficial mayor of American Beach, has made it her full-time mission to protect her community: physically, culturally, spiritually, and historically. Her dreads are almost 7 feet long, so you can have an idea.

Hu Jia Selected for Sakharov Prize Despite Beijing Warning

Hu Jia, one of China's best know dissidents, now joins the ranks of Nelson Mandela and the East Timorese leader, Xanana Gusmaowas, by being selected for the Sakharov prize. Hu was chosen despite Beijing's warning to the European Union that his selection would damage political ties.

"Hu Jia is one of the real defenders of human rights in the People's Republic of China," said Hans-Gert Poettering, president of the European parliament.

Hu was imprisoned amid subversion charges before the Olympic games. Many human rights campaigners called this part of a coordinated crackdown on activists. His wife, Zeng Jinyan, and their child have also been under house arrest.

Despite being under lock down, the family welcomes the prize, saying "It is also a [sign of] approval of his work. I guess he must be very glad if he knows about it." The prize was accompanied by 50,000 Euro.

Last week China's ambassador to the EU wrote: "If the European parliament should award this prize to Hu Jia, that would inevitably hurt the Chinese people once again and bring serious damage to China-EU relations."

Since naming Hu as the winner, a spokesman for the foreign ministry has said: "To issue an award to such a criminal is interference in China's judicial sovereignty and totally against the initial purpose of this prize."

Hopefully this story will bring attention to the low human rights standards that many in China face, and will bring attention to those people who are being punished and imprisoned for speaking out against the Chinese government.

Do Sharks Have Eyelids? - T-Mobile Commercial Answers

-Do sharks have eyelids? Sharks have eyelids, but they do not blink because the surrounding water cleans their eyes.

-Do monkeys make good pets? Although monkeys are sweet as babies, they grow up into difficult adults. Monkeys are too social and intelligent to make good pets and also require wide open spaces.

-Do twins have the same fingerprints? No

-What's really in a hot dog? According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council:

"All hot dogs are cured and cooked sausages that consist of mainly pork, beef, chicken and turkey or a combination of meat and poultry. Meats used in hot dogs come from the muscle of the animal and looks much like what you buy in the grocer's case. Other ingredients include water, curing agents and spices, such as garlic, salt, sugar, ground mustard, nutmeg, coriander and white pepper."

But take note that if you see "with varity meats" or "with meat by-products." This means that things like liver, kidneys and hearts, may be used in processed meats like hot dogs.

Microsoft bug surfaces - Attack code is released

Microsoft took the unusual step of rushing out an emergency patch for the flaw Thursday, two weeks after noticing a small number of targeted attacks that exploited the bug.

The vulnerability was not publicly known before Thursday; however, by issuing its patch, Microsoft has given hackers and security researchers enough information to develop their own attack code.

The flaw lies in the Windows Server service, used to connect different network resources such as file and print servers over a network. By sending malicious messages to a Windows machine that uses Windows Server, an attacker could take control of the computer, Microsoft said.

"Politically Motivated" Mutilation - Real or Hoax?

Ashley Todd, the woman who said she got robbed, then beaten down after the attacker saw a McCain/Palin bumper sticker, and finally had a "B" carved into her face is starting to look suspicious.

Pittsburgh law enforcement sources say they are seriously questioning the authenticity of the alleged victims story. Law enforcement are conducting a thorough investigation because parts of her story don't add up.

I find it interesting that the B is carved into her face as a mirror image, making me think that she cut it into her own face in front of a mirror. A classic idiot move - which wouldn't shock me coming from someone sporting a McCain/Palin sticker. She is also a Texan - surprise surprise.

Republican National Committee Terrorist Mail

The Republican National Committee has sunk to a new level. They are now sending out a mail piece that says "Terrorists" on the front and opens to a big picture of Barack saying "Not Who You Think He Is."

John McCain -- who promised to run a respectful campaign -- said that he was "absolutely" proud of it.

This is vile and disgusting!!!

Marijuana Decriminalization in Massachusetts

Voters are leaning towards decriminalizing marijuana in Massachusetts with Question 2 on the ballot for the November 4th election.

Fifty-one percent support the measure, which would decriminalize marijuana use, while 32 percent oppose it, and 16 percent are undecided. The proposal would replace the criminal penalties for possessing up to one ounce of marijuana with a civil fine of $100.

The Massachusetts police have been mobilizing support against Question 2, closing the gap from an August poll which showed 72 percent of likely voters supporting decriminalization. The question remains if the boys in blue can get enough support in the next 12 days to overcome the current 19 point deficit.

There have been other states that have tried to decriminalize marijuana use and possession. Nevada once had a similar measure on the ballot. Polls showed it passing by a large margin, but failed on election day. Hopefully Massachusetts will be able to pull it off. I don't think someone with huge potential should have their life ruined by smoking an herb that has been proven to be safer and more healthy than alcohol use.

State Polls Show Obama Surge

Although National Polls show Obama's lead shrinking to just 4 points, state polls show Obama surging ahead, especially among independent voters. The latest survey in Indiana, the Big Ten Battleground Poll, gives Obama a 10-point lead over Senator McCain - 51 percent to 41 percent. In Florida the Quinnipiac University poll is giving Obama a 5-point lead in a state that had voted Bush into office by little over 500 points.

The Quinnipiac and Big Ten Battleground state polls show Obama surging to sizable leads in several key states including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin as well.

Obama is taking time off of the campaign trail until Saturday to visit his gravely ill grandmother in Hawaii. But for both candidates the next week and a half will be focused on campaigning in a relatively small number of states, known as swing or battleground states.