Headlines, 9-25-08

"Obama calls on McCain to keep Friday Debate Date," LA Times.

Either McCain has the worst campaign manager ever or he is afraid to debate Barack Obama or he truly wants to lose the election. Or, all of the above.

"NYPD investigates two officers in Taser death of naked Brooklyn man," Daily News.

The NYPD lieutenant who ordered the second officer to Taser Inman Morelas was stripped of his badge and gun and assigned to desk duty. Yet another example of persistant problems with NYPD officers' aggression towards minorities.

"Energy Drinks can cause caffine intoxication," LA Times.

Lay off the caffine. From the LA Times, "Caffeine intoxication is a recognized clinical syndrome. It is described as nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, tremors, rapid heartbeat, restlessness and pacing. In rare cases, caffeine intoxication can cause death."

"Judge Orders Mistrial in P2P Piracy Case," PCMag.com.

From PCMAg.com, "Jammie Thomas, who was ordered to pay $222,000 to a group of music labels for allegedly pirating songs using the Kazaa peer-to-peer service, has been granted a new trial...The key word and definition was 'distribution,' which both the labels and Thomas' lawyers disputed. Both sides agreed that the only copying of files in the case was by MediaSentry, a firm hired by the labels to seek out pirates. The lawyers for Thomas had argued that a copyright holder or its agent, MediaSentry, can not infringe its own copyright."

"Johnny Depp Signs on to bring back Captain Jack in 'Pirates 4,'" MTV.

Oh, please. Give it a rest. The man is 45 years old and his most famous role is a pirate with make-up and the movie is based off of a roller coaster. Time to move on.

Granite Head of Ramses II Found

Today, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities announced the finding of a gigantic granite head of Pharaoh Ramses II. Ramses II, "or Ramses the Great, came to power at the age of 25. He is most renowned for building great monuments and warring with the Hittites for 16 years. He had 100 sons and eight 'principle wives.' He may have been the pharaoh of the Exodus. He ruled for 67 years before dying when he was 92" (History Compendium). Check out the article below.

Egypt unearths granite head of Ramses II

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Egypt's antiquities council says that archaeologists have unearthed a 3,000-year-old red granite head believed to portray the 19th Dynasty pharaoh Ramses II.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities says the discovery was made recently at Tell Basta, about 50 miles northeast of Cairo.

The council's statement Thursday says the 30-inch high head belonged to a colossal statue of Ramses II that once stood in the area. Its nose is broken and the beard that was once attached to the king's chin is missing.

The site at Tell Basta was dedicated to the cat-goddess Bastet and was an important center from the Old Kingdom until the end of the Roman Period. Archeologists are still digging on the location for the rest of the statue.

New President of South Africa

Taken from the Associated Press:

Anti-apartheid activist elected South Africa president

By CLARE NULLIS, Associated Press Writer

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - An anti-apartheid activist was elected South Africa's president on Thursday, assuming what many believe will be a brief caretaker role after Thabo Mbeki was ousted in a power struggle within the ruling party.

South Africa's Parliament, which elects the president from among its members and is dominated by the African National Congress, elected Kgalema Motlanthe with 269 votes to 50 for the main opposition party's nominee.

Jacob Zuma, whose allies engineered Mbeki's ouster, watched from the public gallery. Zuma was not eligible for the presidency because he is not a member of parliament.

Motlanthe is expected to step aside after elections next year, when Zuma was expected to become president.

When the vote results were announced, members of Parliament rose to cheer, and Motlanthe gave a two-thumbs up salute to the gallery. He was sworn in shortly afterward at the presidential office in the Parliament complex.

Later he briefly address the house in measured tones that reflected his reputation as a cool, no-nonsense politician.

"I am deeply humbled and honored by the faith and confidence that the members of this assembly have in me," he said. Motlanthe stood, rocking slightly, as he recited the oath of office, pledging to "do justice to all."

The festive mood at Thursday's parliament session and swearing-in ceremony was in marked contrast to the tumultuous week in South African politics. ANC lawmakers sang anti-apartheid anthems and cheered when Motlanthe cast his vote.

Mbeki did not attend the National Assembly session and Cabinet ministers who have said they were leaving with him also were absent. Among them were the former deputy president, defense minister, intelligence and prisons ministers.

Other members of Mbeki's team have said they would be willing to serve in the next administration.

On Saturday, the ANC ordered Mbeki to quit. Urged on by Zuma's leftist allies, it acted after a judge threw out a corruption case against Zuma on technical grounds and said Zuma may have been a victim of Mbeki's political machinations.

The ANC struggled to reassure South Africa and the world there was no reason to fear instability in Africa's economic and diplomatic powerhouse.

But the situation is fragile, as was clear Tuesday when Mbeki's office announced that 13 ministers and three deputies had resigned from the 28-member Cabinet, among them the highly respected finance minister, Trevor Manuel.

South Africa's stocks and currency reeled. Only later did it become clear that six of those who resigned, including Manuel, had already told the ANC they were willing to serve in a new government. Manuel was expected to be named to a new Cabinet later Thursday.

Zuma is seen as owing his rise to support from labor, the South African Communist Party, and the ANC's increasingly impatient youth wing. But Zuma has said repeatedly he does not plan a major departure from the free market policies of Mbeki and Manuel. South Africa enjoyed unprecedented growth during Mbeki's nine-year tenure, but critics say he did too little to ensure the new wealth trickled down to the black majority.

For all the uncertainty of recent days, some South Africans say the smooth transition was a mark of the maturity of their democracy 14 years after the end of apartheid.

Muzi Sikhakhane, a Johannesburg attorney who was visiting Cape Town and among a handful of people who gathered outside parliament Thursday, said South Africans would "emerge from this stronger."

But he added: "I hope that the new leaders are not just fighting for positions, that they are fighting in order to make our lives better."

South Africans have been anticipating a shift from Mbeki to Zuma at least since December, when Zuma defeated the president in a party election for the ANC's leadership.

Tony Leon, a leading member of the opposition Democratic Alliance, called the ANC ouster of Mbeki in December "brutal, but democratic," and found reason for hope in the events following it that culminated with Thursday's election.

"South Africa's current uncertainty could, over time, lead to far less predictable and far more democratic political outcomes, not immediately, but certainly over time," Leon said in a speech to university students in Cape Town Thursday.

Steve Matomane, an 18-year-old student who also was in the crowd outside Parliament, criticized the way Mbeki was ousted. But he said he did not expect much change in the way his country would be governed.

"As South Africans we don't have to panic," he said. "I think Mr. Zuma will do a wonderful job because he was selected by the ANC and they believe in his ability, his capability."

About 40 people demonstrated in support of Mbeki outside Parliament Thursday. Mzoxolo Sume, a 42-year-old security guard, stood with a sign saying he believed Mbeki had been the victim of a "coup."

"I don't think this is in the interest in the nation," Sume said. "It's about the infighting within the ANC."

Ahmadinejad Speech and Press Conference

Here is Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the General Assembly at the United Nations as well as the subsequent press conference.

United Nations address:


Press Conference:

What's Up With the Bailout?

Who knows? I've been reading almost every article I've come across and things are still a little fuzzy:

What's going on in Congress? On Monday, there was a tangible fear that a Congress pressured by Bush, Cheney, Treasury Secretary Henry "Hank" Paulson, Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, and SEC Chairman Christopher Cox would hurry up and pass a bill without holding hearings or bothering to think about granting broad new powers to the Treasury Department and expanding next year's deficit to $1 trillion. Newt Gingrich complained that conservative voices were "silent or confused" because this fiscally irresponsible, socialist (We are basically nationalizing the financial industry here.) plan was proposed by Republican leadership.

On Tuesday, Congress woke up. Bernanke, Paulson, and Cox testified before the Senate Banking Committee. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) asked if $150 billion would be enough for now with a promise of more to come later if needed; Paulson said that would be a "grave mistake." However, compromises were made. Paulson agreed to assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure, limits on compensation for participating firms' executives, and congressional oversight of the program. He balked at the idea that the government should receive stock for helping these companies so the taxpayers could recoup their investment, saying that companies would be less likely to participate if this stipulation was made. (Never mind that that was part of the deal with the savings and loan scandal in the '80s.)

The consensus seems to be that Congress will pass a bill, just one significantly different from Paulson's original proposal.

What's happening on Wall Street?

It seems like nobody knows what's happening. On Friday, the Dow rose nearly 369 points on news that a bailout plan was being suggested. On Monday, it fell 372 points supposedly because investors had a weekend to examine the plan and did not like the lack of details. On Tuesday, it fell an additional 161 points supposedly because investors did not like the details Congress was considering. (Today, it remained relatively stable, losing only 29 points.)

How is it affecting the race for president? Hoo boy. A mere yesterday, both Obama and McCain trod softly, reluctant to make the first move. Neither had given any word about how the expensive deal would affect campaign promises. But it was clear that the bailout was becoming increasingly unpopular; by Monday night, 44% opposed the plan compared to 25% supporting. It was less clear, but the economic mess seemed to help Obama in the polls; a WaPo-ABC poll showed Obama with the first statistically significant lead in the general campaign. (Both campaigns found it hard to believe that Obama could gain 11 points on McCain in one week.)

Yesterday night, Obama said the bailout would likely delay implementing his campaign proposals as president.

And if they were reluctant to make the gambit 27 hours ago, the chess pieces are flying tonight. (Perhaps you'd prefer a poker metaphor?) First, McCain said he'd suspend his campaign tomorrow and fly back to Washington. He also asked that Friday's debate be postponed. The two campaigns agreed to issue a "joint statement outlining their shared principles," which turned out not to say much. But Obama said he'd still want to hold the debate:

With respect to the debates, it's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess. . . . In my mind, actually it's more important than ever that we present ourselves to the American people.

Are these gimmicks? Probably. But the issue could fundamentally alter the presidential race.

Ahmadinejad on Larry King

This is the interview between Larry King and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.



He may be the Iranian version of George Bush, however, he makes some valid points amid the rest. One example of this is the double standard of the US calling on the IAEA to do more investigations on Iran than in the history of the organization rather than allowing themselves to be monitored. While Ahmadinejad may not be the best at promoting positive relations between Iran and Israel to say the least, he makes a point that the US avoids which is the plight of the Palestinean people.

While there are some valid points made, Ahmadinejad doesn't disappoint American audiences. His comments regarding Iran's own human rights issues and homosexuality are still as concerning as ever.

So, what's the answer?

Diplomacy. Diplomacy. Diplomacy.

Losing a Little More

Under Michigan state law, political parties are allowed to post election challengers at polling sites to prevent voter fraud. James Carabelli, chairman of the Macomb County Republicans, might be taking the law a bit too far.

About two weeks ago, the Michigan Messenger, an arm of the Center for Independent Media, reported that Carabelli planned on dispersing lists of foreclosed homes to the election challengers to "make sure people aren't voting from those addresses." Now Carabelli claims he never said it and is suing Michigan Messenger for libel. Right...

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign and DNC filed suit against the Michigan GOP for the plan, citing in particular a state law allowing people to vote if they've lost their homes within 60 days of the election.

Obviously, voter fraud is not the primary concern of either party, but the fact that the Republican Party would discount a legitimate vote is sleazy, if not particularly surprising.

For more.