tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire/2 2008-08-29T06:35:11Z The latest news from the Huffington Post Movable Type 3.2 tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122299 2008-08-29T06:30:21Z 2008-08-29T06:35:11Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ Computer maker Dell Inc. said Thursday that its fiscal second-quarter profit fell 17%, hurt in part by lower prices and restructuring charges. The earnings were short of Wall Street estimates, and Dell shares plunged. Dell's net income dropped to $616 million, or 31 cents a share, in the quarter that ended Aug. 1, from $746 million, or 32 cents, a year earlier. Sales rose 11% to $16.4 billion, ahead of Wall Street's prediction for $15.9 billion. <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=a840961eb29b963c922e4d0188f342a5" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=a840961eb29b963c922e4d0188f342a5" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122293 2008-08-29T05:58:29Z 2008-08-29T06:04:00Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ Republican officials said yesterday that they are considering delaying the start of the GOP convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul because of Tropical Storm Gustav, which is on track to hit the Gulf Coast, and possibly New Orleans, as a full-force hurricane early next week. The threat is serious enough that White House officials are also debating whether President Bush should cancel his scheduled convention appearance on Monday, the first day of the convention, according to administration officials and others familiar with the discussion. More on John McCain <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=4f4d8e98ef1f6fb8edb89a0e47472957" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=4f4d8e98ef1f6fb8edb89a0e47472957" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122294 2008-08-29T05:53:51Z 2008-08-29T06:16:17Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ Enough! Enough of the failed policies of the Bush years - but never enough original photos from Invesco Field, where tonight Barack Obama accepted the nomination as the Democratic party candidate for president, in between chiding John McCain for not doing much to effect change over the past 26 years and failing to chase Osama bin Laden to the caves of Afghanistan (a line which the journos in the press box really liked). Anyhow! We have lots of pictures that we will post when we don't have a smoothly-organized Google/Vanity Fair party to attend -- but for now I will leave you with the view of Invesco as we raced outta there ahead of the crowds (yay beating the system!), which included glorious fireworks shooting into the sky over a jumbotron that we could still see in the distance, showing a smiling Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden. Below is proof, plus two wee videos for the "being there" experience. For more of my updates, check my <a href="http://www.twitter.com/rachelsklar">Twitter feed</a> (yeah, I'm doing it. What do you want, I need to change and get outta here). Enjoy, and we'll be bringing you much, much more tomorrow, now that this convention is finally over. Fireworks! <center><a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2008-08-29-IMG_8395.JPG"><img alt="2008-08-29-IMG_8395.JPG" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2008-08-29-IMG_8395-thumb.JPG" width="540" height="405" /></a></center> View from the 100-level seats, pre-prime time speechifying: <center><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bQxuDl3acjU"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bQxuDl3acjU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object></center> The Fierce Urgency Of Taking A Picture Now: Flashbulbs as seen from the press box <center><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xFsdqb8LkLg"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xFsdqb8LkLg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object></center> More on Democratic Convention <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=134700cac0c05bacea5625752af32b33"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=134700cac0c05bacea5625752af32b33"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=134700cac0c05bacea5625752af32b33" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122219 2008-08-29T05:39:12Z 2008-08-29T06:08:07Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ <style type="text/css">  </style> Polls have come to dominate the media's horse race coverage of political campaigns. Pundits and reporters constantly use them to tell us who's hot and who's not -- but skip over the fact that plummeting response rates and variables like undecided voters and margins of error often render these polls useless as anything other than lightweight diversions on par with horoscopes and political betting lines. Below you'll find a slew of polling, astrological, and betting information that will hopefully help the polling junkies in the media keep polls in the proper perspective. We've also updated HuffPollstrology to bring you regular takes from astrologers on the state of the presidential race. And we've included a section that digs deeper into how polls are conducted. And to make sure we're really investigating, we're going to add various blogs and articles that cast a skeptical eye on polling. Read on for lots of HuffPollstrology: <hr style="border-bottom: 1px;"> ASTROLOGER PHILIP SEDGWICK LOOKS AT THE CANDIDATES - **NEW POST 8/27**: Last night I figured it out. Obama's chart endures an exact hit from Neptune. Neptune at best offers inspiration, hope and elevation of the human spirit. On its downside, Neptune renders propaganda, misinformation, deception and lies, worry and fear. Also, Neptune works with association, proximity and reputation. Obama's not even at the DNC yet. Nor is McCain. Curiously both have risen in the polls this week. Some polls claim Obama leads. Some call a virtual tie. Others claim McCain is up big. The polls sense the reactions of the people who react to the stream of the feed provided by the media. Since Neptune spawns imaginary speculation, I can't wait until they both go above 50%. So what's up with the media? CNN persists in accusing the DNC of lacking clarity. Some MSNBC folks bait those who have worked with the Clintons to promise upstaging and usurping by Hillary and Bill. Fox is... well Fox... promoting the idea that the DNC will appoint Hillary VP. Such speculation falls under the administration of Neptune, Department of Hype, Embellishment and Worry. McCain supporters work to swift boat Obama. McCain's doing Neptune, too. McCain uses Hillary's words in his ads. There are rumors McCain might name his VP pick on the day of Obama's acceptance of the nomination. A grouping of planets surrounds McCain's chart, making the idea of stealing some Obama thunder irresistible. However, a man from a state where monsoons frequent this time of year might do well to keep in mind that thunder is always preceded by lightning. It's not clear if it's in the water, cell phone radiation interference, a lack of sleep offset by energy drinks or whatever, but the media has succumbed to Neptune. Not only does the media respond to Neptune's effect on Obama's chart, there's quite a pattern involving Neptune "up there," stirring everyone's sensibilities. Given the last seven years of psychic bombardment confirming the need to fear the future, we respond like Pavlovian dogs chasing our tails whenever the slightest negative morsel seeds the psyche. These seeds drive habituated reactions back to fear, away from hope and so distortion skews the polls. Consider Hurricane Gustav. Without absolute tracking of where it's going to go, oil prices have already risen, fearing for the oil platforms in the Gulf. Really? Is it worry about the rigs and those working them or is it hyped forecasting to permit profiting under the guise of concern? Back to reality. I've already noted what's going to happen. Unable to shake off fear, the GOP preys upon our conditioned minds to promote more fear. Hey, now we have a possible Cold War again as well as Muslim terrorists. Remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? If you don't, it was crap your pants scary. Anyway, fear works for less than one more month. It takes people time to wrap around new consciousness. As they do, GOP ratings falter followed by a contrived October surprise. Then we vote with hope and inspiration for a change. Instead of fearing if Bill would outdo Biden or if Hillary would stake her claim, flow with the inspiration. Hillary's a Scorpio and the media sold that fact short. A Scorpio always looking for the ultimate bottom line, she resurrected above any personal disappointment and went back to the bottom line. Like a Phoenix she reemerged powerful, persuasive and promising a better tomorrow if people can shed the shadows of the last two administrations and dare to dream again. Kind of ironic that she did the Phoenix thing so well in the face of a Phoenician. Since we're so media dependent, how about some movies? Voting homework of sorts. Between conventions rent and watch Bob Roberts, The Fog of War and The Girl in the CafÃ©. Let us restore truth, insightful interactions and hopefulness for humanity. I did some poll research of my own. A Harris poll reported 31% of Americans believe in astrology; of those 36% are women. Gallup results once noted that 22% of Americans believe in astrology. A Fox Poll indicated that 29% of Americans believe in astrology. In that group, Democrats lead Republicans in astrological belief by 14 points. It is evident from the tone of comments received to this post most have come from American Republican Men. Go figure. Relax guys. Neither my polling of the planets nor what I write matter. It's up to you. How will you deal with Neptune? Will you vote for fear? Or dare you vote for hope? <hr style="border-bottom: 1px;"> POLLING METHODOLOGY: ***New Polls Added, 8/20 5 PM*** HuffPost is delving into the gray area of how polls are conducted. Below is an analysis of how pollsters come up with the numbers through response rates. The definition of a response rate is taken from <a href="http://ariannaonline.huffingtonpost.com/columns/column.php?id=484">Arianna's 1998 column "Investigating The Pollsters."</a> <blockquote>The key to polling's accuracy is the principle of "equal probability of selection." But if larger and larger numbers among those randomly selected refuse to participate, this principle no longer applies.</blockquote> We asked polling companies to please give us the response and refusal rates for their polls listed below. AP/Ipsos Poll Conducted July 31-August 4 Results: Obama 47%, McCain 41% Method: Random sample of 1,002 adults across the country over five days. 833 were registered voters. "Can you please give us the response and refusal rates for your most recent national poll?": Ipsos representative: "As far as I know we don't publish response and refusal rates...We conducted the poll for the Associated Press, you'd have to ask them about releasing the response and refusal rates." Associated Press representative: "We don't have them here from Ipsos. It takes a little while for them to get those to us...I can ask them. It shouldn't take too long, but normally it takes a few days...They're not secret or anything." Gallup Daily Poll Conducted August 9-August 11 Results: Obama 47%, McCain 42% Method:2,656 registered voters polled over three days. "Can you please give us the response and refusal rates for your most recent national poll?": 14% response rate, 26% refusal rate. This is an average rate for this particular series of polls, technically defined as the CASRO rate which is similar to the AAPOR-III response rate (these definitions can be found <a href="http://aapor.org/uploads/Standard_Definitions_07_08_Final.pdf">here</a>). The Economist/YouGov Poll Full Conducted August 4-August 6 Results: Obama 42%, McCain 39% Method:Emailed panel of 1,000 adults. "Can you please give us the response and refusal rates for your most recent national poll?": A representative for YouGov wrote, "A reasonable approximation for the response rate on the Economist wave of August 4-6 would be 43%. The opt-out rate from our mailings was .4% (my best guess at a comparable statistic to refusal)." Another representative noted that due to the unique method of collecting data for this poll, the response rate is not comparable to those of other phone-based polls. Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll Conducted August 11-August 13 Results: Obama 43%, McCain 42% Method: Sample of 3,000 likely voters over three days. "Can you please give us the response and refusal rates for your most recent national poll?": A representative for Rasmussen told us, "We don't give out that information". CBS News Poll Conducted July 31-August 5 Results: Obama 45%, McCain 39% Method: Polled 1,034 --of that, 906 were registered voters. "Can you please give us the response and refusal rates for your most recent national poll?": Response rate -- 11.51%, refusal rate -- 26.54%. Both are according to the American Association for Public Opinion Research's definition of Response Rate 1 and Refusal Rate 1 (both of which can be found in <a href="http://aapor.org/uploads/Standard_Definitions_07_08_Final.pdf">this</a> PDF).  <div style="clear: both"></div> <table width="565" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr style="background-color:#e7e7e7;"> <td width="95"> </td> <td width="156" align="center" class="moo" onClick="window.location='http://www.huffingtonpost.com/'"> <img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/colheaders/polls.gif" alt="Polls" width="85" height="103" border="0" style="padding: 5px;"/> </td> <td width="156" align="center" class="moo" onClick="window.location='http://www.huffingtonpost.com/'"> <img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/colheaders/stars.gif" alt="Stars" width="85" height="103" border="0" style="padding: 5px;"/> </td> <td width="156" align="center" class="moo" onClick="window.location='http://www.huffingtonpost.com/'"> <img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/colheaders/betting.gif" alt="Betting" width="85" height="103" border="0" style="padding: 5px;"/> </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="4" class="hpoll_vs_header">Mccain vs obama in the General election</td></tr> <tr> <td width="75" class="hpoll_headshot"> <img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/headshots/mccain.jpg" alt="McCain" width="75" height="75" /> mccain </td> <td class="hpoll_poll" onClick="window.location='http://www.gallup.com/poll/109897/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Moves-Ahead-48-42.aspx'"> 42% Gallup Daily </td> <td class="hpoll_astro_wrapper" onClick="window.location='http://www.horoscopes.co.uk/'"> <div class="hpoll_astro"> <img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/signs/virgo.gif" alt="scorpio" width="30" height="30" class="hpoll_astro_image"/>VIRGO August 29, 1936 </div> It's possible that you've rubbed a Taurus or a Libra up the wrong way - or it could be that they've just fallen into 'no-one appreciates me' mood. It might be necessary to work a little 'behind the scenes' magic and show that you have been listening to their worries. Financial matters could again be a root disquiet. It's as likely though that a friend can't work with a system that makes sense to you but doesn't work for them. </td> <td class="hpoll_bet" onClick="window.location='http://www.intrade.com/'">40.0% chance of winning </td> </tr> <tr style="color: #aaaaaa;"> <td width="75" class="hpoll_headshot"> <img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/headshots/obama.jpg" alt="Obama" width="75" height="75" /> obama </td> <td class="hpoll_poll" onClick="window.location='http://www.gallup.com/poll/109897/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Moves-Ahead-48-42.aspx'"> 48% Gallup Daily </td> <td class="hpoll_astro_wrapper" onClick="window.location='http://astrocenter.astrology.msn.com/msn/'"> <div class="hpoll_astro"> <img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/signs/leo.gif" alt="scorpio" width="30" height="30" class="hpoll_astro_image"/>LEO August 4, 1961 </div> As though your petrol tank has been refuelled, you might now find energy for chores you've been avoiding. These might include a health check. General fitness - including just how up to date you are in various deals - could also be high on your agenda. An older person (but who's still very much young on the inside) could give you a useful tip. Taking the time to ensure you understand what's been said may be wis </td> <td class="hpoll_bet" onClick="window.location='http://www.intrade.com/'"> 59.6% chance of winning </td> </tr> </table> <table width="565" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-top:20px; margin-bottom:30px;"> <tr style="background-color:#e7e7e7;"><td colspan="3" class="hpoll_weather">weather report</td></tr> <tr style="background-color:#e7e7e7;"> <td class="hpoll_weather_location">East</td> <td style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/weather/partly_cloudy_grey.gif" alt="Chance of Rain" width="90" height="54" style="margin:0px; padding:0px; border:none;" /></td> <td class="hpoll_weather_city">Hartford, CT High 78F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20%</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#e7e7e7;"> <td class="hpoll_weather_location">south</td> <td style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/weather/rain_chance_grey.gif" alt="Chance of Rain" width="90" height="54" style="margin:0px; padding:0px; border:none;" /></td> <td class="hpoll_weather_city">Memphis, TN High 91F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#e7e7e7;"> <td class="hpoll_weather_location">midwest</td> <td style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/weather/sun_grey.gif" alt="Chance of Rain" width="90" height="54" style="margin:0px; padding:0px; border:none;" /></td> <td class="hpoll_weather_city">Minneapolis, MN High 83F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 10%.</td> </tr> <tr style="background-color:#e7e7e7;"> <td class="hpoll_weather_location">west</td> <td style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/huffpollstrology/weather/partly_cloudy_grey.gif" alt="Chance of Rain" width="90" height="54" style="margin:0px; padding:0px; border:none;" /></td> <td class="hpoll_weather_city">Los Angeles, CA High 83F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 10%.</td> </tr> </table> <hr /> Sources: General Election Poll: <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/109897/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Moves-Ahead-48-42.aspx">Gallup Daily Tracking</a><a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/109834/Gallup-Daily-Bounce-Obama-Post-Biden-Tracking.aspx"></a> For the Gallup Poll Daily tracking survey, Gallup is interviewing no fewer than 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide each day during 2008. The general-election results are based on combined data from Aug. 25-27, 2008. For results based on this sample of 2,723 registered voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is +/-2 percentage points. Horoscopes: <a href="http://www.horoscopes.co.uk/">horoscopes.co.uk</a> Weather: <a href="http://www.weather.com" class="style1">Weather.com</a> Betting Lines: <a href="http://www.tpmelectioncentral.com" class="style1">Intrade Prediction Markets</a> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=d63479e13b89709f92b7d5383a39c2d3" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=d63479e13b89709f92b7d5383a39c2d3" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122290 2008-08-29T05:33:38Z 2008-08-29T05:48:14Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ In an unusually heated attack on a veteran political reporter by a cable news host, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann laced into the Associated Press's Charles Babington an hour after Barack Obama had concluded his speech in Denver on Thursday night. With rare exception, nearly all of the top commentators and reporters on the three cable news networks had hailed Obama's speech as something new and powerful, and filled with specifics, and predicted it would have a positive effect on his chances vs. John McCain. This hallelujah chorus included conservatives such as Bill Kristol and Pat Buchanan and the longtime Republican David Gergen, as well as Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams. Buchanan called it the best and most important political convention speech he had ever heard, going back 48 years. More on Keith Olbermann <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=2869d72bec6c98b4b5c32558d00edec9"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=2869d72bec6c98b4b5c32558d00edec9"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=2869d72bec6c98b4b5c32558d00edec9" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122289 2008-08-29T05:29:04Z 2008-08-29T05:45:48Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ Barack Obama's campaign took a risk this week when it decided to aggressively combat an inflammatory pro-McCain television commercial put on the air on August 21 by a conservative, tax-exempt 501c4 group, the American Issues Project (AIP). The television spot highlights Obama's link to Bill Ayers, an unrepentant leader of the Weather Underground - an organization responsible for a series of 1960s and '70s bombings of facilities linked to the <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/902213,CST-NWS-ayers18.article">Department of Defense</a> and the <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8630.html">Vietnam War</a>. Determined not to be "Swift Boated" as John F. Kerry was in 2004, the Obama campaign has gone to court to seek a restraining order against AIP to prohibit further showing of the ad, and is also running its own counter commercial. As the controversy over the AIP ad has intensified, it has begun to receive extensive free media coverage on outlets ranging from <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/22/fox-ayers-ad/">FOX</a> to <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94029102">NPR</a> and across the <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=american+issues+ayers+obama&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGIH">Internet </a>raising a basic question: Has the Obama strategy backfired and produced more coverage of a controversial but virtually unknown figure, Ayers, than would have been the case if the campaign had done nothing at all? The AIP <a href="http://adspotlight.nationaljournal.com/">ad</a> goes as follows: <blockquote>(Announcer) Beyond the speeches, how much do you know about Barack Obama? What does he really believe? Consider this: United 93 never hit the Capitol on 9/11. But the Capitol was bombed 30 years before by an American terrorist group called Weather Underground that declared war on the U.S., targeting the Capitol, the Pentagon, police stations and more. (Text on screen: 'Bomb In Capitol Causes Wide Damage' -- New York Times, 3/2/71; Associated Press, 7/24/98; Wanted By Local And Federal Authorities -- Bill Ayers, Fugitive Days, 2001; Washington Post, 4/18/08) "One of the group's leaders, William Ayers, admits to the bombings, proudly saying later we 'didn't do enough.' (Text on screen: New York Times, 9/11/01) Some members of the group Ayers founded even went on to kill police. (Text on screen: "'Weather' Fugitive Is Seized In Killings' -- Associated Press, 4/17/08; New York Times, 10/22/81) But Barack Obama is friends with Ayers, defending him as 'respectable' and 'mainstream'."</blockquote> Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton argued: "The reason we responded to it was because of the fact that they were actually spending money on an attack that we weren't going to let remain unanswered. Folks aren't going to lie about Barack Obama without forceful response." Another campaign source contended that it was crucial to reply in order to demonstrate to other conservative organizations that every legal action possible will be taken and that any third party group preparing to attack the Democratic nominee will face civil court challenges, a complaint to the Federal Election Commission and, if possible, criminal charges. The president of the American Issues Project, Ed Martin, countered that his group has so far come out well ahead. "We definitely expected the ad to generate discussion in the battleground states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia in which it aired, but the attention drawn from the Obama campaign, the media and American voters has quickly raised this story to the national level," said Martin. "Sen. Obama's heavy-handed response to the ad has definitely misfired. And the more the Obama campaign attempts to bully the ad off the air with legal threats and intimidation, the more voters are wondering what he has to hide." Even on the conservative website thenextright, Soren Dayton <a href="http://www.thenextright.com/soren-dayton/what-is-obama-doing-by-foregrounding-ayers-like-that">wrote</a>: <blockquote>"I don't get it. Some outside group runs a weird, false ad linking Barack Obama to Bill Ayers. And Obama responds. But maybe they are so afraid of becoming John Kerry that they overdid it. And not just a little....This is just inexplicable. They are jumping at shadows. That doesn't make smart politics.</blockquote> A number of Republicans believe that Obama's ties to Ayers will prove very damaging to the Democratic candidate's<a href="http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2008/08/22/obama-needs-to-explain-his-ties-to-william-ayers.html."> campaign.</a> Ayers and his wife, Bernadine Dohrn, <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E4D71739F933A25751C0A963948260&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FC%2FCourts ">held an introductory fundraiser</a> for Obama at their Hyde Park home when Obama first ran for the <a href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_weatherman_connection.html">Illinois State Senate</a>. Ayers, Dohrn, Obama, and Ayers' late father Thomas G. Ayers, a longtime civic and business leader and the chairman and CEO of Chicago Con Ed (now Exelon), served on mutually reinforcing - and entirely above-board - Chicago non-profits and philanthropies, ranging from the Developing Communities Project (DCP), which hired Obama, at 24, as an organizer on Chicago's economically depressed South Side, to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/us/politics/11chicago.html?pagewanted=3">Woods</a>, <a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080519/berman">Joyce</a>, and <a href="http://globallabor.blogspot.com/2008/08/behind-annenberg-gate-inside-chicago.html"> Gamaliel </a>foundations 40 odd years after the Weather Underground <a href="http://billayers.wordpress.com/2006/04/20/weather-underground-redux/"> "flamed out"</a>. The Obama counter commercial to the AIP ad <a href="http://thepage.time.com/transcript-of-obama-ayers-ad/">replies</a>: <blockquote>(Announcer): With all our problems, why is John McCain talking about the sixties, trying to link Barack Obama to radical Bill Ayers? McCain knows Obama denounced Ayers' crimes, committed when Obama was just eight years old. Let's talk about standing up for America today. John McCain wants to spend $10 Billion a month in Iraq, tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas, selling out American workers. John McCain, just more of the same.</blockquote> Only time will tell whether the Obama campaign's strategy is correct. In a separate instance, the Obama campaign is using aggressive public tactics to crush the credibility of a hostile book, Jerome Corsi's The Obama Nation -- which despite Obama's efforts has now been on the New York Times best seller list for three weeks. At the same time, the book is receiving less media attention - and has been judged far less reliable -- than its right-wing sponsors had hoped. In this case, if surveys show that the Bill Ayers issue is getting traction and is an increasing liability to Obama, then the costs may have been higher than the benefits. If, however, no other well-financed conservative groups emerge to attack the Democrat, then the strategy may well have been worth it. More on Barack Obama <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=09855f7445c12f2d4324ea6418bf73fd" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=09855f7445c12f2d4324ea6418bf73fd" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122288 2008-08-29T05:19:35Z 2008-08-29T05:32:35Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ MUMBAI, India — The Dalai Lama was admitted to a hospital in this western Indian city on Thursday to undergo tests for abdominal discomfort, his spokesman said. "Since tests haven't begun yet, we don't know what the ailment is," Tenzin Takla told The Associated Press. "Medical tests will begin on Friday." The Dalai Lama's office in Dharmsala said Wednesday that the 73-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader was suffering from exhaustion and would cancel two planned international trips. On Thursday, Takla said he was "admitted to hospital because of some abdominal discomfort." The spokesman for Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital suggested the visit was an unscheduled one "He comes every six months for a routine checkup. Around a month ago, a checkup was conducted and he was in perfect health," Mohan Rajan told The Associated Press. The Dalai Lama will be under the care of senior surgeon Narendra Trivedi while at the hospital, Rajan said. "There is no cause for concern," he added. Takla said the Dalai Lama will spend some days in Mumbai, India's financial capital, to rest before returning to Dharmsala, where he has lived since fleeing Tibet in 1959 after an abortive uprising against China. The Dalai Lama had just returned to India from an 11-day visit to France, capping an intense few months since riots against Chinese rule broke out in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, and the subsequent government crackdown. The spiritual leader spends several months a year traveling the globe to highlight the struggle of Tibetans for greater freedom in China and to teach Buddhism. However, all of his appointments and visits for the coming three weeks have been canceled, including the trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic, said Thupten Samphel, the spokesman of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile. Since the March outbreak of violence in Tibet, China has stepped up its campaign to vilify him, blaming him for the recent unrest, which Beijing says was part of a campaign to split the Himalayan region from the rest of China. The Dalai Lama has denied the allegations, saying that he only seeks greater autonomy for the Himalayan region to protect its Buddhist culture. ___ Associated Press writer Ashwini Bhatia in Dharmsala contributed to this report. <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=bb2816f065ae2bba92848da4630e144c" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=bb2816f065ae2bba92848da4630e144c" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122285 2008-08-29T05:10:12Z 2008-08-29T05:12:44Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ SAN FRANCISCO — A former San Francisco radio talk show host and former Roman Catholic priest was sentenced to more than seven years in prison Thursday for distributing child pornography. Bernie Ward, 57, pleaded guilty in May to one count of distributing child pornography. Prosecutors said investigators found dozens of pornographic images of children as young as 3 on Ward's home computer, including masochistic images of children bound and gagged. "He traded in the currency of children's suffering," federal prosecutor Steve Grocki said. Ward, a father of four known for his staunchly liberal views, hosted a nightly radio show until the station fired him when the child pornography indictment was made public in December. A Stanislaus County woman who exchanged sexually explicit Internet messages with him called police after Ward sent her a photograph of two children engaged in a sex act. She also provided police with transcripts of a conversation where Ward said he was aroused when his daughter walked in the bathroom while he showered, according to court documents. "I find it extremely troubling that a parent would say the things he wrote in those messages," U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker said before sentencing him to seven years and three months. Ward's attorney, Doron Weinberg, had argued for five years, the mandatory minimum prison sentence. He cited numerous letters of support Ward received after pleading guilty and Ward's volunteer work. Weinberg has said Ward downloaded the child porn for journalistic research. "It's clear that it ended in a dark place," Weinberg said. "Bernie Ward is a good man." <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=4acc16829ab6c9eaf90a54a85e60d5ac"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=4acc16829ab6c9eaf90a54a85e60d5ac"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=4acc16829ab6c9eaf90a54a85e60d5ac" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122281 2008-08-29T05:02:23Z 2008-08-29T07:10:21Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ DENVER — More than 84,000 people have jammed into Invesco Field at Mile High stadium to hear Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech, city officials say. Nancy Kuhn of Denver's public works department says the figure is based on the number of credentials that were scanned as delegates, individuals and news media entered the football stadium where Obama was accepting the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night. The stadium normally holds 76,125 people, but additional seats were placed on the football field where the Denver Broncos play. <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=33c7c2bf2a620a77b6d41a76e11698f7" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=33c7c2bf2a620a77b6d41a76e11698f7" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122277 2008-08-29T04:36:00Z 2008-08-29T06:17:39Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ <a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/the-hope-we-con.html">Andrew Sullivan</a>: <blockquote>It was a deeply substantive speech, full of policy detail, full of people other than the candidate, centered overwhelmingly on domestic economic anxiety. It was a liberal speech, more unabashedly, unashamedly liberal than any Democratic acceptance speech since the great era of American liberalism. But it made the case for that liberalism - in the context of the decline of the American dream, and the rise of cynicism and the collapse of cultural unity. His ability to portray that liberalism as a patriotic, unifying, ennobling tradition makes him the most lethal and remarkable Democratic figure since John F Kennedy. What he didn't do was give an airy, abstract, dreamy confection of rhetoric. The McCain campaign set Obama up as a celebrity airhead, a Paris Hilton of wealth and elitism. And he let them portray him that way, and let them over-reach, and let them punch him again and again ... and then he turned around and destroyed them. If the Rove Republicans thought they were playing with a patsy, they just got a reality check.</blockquote> TPM's <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/211131.php">Josh Marshall</a>: <blockquote>I thought this was a very strong speech. About exactly what was needed. It was a strong speech. He made the case for himself; he laid out clear policy goals; and he aggressively set forth the stakes of the campaign. He made the case against John McCain while not attacking his character -- which makes a clear contrast with McCain's aggressively personal, denigrating campaign strategy. I've heard a few people say that he seemed to hold back from giving the soaring speech he might have given. But I suspect that was intentional and I think a good decision. Meta-themes and tonality form the deeper structure of political communication. And the aim of this speech was not eloquence but strength.</blockquote> Washington Post's <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/livecoverage/2008/08/by_chris_cillizza_and_alec.html">Chris Cillizza</a>: <blockquote>The optics of the event - the first national party convention to be held outdoors since John F. Kennedy accepted the Democratic nomination at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1960 -- were breathtaking. Television screens filled with images of Obama supporters dancing in the aisles to the tunes of Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow; a blazing orange sun set on an arid Colorado night as Obama prepared to take the stage. The speech ended with fireworks and confetti, as Obama, his runningmate, Sen. Joe Biden, and their families stood together waving to the crowd of delegates and supporters, at the climax of the Democratic National Convention.</blockquote> Senator Hillary Clinton: <blockquote>"Barack Obama's speech tonight laid out his specific, bold solutions and optimistic vision for our nation and our children's future. "His speech crystallized the clear choice between he and Senator McCain. Four more years of the same failed policies or a leader who can tackle the great challenges we face: revitalizing our economy and restoring our standing in the world. I am proud to support Senator Obama, our next President of the United States and Joe Biden, our next Vice President of the United States." </blockquote> Radar's Charles Kaiser: <blockquote>It was the perfect culmination of a convention that was just as well-choreographed as the campaign that preceded it. Obama's speech was a splendid blend of stagecraft and substance. If you read the text, it hardly jumps off the page. But in Obama's hands it came alive, particularly here: * We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. And here: * If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters. The cumulative effect of the words of Michelle, Teddy Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Obama himself should give the him a noticeable bounce.</blockquote> MotherJones' <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/08/9460_obama_acceptance_speech_democratic_convention.html">David Corn</a>: <blockquote>It was a historic speech on a historic night--in a remarkable setting. A crowd of tens of thousands of Americans, filling an entire stadium in the middle of the country, waved American flags and signs calling for "Change." Never in the nation's history had more Americans attended such an event. Never before had an African-American accepted the presidential nomination of a major party in the United States. And the speech of Barack Obama matched the moment. He connected his own history--the history of a not-quite-ordinary American family--to the mythical promise of America. His rhetoric soared--as usual--but it was tethered to reality: in particular, the stark differences between how Obama would approach the challenges the nation now faces and how John McCain would do so. Obama laced his criticism of the Bush years and the possible McCain years with a dose of populism, which gave portions of the speech a sharp edge. And he brought his pitch for hope and change down to the ground with a succinct description of policy ideas he would work for as president.</blockquote> More on Democratic Convention <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=70d4225f9dfa92f1af924675aeef4ebf" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=70d4225f9dfa92f1af924675aeef4ebf" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122271 2008-08-29T03:02:54Z 2008-08-29T04:35:47Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ A video biography of Barack Obama was shown right before he stepped on stage to accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. The clip is below. Plus: Text of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/barack-obama-democratic-c_n_122224.html">Obama's Convention speech </a>here Watch the biography video: <iframe src="http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1757643467" width="486" height="412" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> More on Democratic Convention <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=0dc5be6b2f261b448569ad5895bcefea"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=0dc5be6b2f261b448569ad5895bcefea"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=0dc5be6b2f261b448569ad5895bcefea" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122236 2008-08-29T02:59:18Z 2008-08-29T04:28:24Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ Michael Phelps spent Thursday in New York City before heading to Disneyland for a parade, California for the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/michael-phelps-to-present_n_122020.html">MTV Video Music Awards</a> and back to New York to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/27/michael-phelps-to-host-sa_n_121894.html">host Saturday Night Live</a>. While in New York <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/news/michael-phelps-to-make-cameo-on-entourage">he filmed a cameo</a> for the HBO show 'Entourage,' clothed, and stopped by a YMCA to present a donation for youth swim programs. He even hopped in the water in a speedo to teach the kids some of his gold medal moves. Scroll for pictures. <img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36424/original.jpg"> <img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36425/original.jpg"> <img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36428/original.jpg"> <img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36429/original.jpg"> <img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36431/original.jpg"> <img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36433/original.jpg"> More on Michael Phelps <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=703b8ac61043224a8e0469568f795279" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=703b8ac61043224a8e0469568f795279" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122019 2008-08-29T02:59:02Z 2008-08-29T03:33:58Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ HOUSTON — A judge in Texas has ordered the father of actress and singer Hilary Duff to spend 10 days in jail for contempt of court. Bob Duff was led away in handcuffs Wednesday during a court hearing after Judge Thomas Stansbury in Houston determined he violated an injunction against selling assets without court approval. The Houston Chronicle reported in its online edition that Bob Duff must pay into a court repository $367,537 he earned from selling stocks last month. Bob Duff's attorney Robert Piro said his client would post bond and file an appeal. Bob and Susan Duff are in the midst of a bitter divorce. Stansbury determined Bob Duff should pay Susan $12,500 for Hilary's birthday party, which was the subject of the hearing. Her mother wanted $25,000 to pay for a present and party. Neither Hilary, whose 21st birthday is Sept. 28, nor her sister Haylie were in court. <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=c5942f7c44a4d98bc72aefafe41f9745"><img alt="" style="border: 0;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=c5942f7c44a4d98bc72aefafe41f9745"/></a> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=c5942f7c44a4d98bc72aefafe41f9745" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122268 2008-08-29T02:55:00Z 2008-08-29T03:01:30Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ LOS ANGELES — David Duchovny has entered a rehabilitation facility for sex addiction. In a statement released Thursday by his lawyer, Stanton Stein, the actor said he did so voluntarily, adding: "I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family." The actor's publicist, Flo Grace, confirmed the rehab report, which first appeared on People.com. She and Stein both declined to elaborate further. Duchovny, 48, plays a sex-obsessed character on the Showtime series "Californication," which earned Emmy nominations for casting and cinematography. The show's second season begins Sept. 28. "All of us at Showtime wish David and his family the best during this very private time," the network said in a statement. The actor appeared in the film "The X Files: I Want to Believe" earlier this summer. He has been married to actress Tea Leoni since 1997. They have two children. More on Sex <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=87bce72577a8202878577f2eaa89ac65" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=87bce72577a8202878577f2eaa89ac65" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2008:/thenewswire//2.122258 2008-08-29T01:14:00Z 2008-08-29T01:18:29Z The Huffington Post News Editors http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/ Martin Luther King III spoke at the Democratic Convention. His remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below. --- While waiting to come to the podium, I could not help thinking how proud my father would be: proud of Barack Obama, proud of the party that nominated him and proud of the America that will elect him. On this day, exactly 45 years ago, my father stood on the National Mall in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln and proclaimed, "I have a dream! ... That one day, this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed." We're all children of the dream, and he is in all our hearts and minds. But not only that, he is in the hopes and dreams, the competence and courage, the rightness and readiness of Barack Obama. But my father would be quick to remind us that realizing his dream is not Barack Obama's job alone. America needs more than a great president to realize my father's dream. What America needs is a great America. Let me paraphrase my father: The ultimate measure of a nation is not where it stands in times of comfort and convenience, but where it stands in times of challenge and controversy. On some questions, cowardice asks, is a position safe? Expediency asks, is a position politic? Vanity asks, is a position popular? But, that something deep inside us called conscience asks, is a position right? Sometimes we must take positions that are neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; we must take them because they are right! If we are to be a great democracy, we must all take an active role in our democracy. We must do democracy. That goes far beyond simply casting your vote. We must all actively champion the causes that ensure the common good. In five short years, when we reflect upon the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, let us look back and celebrate our audacity to redress poverty, commemorate the hope and faith that led us to take charge of our lives and communities, and venerate our dream of life, liberty and happiness, through our renewed commitment to prevent unjust wars from ever being waged. Then let us look forward to the next 50 years as we stand together, because our potential as a people is limitless. Work together, because our ability to do good in the world is boundless. And live together, because of our values of fairness, full justice, opportunity and the majesty of the dream. On this, the 45th anniversary of the March on Washington, and in honor of the legacies of my father and of Bobby Kennedy, let us give our nation a leader who has heard this clarion call and will help us achieve the change we still need: Barack Obama. <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=8f8d4b25548b5a4455ade1355e8e1a73" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=8f8d4b25548b5a4455ade1355e8e1a73" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Text Only Options

Change the current font size: larger | default | smaller
Current color mode is Black on White, other available modes: Yellow on Black | Black on Cream
Show textual links as buttons
Do not move navbars
Open not handled documents directly
Hide Text Only Options

Open the original version of this page.

Usablenet Assistive is a UsableNet product. Usablenet Assistive Main Page.

This is a text-only page produced by the demo version of Usablenet Assistive: the actual content starts below this notice. For more details go to Lift Assistive Help Center.

Text Only Options