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Jyoti basu is dead

Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

Saturday, October 10, 2009

SAVE the MOON!


SAVE the MOON!
 
Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 399
 
Palash Biswas
 
 
 

NASA Moon Bomb Stirs Up Cloud

InformationWeek - Paul McDougall - ‎16 hours ago‎
Microsoft will store data on its WorldWide Telescope site, while Google will archive it on Google Moon. NASA Friday reported that, as planned, ...

One big step for India, a giant leap for mankind

Times of India - Srinivas Laxman, Prashanth Gn - ‎Sep 24, 2009‎
``The real significance of this mission is that it surveyed the entire moon. Nasa's Apollo manned missions between 1969 and 1972 did not find any water at ...
NASA finds signs of water on moon United Press International

Mooning over crash-landing

Times of India - Srinivas Laxman - ‎14 hours ago‎
... towards the moon, the audience could see real-time action in the LCROSS mission operations control room and the science operations room at Nasa's Ames ...
apnewsalert The Associated Press

Search for water just lunar-cy?

The Sun - Richard Hollis - ‎9 hours ago‎
The conspiracy is in fact bigger than anyone ever imagined, as Mickhowes reports: "There's no such thing as the moon! NASA made it up so they could pretend ...

Will peace now get its Obama moment?

Economic Times - ‎11 hours ago‎
Never mind the prize was announced on a Friday, when American space agency NASA decided to bomb the moon. No one has won a Nobel before for cracking the ...
It's your call Oct. 10, 1009 St. Joseph News-Press

NASA probes give moon a double smack

红网 - Sharon Lee - ‎8 hours ago‎
NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and its Centaur booster rocket are on course to crash into the moon in this artist's ...

Widespread Water Found on Surface of Moon

Voice of America - I'm Shirley Griffith - ‎Sep 29, 2009‎
NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper provided the most recent evidence. It was one of eleven scientific devices carried by the Chandrayaan-One spacecraft of the ...

Rush Limbaugh Exaggerates, Upset Over nasa's "Bombing Of The Moon"

NEWS JUNKIE POST - Dolores M. Bernal - ‎Oct 8, 2009‎
Rush, however, effectively exaggerated nasa's mission. "We are going to bomb the moon. NASA, Friday, tomorrow, we're going to bomb the moon, ...

NASA: Lunar orbiter begins mapping, studying moon surface

Computerworld - Sharon Gaudin - ‎Sep 18, 2009‎
The craft is orbiting about 31 miles above the surface of the moon, which is the closest that any spacecraft has orbited the moon, NASA said. ...

US NASA Missile Slams Moon, Warning For Iran By US, Israel On Nuclear Weapons?

Israel News Agency - Joel Leyden - ‎13 hours ago‎
NASA in a search to discover if there's water on the moon, bombed the moon today with a rocket weighing some 2.2 tons, carrying the destructive force ...
Prize for Obama, surprise for world

Washington, Oct. 9: When Barack Obama was picked today as the Nobel laureate with the least accomplishments in the entire history of the prize, not very far from the White House was another Nobel Peace Prize winner who has made India his home: the Dalai Lama.

In an ideal world, the Dalai Lama would meet, greet and welcome the newest member of what is arguably the world's most exclusive club, especially since the two men have worked for peace in the Nobel Committee's assessment.

But that will not happen. Although the Dalai Lama is spending a week in Washington, his itinerary will not include a meeting with the US president because Obama, unlike his predecessor George W. Bush in 2007, does not want -- or perhaps cannot afford -- to annoy the Chinese.

That, in a nutshell, sums up one of the many contradictions in the somewhat bizarre decision today to award Obama the Nobel Peace Prize after he has been US president for just about nine months and before that a mere incomplete one-term US Senator.

Unlike two other sitting US presidents who got the Nobel before Obama, Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919, the world in which Obama's award has to be seen as deserving, is a very different one.

Nothing underscores this as Obama's unwillingness to meet the Dalai Lama in the face of China's rising big power status.

When a subdued Obama appeared before reporters this morning to make a statement on his award, it was clear that Obama was painfully aware of this predicament.

Supremely humble and modest in his crowning achievement, Obama frankly admitted that he did not deserve the Nobel and be in the company of the illustrious awardees who have preceded him.

But he put the best face on it in the context of anticipated domestic criticism by saying that "I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century".

Obama also addressed another contradiction in the award by suo motu acknowledging that although his award was for peace, he was commander in chief of an army that was engaged in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ironically, later in the day when the Peace Prize was conferred on him, Obama will be taking a key meeting that will decide how to expand the war in Afghanistan.

"We have to confront the world as we know it," he rationalised.

The chairman of the Republican Party, Michael Steele, dismissed the award for the president and argued that he won the Nobel because of his "star power", not because of any worthwhile accomplishments.

"The real question Americans are asking is, what has President Obama actually accomplished?" Steele said.

That sentiment was echoed by another Nobel Peace Prize winner, former Polish President Lech Walesa. "What? So quickly? He has no contribution so far…. He is still at an early stage. He is only beginning to act," Walesa said.

But elsewhere, reaction was welcoming. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, described the award as the embodiment of the "return of America into the hearts of the people of the world".

The award will be seen by many as the Nobel Committee's judgement on Bush, who is seen abroad and by many in the US as America's worst President ever.

The very first item that Obama mentioned when he spoke to reporters today was on the need to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to more nations and the urgency of eliminating all nuclear arsenal.

Another item that figured today was climate change. India and the US are not on the same page on either issue.

That sets the stage for a curiously interesting meeting between Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when the latter goes to the White House at the end of next month.

Obama can now talk about any differences with India with the moral authority of someone who has been recognised with the highest global award for peace. So far he has always deferred to Singh for whom Obama is known to have very high regard.

Obama's surprise award hit Washington early morning as Americans were preparing for an extended weekend because of Columbus Day, a national holiday on Monday.

Most people received the news with a mixture of incredulity and disbelief.

A succession of TV commentators appeared on news programmes with a common thread of argument that Obama had been given an 'A' grade before he had taken the test.

One commentator pointed out that his report card in office read "Incomplete" because the President had not completed even a full year in office before being judged.

Whose Property is the MOON ? What right the UNITED States has to launch a WAR against it and lo, we do Clap on theis Galaxy Capture War beginning with Npbel Peace for the Greatest War Monger Emerging?
 
Hindutva forces ZIONIST  feel GA GA as US President, Barack Obama, would celebrate Diwali "the festival of lights" along with other members of the community at the White House next week.

"At the East Room ceremony, the President will observe Diwali, or the "Festival of Lights," a holiday celebrated across faiths," the White House announced yesterday evening.

It came along with the announcement that Obama on October 14 will also sign an Executive Order restoring the White House Advisory Commission and the Interagency Working Group to address the issues concerning the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Though Diwali celebrations in the White House were started by Bush during his presidency, but he never personally participated in the celebrations, leaving his top Administration officials to grace the occasion.

Also Diwali was not celebrated in the main White House, but in the building attached to the White House.
 

Hours after being named a Nobel peace laureate, President Barack Obama Friday shouldered his duties as commander in chief of the US armed forces and convened his war council for crucial talks on Afghan strategy.

 

ibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama congratulated US President, Barack Obama, on being awarded the Noble Peace Prize for the year 2009.

The exiled Tibetan leader, who is currently on a visit to Washington, said in a letter to Obama written today that he was pleased that the Nobel Committee had "recognised your approach towards resolving international conflicts through the wisdom and power of dialogue."

The Norwegian Nobel Committee stated that Obama has "created a new climate in international politics" where "dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts."

In his letter, the Dalai Lama said, "The Committee has rightly noted your efforts towards a world without nuclear weapons and your constructive role in environmental protection.

 

Americans should be grateful that President Barack Obama is taking time to decide the United States' future role in Afghanistan, Obama's closest adviser told a Nebraska audience Friday night.

 

"We've tried it the other way, and we all know it didn't work," White House strategist David Axelrod said.

 

Axelrod arrived a little late for his planned lecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln because, he said, he spent the day with the president discussing the conflict. The university announced the delay Thursday.

 

Early Friday morning, Axelrod learned of another event that took up his time: His boss won an unexpected Nobel Peace Prize, which dominated the national news cycle.

 

Obama gathered his top political, military, and security aides in the secure Situation Room of the White House for the fourth in a series of in-depth consultations on rescuing the US mission in the unpopular eight-year war.

 

"The president had a robust conversation about the security and political challenges in Afghanistan and the options for building a strategic approach going forward," an administration official told AFP.

 

Obama "looks forward to continued discussion on Wednesday," the official said.

Obama was scheduled to be briefed by Afghan war commander General Stanley McChrystal on his report warning that the US counter-insurgency mission in Afghanistan could fail within a year without more troops.

 

The meeting came amid more suggestions of tension between the White House and top military brass on the best way forward.

 

Describing India as "an important ally", the White House has noted that the US continues to be engaged with the Indians to bring about peace in an important region of the world.

"I think it goes without saying that India is an important ally," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Friday when asked if after winning the Nobel Peace Prize President Barack Obama, who has often mentioned Mahatma Gandhi in his speeches, would work harder than ever for global peace, including in the Indian subcontinent.

Referring to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's upcoming visit next month, the spokesman noted that after Obama returns from his trip to Asia, "We will have... an important event here at the White House - the president's first state dinner."

"And obviously we continue to be very engaged with the Indians to bring about peace in obviously an important region of the world," Gibbs said.

Asked if the prize will give new momentum to the climate bill at home and increase the chances of a successful conclusion of the Copenhagen round of talks in December, he said: "It's important for the world to understand that the US is taking, granted, long overdue but important, steps to ensuring that we're part of that solution."

But "the challenges that we have are not going to be solved by one man, they're not going to be solved by one nation, unless or until other developing nations - the Chinese, the Indians, the Brazilians - also come to that larger table with solutions that are not just voluntary but that embody, again, international collective action to address that issue," Gibbs said.

"Obviously the president has promised and staked his belief that it is important to do this, and we will continue to work on it through the end of the year," he said adding: "If it happens, we'd certainly be proud to do that and go to Copenhagen with it."

Asked if the peace prize and a poll showing that the United States' standing in the world has improved dramatically since Obama was elected said something about former president George Bush's standing in the world, Gibbs said: "Well, I'll leave (that) to the myriad of pundits."

The spokesman said he would reiterate that re-establishing "US leadership in the world through reengaging the world in active diplomacy on issues like nuclear non-proliferation, on climate change, on peace in the Middle East - that is a good thing both here for our safety and security.

"And it's a good thing for the world in the ideals that we hope to achieve and that are shared by billions on the planet. And I think it's something the president is enormously proud of."

 

On Thursday, the White House made a clear distinction between Al-Qaeda and the lesser threat they say is posed to US security by the Taliban, fueling suspicion that Obama was leaning away from sending tens of thousands more troops to Afghanistan to escalate the counter-insurgency.

 

Hours later, in a leak to the Wall Street Journal, it emerged that McChrystal had offered the president several alternative options, including a maximum injection of 60,000 extra troops.

 

That figure is more than the previously reported 40,000-strong deployment that McChrystal apparently prefers.

 

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that Friday's meeting could be followed by more than one meeting before the president makes a decision on strategy, still several weeks away.

 

The Taliban scoffed at Obama's shock Nobel prize award on Friday, suggesting his policy towards Afghanistan barely differed from that of ex-president George W. Bush.Related article: Obama urged to spur peace

 

"We have seen no change in his strategy for peace," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic fundamentalist militants.

"He has done nothing for peace in Afghanistan," Mujahid told AFP. "He has not taken a single step for peace in Afghanistan or to make this country stable."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has seen his stock diminish in the United States amid election fraud allegations, immediately congratulated Obama on Friday, saying he was the "appropriate" person to win the peace prize.

"His hard work and his new vision on global relations, his will and efforts for creating friendly and good relations at global level and global peace make him the appropriate recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize," Karzai spokesman Siamak Hirai told AFP.

On Thursday, Gibbs said there was "clearly a difference" between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. He said Al-Qaeda was as an "entity that, through a global, transnational jihadist network, would seek to strike the US homeland."

"I think that the Taliban are obviously exceedingly bad people that have done awful things. Their capability is somewhat different, though, on that continuum of transnational threats."

The White House comments on the Taliban came after the group said Wednesday it did not pose a direct threat to the United States.

Officials denied a policy shift, saying that as far back as March, Obama had made a distinction between core Taliban fighters allied with Al-Qaeda and forces loyal to local commanders who had been coerced or paid to fight.

The United States and its allies launched air strikes eight years ago against the Taliban in Afghanistan, after it provided a haven for Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network to plan the September 11 attacks against the United States in 2001.

Should Obama decide to refocus the fight against Al-Qaeda, he would have to rely heavily on US anti-terror ally Pakistan to help stamp out the group on its own territory, and count on current or slightly increased US troop levels to keep bin Laden's group from returning to Afghanistan.

The United States has stepped up strikes by unmanned drones on top Al-Qaeda targets in lawless areas of Pakistan in recent months.

Those who advocate a strong counter-insurgency believe any return to prominence by the Taliban would inevitably mean a new haven for Al-Qaeda.

Obama's meeting Friday included Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, McChrystal via video link, top military officers and the US ambassadors to Islamabad and Kabul.

 

 
Warmonger wins Nobel prize

By Paul Craig Roberts
 
The non-cynical can say that the Nobel committee is seizing on Obama's rhetoric to lock him into the pursuit of peace instead of war. We can all hope that it works. But the more likely result is that the award has made "War is Peace" the reality.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23681.htm
------------------------------
Peace of the Action
 
By Cindy Sheehan
 
I had just walked back into my hotel room yesterday after chaining myself to the White House fence and being arrested, when I saw White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, say that removing troops from Afghanistan was "not an option."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23685.htm
 
===
 
Obama's Nobel Peace Prize
 
By Thomas DiLorenzo
 
I'm still surprised, though, that he won the prize after killing so few people.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23676.htm
 
US budget deficit to hit 1.4 trillion dlrs in 2009: CBO

WASHINGTON — The US budget deficit is expected to hit a record 1.4 trillion dollars in 2009, some 950 billion dollars greater than the shortfall recorded last year, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.

Congress's non-partisan financial watchdog said the forecast federal deficit for the fiscal year that ended in September was the highest shortfall -- relative to the size of the economy -- since 1945.

The deficit resulted from both declining revenues and increased spending, stemming mostly from aid to the financial system and fiscal stimulus to jolt the world's largest economy from a prolonged recession, the CBO said.

Revenues in 2009 were almost 420 billion dollars or 17 percent below receipts chalked up last year, the lowest level in over 50 years, it said.

At the same time, outlays increased by over 530 billion dollars or 18 percent in 2009 to the highest level also in over half a century.

The federal deficit in 2008 was 459 billion dollars.

The deficit estimates were based on data from daily statements from the US Treasury and CBO projections.

Treasury officials said they would report the actual deficit in the middle of this month.

The White House projected in August that the 2009 fiscal budget deficit would reach 1.58 trillion dollars.

It also estimated a whopping 9.05-trillion-dollar deficit for the 2010-2019 period, a two-trillion-dollar increase from the February estimate made a month after President Barack Obama entered office and inherited a gaping deficit from his predecessor, George W. Bush.

The CBO said the federal government recorded a deficit of 31 billion dollars in September, compared with a surplus of 42 billion dollars in the same month last year.

"Quarterly payments of estimated individual income taxes and corporate income taxes typically result in a surplus for September; however, lower revenues and increased spending resulted in the 12th consecutive month of budget deficits," it said.

 
 
Obama won't allow India to expand weapons programme

Distilled from the legalese is the commitment that the US and the NSG will not allow India to in any way enhance its weapons-making capability riding on the civilian nuclear deal.

Obama: Prosperity in India opens new mkt for US

President Barack Obama said that prosperity in India and China is good for US as it opens new markets for them and pushes their businesses.

Obama praises Bernanke, hedges on a second term

Bernanke, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, a Republican, became Fed chair in February 2006.

Buckle up, Indians and Chinese are coming: Obama

US President has exhorted his countrymen to buckle up as the Indians and Chinese are catching them fast, as Americans have now settled into mediocrity.

It will take considerable time to end crisis: Obama

Obama offered the candid assessment in announcing plans to speed up stimulus spending to save or create 600,000 jobs over the next 100 days.

New Obama 'czar' to thwart cyber spies, hackers

Obama's plan comes as gangs of cyber criminals, foreign intelligence services reportedly including China and Russia increasingly prey on US networks.

Obama names T Roemer as ambassador to India

Roemer was a former September 11 commissioner endorsed Obama during his primary campaign and was a strong advocate of Obama's foreign policy approach.

100 days later, is the US stimulus paying off?

So far, it has saved or created nearly 150,000 jobs, a relatively small impact on an economy that is still losing hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Obama names Preet Bharara as US attorney

Born in Punjab, Bharara immigrated to the US with his parents in 1970 and became a US citizen 10 years later.

Restructuring automakers, AIG difficult: Obama

Obama said the US faced a long slog in finding its way out of the economic and financial tumult battering the country.

Obama's IMF pledge could be tough sell in US

The IMF could receive up to $500 billion in new funds, of which $40 billion would come from China.

Obama hails G20 summit as turning point

World leaders pledged $1.1 trillion in loans and guarantees to impoverished countries and agreed to crack down on tax havens.

Taking the global stage: Obama seems everywhere

Who's to blame for the global crisis? Obama acknowledged US mistakes but also defended America's leadership and its economic model.

Geithner unveils financial system overhaul

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said sweeping new "rules of the game" are required to make sure the financial system is regulated tightly enough that it cannot again threaten the entire economy.

Obama to tighten screws on Wall Street: Officials

The proposals are part of a tough regulatory response by the Obama administration to the 18-month-long financial crisis. 2008 turned financial heroes to zeroes

 
 
 
 
 
Top honour for Obama draws cheers and jeers world over

The surprise Nobel Peace Prize for US president Barack Obama drew criticism as well as praise.

Give him Nobel violence prize: Taliban

Afghanistan's Taliban mocked the Nobel to Obama, saying he should get a Nobel prize for violence instead.

Barack: This isn't how I expected to wake up

US president Barack Obama said he felt humbled to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

No customary wake-up call for Obama

Barack Obama did not get the customary phone call from the Nobel Committee.

Gandhi tops seven who should have won Nobel Peace Prize

Mahatma Gandhi tops the list of seven people who never won the Nobel Peace Prize "but should have" in the opinion of prestigious Foreign Policy magazine.

Science bonds Nobel winner Venky's family

The Nobel winner does not own a car and rides a bicycle to work.

Man who decoded life atom-by-atom

As India celebrates another Nobel moment, science salutes the work of Venkatraman Ramakrishnan , who painstakingly , atom by atom, decoded the structure of ribosomes those tiny worksheds in each cell where life is built.

'Mistake to define good work by awards'

Venkatraman Ramakrishan on Wednesday said that he is "honoured" to share 2009 Nobel Prize for Chemistry but added that it's a "mistake to define good work by awards".

Proud moment: Teachers bask in Nobel glory

For teachers, success and recognition of their pupil is what matters most; even more than their own achievement. And, teachers at MS University , who taught Venkatraman Ramakrishnan , were ecstatic, as they lived their proud moment on Wednesday.

Common root: TN gets its third laureate

Subramanyan Chandrasekhar , who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1983, had a family link to the country's first Nobel laureate, Sir C V Raman, who was his uncle.

Scientist is little known in hometown

The ancient temple town has produced a Nobel laureate, but there is little evidence that the residents are aware of the significance of the achievement.

Laureate keeps his links with Vadodara alive

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan left Vadodara almost four decades ago. But, it's a city he could never forget.

'My son has always followed his heart'

If October 7 is the biggest day in the life of Venkatraman Ramakrishnan , the journey began long ago as a '' super nerd kid' ' who would cycle straight home after school to immerse himself in studies.

A look at Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Nobel winner for Chemistry

Ramakrishnan, now a scientist at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge won the Nobel Prize for his work on ribosome, a cellular machine that makes proteins.

 

Artist's rendering of the LCROSS spacecraft and Centaur separation (NASA)

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NASA Moon Bombing: Is It Worth It?

Updated: Thursday, 08 Oct 2009, 9:51 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 08 Oct 2009, 9:36 PM EDT

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - NASA will be crashing two spacecraft into the moon at 7:31 a.m. EDT on Friday in hopes of finding evidence of water. The LCROSS mission promises to produce a spectacle that will be able to be viewed live on NASA TV .

But is it really a good idea? Some are voicing their opinions against the mission. In a piece called "Help Save The Moon" on the Huffington Post , Amy Ephron writes, "I'm not a big fan of explosions, anyway. In Iraq or Afghanistan or the South Pole of the Moon. But who does have a territorial prerogative there? Who has jurisdiction? Who has the right to say that it's okay to blow up a crater on the moon?" She even set up a Twitter page to rally support.

A petition has been posted on Care2 by the Chicago Surrealist Movement asking President Obama to stop NASA from bombing the moon. "This so-called 'NASA experiment' is a hostile act of aggression and a violent intrusion upon our closest and dearest celestial neighbor that will also have far reaching effects here on earth. Who knows how this will effect ocean tides and weather patterns, to say the least," the petition states. As of Thursday evening, the petition had 560 signers.

But scientists said the LCROSS mission is merely replicating activity that happens on the moon on a daily basis. "The image of this impact, what we're doing with the moon, is something that occurs naturally four times a month on the moon, whether we're there or not," LCROSS principal investigator Tony Colaprete told reporters Thursday, according to LiveScience.com .

Others aren't debating the intention of the mission, but rather whether the bombing will destroy evidence of the water that NASA is hoping to uncover. But NASA allayed those concerns as well. LiveScience cites researchers who said that there is plenty of hydrogen-bearing material within the Cabeus crater, which is where LCROSS will be aiming directly at. Hydrogen is a key component of water. The impact of the two spacecraft into the crater should send a plume rising from the moon that can be observed for signs of water.

And while the $79 million price tag might sound like a pretty penny, in the grand scheme of NASA projects, it's actually one of the most inexpensive. Popular Mechanics writes that while the mission has the highest chance of failing, the materials used to create the two spacecraft were salvaged from other NASA and Air Force projects.

"The moon-bombing engineers cobbled these parts together to make a cheap spaceship in just two years. Some risks are worth taking: LCROSS is one of them," writes Joe Pappalardo of Popular Mechanics.

  http://www.myfoxillinois.com/dpp/news/dpgo_nasa_moon_bombing_is_it_worth_it_lwf_20091008_3944152

Map

Bombing The Moon - 10.9.09

I had taken this out because I was waiting for NASA to show us what we were "NOT ALLOWED" to see 'live.' I know there is a twenty second delay in all NASA transmissions. The fact that the screen w...
I had taken this out because I was waiting for NASA to show us what we were "NOT ALLOWED" to see 'live.'

I know there is a twenty second delay in all NASA transmissions. The fact that the screen went white, then we see the bogus looking NASA control room with the scientists applauding, we never got to see the impact if it happened.

SO I have put this back up even though it's after the fact. I want as many viewers to tell us what you saw. I am waiting to see what evolves from this. JE
Category:  News & Politics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iylIoNT6BtA

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iylIoNT6BtA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iylIoNT6BtA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

 

The water thing really surprised me, WHAT A BOLDFACE LIE! NASA didn't even take down their '94 photos titled Water Ice or the other spectrographs! Probably, Project Bluebeam preparation, the false version of MacArthur's Interplanetary War. Give us all the money & gold, everyone's going to "camp" to train & fight for Earth. They skate with a "defective equipment" lie to the Moon People & become our Masters by simply telling us a "story" of the outside world. Same "journalists", different script.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iylIoNT6BtA&feature=channel

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

'Save The Moon'

As you may know, NASA is planning to send missiles to the Moon THIS FRIDAY. Why? They want to find out if there's water below the surface. Besides the symbolism (!) there are other issues, which Amy Ephron sums up in her excellent article in The Huffington Post. And also thanks to Amy, here is a link to a Twitter page about it:
http://twitter.com/helpsavethemoon

UPDATE Oct.8 2:09 p.m.: And in the interest of equal time (or something) here is the Twitter url for something or someone pretending to be the LCross spacecraft involved in the Moon crash:
http://twitter.com/Lcross_Nasa

Labels: ,

 

Save The Moon 1

 
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I had taken this out because I was waiting for NASA to show us what we were "NOT ALLOWED" to see 'live.' I know there is a twenty second delay in all NASA transmissions. The fact that the screen w...
 
<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n5noZ-SQc0g&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n5noZ-SQc0g&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>
Save the Moon Bears!
264 Signatures
Published by Stephanie on Oct 27, 2005
Category: Animal Rights
Region: China
Target: Chinese govenrment
Background (Preamble):
Please save the bears!

Please sign this petition!!!
Petition:
We, the undersigned, are concerned about the ongoing problem of the imprisonment of Moon bears. Please free the bears.

The Save the Moon Bears! petition to Chinese govenrment was written by Stephanie and is hosted free of charge at GoPetition.

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To:  The Moon

According to an article at Space.com, Eath's moon is slowly leaving Earth to become its own planet. We cannot let that happen. Imagine generations of young people growing up thinking that "Moon" is just a type of pie treat or a member of The Who. Imagine a world without tides: what would we call our leading brand of laundry detergent? Imagine a world where crazy people have nothing to stare at at night. Imagine a world completely free from warewolves. Sounds pretty boring to me. Join me in urging the moon to stay, for a better world, a better solar system, and a better tomorrow.

Andrew Lenahan
Save the Moon

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

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The Save the Moon Petition to The Moon was created by Starblind Wire and written by Andrew Lenahan (alenahan@starblind.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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On Friday, NASA is planning to crash into the moon. I'm just wondering: who gave them permission to crash into the moon? Not once, but twice. The rocket and satellite will smash into the moon at 5600 mph (more than seven times the speed of sound). The size of the explosion will be equal to that of 1.5 tons of TNT and will release 772,000 pounds of lunar dirt into a 6.2 mile high spray of debris, NASA'S own version of shock and awe, in a purported experiment to see if any ice or water is released. I'm just wondering, who signed the paper? Who did the risk assessment? I mean, what if something goes wrong?

It's a big explosion. Suffice it to say that any amateur astronomer west of the Mississippi with a home telescope will be able to view it from their backyard.

I could say something scientifically lame and ask, "What if it gets thrown off its axis?" or something funny and suggest something (that I actually sort of believe), like, "What if it somehow throws off the astrology?" Or that we're not risking -- as we have the earth with continued experiments of this kind -- sending the solar system out of balance.

The irony is that one of the purposes of the experiment is to assess whether there is any water on the moon and is it worthwhile to send another manned mission to the moon. If we'd just send up two guys with a bucket and shovels, we wouldn't have to bomb the moon at all.

I'm not a big fan of explosions, anyway. In Iraq or Afghanistan or the South Pole of the Moon. But who does have a territorial prerogative there?

Who has jurisdiction? Who has the right to say that it's okay to blow up a crater on the moon? Or Jupiter? Or Saturn, for that matter? If we think there is water there, how do we know we're not affecting some life form, as well? It sort of reminds me of two kids in a backyard with a firecracker that they don't really know how to set off.

It's causing great excitement in the astronomy sector. NASA is running a live broadcast on its website (wonder if they're selling ads). A NASA spokesman announced, "It's going to be pretty cool." The Fiske Planetarium in Boulder is serving free coffee and bagels. "People like explosions," the Planetarium director is quoted as saying, "and this is going to excite them."

Well, I for one, don't like explosions. Call me a pacifist, call me cautious, call me an environmentalist, or call me something worse, I don't really care.

But, we've set up a Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/helpsavethemoon . In the hopes that we can convince NASA not to try any further experiments of this kind! Join us.
 
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  • Marketplace

Does Obama Deserve Nobel Peace Prize?

Updated: Friday, 09 Oct 2009, 2:43 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 09 Oct 2009, 2:31 PM EDT

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - President Barack Obama was named the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday to his and many other people's surprise.

The Nobel committee praised the president for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

But many are mystified as to why Obama deserves the award. Obama's Republican opponents were quick to express their surprise and confusion.

"The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?'" the Republican National Committee said in a statement . "It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain -- President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action."

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh told Politico.com in an e-mail , "This fully exposes the illusion that is Barack Obama ... And with this 'award' the elites of the world are urging Obama, THE MAN OF PEACE, to not do the surge in Afghanistan, not take action against Iran and its nuclear program and to basically continue his intentions to emasculate the United States."

Even left-wingers agreed that the award was premature and undeserved. Liberal blog Talk Left wrote , "Just because the Nobel Committee wants to make fools of themselves, Obama should not have to play along. He should turn it down."

But others believe that the award recognizes the strides that Obama has made in the short time that he's been president. "Obama has changed the tone America uses to speak to the world generally and the Muslim world specifically," wrote Salon's Glenn Greenwald . "His speech in Cairo, his first-week interview on al-Arabiya, and the extraordinarily conciliatory holiday video he sent to Iran are all substantial illustrations of that. His willingness to sit down and negotiate with Iran -- rather than threaten and berate them -- has already produced tangible results."

World leaders recognized the impact of Obama's presidency so far and praised his efforts. "Obama's Nobel Peace Prize marks 'America's return to the hearts of the people of the world,'" said French President Nicolas Sarkozy . Added Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency who won the prize in 2005, "In less than a year in office, he has transformed the way we look at ourselves and the world we live in and rekindled hope for a world at peace with itself."

Other U.S. presidents who have won the Nobel Peace Prize include Jimmy Carter for his work promoting social and economic justice; Theodore Wilson for his work ending the Russo-Japanese War; and Woodrow Wilson for aiding in the formation of the League of Nations.

 http://www.myfoxillinois.com/dpp/news/dpgo_obama_nobel_peace_prize_lwf_20091009_3959655


 
Dear All, On the very day that a courageous team of lawyers & activists filed a case against the Bush's, Clinton & Obama as well as Blair & Brown, Thatcher & Major (That's the Madame Tussaud's House of Horrors) for the ongoing genocide in Iraq ( www.brusselstribunal.org - www.USgenocide.org )

Obama gets the Nobel award - I'm to sheel shocked, utterly speechless, a man than continues to perpetrate the genocide in Iraq & deepen the wars in Af / Pak, unable to even mention the word Gaza, leave alone condemning the Inhuman siege or the war, looks on as Netanyahu's Settlements devour the West Bank & Jerusalem, is complicit with the burial of the Goldstone report, silent on the Honduran coup, or the bogus Afghan elections, continues to spew invective against Iran, has not even shut down Guantanamo & has carried on with Bush' policies on torture.

Though he does deserve the award for the 'Great Speeches Nobel Award', without substance I may add.

It's all the marketing of a great lie called Obama & now people are getting angry, very angry.

And I am also glad that Gandhiji was never conferred or rather dishounoured with this Gobellesian award.

In Solidarity with the Global Intifada
Feroze

War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity And Genocide In Iraq

Legal Case Filed Against 4 U.S. Presidents and 4 UK Prime Ministers

By The Brussels Tribunal

October 08, 2009 "
Information Clearing House" -- MADRID: Today the Spanish Senate, acting to confirm a decision already taken under pressure from powerful governments accused of grave crimes, will limit Spain's laws of universal jurisdiction. Yesterday, ahead of the change of law, a legal case was filed at the Audiencia Nacional against four United States presidents and four United Kingdom prime ministers for commissioning, condoning and/or perpetuating multiple war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Iraq.
 
This case, naming George H W Bush, William J Clinton, George W Bush, Barack H Obama, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Anthony Blair and Gordon Brown, is brought by Iraqis and others who stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people and in defence of their rights and international law.
 
 
Iraq: 19 years of intended destruction

The intended destruction — or genocide — of Iraq as a state and nation has been ongoing for 19 years, combining the imposition of the most draconian sanctions regime ever designed and that led to 1.5 million Iraqi deaths, including 500,000 children, with a war of aggression that led to the violent deaths of over one million more.

  • Destroying Iraq included the purposeful targeting of its water and sanitation system, attacking the health of the civilian population. Since 1990, thousands of tons of depleted uranium have been dropped on Iraq, leading in some places to a 600 per cent rise in cancer and leukaemia cases, especially among children. In both the first Gulf War and "Shock and Awe" in 2003, an air campaign that openly threatened "total destruction", waves of disproportionate bombing made no distinction between military and civilian targets, with schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, shelters, residential areas, and historical sites all destroyed.

     
  • Destroying Iraq included promoting, funding and organizing sectarian and ethnic groups bent on dividing Iraq into three or more sectarian or ethnic entities, backed by armed militias that would terrorize the Iraqi people. Since 2003, some 4.7 million Iraqis — one fifth of the population — have been forcibly displaced. Under occupation, kidnappings, killings, extortion and mutilation became endemic, targeting men, women and even children and the elderly.

     
  • Destroying Iraq included purposefully dismantling the state by refusing to stop or stem or by instigating mass looting, and by engaging in ideological persecution, entailing "manhunting", extrajudicial assassinations, mass imprisonment and torture, of Baathists, the entire educated class of the state apparatus, religious and linguistic minorities and Arab Sunnis, resulting in the total collapse of all public services and other economic functions and promoting civil strife and systematic corruption.

     
  • In parallel, Iraq's rich heritage and unique cultural and archaeological patrimony has been wantonly destroyed.

In order to render Iraq dependent on US and UK strategic designs, successive US and UK governments have attempted to partition Iraq and to establish by military force a pro-occupation Iraqi government and political system. They have promoted and engaged in the massive plunder of Iraqi natural resources, attempting to privatize this property and wealth of the Iraqi nation.

Humanity at stake

This is but the barest summary of the horrors Iraq has endured, based on lies that nobody but cowed governments and complicit media believed. In 2003, millions worldwide were mobilized in opposition to US/UK plans. In going ahead, the US and UK launched an illegal war of aggression. Accountability has not been established.
 
The persons named in this case have each played a key role in Iraq's intended destruction. They instigated, supported, condoned, rationalized, executed and/or perpetuated or excused this destruction based on lies and narrow strategic and economic interests, and against the will of their own people. Allowing those responsible to escape accountability means such actions could be repeated elsewhere.
 
It is imperative now to establish accountability for US and UK war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Iraq because:
 
Every Iraqi victim deserves justice.
 
Everyone responsible should be accountable.
 
We are before immoral and unlawful acts, contrary to the basis on which the international order of state sovereignty and peace and security rests. Whereas the official international justice system is closed before the suffering of those that imperialism makes a target, through this case we try to open a channel whereby the conscience of humanity can express its solidarity with justice for victims of imperial crimes. 
 

Ad Hoc Committee For Justice For Iraq

Press contacts:
Hana Al Bayaty, Executive Committee, BRussells Tribunal

34 657 52 70 77  or  +20 10 027 7964 (English and French) hanaalbayaty@gmail.com
Dr Ian Douglas, Executive Committee, BRussells Tribunal, coordinator, International Initiative to Prosecute US Genocide in Iraq

 +20 12 167 1660 (English) iandouglas@USgenocide.org

Amanda Nuredin,  +34 657 52 70 77 (Spanish) justiciaparairak@gmail.com
Abdul Ilah Albayaty, Executive Committee, BRussells Tribunal

 +33 471 461 197 (Arabic) albayaty_abdul@hotmail.com

Web:
www.brusselstribunal.org
www.USgenocide.org
www.twitter.com/USgenocide
www.facebook.com/USgenocide

 

Dear Firoz,
Important that you follow this up, pasted velow. Blair was charged for conducting an illegal war because Britain is a signatory to ICC law. [India and US are not]
Under the law if a soverign state conducts a war: the reparation can be forced on the people. Every British tax-payer can be made to pay reparation under ICC. Unfortunately, even the British Police does not know what this law is all about.
 
Once the hearing is done and prima facie case aknnowledged, th Police have a duty to arrest the criminal. In this case Blair.
 
This is the law, but this law is being violated because the case has been admitted in the London Metropolitan Court. The case was lodhed by an attorney in 2004.
 
Kind regards
Arun
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

International Criminal Court to Get Evidence of 'Illegality' of Iraq War

by Sanjay Suri

 

LONDON - A strong case arguing the illegality of the invasion of Iraq will be handed soon to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

The report prepared by eight leading international lawyers and professors of law drawn from four countries makes a strong case against the illegality of the way British and U.S. troops fought the war.

The professors came together for the study within an independent group Peacerights. The study was funded largely by shows done last year by British comedian Mark Thomas in a campaign he called White Ribbon.

"We will be presenting the report first to the Attorney-General in Britain," solicitor Phil Shiner from Peacerights said at a meeting called by the group Tuesday.

The Attorney-General is not expected to respond, given his official advice to the government last year that it would be legal for Britain to join an invasion of Iraq. The ICC will be given a copy of the report but asked formally to proceed only after the Attorney-General in Britain turns down the request to prosecute British leaders.

The dossier prepared by the experts is expected to be handed to prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo next month in The Hague, capital of the Netherlands.

Since his appointment as prosecutor in April last year Ocampo has received around 500 requests from 66 countries, but has asked for a full inquiry in only one case relating to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But there are indications that the prosecutor will study the law professors' report seriously. "The prosecutor knows what we are doing, and his office is waiting for the information we are sending," Bill Bowring who headed the panel of law experts told IPS. "We know there is interest in the prosecutor's office."

The prosecutor will have to study the professors' report and can take it to the ICC to demand a full inquiry if he finds merit in it. A full inquiry could mean that British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his senior ministers could be called to face charges.

If the prosecutor orders a formal investigation, then the ICC would have wide-ranging powers to interview people. "As a strong supporter of the ICC, Britain would be under enormous obligation to cooperate," Bowring said. And given the precedent from Serbia that has brought former president Slobodan Milosevic to The Hague to face trial, British leadership would not be exempt, Bowring said.

The United States has stayed away from the ICC and can therefore claim immunity from any ICC procedures. "But there remains the question of complicity in a joint enterprise," Bowring told media representatives Tuesday. "If Britain and the United States acted together, and if war crimes were committed, then there is a real question of war crimes committed by the United States that would be before the ICC."

The legal team plans to make the United States liable by association by focusing its inquiries on the role of Britain, which played a strong role in supporting creation of the ICC.

The eight law experts gathered evidence from a wide range of sources, and also spoke directly to witnesses over two days in London in November. Evidence was gathered from witnesses on the ground such as Spanish medical teams, and from weapons experts.

The experts' report focused particularly on cluster bombs used by the British. The Ministry of Defence in London has admitted to dropping 70 cluster bombs from the air, each of them containing 147 'bomblets'. In addition, British artillery fired more than 2,000 shells, each containing about 40 smaller bombs.

The report, a full version of which is due to be released about two weeks from now, also takes a close look at the targeting of media by way of attacks on the offices of Al Jazeera and Abu Dhabi TV, and on Palestine Hotel in Baghdad.

"We want to make it clear that we are not levelling accusations," Shiner said. "We are pointing to questions that need answers, and we are demanding an investigation into these."

The Peacerights group did not have access to all the information that would be needed in order to make a charge against the government, Shiner said. "We would need to know what the military objectives were, who took the decision to risk civilian casualties, what the targeting data was before those who took the decisions and other such information. We do not have that information but the prosecutor could ask for it."

The lawyers who carried out the study include William Schabas, professor of human rights law at the national University of Ireland, Christine Chinkin, professor of international law at the London School of Economics, Bill Bowring, professor of human rights and international law at London Metropolitan University and Reni Provost, associate professor at the faculty of law at the McGill University in Canada.

Other lawyers are Paul Tavernier, professor at the Faculti Nean Monnet in Paris, Nick Grief, professor of law at the University of Bournemouth in Britain, Guy Goodwin-Gill, senior research fellow at All Souls College in Oxford and Upendra Baxi, professor of international law at Warwick University in Britain.

Copyright 2004 IPS - Inter Press Service

Playlist for October 4th 2009

October 4, 2009 on 3:03 pm | In Playlist | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

01 Davie Bowie/Space Oddity/Space Oddity
02 Davie Bowie/Ziggy Stardust/Starman
03 Alex North/2001/Space Station Docking
04 Johann Strauss/2001: A Space Odyssey OST/The Blue Danube
05 Looper/The Geometrid/Dave the Moon Man
06 Billy Bragg/William Bloke/The Space Race Is Over
07 Electric Light Orchestra/Here is the news/Ticket to the Moon
08 NASA Mission Control Recordings/NOT AVAILABLE/NOT AVAILABLE
09 Fold Zandura/Ultra Forever/Starwood
10 The Langley School Music Project/Innocence and Despair/Space Oddity
11 Clint Mansell/The Fountain OST/Death is a Disease
12 NASA Mission Control Recordings/NOT AVAILABLE/NOT AVAILABLE
13 Clint Mansell/The Fountain OST/The Last Man
14 Don Felder/Heavy Metal OST/Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)
15 Vangelis/Blade Runner OST/Blush Response
16 Mark Snow/X-Files (TV Series) OST/Lamenta
17 Cliff Martinez/Solaris OST/We Don't Have To Think Like That
18 NOT AVAILABLE/2001: A Space Odyssey OST/HAL 9000
19 Cliff Martinez/Solaris OST/Will She Come Back?
20 Man or Astroman?/Made from Technitium/Junk sattelitte
21 The Muppet Show/Pigs in Space/The End of the Universe
22 Erich Kunzel & Cincinnati Orchestra/Symphonic Star Trek/Main Theme from Star Trek Series
23 Yoko Kanno/Cowboy Bebop OST/What Planet is This?
24 John Williams/Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind/Wild Signals
25Gustav Holst/Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity/The Planets

B-Sides for October 4th 2009

October 4, 2009 on 9:51 am | In B-Sides | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

> Started by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999, World Space Week celebrates the wonders of space all around the world with education in mind. Unfortunately, Save the Moon appears to be the only participating event in the State of Washington…

> Popular Mechanics explores the possibilities of the moon, in their article, "Mission to the Moon: How We'll Go Back and Stay this Time" by the year 2020, but first we got to get there. I mean think of it! A lunar base waiting to be occupied by an evil villian.

> To view a database of NASA's recorded wake up calls from mission control to the shuttle, just select a mission! You can also view images and video from any number of flights.

> Wake up calls can be personal for the crew, so The Discovery Channel put together a list of the Top 10 Space Wake Up Songs ever used by the crew. You heard two of them in today's episode; Godzilla versus Space Godzilla as well as PIGS IN SPAAAAACE!

> The project that inspired School of Rock; The Langley School Music Project and their collection of songs of the times sung by the attendees of the school, 60 total children from a rural area of Western Canada.

> The three laws of robotics according to Issac Asimov, are a little more complicated than you think….

> I think the title of this PDF at the J. Allen Hynek, website is self-explanatory. So, You Want To Be A UFOlogist.


Pigs in Space – The End of the Universe

Playlist for September 27th 2009

September 27, 2009 on 1:27 pm | In Playlist | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

#Artist/Album/Song

01 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros/Up From Below/Home
02 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros/Up From Below/Jade
03 The Everybodyfields/Nothing Is Okay/Lonely Anywhere
04 The Everybodyfields/Nothing Is Okay/Tuesday
05 Gogol Bordello/Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony/Hats Off to Kolpakoff
06 Creedence Clearwater Revival/Willy & the Poor Boys/Side o' the Road
07 Creedence Clearwater Revival/Cosmo's Factory/Long As I Can See the Light
08 Gogol Bordello/Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony/Occurance on the Border
09 J.J. Grey & Mofro/Country Ghetto/On Palastine
10 J.J. Grey & Mofro/Country Ghetto/The Sun Is Shining Down
11 Gogol Bordello/Everything Is Illuminated OST/Start Wearing Purple
12 Great Big Sea/Play/The Night Pat Murphy Died
13 Great Big Sea/Something Beautiful/Love
14 Hanneke Cassel/Some Melodious Sonnet/Mothers of Desperation
15 Hanneke Cassel/Some Melodious Sonnet/The Green Lady
16 Afro-Cuban All Stars/Café Cubana/Amor Verdadero
17 Buena Vista Social Club/Café Cubana/Chan Chan
18 Los Super Elegantes/Nothing Really Matters/Sofia
19 Los Super Elegantes/Channelizing Paradise/Je Suis Bien
20 J.U.F./Gogol Bordello vs. Tamir Muskat/Muskat
21 Gogol Bordello/Gypsy Punks/Mishto!

B-Sides for September 27th 2009

September 27, 2009 on 11:42 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

> In the recording of Home at the Daytrotter Sessions, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes feature a different sort of inter-banter in the middle of the song. Unlike the original recording, its just their internal downtime where they communicate on some level thats just between the two of them. After all, we're not in the relationship, we're just the observers.

> I mean seriously, what's up with all these cool people on Twitter? For a start here's Jill Andrews formerly of The Everybodyfields as well as Great Big Sea! …Who I hear give out special opportunities to score free tickets minute before the show maybe possibly in your city?

> If you want to learn more about the solo projects derived from the members of The Everybodyfields, here's Sam Quinn who teamed up with Japan Ten as well as Jill Andrews, who went completely solo but also did some recent work with Neil Young!

> Oh by the way: I'm serious when I say I googled Kolpakoff and nothing came up… or at least nothing that didn't have anything to do with Gogol Bordello.

> If you've ever wanted to make blackberry cobbler just like J.J. Grey & Mofro, this is your chance! On their "Cookin'" portion of their website, they provide a few recipes to just get you by. Unfortunately you'll need to wait for blackberries to come back in season… This reminds me of The Wailin' Jennys and how they review restaurants in the towns they tour in.

> While researching the groups The Buena Vista Social Club and Afro-Cuban All Stars, I came across this essay written by Eugene Godfried, a community organizer, music producer and radio journalist, who died earlier in this year. The essay is mainly based around this question, "The question is repeated whether I know the musicians of Buena Vista Social Club, and whether they are just as popular in Cuba as they are abroad."


Gogol Bordello – Bublitschki

KYRS Wins Federal Grant to Construct New Station

September 24, 2009 on 3:01 pm | In Random | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

Just found out directly from Lupito, our station's General Manager!

Thin Air Community Radio which owns and operates KYRS-LP, heard on 92.3 & 89.9 FM and streaming live at www.kyrs.org, yesterday was awarded a construction grant of $188,395 by the United States Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to build a full power, non-commercial community radio station.

The new station on 88.1FM will replace KYRS' current Low Power FM station and provide the first non-commercial radio service to approximately 24,000 people in the Spokane region, and added service to 205,000 people, including members of the Colville, Spokane, and Kalispel Indian tribes, and rural areas of five counties. The new station will be 6,500 watts. KYRS' current signal strength is 100 watts. With the full power station, KYRS will nearly double its coverage area, protect its broadcasting frequency, and expand programming to un-served and under-served populations.

For the FY 2009 grant cycle, the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) received 221 radio, television, and non-broadcast applications which request approximately $48.5 million in federal funds. Seven other organizations, including Spokane Public Radio, applied for funding. The PTFP has not yet announced the total amount awarded for FY 2009, but last year it awarded $19 million. The PTFP grants assist, through matching grants, in the planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities in order to extend services to as many people as possible, to increase the number of public telecommunications services and facilities available to, operated by, and controlled by minorities and women, and to strengthen the capability of existing public television and radio stations to provide telecommunications services to the public.

KYRS Board Chair John Orr said, "This is a great day for community radio in Spokane! This grant will give us the thrust we need to launch the station to the next level. We are on our way to becoming a major source for diverse news, music and culture in our area. This is just one more example of the very positive developments taking place in our community."

KYRS Station Manager Lupito Flores said, "We are very grateful to receive this grant and I'd like to thank our Portland engineer Michael Brown of Brown Broadcast Services for his help in preparing the engineering for our successful application. This grant goes a long way towards our construction costs for the new transmission site, but we'll need to raise significantly more to complete the project and to operate the new station."

Thin Air Radio receives seventy percent of its income through individual donations from the community. This is the first federal grant awarded to the station.

"We hope to have the new station built and on-the-air by November 2010," Flores added.

Thin Air Radio's mission is to fill needs that other media do not, providing programming to diverse communities and un-served or under-served groups. KYRS serves the Spokane area with local voices often overlooked by other media. It provides a civic capacity to constructively engage all sectors of the population in solving community problems. KYRS programs provide the community with educational experiences that broaden appreciation for different cultures and perspectives. The station was twice ranked in the top three best Spokane radio stations in the Pacific Northwest Inlander Reader's Poll.

KYRS also recently won the Spokane Arts Commission Bold Strokes Special Achievement Award which recognizes extraordinary achievement in changing the community through art. The award will be presented at the Spokane City Council meeting at 6:00 PM on October 5th followed by a reception in the Kress Gallery. Past Bold Strokes Award winners include the Ronald McDonald House and the Spokane Symphony, among others.

Gogol Bordello Is Coming to Spokane!

September 23, 2009 on 8:28 pm | In Next Week | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

Dear Loyal Listeners of Save the Moon,

Have you ever wanted to see Gogol Bordello live in concert? Two people have the opportunity to do so by listening to Save the Moon this Sunday, September 27th for the chance to win two tickets to the October 11th concert in Spokane. I know, crazy right?

There's only one thing. You have to tune in to Save the Moon at some magical time to find out what you have to do to win these tickets. I know I'm asking a lot of you, but just tune in at 10:00am and sometime soon after, I will reveal the task at hand.

I will not reveal the task until the time is right. You know what to do.

Love,
Nicole

You know you want them.

Playlist for September 20th 2009

September 20, 2009 on 12:53 pm | In Playlist | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

Artist/Album/Song

01 Shirley Bassey/Shirley Bassey… Remixes/Big Spender (Wild Oscar Mix)
02 Shirley Bassey/The Best of James Bond/Goldfinger
03 Nancy Elizabeth/Battle and Victory/How Can I Stop
04 Nancy Elizabeth/Battle and Victory/Battle and Victory
05 Sigur Rós/Takk/Hoppipolla
06 Sigur Rós/Takk/Með blóðnasir
07 Richard Strauss/2001: A Space Odyssey OST/Also Sprach Zarathurstra
08 Gustav Holst/The Planets/Mars, the Bringer of War
09 Yo-Yo Ma/Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone/The Ecstasy of Gold
10 Yo-Yo Ma/Appalachia Waltz/Appalachia Waltz
11 The Chieftains/Live from Dublin: A Tribute to Derek Bell/Fionnghuala
12 The Chieftains/Live from Dublin: A Tribute to Derek Bell/Tá an Coileach ag Fógairt an Lae (3 pipes)
13 The Chieftains/Tears of Stone/A Stór Mó Chrói (with Bonnie Raitt)
14 Bruce Springsteen/We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions/Old Dan Tucker
15 Bruce Springsteen/We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions/Jesse James
16 Chuck Berry/Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller/Nadine
17 Chuck Berry/Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller/Maybeline
18 Dusty 45's/Billy Joe and the Dusty 45's Live/Break the Law
19 Dusty 45's/Devil Takes His Turn/Saved
20 Mahalia Jackson/The Best of Mahalia Jackson/Medley: Summertime/Motherless Child
21 Young Holt Unlimited/Soulful Strut/Be By My Side
22 Young Holt Unlimited/Soulful Strut/Soulful Strut
23 Galactic/Vintage Reserve/Quiet Please

Welcome to the Fall Pledge Drive of 2009!

September 9, 2009 on 12:47 pm | In Next Week | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

Thursday kicks off KYRS' bi-annual fall pledge drive. A membership means you support community radio and its service to our local neighborhoods. If you enjoy the shows you hear on KYRS, this is your opportunity to support them by pledging a $35 membership that helps us out by paying our utility bills and building rent, but also acquiring new equipment to improve the sound of KYRS. It is also our goal of becoming a full powered station so we can broadcast even beyond the borders of Spokane. Without your tax deductible donation, we run the risk of not being able to provide you the alternative entertainment you enjoy.

You can donate online by going to KYRS.ORG and become a member today. Or if you wish to be more involved with the pledge drive, you can call the on-air phone line [509-747-3807], and fill out your membership application with one of our lovely phone volunteers when the time comes.

Pledge during your favorite show! It's a great way to show them you care. You can even pledge multiple times during different shows just to share the love.

While Save the Moon is on the air, we will not be able to speak with you personally which I know is something some of you enjoy. Instead, if you have any comments or questions about the show or music, you can post a comment on our site or shoot an e-mail to [ savethemoon@kyrs.org ]. I'm also always available on Twitter via the username, blushresponse & savethemoon or on myspace at savethemoonradio. I'll be checking those sites constantly for any word from our listeners.

I can't wait to hear from you guys during the pledge drive. Your membership means so much to me and the station. You can hear Save the Moon through these special times:

——————————————-

9/11: Co-pitching w/Concrete Radio – 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Listen for some great alternative-country… another style of music near and dear to my heart.

9/12: Live Downtown @ the Main Street Market – 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Come downtown to visit your friendly Main St. Neighborhood! Live bands! Vendors! Non-profity Goodness! Oh, and don't forget to say hi to me!

9/13: Co-pitching w/Motion Granted 12:00am – 2:00am
Space Cadet is out of town so I'm training his co-host on how to lead a fabulous pledge drive for KYRS!

9/13: Save the Moon 10:00am – 12:00pm
My big finale! Become a member on my show!

Playlist for September 6th 2009

September 9, 2009 on 12:17 pm | In Playlist | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

Artist/Song/Album
01 Old Crow Medicine Show/Union Maid/Big Iron World
02 Old Crow Medicine Show/Wagon Wheel/O.C.M.S.
03 Calexico/The News About William/Carried to Dust
04 Calexico/Crystal Frontier (Acoustic)/Even My Sure Things Fall Through
05 Devotchka/The Enemy Guns/How It Ends
06 Devotchka/Till the End of Time/Little Miss Sunshine OST
07 Toots & the Maytals/54-46 Was My Number /This is England OST
08 Toots & the Maytals/Louie Louie/This is England OST
09 The Long Blondes/Too Clever By Half/Couples
10 The Long Blondes/Nostalgia/Couples
11 The Motels/NOT AVAILABLE/NOT AVAILABLE
12 Runrig/Clash of the Ash/Everything You See
13 Polaris/She Is Staggering/The Adventures of Pete & Pete
14 Polaris/Hey Sandy/The Adventures of Pete & Pete
15 Dana Lyons/My Country/Cows With Guns
16 Dana Lyons/Mermaid/Cows With Guns
17 Sacred Harp Singers at Liberty Church/I'm Going Home/Cold Mountain OST
18 Sacred Harp Singers at Liberty Church/Idumea/Cold Mountain OST
19 Kevin Connolly/Holes/Still Standing Still
20 Kevin Connolly/Wrecking Ball/Still Standing Still
21 Kronos Quartet/Adagio/Winter Was Hard

Playlist for August 16th 2009

August 18, 2009 on 10:15 am | In Playlist | No Comments | Written by Nicole Hensley

#/Artist/Album/Song

01 David Bowie/Ziggy StardustRock 'N' Roll Suicide
02 David Bowie/Ziggy StardustFive Years
03 The Foundations/New Direction/Build Me Up Buttercup
04 Drug Rug/Paint the Fence Invisible/Haunting You
05 Drug Rug/Paint the Fence Invisible/Noah Rules
06 Nathan Reich/Dorm Sessions 6/Kites
07 Nathan Reich/Dorm Sessions 6/The Path Out East
08 Sex!/Dorm Sessions 6/Chevy Nova
09 Sex!/Dorm Sessions 6/Look What I Can Do
10 Young Snakes/Boston Underground 1979-1982/Young Snakes Theme
11 'Til Tuesday/Voices Carry/Love in a Vacuum
12 Lori Green/Boston Underground 1979-1982/Fall Into Your World
13 Kevin Connolly/Making Still Standing Still/Bumpy Road
14 Kevin Connolly/Making Still Standing Still/Castle Island
15 Suzie Brown/NOT AVAILABLE/Longest Road
16 Suzie Brown/NOT AVAILABLE/Side Streets
18 Clint Mansell/Moon OST/Welcome to Lunar Industries
19 Various Artists/1776 (Revival Broadway Cast)/Yours, Yours, Yours
20 Various Artists/1776 (Revival Broadway Cast)/Momma Look Sharp
21 Pat Benatar/Best Shots/We Belong
22 Pat Benatar/Best Shots/Fire & Ice
23 Michael Kamen/Brazil OST/Brazil
24 Pink Martini/Sympathique/Brazil

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Nasa team scours Moon crash data

By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News

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The moment the Nasa spacecraft crashed into the Moon

Nasa scientists have been outlining their preliminary results after crashing two unmanned spacecraft into the Moon in a bid to detect water-ice.

A rocket stage slammed into the Moon's south pole at 1231 BST (0731 EDT).

Another craft followed just behind, looking for signs of water in debris kicked up by the first collision.

Instruments on the second spacecraft identified a flash from the initial impact as well as a crater, but the expected debris cloud was not evident.

The $79m (£49m; 53m euro) US space agency mission is known as LCROSS (the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite).

We have the data we need to address the questions we set out to address
Dr Anthony Colaprete, Nasa Ames Research Center

The first collision was expected to throw some 350 tonnes of debris up to altitudes of 10km (6.2 miles) or more.

No such dust plume was apparent in images sent back by the spacecraft however, proving a disappointment to some members of the public expecting a space spectacular.

"We need to go back and carefully look at the data to see what it says," Dr Anthony Colaprete, principal investigator on the LCROSS mission told journalists at a post-impact news conference.

"Exploration has surprises. I'm glad we built our mission plan around all aspects of the impact… what's streamed on the video is not at the same fidelity as what we get fresh off the spacecraft. We need to look more closely before we conclude anything about an ejecta cloud, or not."

Wait for water

Dr Colaprete, from Nasa's Ames Research Center in California, added: "I see something in the spectrometer data - the spectrometers are more sensitive than the cameras. But I can't say anything more than that."

The team was also able to determine the temperature of the crater punched in the lunar surface.

Thus, questions about the persistence of water-ice on the Moon will have to wait.

Centaur with shepherding spacecraft (Nasa/Roger Arno)
Both spacecraft hit the Moon after midday on Friday (BST)

But Dr Colaprete said: "We saw the impact, we saw the crater. We got good spectroscopic measurements which is what we needed of the impact event."

"We have the data we need to address the questions we set out to address."

The identification of water-ice in the impact plume would be a major discovery, not least because a supply of water on the Moon would be a vital resource for future human exploration.

LCROSS was to have helped pave the way for US astronauts to return to the Moon by 2020.

If ice is present in shaded craters, it could provide a valuable water source for future manned lunar bases.

But Nasa's lunar plans have been under scrutiny since President Barack Obama ordered a sweeping review of Nasa's manned spaceflight programme.

 
EE ALSO
US spacecraft set for Moon crash
09 Oct 09 |  Science & Environment
Spacecraft see 'damp' Moon soils
24 Sep 09 |  Science & Environment
Why go back to the Moon?
19 Jul 09 |  Science & Environment
Japanese probe crashes into Moon
11 Jun 09 |  Science & Environment
Lift off for Nasa's lunar probes
18 Jun 09 |  Science & Environment
Moon's interior 'did hold water'
09 Jul 08 |  Science & Environment

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
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News feeds| News feeds

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8299118.stmNasa scientists have "bombed" the south pole of the Moon with two spacecraft in an attempt to kick up a six-mile high dust cloud that may contain water.

 Related photos / videos

A satellite crashed into a lunar crater at around 5,600 miles per hour, followed four minutes later by another spacecraft equipped with cameras to record the impact.

Grainy thermal images carried on Nasa's television station showed colder blue sites and warmer red sites on the moon's surface, but there was no apparent light flash as the rockets made impact.

The space agency had expected the blasts to kick up a visible plume of lunar dirt to an altitude of about six miles and produce a flash of about 30 seconds.

Scientists are now examining the preliminary data from the collision.

"We don't anticipate anything about presence or absence of water immediately. It's going to take us some time," cautioned project scientist Anthony Colaprete.

British researchers helped Nasa pick the spot for the attempt, which was broadcast live on the American space agency's website.

The Cabeus south polar region was identified by the University of Durham team as a site with high concentrations of hydrogen - a key component of water.

It is believed water ice could lie at the bottom of dark craters at the Moon's poles, where temperatures are lower than minus 170C.

The spacecraft consisted of a LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) and its 2.2 tonne empty Centaur launch rocket.

They had been attached since blasting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida in June.

During the collision mission, the probe and rocket separated, then the larger rocket smashed into a narrow, shaded crater.

As the debris is propelled into sunlight, scientists on Earth will study its composition with ground-based telescopes.

Dr Vincent Eke, from the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the University of Durham, said: "Water ice could be stable for billions of years on the Moon provided that it is cold enough.

"If ice is present in the permanently shaded lunar craters of the Moon then it could potentially provide a water source for the eventual establishment of a manned base on the Moon.

"Such a base could be used as a platform for exploration into the further reaches of our Solar System."

 

Barack Obama has said he was "surprised and deeply humbled" to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel President Play video

The US President, who says resolving the Middle East conflict and reducing nuclear weapons are among his top priorities, won the prestigious international accolade for "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples".

At an unscheduled press conference at the White House, Mr Obama joked: "This was not what I expected to wake up to this morning".

He added: "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures that have been honoured by this prize, that have inspired me and the entire world in their courageous pursuit of peace."

"I do not view it as recognition of my own accomplishments but rather as affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations."

The President said the award would be accepted as "a call to action" for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Obama had inspired many people. But Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip, said: "Unless real and deep-rooted change is made in American policy towards recognising the rights of the Palestinian people I would think such a prize would be useless."

Mr Obama said he would go to Oslo to collect the prize in person on December 10 and added that he would donate the $1.4 million (£880,000) prize money to charity.


Landslides and floods kill 184 in Philippines 

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo mobilised troops on Saturday to clear roads of debris and mud in mountainous northern provinces isolated by landslides and floods that left 184 dead after a week of heavy rains. Skip related content

Three northern regions devastated by the floods account for the bulk of the rice output in the main Luzon island and officials were assessing damage to the fourth quarter harvest.

About 3.2 billion pesos (43 million pounds) worth of crops, mainly rice and corn, were destroyed based on initial estimates by the agriculture department as of late Friday.

"I have ordered the soldiers and cadets at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City to help out in the rescue and relief efforts," Arroyo said in a statement.

Baguio City in the vegetable and rice growing mountain province of Benguet 250 km (155 miles) north of the capital, remained totally cut off after boulders and mudslides, triggered by days of intense rain from Typhoon Parma, blocked roads.

Parma first hit the Philippines last Saturday and hovered around the northern part of Luzon throughout the week. It has since weakened into a tropical depression and moved out to sea.

The floods and mudslides came two weeks after another storm, Ketsana, inundated areas in and around the capital Manila, killing at least 337 people and forcing half a million from their homes.

7 PERCENT OF HARVEST AFFECTED

Damage to rice production from the two storms was estimated at 478,000 tonnes, equivalent to 7 percent of the forecast harvest of 6.5 million tonnes in the fourth quarter, said Jesus Emmanuel Paras, Agriculture undersecretary for operations.

Manila, the world's biggest rice buyer, is considering importing rice to augment its supply for 2010 after the typhoon damage, with Vietnam and Thailand eager to provide the grain.

"We're still waiting for data on how much of the rice crops have been damaged," Frisco Malabanan, programme director for rice at the agriculture department, told Reuters. Farmers salvaged what was left of their crops after the weather improved on Saturday.

Lieutenant-Colonel Ernesto Torres, spokesman for the disaster agency, said Benguet was the hardest hit with nearly 150 people killed in landslides, including rescuers trying to pull bodies out of collapsed houses.

Torres said the death toll from landslides and floods in the northern Philippines has risen to 184 after more bodies were found in Benguet and nearby La Union province.

Besides setting off landslides in the mountains, the rain has swollen rivers and reservoirs, forcing dams used for hydropower and irrigation to release water and causing more flooding in areas downstream.

About 80 percent of the coastal province of Pangasinan in northwestern Philippines was inundated, with 50,000 people evacuated from low-lying areas, Eugene Cabrera, head of the regional disaster agency, said in a radio interview.

(Editing by Rosemarie Francisco and Bill Tarrant)

 

Deadly attack on Pakistan army HQ

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Troops at the scene of the attack

Eight soldiers and four gunmen have been killed in an attack on Pakistan's army HQ outside the capital Islamabad, the military says.

Troops engaged the gunmen after they tried to enter the heavily armed complex in Rawalpindi wearing army uniforms.

Initial reports the incident was over proved untrue, after officials said two gunmen remained at large.

The attack follows a series of bombings in north-western Pakistan.

On Friday at least 50 died in a blast in Peshawar.

It also comes as the army prepares a major operation against the Taliban.

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says that in recent days Taliban positions in the tribal areas have been bombed by the air force, amid speculation that the army's offensive there is soon to be intensified.

RECENT MILITANT ATTACKS
map
24 Sept - Seven pro-government tribal elders killed by militants in town of Janikhel, north-western Pakistan
26 Sept - At least 16 people killed in two suicide car bombs, in Peshawar and Bannu
5 Oct - Suicide bomber attacks UN offices in Islamabad killing five
9 Oct - At least 50 killed in suspected suicide bombing in Peshawar

There was a period of relative quiet in August after Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed, but the rate of militant attacks has increased since then, our correspondent adds.

High-profile targets

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the latest attack, but the Taliban has been threatening to carry out attacks unless operations against the militant group were stopped.

Police official Mohammed Jalil told AP news agency that gunmen drove up to the army compound in a white van just before midday local time (0600 GMT).

They took up positions, fired on the compound and threw hand grenades, security officials said.

Roads to the area were sealed off and helicopters hovered over the compound.

The military reported that the attack had been repelled after a gunbattle lasting around 45 minutes.

"The situation is under control ... all the gunmen have been killed", Maj-Gen Athar Abbas told local TV.

However, military officials later said that two more militants were still at large, after reports of sporadic gunfire in and around the compound.

AP quoted an intelligence official as saying that the two managed to slip into the compound and troops were trying to capture or kill them.

Islamist militants have carried out a number of attacks against high-profile, high-security targets in recent years.

In March this year gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in the city of Lahore. Six policemen and a driver were killed and several of the team were injured.

In the same month, dozens of people were killed when a police training centre on the outskirts of the city was occupied by gunmen.


FROM OTHER NEWS SITES
Sky News Hunt For Attackers After Raid On Army HQ - 27 mins ago
AFP via Yahoo! Four killed in attack on Pak army HQ: military - 32 mins ago
Al Jazeera Deadly clash near Pakistan army HQ - 43 mins ago
The Independent Gunmen attack Pakistani army HQ - 1 hr ago
Boston Globe Gunmen attack Pakistan army HQ; troops kill all 4 - 1 hr ago


News feeds| News feeds

 
Americas

Page last updated at 09:00 GMT, Saturday, 10 October 2009 10:00 UK

Barack Obama at the White House, 9 October 2009
Barack Obama says he is "humbled and deeply surprised" to win the Nobel Peace Prize just 10 months into his presidency.

A United Nations monitoring plane crashes in Haiti, killing all 11 people on board, according to UN officials.

Two people die and 19 others are taken ill after being overcome during a sauna-like experience at an Arizona retreat.


FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS
Errol Flynn's exploits in Cuba uncovered
How football makes Hondurans forget about their crisis
US photographer captures five decades of sport

BUSINESS
FEATURES


A GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS

Choose a country Antigua/Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Rep Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Suriname St Kitts & Nevis St Lucia St Vincent/Gren Trinidad/Tobago USA Uruguay Venezuela 

Find a territory Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Brit Virgin Isl Cayman Islands Falkland Islands French Guiana Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Neth Antilles Puerto Rico St Pierre & Miq Turks and Caicos 

Compiled by BBC Monitoring

FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS
Cuban bloggers test limits of free expression
Anti-obesity ads in New York pull no punches
How to harness the fervour of football for diplomacy

'Space clown' hosts global show

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Guy Laliberte's event aimed to raise awareness of global water issues

Circus entrepreneur and "first clown in space" Guy Laliberte has hosted a global artistic performance from the International Space Station (ISS).

Mr Laliberte introduced artists and speakers from 14 countries in a two-hour show aimed at drawing attention to global water shortages.

Al Gore, Bono and Salma Hayek were among those involved.

Mr Laliberte, founder of the Cirque du Soleil theatre company, is near the end of a 10-day tourist visit to the ISS.

The show, called Moving Stars and Earth for Water, was described by its organisers as a Poetic Social Mission.

It began at midnight GMT, with a welcome from Mr Laliberte onboard the ISS.

He then introduced former US Vice President and environmental campaigner Mr Gore, who said that "to solve the climate crisis and safeguard our planet and its beauty will require global effort".

Global stars

Over the next two hours, the show visited actors, artists, politicians, and activists in 14 countries including South Africa, Morocco, India, Japan and Australia.

Guy Laliberte (30 Sept 2009)
Mr Laliberte said Earth appeared fragile when seen from space

Each artist read a section of a poem by Man-Booker prize-winning author Yann Martel - emphasising the need for all the world's population to have access to clean water - followed by a musical or artistic performance.

In South Africa, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai read a passage about the link between water and education, followed by a seafront performance by musical group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

In London, musician and activist Peter Gabriel spoke about water as a human right before British singer Joss Stone performed.

And in Mumbai, a reading by Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva was followed by a video recording of a performance by Academy Award-winning composer AR Rahman.

Other performances included Inuk singer Elisapie Isaac in Canada, Australian opera singer Tiffany Speich in Sydney, Moroccan rap group Fnaire in Marrakech and acrobatic dances by members from Mr Laliberte's Cirque du Soleil.

In New York, a group of dancers staged a "flash-mobbing" in Times Square.

Among the speakers were US actors Hayek and Matthew McConaughey, award-winning scientist and environmentalist Dr David Suzuki, Canadian astronaut Julie Payette and Bindi Irwin, the young daughter of the late Australian wildlife expert, Steve Irwin.

'So fragile'

The event was broadcast live on the website of One Drop, the water charity founded by Mr Laliberte.

Guy Laliberte with the crew of the ISS (2 October 2009)
Mr Laliberte is spending 10 days on board the ISS

Viewers around the world were invited to sign a pledge to cut down on the amount of water they use.

Irish singer and activist Bono spoke to Mr Laliberte from a concert of his band, U2, in Tampa, Florida.

Bono asked Mr Laliberte, who he called "the first clown in space", for his perspective of Earth from the ISS.

"I see stars, I see darkness and emptiness. But planet Earth looks so great, and also so fragile," said Mr Laliberte.

"We should not forget that we have a great privilege to live on planet Earth."

Mr Laliberte blasted into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 30 September, accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev and US astronaut Jeffrey Williams.

He is the seventh private individual to make the trip and reportedly paid $35m for his ticket.

Before his departure, he told the BBC he wanted to use his visit to the ISS to produce "something that is originally creative".

"Hopefully we will have the result of sensitising people toward the situation of water in the world," he said.


 

Top honour for Obama draws cheers and jeers world over

10 Oct 2009, 1525 hrs IST, TIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGENCIES
OSLO/NEW YORK: The surprise Nobel Peace Prize for US president Barack Obama on Friday drew criticism as well as praise. The award also had many
puzzled Americans scratching their heads.

The decision to bestow one of the world's top accolades on a president less than nine months into his first term, who has yet to score a major foreign policy success, provoked gasps of surprise from journalists at the announcement in Oslo.

While the Nobel committe's decision won praise from statesmen like Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev , both former Nobel laureates, it was also attacked , especially in parts of the Arab and Muslim world, as hasty and undeserved.

The Palestinian Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip and opposes a peace treaty with Israel, said the award was premature at best. "Obama only made promises and did not contribute any substance to world peace," said Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri.

Liaqat Baluch, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Pakistan, called the award an embarrassing "joke" .
But the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, Saeb Erekat, welcomed the award to Obama and expressed hope that "he will be able to achieve peace in the Middle East".

Zimbabwean PM Morgan Tsvangirai, who had been tipped as a favourite for the prize, said Obama was a deserving candidate and an "extraordinary example".

In US where Obama's popularity is flagging, people were left puzzled. "It would be wonderful if I could think why he won," said Claire Sprague, a retired teacher in Manhattan.

"The guy hasn't solved any conflict anywhere so how can he win the peace prize? But if we don't reelect him the next go around we will all look like idiots because the world has anointed him," said Robert Schultz, 62, a retired civil servant , in Dallas.

Patil, Sonia, Manmohan hail Obama

President Pratibha Patil, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh have congratulated US president Barack Obama for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Sonia Gandhi has also written a letter to Obama congratulating him. In his congratulatory note, PM Manmohan Singh said the citation reflected Obama's "personal qualities of leadership" and the "new perspectives that you have brought to bear on the conduct of relations between different countries and cultures, and on some of the most burning issues of our times" .

9 months to Nobel

In awarding the peace prize, the Nobel committee, it seems, had the audacity to hope that Obama will eventually produce a record worthy of the award.

The road so far

November

Obama beats Republican rival John McCain to become the first black US president

January

Bans torture and other extreme interrogation techniques for terrorists. Promises to close Guantanamo Bay prison

April

Launches a plan to create a world free of nuclear arms. Says US would cut N-stockpile , urges others to follow

June

Says extremists have exploited tensions between Muslims and the West, and that Islam is not part of the problem but part of promoting peace

 


This article appeared in Editorial of Punjab Kesari in India in Hindi in 2 parts with some changes on 9th & 10th June 2oo8 under the name of Ashwani Chopra "Kaisey Hogi Madhya-Purva Asia mei Shanti" without any reference to me & they told me when they will do "New Jersey world's most corrupt & racist state under Jew Rulers" they will put my name. According to Journalist Harish Chopra who was my contact told me they came under fire for this article so they can not do any article on Jews or NJ or USA   

 

Israel a Failed State threat to World Peace

 

Current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is not the first Israeli prime minister suspected or being investigated for bribery, influence paddling and criminal activities. 4 other Prime Ministers Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and Areil Sharon who preceded him were also accused of corruption, influence paddling and criminal activities. (Hard Core Criminal Benjamin Netanyahu is again the PM of Israel now)

 

Israel 's economy is under the control of a handful of families who, like medieval robber barons, rob public assets, utilities and national resources, all with the help of corrupt officials, Politicians and ministers like Olmert. Israel is an example of Culture of Moral and Ethical Corruption, under the guise of Democracy. Major criminal investigations and corruption cases against the Elite Club of Wealthy, Bureaucrats & Politicians are frozen by a lack of will by those who are governing Israel for being part of this Elite Club.
 
Jewish's Leadership around the world is an exclusive Organized Club with hardly any feelings for any other & their own community. The proof is 34% Israeli children live in poverty and 20% of its population live below poverty line; an individual making less than $400/month and a family of 4 making less than $1,000.00/month. The accumulated wealth of 500 richest people is around $65 billion in contrast to Israel 's GDP of $130 Billion and National Budget of $65 Billion. Israel is in the top ten nations with the widest socio-economic gap. It is an economically, socially and politically failed state who can not solve its socio-economic, political problems including its Land dispute with Palestine since 1967. This Land Israel has colonized for last 40 years; 3.5 million Arab Muslims lives there with no voting Rights. Still Jews around the world call Israel a Democracy!
 
If one looks back there was no conflict in Palestine for centuries; till 1850 there were aprx. 400,000 Muslims (80%), 75,000 Christians (15%) and 25,000 Jews (5%) who lived in harmony. Then in late 1800s a Zionist group from Europe decided to colonize this Land to create a "Jewish Homeland" after rejecting locations in Africa and South America . At first this immigration created no problem; however when more and more Jews immigrated with the sole stated desire to take land for an exclusive Jewish state fighting with escalating waves of violence  erupted between the 2 groups.
 
Finally in 1947 United Nations (UNO) under the pressure of American Jews intervened and dishonestly arbitrarily decided to give 55% of Palestine to Jewish state despite the fact this group represented only 30% of the total population and owned less than 7% of the Land. A war broke out between Jewish Forces with American & European money consisting 90,000 European trained soldiers with most modern weaponry including fighter & bomber planes and 30,000 ill-equipped, improvised, poorly trained men representing Arab Forces. Entire civilized world watch this one sided no contest war with a known outcome. By the end of 1948 war Jewish state " Israel " was created on 78% Palestine conquered Land. This was far more than that proposed generous UN conspiracy. A new map was drawn up in which every city; river and hillock received a New Hebrew name to erase all vestiges of the Palestine culture. 
 
In 1967 Israel launched a surprise war lasting 6 days and occupied remaining 22% of Palestine that had eluded it in 1948; the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It also occupied parts of Egypt (which has been returned) and Syria which is still under their occupation. Israel has inevitably created destabilizing effects in their pursuit to maintain an ethnically preferential Jewish State, particularly when majority land it is on was forcibly colonized that primarily belongs to Arab Muslims. This has destabilized the peace in the entire Middle East . The original state which was 80% Muslim & 15% Christians have become refugees and are not being allowed to return home in the current Jewish state Israel; which is in violation to UN guaranteed Refugee Rights to return to their Homeland.
 
Israel's defiance to Bill Clinton brokered 1993 Oslo Peace accord of giving back West Bank & Gaza strip for the creation of Palestine state has made the Palestine Muslims to rebel in more violent manner. Israel by moving its citizens to take more land has put fuel to this violent uprising which the Arabs call "Intifada" (Arabic for shacking off) Intifada began in 2000 and continued to this day and turning more violent each day. 
 
Israel 's continued illegal confiscation of Palestine Land since 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is being resisted by the Palestine inhabitants with violence, terrorism and guerilla war tactics. Israeli government in retaliation feels it is ethical to Bomb Palestine civilians including children. This gave status of a Leader to terrorist like Yaser Arafat who can be named as inventor of human Bomb. Despite his numerous wives and more than 100 children he never made any of his own family members a human bomb. This type of terrorism, guerilla war and Islamic Jihad invented & practiced in Israel/Palestine has spread to the whole world and has destabilized the world peace.
 
Every where Organized Jewish Leadership wants the whole world to talk 24/7 about the holocaust in which 3.5-5 million Jews were killed by Hitler rather than their illegal colonization of Palestine Land. They want the whole world to feel guilty for this. This Leadership does not wish to address current failed socio, economics & political policies of Israel and illegal colonization of Palestine Land with 3.5 million Arab Muslim Slaves.
 
Where as it is an irony no one including the Indians themselves have ever talked about that 30-40 million Indians were starved to death from 1876-1943 during 25 major famines by the British colonizers of India . 1876-1879 famine 20 million Indians died of starvation. In the last famine in 1943 alone more than 4 million Indian Bengali victims including new born children perished alive under inhuman, atrocious and cruel British Rule. British Rulers inhuman attitude towards human disaster & sufferings of Indians became more visible in 1943 when in a response to an urgent request by the secretary of State for India, Leo Amery and Wavell to release food stocks for India, Prime Minister Winston Churchill responded with a telegram to Wavell asking, "If food was so scare, "why Gandhi hadn't died yet."
 

It was very unfortunate even the Democrat President Roosevelt of America refused to help the dying Indians by denying help with food stock. By doing so President Roosevelt not only showed least concern for the lives of Bengali Indians but he showed utter disrespect to the American philosophy, " Liberty and Justice to all."

 

The British Colonizers have yet to tender a formal apology or regret or any help to those families whose members died in various famines in India , neither the Indian government or Indian public has ever demanded for the same.  

This Culture of Moral and Ethical Corruption by Jewish organized Leadership have penetrated America in a big way with their control of Wall Street, Main Stream Media, Real Estate, Hollywood and Politics. 2% Jewish Population of America has organized 11% representation in US Senate and 8% in Congress spanning over 17 states of America with assets in trillions of dollars. It looks like this Organized Leadership wants to repeat the history of colonization of Palestine by their ancestors in America . In majority Christian nation America which ever Town Jewish Leadership control; corruption & racism has become hallmark of their administration. Saying "Merry Christmas" is an insult for Leadership and shutting down Towns on Jewish religious days are the norms.
 
Just for an example under this Organized Leadership representing 4% Jewish population, New Jersey is probably the world's most corrupt & racist state. This state in 8,000 sq miles has more than 1 Elected Politician & 50 Employees per Square Miles (over 9,000 Elected Scoundrels & 400,000 Employees with little or no work) for 8.5 Million residents under 588 Gangs (governments) in 566 Racially segregated Princely Estates (towns) with a budget of $74 billion and deficit of $140 billion including unfunded liabilities like state pension, healthcare and transport fund. New Jersey is legally corrupt & legally racially segregated under the Jewish/Israeli Rulers & their cronies. This state with highest Property Taxes $7,500.00 & highest cost $19,000.00 to educate a student in the nation also takes pride in its 250,000 students who can not comprehend in basic education. In Racism this state has set new record under Jewish Rulers. The Police Union under a Jew President called the entire Indian community, "cockroaches, animals, illiterates and illegal go home in the presence of print & TV Media in Aug 2006. It is an irony no Indian Leader in America or India or any part of the world; worth the name protested to these worst ever called Racial Slurs for a minority community in the history of America
 
Beside few other nationalities; Jews are also allowed dual citizenship in America . In Israel more than 100,000 American Jews are living there. Israel has permitted them to serve in their Army and to vote in their elections. It is a debatable issue how one can trust such a privileged class with divided loyalties who is hostage to its own Leadership; in any country?  Especially when this Organized Leadership is governing Israel promoting a Culture of Moral & Ethical Corruption with guns & bombs to glorify their illegal confiscation of Palestine Land . To hide all of this they want the entire world to live in the past and feel guilty for the massacre of Jews by Hitler.
 

Can the preachers of Peace, Liberty and Democracy pay attention to this 42 year old blood soaked ongoing territorial dispute between Israel & Palestine; which is threatening world Peace and Liberty of other humans around the world?

 

How can we forget that this conflict has given birth to Human Bombs and Islamic Jihad around the world? How can we forget it has legalized state sponsored terrorism by Israel for colonizing Palestine and it has given the status of Leaders to terrorist like Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak,  Areil Sharon,  Ehud Olmert and Benjamin Netanyahu etc.?

 
God Bless United States of America and every human on earth.
 
Dave Makkar  
May 2008
 
973 416 1600 D
973 760 6006 C 
 
 
 
www.savethehills9.blogspot.com                  
 
www.citizensfordemocracynj.org                          

Barack Obama

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Barack Obama
Portrait of Barack Obama

Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 20, 2009
Vice President Joe Biden
Preceded by George W. Bush

In office
January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008
Preceded by Peter Fitzgerald
Succeeded by Roland Burris

Member of the Illinois Senate
from the 13th district
In office
January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004
Preceded by Alice Palmer
Succeeded by Kwame Raoul

Born August 4, 1961 (1961-08-04) (age 48)[1]
Honolulu, Hawaii[2]
Birth name Barack Hussein Obama II[2]
Nationality American
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Michelle Obama (m. 1992)
Children Malia Ann (b. 1998)
Natasha (Sasha) (b. 2001)
Residence The White House (official) Chicago, Illinois (private)
Alma mater Occidental College
Columbia University (B.A.)
Harvard Law School (J.D.)
Occupation Community organizer
Lawyer
Constitutional law Professor
Author
Religion Christian[3]
Signature Barack Obama
Website The White House
This article is part of a series about
Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II (/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/  (Speaker Icon.svg listen); born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first born in Hawaii. Obama previously served as the junior United States Senator from Illinois from January 2005 until he resigned after his election to the presidency in November 2008.

Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.

Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, Obama ran for United States Senate in 2004. His victory in the March 2004 Democratic primary election for the United States Senator from Illinois brought him to national attention. His prime-time televised keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004 made him a rising star nationally in the Democratic Party. He comfortably won election to the U.S. Senate in November 2004.

He began his run for the presidency in February 2007. After a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Clinton, he won his party's nomination. In the 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. On October 9, 2009 Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.[4]

Contents

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Early life and career

Barack Obama was born at Kapi'olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States,[5] to Stanley Ann Dunham,[6] an American of mainly English descent from Wichita, Kansas,[7] and Barack Obama, Sr., a Luo from Nyang'oma Kogelo, Nyanza Province, Kenya. Obama's parents met in 1960 in a Russian language class at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, where his father was a foreign student on scholarship.[8][9] The couple married on February 2, 1961,[10] and Barack was born later that year. His parents separated when he was two years old and they divorced in 1964.[9] Obama's father returned to Kenya and saw his son only once more before dying in an automobile accident in 1982.[11]

After her divorce, Dunham married Indonesian student Lolo Soetoro, who was attending college in Hawaii. When Suharto, a military leader in Soetoro's home country, came to power in 1967, all Indonesian students studying abroad were recalled and the family moved to the island nation.[12] From ages six to ten, Obama attended local schools in Jakarta, including Besuki Public School and St. Francis of Assisi School.

In 1971, he returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Armour Dunham, and attended Punahou School, a private college preparatory school, from the fifth grade until his graduation from high school in 1979.[13]

Obama's mother returned to Hawaii in 1972 and remained there until 1977, when she relocated to Indonesia to work as an anthropological field worker. She finally returned to Hawaii in 1994 and lived there for one year before dying of ovarian cancer.[14]

Right to left:A young boy possibly in his early teens, a younger girl (about age 5), a grown woman and an elderly man, sit on a lawn wearing contemporary circa-1970 attire. The adults wear sunglasses and the boy wears sandals.
Right-to-left: Barack Obama and half-sister Maya Soetoro, with their mother Ann Dunham and grandfather Stanley Dunham, in Hawaii (early 1970s)

Of his early childhood, Obama recalled, "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind."[15] He described his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage.[16] Reflecting later on his formative years in Honolulu, Obama wrote: "The opportunity that Hawaii offered—to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect—became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear."[17] Obama has also written and talked about using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years to "push questions of who I was out of my mind."[18] At the 2008 Civil Forum on the Presidency in 2008, Obama identified his high-school drug use as his "greatest moral failure."[19]

Following high school, he moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to attend Occidental College.[20] After two years he transferred in 1981 to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations[21] and graduated with a B.A. in 1983. He worked for a year at the Business International Corporation[22][23] and then at the New York Public Interest Research Group.[24][25]

After four years in New York City, Obama moved to Chicago, where he was hired as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman and Riverdale) on Chicago's far South Side. He worked there as a community organizer from June 1985 to May 1988.[24][26] During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from one to thirteen and its annual budget grew from $70,000 to $400,000. He helped set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens.[27] Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, a community organizing institute.[28] In mid-1988, he traveled for the first time in Europe for three weeks and then for five weeks in Kenya, where he met many of his paternal relatives for the first time.[29] He returned in August 2006 in a visit to his father's birthplace, a village near Kisumu in rural western Kenya.[30]

Obama entered Harvard Law School in late 1988. He was selected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year,[31] and president of the journal in his second year.[32] During his summers, he returned to Chicago, where he worked as a summer associate at the law firms of Sidley Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990.[33] After graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude[34] from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago.[31] Obama's election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review gained national media attention[32] and led to a publishing contract and advance for a book about race relations,[35] though it evolved into a personal memoir. The manuscript was published in mid-1995 as Dreams from My Father.[35]

From April to October 1992, Obama directed Illinois's Project Vote, a voter registration drive with a staff of ten and 700 volunteers; it achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African Americans in the state, and led to Crain's Chicago Business naming Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be.[36]

For 12 years, Obama served as a professor of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School; as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004.[37] In 1993 he joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a law firm of 12 attorneys that specialized in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development, where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996, then of counsel from 1996 to 2004, with his law license becoming inactive in 2002.[38]

Obama was a founding member of the board of directors of Public Allies in 1992, resigning before his wife, Michelle, became the founding executive director of Public Allies Chicago in early 1993.[24][39] He served from 1994 to 2002 on the board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, which in 1985 had been the first foundation to fund the Developing Communities Project, and also from 1994 to 2002 on the board of directors of the Joyce Foundation.[24] Obama served on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge from 1995 to 2002, as founding president and chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to 1999.[24] He also served on the board of directors of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and the Lugenia Burns Hope Center.[24]

Political career: 1996–2008

State legislator: 1997–2004

Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, succeeding State Senator Alice Palmer as Senator from Illinois's 13th District, which at that time spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from Hyde Park-Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn.[40] Once elected, Obama gained bipartisan support for legislation reforming ethics and health care laws.[41] He sponsored a law increasing tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.[42] In 2001, as co-chairman of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Obama supported Republican Governor Ryan's payday loan regulations and predatory mortgage lending regulations aimed at averting home foreclosures.[43]

Obama was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998, defeating Republican Yesse Yehudah in the general election, and was reelected again in 2002.[44] In 2000, he lost a Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives to four-term incumbent Bobby Rush by a margin of two to one.[45]

In January 2003, Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the minority, regained a majority.[46] He sponsored and led unanimous, bipartisan passage of legislation to monitor racial profiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they detained, and legislation making Illinois the first state to mandate videotaping of homicide interrogations.[42][47] During his 2004 general election campaign for U.S. Senate, police representatives credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting death penalty reforms.[48] Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate in November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate.[49]

2004 U.S. Senate campaign

In May 2002, Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in a 2004 U.S. Senate race; he created a campaign committee, began raising funds and lined up political media consultant David Axelrod by August 2002, and formally announced his candidacy in January 2003.[50] Decisions by Republican incumbent Peter Fitzgerald and his Democratic predecessor Carol Moseley Braun not to contest the race launched wide-open Democratic and Republican primary contests involving fifteen candidates.[51] Obama's candidacy was boosted by Axelrod's advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and an endorsement by the daughter of the late Paul Simon, former U.S. Senator for Illinois.[52] In the March 2004 primary election, Obama won an unexpected landslide victory with 53% of the vote in a seven-candidate field, 29% ahead of his nearest Democratic rival, which overnight made him a rising star in the national Democratic Party and started speculation about a presidential future.[53]

In July 2004, Obama wrote and delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.[54] Though it was not televised by the three major broadcast news networks, a combined 9.1 million viewers saw Obama's speech, which was a highlight of the convention and elevated his status as a star in the Democratic Party.[55]

Obama's expected opponent in the general election, Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race in June 2004.[56] Two months later, Alan Keyes accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan.[57] A long-time resident of Maryland, Keyes established legal residency in Illinois with the nomination.[58] In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes' 27%, the largest victory margin for a statewide race in Illinois history.[59]

U.S. Senator: 2005–2008

Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 4, 2005.[60] Obama was the fifth African American Senator in U.S. history and the third to have been popularly elected.[61] He was the only Senate member of the Congressional Black Caucus.[62] CQ Weekly, a nonpartisan publication, characterized him as a "loyal Democrat" based on analysis of all Senate votes in 2005–2007. The National Journal ranked him as the "most liberal" senator based on an assessment of selected votes during 2007; in 2005 he was ranked sixteenth most liberal, and in 2006 he was ranked tenth.[63] In 2008, Congress.org ranked him as the eleventh most powerful Senator,[64] and the politician who was the most popular in the Senate, enjoying 72% approval in Illinois.[65] Obama announced on November 13, 2008 that he would resign his senate seat on November 16, 2008, before the start of the lame-duck session, to focus on his transition period for the presidency.[66] This enabled him to avoid the conflict of dual roles as President-elect and Senator in the lame duck session of Congress, which no sitting member of Congress had faced since Warren Harding.[67]

Legislation

A man with glasses and Obama sit and hold a sheet of paper. Obama points at the paper and talks. Both men wear dark suits and ties.
Senate bill sponsors Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Obama discussing the Coburn–Obama Transparency Act[68]

Obama voted in favor of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and cosponsored the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act.[69] In September 2006, Obama supported a related bill, the Secure Fence Act.[70] Obama introduced two initiatives bearing his name: Lugar–Obama, which expanded the Nunn–Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons,[71] and the Coburn–Obama Transparency Act, which authorized the establishment of USAspending.gov, a web search engine on federal spending.[72] On June 3, 2008, Senator Obama, along with Senators Thomas R. Carper, Tom Coburn, and John McCain, introduced follow-up legislation: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008.[73]

Gray-haired man and Obama stand, wearing casual polo shirts. Obama wears sunglasses and holds something slung over his right sholder.
Obama and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) visit a Russian mobile launch missile dismantling facility in August 2005.[74]

Obama sponsored legislation that would have required nuclear plant owners to notify state and local authorities of radioactive leaks, but the bill failed to pass in the full Senate after being heavily modified in committee.[75] Obama is not hostile to tort reform and voted for the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 which grants immunity from civil liability to telecommunications companies complicit with NSA warrantless wiretapping operations.[76]

In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.[77] In January 2007, Obama and Senator Feingold introduced a corporate jet provision to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which was signed into law in September 2007.[78] Obama also introduced Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections[79] and the Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007,[80] neither of which has been signed into law.

Later in 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality disorder military discharges.[81] This amendment passed the full Senate in the spring of 2008.[82] He sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry, which has not passed committee, and co-sponsored legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism.[83] Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program providing one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries.[84]

Committees

Obama held assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works and Veterans' Affairs through December 2006.[85] In January 2007, he left the Environment and Public Works committee and took additional assignments with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.[86] He also became Chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on European Affairs.[87] As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. He met with Mahmoud Abbas before he became President of the Palestinian Authority, and gave a speech at the University of Nairobi condemning corruption in the Kenyan government.[88]

2008 presidential campaign

Obama stands on stage with his family. They wave.
Obama stands on stage with his wife and two daughters just before announcing his presidential candidacy in Springfield, Illinois, Feb. 10, 2007.

On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois.[89][90][91] The choice of the announcement site was viewed as symbolic[89][92] because it was also where Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic "House Divided" speech in 1858.[91] Throughout the campaign, Obama emphasized the issues of rapidly ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence and providing universal health care.[93]

A large number of candidates entered the Democratic Party presidential primaries. The field narrowed to a duel between Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton after early contests, with the race remaining close throughout the primary process but with Obama gaining a steady lead in pledged delegates due to better long-range planning, superior fundraising, dominant organizing in caucus states, and better exploitation of delegate allocation rules.[94] On June 3, with all states counted, Obama was named the presumptive nominee[95] and delivered a victory speech in St. Paul, Minnesota. Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed him on June 7.[96]

Obama meets with Bush in the Oval Office. Both sit at a distance in front of the presidential desk with their legs crossed and their backs on an angle toward the camera. They sit at right angles to each other.
Obama meets with 43rd President George W. Bush in the Oval Office on November 10, 2008.

Obama proceeded to focus on the general election campaign against Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, in the lead up to the Democratic National Convention. He announced on August 23, 2008, that he had selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate.[97] At the convention, held August 25 to August 28 in Denver, Colorado, Hillary Clinton called for her delegates and supporters to endorse Obama, and she and Bill Clinton gave convention speeches in support of Obama.[98] Obama delivered his acceptance speech to over 75,000 supporters and presented his policy goals; the speech was viewed by over 38 million people worldwide.[99]

During both the primary process and the general election, Obama's campaign set numerous fundraising records, particularly in the quantity of small donations.[100] On June 19, 2008, Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976.[101]

After McCain was nominated as the Republican candidate, three presidential debates were held between the contenders spanning September and October 2008.[102] In November, Obama won the presidency with 52.9% of the popular vote to McCain's 45.7%,[103] and 365 electoral votes to 173,[104] to become the first African American[105] to be elected president. Obama delivered his victory speech before hundreds of thousands of supporters in Chicago's Grant Park.[106]

Presidency

Barack Obama takes the oath of office of the president of the United States.

First days

The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President, and Joe Biden as Vice President, took place on January 20, 2009. In his first few days in office Obama issued executive orders and presidential memoranda directing the U.S. military to develop plans to withdraw troops from Iraq,[107] and ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp "as soon as practicable and no later than" January 2010.[108] Obama also reduced the secrecy given to presidential records[109] and changed procedures to promote disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.[110] The president also reversed George W. Bush's ban on federal funding to foreign establishments that allow abortions (known as the Mexico City Policy and referred to by critics as the "Global Gag Rule").[111]

Domestic policy

On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed his first bill into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which overruled the Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and so eased the requirements for filing employment discrimination lawsuits.[112] Five days later, he signed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover an additional 4 million children currently uninsured.[113]

In March 2009, Obama repealed a Bush-era policy that prevented federal tax dollars from being used to fund research on new lines of embryonic stem cells. Although such research had been a matter of debate, Obama stated that he believed "sound science and moral values...are not inconsistent," and that we have "the humanity and conscience" to pursue this research responsibly, pledging to develop "strict guidelines" to ensure that.[114]

On May 26, 2009, Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter. Sotomayor was confirmed on August 6, 2009 by a vote of 68-31,[115] becoming the first Hispanic to be a Supreme Court Justice. She joins Ruth Bader Ginsburg as one of two women on the Court and is the third woman ever to be a Justice.[116]

On September 30, 2009, the Obama administration announced new regulations on power plants, factories and oil refineries in an attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global warming. According to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, "We are not going to continue with business as usual. We have the tools and the technology to move forward today, and we are using them."[117][118][119]

Economic management

On February 17, 2009, Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at helping the economy recover from the deepening worldwide recession. Obama made a high-profile visit to Capitol Hill to engage with Congressional Republicans, but the bill ultimately passed with the support of only three Republican senators.[120] The act includes increased federal spending for health care, infrastructure, education, various tax breaks and incentives, and direct assistance to individuals,[121] which is being distributed over the course of several years, with about 25% due by the end of 2009. In June, Obama, unsatisfied with the pace of the investment, called on his cabinet to accelerate the spending over the next weeks.[122] In September, Obama argued that the stimulus package helped stop the economic downturn.[123]

President Barack Obama signs the ARRA into law on February 17, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. Vice President Joe Biden stands behind him.

In March, Obama's Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, took further steps to manage the financial crisis, including introducing the Public-Private Investment Program which contains provisions for buying up to $2 trillion in depreciated real estate assets that were deemed to be weighing down stock valuations, freezing the credit market and delaying economic recovery. On March 23, The New York Times noted that "(i)nvestors reacted ecstatically, with all of the major stock indexes soaring as soon as the markets opened."[124] Along with spending and loan guarantees from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, about $11.5 trillion had been authorized by the Bush and Obama administrations, with $2.7 trillion actually spent by the end of June 2009.[125]

Obama intervened in the troubled automotive industry[126] in March, renewing loans for General Motors and Chrysler Corporation to continue operations while reorganizing. Over the following months the White House set terms for both firms' bankruptcies, including the sale of Chrysler to Italian automaker Fiat[127] and a reorganization of GM giving the U.S. government a temporary 60% equity stake in the company, with the Canadian government shouldering a 12% stake.[128]

Foreign policy

In February and March, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a "new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration.[129] Obama's granting of his first television interview as President to an Arabic cable network, Al Arabiya, was seen as an attempt to reach out to Arab leaders.[130]

On March 19, Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world, releasing a New Year's video message to the people and government of Iran.[131] This attempt at outreach was rebuffed by the Iranian leadership.[132] In April, Obama gave a speech in Ankara, Turkey which was well received by many Arab governments.[133] On June 4, 2009, Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for "a new beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace.[134]

On June 26, 2009, in response to the Iranian government's actions towards protesters following Iran's 2009 presidential election, Obama said: "The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. We see it and we condemn it."[135] On July 7, while in Moscow, he responded to a Vice President Biden comment on a possible Israeli military strike on Iran by saying: "We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East."[136]

On September 24, 2009, Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to preside over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.[137]

Iraq war

During his presidential transition, President-elect Obama announced that he would retain the incumbent Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, in his Cabinet.[138]

Early in his presidency, Obama moved to change the perception of U.S. war strategy by planning to decrease troop levels in Iraq as was planned in the closing days of the Bush administration.[139] On February 27, Obama declared that combat operations would end in Iraq within 18 months. His remarks were made to a group of Marines preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. Obama said, "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."[140]

War in Afghanistan

Early in his presidency, Obama moved to change U.S. war strategy by increasing troop strength in Afghanistan.[139] On February 18, 2009, Obama announced that the U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan would be boosted by 17,000, asserting that the increase was necessary to "stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan", an area he said had not received the "strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires".[141]

On May 11, Obama replaced his military commander in Afghanistan, General David D. McKiernan, with former Special Forces commander Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, believing that Gen. McChrystal's Special Forces experience would facilitate the use of counterinsurgency tactics in the war.[142]

Health care reform

Obama has called for Congress to pass health care reform, a key campaign promise and a top legislative goal. On July 14, 2009, House Democratic leaders introduced a 1,017 page plan for overhauling the US health care system, which Obama wants Congress to approve by the end of the year.[143] Obama has also stated that a public health insurance option is a main component to lowering costs and improving quality in the health care sector.[144]

After much public debate during the Congressional summer recess of 2009, Obama delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress on September 9 where he addressed concerns over his administration's proposals.[145]

Political positions

A method that some political scientists use for gauging ideology is to compare the annual ratings by the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) with the ratings by the American Conservative Union (ACU).[146] Based on his years in Congress, Obama has a lifetime average conservative rating of 7.67% from the ACU[147] and a lifetime average liberal rating of 90% from the ADA.[148]

Obama gestures from the podium while campaigning. The front of the podium has a sign that reads "Change We Need" with WWW.BARACKOBAMA.COM below and his campaign logo above.
Obama campaigning in Abington, Pennsylvania, October 2008

In economic affairs, in April 2005, he defended the New Deal social welfare policies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and opposed Republican proposals to establish private accounts for Social Security.[149] In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Obama spoke out against government indifference to growing economic class divisions, calling on both political parties to take action to restore the social safety net for the poor.[150] Shortly before announcing his presidential campaign, Obama said he supports universal health care in the United States.[151] He has proposed rewarding teachers for performance from traditional merit pay systems, assuring unions that changes would be pursued through the collective bargaining process.[152]

On taxation, his plan would eliminate taxes for senior citizens with incomes of less than $50,000 a year, raise income taxes for those making over $250,000, raise the capital gains and dividends taxes,[153] close corporate tax loopholes, lift the income cap on Social Security taxes, restrict offshore tax havens, and simplify filing of income tax returns by pre-filling wage and bank information already collected by the IRS.[154] In September 2007, he blamed special interests for distorting the U.S. tax code.[155]

Obama facing forward with his body facing left while wearing a white open-collared dress shirt
Barack Obama giving a speech at the University of Southern California in support of a proposition to fund alternative energy research

As an environmental initiative, Obama proposed a cap and trade auction system to restrict carbon emissions and a ten year program of investments in new energy sources to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil.[156] Obama proposed that all pollution credits must be auctioned, with no grandfathering of credits for oil and gas companies, and the spending of the revenue obtained on energy development and economic transition costs.[157]

In foreign affairs, Obama was an early opponent of the George W. Bush administration's policies on Iraq.[158] On October 2, 2002, the day President Bush and Congress agreed on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[159] Obama addressed the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally,[160] and spoke out against the war.[161] He addressed another anti-war rally in March 2003 and told the crowd that "it's not too late" to stop the war.[162]

Although Obama had previously said he wanted all U.S. troops out of Iraq within 16 months of becoming president, after he won the primary, he said he might change or refine plans as further developments unfold.[163] In November 2006, he called for a "phased redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq" and an opening of diplomatic dialogue with Syria and Iran.[164] In a March 2007 speech to AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobby, he said that the primary way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons is through talks and diplomacy, although he did not rule out military action.[165] Obama has indicated that he would engage in "direct presidential diplomacy" with Iran without preconditions.[166] In August 2007, Obama remarked that "it was a terrible mistake to fail to act" against a 2005 meeting of al-Qaeda leaders that U.S. intelligence had confirmed to be taking place in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He said that as president, he would not miss a similar opportunity, even without the support of the Pakistani government.[167]

Obama stated that if elected he would enact budget cuts in the range of tens of billions of dollars, stop investing in "unproven" missile defense systems, not weaponize space, "slow development of Future Combat Systems", and work towards eliminating all nuclear weapons. Obama favors ending development of new nuclear weapons, reducing the current U.S. nuclear stockpile, enacting a global ban on production of fissile material, and seeking negotiations with Russia to reduce the pressure on both sides for intercontinental ballistic missiles to be on high-alert status.[168]

Obama has called for more assertive action to oppose genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.[169] He has divested $180,000 in personal holdings of Sudan-related stock, and has urged divestment from companies doing business in Iran.[170] In the July–August 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs, Obama called for an outward looking post-Iraq War foreign policy and, in his view, the renewal of American military, diplomatic, and moral leadership in the world. Saying that "we can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into submission", he called on Americans to "lead the world, by deed and by example".[171]

In his write-in response to a 1998 survey, Obama stated his abortion position as conforming with the Democratic platform: "Abortions should be legally available in accordance with Roe v. Wade."[172]

Nobel Peace Prize

On October 9, 2009, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjørn Jagland, announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".[4] As specific examples of the work that led to the award, the Nobel Prize Committee highlighted efforts to promote nuclear nonproliferation (particularly in Iran),[173] and a "new climate" in international relations fostered by Obama, especially in reaching out to the Muslim world.[174]

President Obama is the third sitting U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and is the first to become a Nobel laureate during his first year in office.[175] Theodore Roosevelt won the award in 1906, Woodrow Wilson in 1919, and Jimmy Carter in 2002. [176]

The award was for a peace initiative more recent than had been recognized in past Nobel Prize awards.[177] It was a surprise to Obama, who said, "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize,"[178] continuing, "But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women and all Americans want to build, a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents." [179] The award drew some criticism, including from the former President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, who won the prize in 1983, stating, "So soon? Too early. He has no contribution so far."[180] The award was also praised; 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore called the award, "extremely well deserved."[181]

Family and personal life

Barack and Michelle Obama, their children, and her mother, along with the Easter Bunny, on a balcony waving.
Barack Obama together with his family, as they wave from the South Portico of the White House to guests attending the White House Easter Egg Roll.

In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-United Nations", he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher."[182] Obama has seven half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family, six of them living, and a half-sister with whom he was raised, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband.[183] Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born mother, Madelyn Dunham[184] until her death on November 2, 2008[185] just two days before his election to the Presidency. In Dreams from My Father, Obama ties his mother's family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.[186] Obama's great-uncle served in the 89th Division that overran Ohrdruf,[187] the first Nazi camp liberated by U.S. troops during World War II.[188]

Obama was known as "Barry" in his youth, but asked to be addressed with his given name during his college years.[189] Besides his native English, Obama speaks Indonesian at the conversational level, which he learned during his four childhood years in Jakarta.[190] He plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team.[191]

Obama holding a basketball above his head in midair while four other players look at him. He looks toward the camera over his right shoulder.
Obama playing basketball with U.S. military at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti in 2006[192]

In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin.[193] Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his initial requests to date.[194] They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992.[195] The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born on July 4, 1998,[196] followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), on June 10, 2001.[197] The Obama daughters attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the private Sidwell Friends School.[198]

Applying the proceeds of a book deal, the family moved in 2005 from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago.[199] The purchase of an adjacent lot and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend Tony Rezko attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama.[200]

In December 2007, Money magazine estimated the Obama family's net worth at $1.3 million.[201] Their 2007 tax return showed a household income of $4.2 million—up from about $1 million in 2006 and $1.6 million in 2005—mostly from sales of his books.[202]

Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life. In The Audacity of Hope, Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household". He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists") to be detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known". He describes his father as "raised a Muslim", but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful". Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change".[203] He was baptized at the Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and was an active member there for two decades.[204] Obama resigned from Trinity during the Presidential campaign after controversial statements made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright became public.[205]

Obama has tried to quit smoking several times,[206] and said he will not smoke in the White House.[206]

Cultural and political image

Group portrait of five presidential men in dark suits and ties
President George W. Bush invited then-President-elect Barack Obama and former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter to a meeting in the Oval Office on January 7, 2009.

Obama's family history, early life and upbringing, and Ivy League education differ markedly from those of African-American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement.[207] Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough", Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."[208] Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an October 2007 campaign speech, saying: "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."[209]

20090124 WeeklyAddress.ogv
Obama presents his first weekly address as President of the United States, discussing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Obama is frequently referred to as an exceptional orator.[210] During his pre-inauguration transition period and continuing into his presidency, Obama has delivered a series of weekly Internet video addresses[211] similar to Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous fireside chats to explain his policies and actions.[212]

According to the Gallup Daily Poll, during his first 100 days in office as president, Obama received approval ratings in the mid-60s, ranging from 59% to 69%. He concluded his first 100 days with a 65% approval rating.[213] His disapproval rating increased from 12% to 29% during that same time period.[214] By late August 2009, his approval rating had dropped to 50%, with a 42% disapproval rating.[214][215]

Obama's international appeal has been described as a defining factor for his public image.[216] Polls show strong support for Obama in other countries,[217] and he has met with prominent foreign figures including then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair,[218] Italy's Democratic Party leader and then Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni,[219] and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.[220]

According to a May 2009 poll conducted by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the International Herald Tribune, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of this economic downturn.[221]

Obama won Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Awards for abridged audiobook versions of Dreams from My Father in February 2006 and for The Audacity of Hope in February 2008.[222] His "Yes We Can" speech, which artists independently set to music, was viewed by 10 million people on YouTube in the first month,[223] and received a Daytime Emmy Award.[224] In December 2008, Time magazine named Barack Obama as its Person of the Year for his historic candidacy and election, which it described as "the steady march of seemingly impossible accomplishments".[225]

Notes

  1. ^ "President Barack Obama". The White House. http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president_obama/. Retrieved December 12, 2008. 
  2. ^ a b "Certification of Live Birth for Barack Obama". Department of Health, Hawaii. August 8, 1961. http://www.politifact.com/media/img/graphics/birthCertObama.jpg. Retrieved December 12, 2008. 
  3. ^ "American President: Barack Obama". Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/obama. Retrieved January 23, 2009. 
  4. ^ a b "The Nobel Peace Prize 2009". Nobel Foundation. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/. Retrieved 2009-10-09. 
  5. ^ Maraniss, David (August 24, 2008). "Though Obama Had to Leave to Find Himself, It Is Hawaii That Made His Rise Possible". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/23/AR2008082301620.html. Retrieved October 27, 2008. 
  6. ^ For Stanley Ann's first name, see Obama (1995, 2004), p. 19
  7. ^ "Born in the U.S.A.". FactCheck. August 21, 2008. http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html. Retrieved October 24, 2008. 
  8. ^ Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 9–10. For book excerpts, see "Barack Obama: Creation of Tales". East African. November 1, 2004. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927225314/http://www.nationmedia.com/EastAfrican/01112004/Features/PA2-2212.html. Retrieved April 13, 2008. 
  9. ^ a b Jones, Tim (March 27, 2007). "Obama's mom: Not just a girl from Kansas: Strong personalities shaped a future senator". Chicago Tribune, reprinted in The Baltimore Sun. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/chi-0703270151mar27-archive,0,91024,full.story. Retrieved October 27, 2008. 
  10. ^ Ripley, Amanda (April 9, 2008). "The Story of Barack Obama's Mother". Time. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1729524,00.html. Retrieved April 9, 2007. 
  11. ^ Merida, Kevin (December 14, 2007). "The Ghost of a Father". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/13/ST2007121301893.html. Retrieved June 24, 2008.  See also: Ochieng, Philip (November 1, 2004). "From Home Squared to the US Senate: How Barack Obama Was Lost and Found". East African. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927223905/http://www.nationmedia.com/EastAfrican/01112004/Features/PA2-11.html. Retrieved June 24, 2008. 
  12. ^ Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 44–45.
  13. ^ Serafin, Peter (March 21, 2004). "Punahou Grad Stirs Up Illinois Politics". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/03/21/news/story4.html. Retrieved April 13, 2008.  See also: Obama (1995, 2004), Chapters 3 and 4.
  14. ^ Ripley, Amanda (April 9, 2008). "The Story of Barack Obama's Mother". Time. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1729524,00.html. Retrieved June 24, 2008.  See also: Suryakusuma, Julia (November 29, 2006). "Obama for President... of Indonesia". Jakarta Post. http://old.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20061129.F03. Retrieved June 24, 2008. 
  15. ^ Obama (1995), pp. 9–10.
  16. ^ Obama (1995), Chapters 4 and 5. See also: Serrano, Richard A (March 11, 2007). "Obama's Peers Didn't See His Angst" (paid archive). Los Angeles Times. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1230439131.html?dids=1230439131:1230439131&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+11%2C+2007&author=Richard+A.+Serrano&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.20&desc=THE+NATION. Retrieved January 4, 2008. 
  17. ^ Reyes, B. J (February 8, 2007). "Punahou Left Lasting Impression on Obama". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/02/08/news/story02.html. Retrieved January 4, 2008.  "As a teenager, Obama went to parties and sometimes sought out gatherings on military bases or at the University of Hawaii that were mostly attended by blacks."
  18. ^ "Obama Gets Blunt with N.H. Students". Boston Globe. Associated Press. November 21, 2007. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/21/obama_gets_blunt_with_nh_students/. Retrieved January 4, 2008.  In Dreams from My Father, Obama writes: "Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it." Obama (1995), pp. 93–94. For analysis of the political impact of the quote and Obama's more recent admission that he smoked marijuana as a teenager ("When I was a kid, I inhaled."), see: Romano, Lois (January 3, 2007). "Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to Be Seen". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/02/AR2007010201359.html. Retrieved January 4, 2008.  Seelye, Katharine Q (October 24, 2006). "Obama Offers More Variations From the Norm". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/us/politics/24obama.html. Retrieved January 4, 2008. 
  19. ^ Hornick, Ed (August 17, 2008). "Obama, McCain talk issues at pastor's forum". CNN.com (LAKE FOREST, California). http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/16/warren.forum/. Retrieved January 4, 2009. 
  20. ^ "Oxy Remembers "Barry" Obama '83". Occidental College. January 29, 2007. http://www.oxy.edu/x8270.xml. Retrieved April 13, 2008. 
  21. ^ Boss-Bicak, Shira (January 2005). "Barack Obama '83". Columbia College Today. http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/jan05/cover.php. Retrieved June 9, 2008. 
  22. ^ "Curriculum Vitae". The University of Chicago Law School. Archived from the original on May 9, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20010509024017/http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html. Retrieved November 3, 2008. 
  23. ^ Issenberg, Sasha (August 6, 2008). "Obama shows hints of his year in global finance: Tied markets to social aid". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/06/obama_shows_hints_of_his_year_in_global_finance/?page=1. Retrieved April 13, 2008. 
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  25. ^ Scott, Janny (October 30, 2007). "Obama's Account of New York Years Often Differs from What Others Say". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/us/politics/30obama.html. Retrieved April 13, 2008.  Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 133–140; Mendell (2007), pp. 62–63.
  26. ^ Secter, Bob; McCormick, John (March 30, 2007). "Portrait of a pragmatist". Chicago Tribune: p. 1. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080209030448/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703300121mar30,1,6651421,full.story. Retrieved June 6, 2008.  Lizza, Ryan (March 19, 2007). "The Agitator: Barack Obama's Unlikely Political Education" (alternate link). New Republic. http://www.pickensdemocrats.org/info/TheAgitator_070319.htm. Retrieved April 13, 2008.  Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 140–295; Mendell (2007), pp. 63–83.
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  28. ^ Obama, Barack (August–September 1988). "Why organize? Problems and promise in the inner city". Illinois Issues 14 (8–9): 40–42.  reprinted in: Knoepfle, Peg (ed.) (1990). After Alinsky: community organizing in Illinois. Springfield, IL: Sangamon State University. pp. 35–40. ISBN 0962087335.  Tayler, Letta; Herbert, Keith (March 2, 2008). "Obama forged path as Chicago community organizer". Newsday: p. A06. http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/obama-forged-path-as-chicago-community-organizer-1.881130. Retrieved June 6, 2008. 
  29. ^ Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 299–437.
  30. ^ Gnecchi, Nico (February 27, 2006). "Obama Receives Hero's Welcome at His Family's Ancestral Village in Kenya". Voice of America. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-08/2006-08-27-voa17.cfm. Retrieved June 24, 2008. 
  31. ^ a b Levenson, Michael; Saltzman, Jonathan (January 28, 2007). "At Harvard Law, a unifying voice". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/28/at_harvard_law_a_unifying_voice/?page=full. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Kantor, Jodi (January 28, 2007). "In law school, Obama found political voice". The New York Times: p. 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/us/politics/28obama.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Kodama, Marie C (January 19, 2007). "Obama left mark on HLS". The Harvard Crimson. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=516664. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Mundy, Liza (August 12, 2007). "A series of fortunate events". The Washington Post: p. W10. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/08/AR2007080802038_pf.html. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Heilemann, John (October 22, 2007). "When they were young". New York 40 (37): 32–7, 132–3. http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=When+They+Were+Young&expire=&urlID=24417790&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnymag.com%2Fnews%2Ffeatures%2F39321%2F&partnerID=73272. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Mendell (2007), pp. 80–92.
  32. ^ a b Butterfield, Fox (February 6, 1990). "First black elected to head Harvard's Law Review". The New York Times: p. A20. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Ybarra, Michael J (February 7, 1990). "Activist in Chicago now heads Harvard Law Review" (paid archive). Chicago Tribune: p. 3. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/28797353.html?dids=28797353:28797353&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Matchan, Linda (February 15, 1990). "A Law Review breakthrough" (paid archive). The Boston Globe: p. 29. http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/1990/02/15/a_law_review_breakthrough/. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Corr, John (February 27, 1990). "From mean streets to hallowed halls" (paid archive). The Philadelphia Inquirer: p. C01. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&p_theme=pi&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_trackval=PI&s_search_type=customized&s_dispstring=Author(John%20Corr)%20AND%20date(02/27/1990%20to%2002/27/1990)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=02/27/1990%20to%2002/27/1990)&p_field_advanced-0=Author&p_text_advanced-0=(John%20Corr)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=_rank_:D&xcal_ranksort=4&xcal_useweights=yes. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Drummond, Tammerlin (March 12, 1990). "Barack Obama's Law; Harvard Law Review's first black president plans a life of public service" (paid archive). Los Angeles Times: p. E1. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/60017156.html?dids=60017156:60017156&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT. Retrieved June 15, 2008.  Evans, Gaynelle (March 15, 1990). "Opening another door: The saga of Harvard's Barack H. Obama". Black Issues in Higher Education: p. 5. http://www.diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11791.shtml. Retrieved November 15, 2008.  Pugh, Allison J. (Associated Press) (April 18, 1990). "Law Review's first black president aims to help poor" (paid archive). The Miami Herald: p. C01. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&p_theme=realcities2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_site=miami&s_trackval=MH&s_dispstring=Title(Law%20Review's%20first%20black%20president%20aims%20to%20help%20poor)%20AND%20date(04/18/1990%20to%2004/18/1990)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=04/18/1990%20to%2004/18/1990)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Law%20Review's%20first%20black%20president%20aims%20to%20help%20poor)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=_rank_:D&xcal_ranksort=4&xcal_useweights=yes. Retrieved June 15, 2008. 
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References

Further reading

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