WASHINGTON (AP) -- John Kerry says Republican John McCain doesn't have the judgment to be president.

If that's the case, then it's probably a good thing McCain rejected overtures from Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, to form a bipartisan ticket and run with Kerry as his candidate for vice president.

Kerry had no kind words for his Senate colleague Sunday, accusing McCain of poor decision-making on everything from backing tax cuts for the wealthy to making support for continuing the U.S. military presence in Iraq the centerpiece of his presidential campaign.

"John McCain ... has proven that he has been wrong about every judgment he's made about the war. Wrong about the Iraqis paying for the reconstruction, wrong about whether or not the oil would pay for it, wrong about Sunni and Shia violence through the years, wrong about the willingness of the Iraqis to stand up for themselves," Kerry, who supports Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

"If you like the Bush tax cut and what it's done to our economy, making wealthier people wealthier and the average middle class struggle harder, then John McCain is going to give you a third term of George Bush and Karl Rove," the Massachusetts senator added, echoing an Obama campaign talking point.

Kerry later said the McCain of 2008 isn't the McCain he courted in 2004.

"John McCain has changed in profound and fundamental ways that I find personally really surprising, and frankly upsetting. It is not the John McCain as the senator who defined himself, quote, as a maverick, though questionable," Kerry said. "This is want-to-be president John McCain. The result is that John McCain has flip-flopped on more issues than I was even ever accused possibly of thinking about."

McCain adviser Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said McCain was the one who stood up to the administration and urged President Bush to send more U.S. troops to Iraq to help control violence. Obama did not support the addition of troops.

Violence in Iraq has dropped to its lowest level in more than four years as a result of the 2007 buildup of forces.

"We're winning because John McCain understood Iraq better than anybody else," Graham said. "The surge has worked. The political, economic and military progress in Iraq is undeniable."

Not too long ago, Kerry might have described McCain, a fellow Vietnam veteran and former prisoner of war, as a bipartisan ally who could provide guidance on national security issues.

McCain came to Kerry's aid in March 2004 after Bush and his campaign tried to paint the Democrat as weak on defense. He rejected the suggestion in broadcast interviews and chided both parties for waging such a "bitter and partisan" campaign.

The two senators also discussed the vice presidency several times before McCain finally rejected Kerry's overtures to form a bipartisan ticket. Kerry ultimately selected then-Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, to join the ticket.

For the record, Kerry is not among those being mentioned as possible running mates for McCain.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats bent on showing they can govern and Republicans anxious about a sour re-election climate are pushing a pared-down summer agenda in Congress.

Lawmakers want to try to save homeowners from foreclosure, avert Medicare cuts and give the government power to spy on suspected terrorists.

Gasoline prices have emerged as a chief concern among voters. But lawmakers probably will not put aside their partisan blame-fest and compromise on an energy measure that could offer some relief, either immediately or down the road.

The Senate planned to return Monday and the House on Tuesday. Their abbreviated election-year calendar leaves little time to cut deals. Lawmakers will scatter again in August for their annual monthlong break and the two parties' presidential conventions.

With their attention turning increasingly to re-election campaigns, not to mention the White House race, members of Congress will be away from Washington much of the fall.

"There just isn't much sand left in the top of the hourglass," said Stephen Hess, a Brookings Institution congressional scholar. "They've done whatever heavy lifting they're capable of doing."

In the time that remains, leaders intend to act on an array of politically appealing legislation. Examples include banning lead in toys and approving an ambitious global health initiative -- a $50 billion program to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and elsewhere.

Read full story

Israelis killed a Palestinian youth for driving a bulldozer onto the midst of a crowd in the heart of East Jerusalem and killing three Israelis last week. But the reaction of the Western political leaders to the action of the Palestinian worker, one of over a million and half living in humiliation of the Israeli occupation, amounted to killing him and other Palestinians a thousand times.

While the Western leaders did not feel any compunction in condemning the poor building worker in the harshest words they could find in the dictionary, they did not have the guts to describe the incident as the natural and likely reaction of a human being put to indignities beyond his endurance powers.

It is true that no Israeli civilian ever drove a bulldozer onto the midst of Palestinians on a crowded street. Why should they when their bombers and missiles can and do kill Palestinians in thousands in their homes and streets?

Over the past six months 365 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, most of them civilians, with children accounting for 50 percent.

The only civilian an Israeli bulldozer killed was an American woman, Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old peace activist from Olympia, Washington. Corrie was crushed to death by a 60-ton Israel Defense Forces bulldozer as she stood before a Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip in 2003. She was killed while trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home.

It is high time that we made a clear distinction between the acts of terror, particularly from a state that calls itself a democracy, and the acts springing from frustration, injustice and humiliation.

This Palestinian youth was a human being with normal feelings of pride and honor. He could not be blamed for losing his equanimity for a moment when he thought about the plight of his brothers and sisters who are being treated like dirt in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and put under a blockade denying them the most basic requirements of life.

Sen. Barack Obama greets supporters at the 48th Quadrennial Session of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Louis, Missouri, Saturday. Photo credit: AP

The GOP presidential candidate trails Democrat Barack Obama in polls, organization and money while trying to succeed a deeply unpopular fellow Republican in a year that favors Democrats. McCain also doesn't seem to have a coherent message let alone much of a strategy despite securing the nomination three months earlier than Obama.

"This is a tough race. We are behind. We are the underdog. That's what I like to be," the GOP nominee-in-waiting frequently tells donors these days, keenly aware not only of his woes but also
his proven comeback ability: He won his party's nomination despite the implosion of his campaign last summer.

One year later, and now in the general election, McCain's troubles are so acute that he recently gave senior adviser Steve Schmidt "full operational control" of the day-to-day campaign and, effectively, scaled back the duties of campaign manager Rick Davis. The shift in responsibilities came after weeks of Republican quibbling that McCain had not adequately made the transition for the fall.

"The frustration is there's no big theme around which to build a winning campaign," said Steve Lombardo, a Republican pollster.

"They need a big strategic message that will show the differences between the two campaigns, and allow for a win."

Hope is far from lost: The election is still four months away. The national conventions and the presidential debates are upcoming.

Conservative evangelical leaders skeptical of McCain are now coalescing around him. The race remains competitive. And, Obama's campaign is far from flawless.

McCain also is beefing up his staff with more presidential campaign veterans under the guidance of Schmidt, a top aide in President Bush's re-election effort and the operative who led Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to a come-from-behind victory in California two years ago.

The campaign will try to showcase its efforts to restore discipline next week when McCain announces a "jobs first" economic plan and tours competitive states.

For now, GOP insiders are cautious as they watch for improvement -- and they should be.

The political environment is dreadful for the GOP, with Bush's approval rating at low levels as the country teeters economically and fights two wars.

And, as McCain's campaign struggles, Obama is seemingly skating along, visiting states Bush won four years ago and courting traditional GOP supporters with his core message: "Change We Can
Believe In."

Nonetheless, the Illinois senator says, "I'm going to have to be a better candidate" and is mindful of his own vulnerabilities.

There are many, not the least of which is trying to become the first black president of a country where racism still runs deep.

The GOP-fueled liberal elitist label also could stick on this Harvard-educated Chicagoan.

And, Obama also may be undercutting his claim to be a straight-shooting, new-politics candidate as he repeatedly breaks with his liberal base on various issues to aggressively move to appeal to the center of the electorate.

National polls vary widely, but they have one commonality: None show McCain ahead of Obama. And, on voters' most important issues, McCain trails on every subject but Iraq and terrorism. He also lags
in key states, including Bush-won Colorado and Ohio.

When it comes to message and strategy, McCain has appeared to flounder.

He hasn't settled on one theme and can't seem to stick with a particular line of argument in favor of his candidacy for more than a couple days. His attempts to derail Obama are scattershot; the
campaign simply takes advantages of openings Obama creates rather than creating a negative narrative against the Democrat. And, McCain's fundraising events have driven his campaign schedule,
often putting him in solid Republican states instead of swing states likely to decide the election.

As the sleepy summer pre-convention window opens, Obama is running TV ads in 18 states while McCain focuses on 11 for now and the Republican National Committee bolsters his efforts in the Great
Lakes region.

At the same time, McCain is working to match Obama's organization. For now, McCain's campaign is roughly 300-strong compared with Obama's 1,000-person plus operation.

Obama had a campaign in just about every state during the long Democratic primary, and he has started bolstering the remnants of those existing networks. His aides also boast of a hefty
grass-roots organization, a "persuasion army" of allies who will reach out to neighbors, friends and relatives. That's reminiscent of Bush's 2004 campaign.

Conversely, McCain's ground-game operation has been slow-moving; staffers weren't dispatched in earnest to key states until last month -- even though the GOP primary ended in March. The RNC has
fewer than 100 offices with just about the same number of field staffers. The campaign, itself, has 11 regional campaign managers who, in turn, have brought on nearly 100 staff members as part of a
much-maligned, decentralized structure.

To return power to headquarters, Schmidt is hiring a national political director and a national field director to oversee ground-game efforts, and is promising to add hundreds more field staff and open more local GOP offices.

But all that takes money, and here, too, McCain trails.

Obama has 1.5 million donors and had raised more than $287 million by the end of May. McCain has far fewer donors and had raised $115 million. May was Obama's worst fundraising month of the
year. He raised $22 million, to the $21 million McCain brought in during his best fundraising month.

Still, McCain and Obama entered June with virtually the same amount of cash available for the rest of the summer, $33 million for Obama to $31.6 million for McCain.

But McCain probably will feel the financial pinch this fall.

Unlike Obama, McCain will accept nearly $85 million in public financing and the spending limits that come with it. The Democrat can raise and spend at will.

Said Phil Musser, a former Republican Governors Association executive director: "There are a lot of miles to go before we get to Election Day, and McCain is in his finest form when he's the underdog."

The candidate had better hope that rings true once again.

Mayor of the local town, who also is a member of parliament, was reportedly among the victims.

Three people managed to swim ashore after their boats crumpled, overturned and capsized but two of them Friday in the hospital, raising the death toll to 8, according police spokesman Robert Perc. The third survivor remained hospitalized.

The accident happened late Thursday, when two large canoes decided to run over a dam under construction near Sevnica, a town 56 miles (90 kilometers) southeast of the capital of Ljubljana. At that section, the dam, part of a hydroelectric plant, is currently built only to about the height of the water.

The trip -- ominously dubbed "The Final Descent" -- was organized by local officials and all participants were Slovenians. It was to be the last ride down that section of the river, which will soon be blocked by the hydroelectric plant.

Two other canoes -- part of the four-boat excursion -- left the river before reaching the site.

Slovenian TV journalist Goran Rovan, who had been in one of the safe canoes, told the state-run news agency STA that the other canoes capsized and broke apart when they hit the whitewater passing through the dam gates. The occupants fell into the river and were sucked by the rapids into the underwater tunnel leading to the generator turbines.

TV in Slovenia showed chilling footage Friday of the canoes entering the dam, followed by the sound of screams. Then the kayaks broke up, overturned and capsized.

Rovan said people rushed over and managed to help the two who had reached the shore, but could do nothing more because of the river's dangerous currents. He told STA that almost none of the victims wore life vests.

Police divers raced immediately to the scene, but rescue operation was hampered by the river's strong currents. More than 15 divers combed the river Friday, trying to find survivors or bodies. A police helicopter flew over the area, while police, civil protection and fire services swept the river banks.

Prime Minister Janez Jansa rushed to the site in early Friday, declaring the accident a "great tragedy."

"(Rescuers) are doing everything that is humanely possible," he said.

Economics Minister Andrej Vizjak denied speculation that the dam could have been better secured or blocked. He told STA that those in the canoes had clear security instructions.

"Some of them did not respect (the rules) and decided to take a dangerous descent," he said, calling the accident the "consequence of a wrong human decision."

The Slovenian parliament canceled its Friday session. A member of parliament was reported to be among the victims

Ref :: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/04/slovenia.canoe.ap/index.html?iref=topnews

Como les prometí, les dejo estas fotos sacadas de ESPNdeportes.com (hay una gran cantidad de fotos excelentes en sus galerías) del partido de vuelta de la final de Copa Libertadores, entre Fluminense y Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, donde los ecuatorianos se convirtieron en campeones y aseguraron su boleto al Mundial de Clubes, a desarrollarse en Japón a finales de año.

Sigan leyendo para ver todas las fotos.

Fotos: AP, EFE, Getty Images
Fuente: ESPN Deportes

The Obama family celebrated July 4 in Montana. (AP Photo)

BUTTE, Montana (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama celebrated the Fourth of July with his family in Montana.

Cheers greeted Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters as they arrived to watch the town parade. The crowd also broke into song, singing a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for Obama's oldest daughter, Malia, who turned 10 on Friday.

Obama joked that he told the birthday girl not to get caught up in all the fuss.

"All the fireworks and stuff are not just for her," he said to laughs.

After the parade, the Obamas were hosting a "family picnic" for hundreds of people -- part campaign rally, part birthday party for Malia.

They also were to spend part of the afternoon sitting for interviews with such family friendly magazines as People, Essence and Parenting. Aides were seen carting Hula Hoops, coloring books and whiffle balls so the girls could be photographed while playing.

At the parade, Obama praised Montana's beauty, saying he was making a play for every state in November, including reliably Republican ones like Montana. He delivered a shorter version of his campaign speech, and asked the audience to remember those suffering amid all the Independence Day celebrations.

He shook a few hands afterward and then sat in the stands to watch the floats pass by.

Obama apologized for not walking the parade route, citing security concerns that would have required everyone to show their hands to Secret Service agents along the route. He said that might have ruined everyone's fun.

The two spoke on condition of anonymity because nothing has been confirmed.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Shannon Gilson said no decisions have been made.

Representatives for the convention host committee and Mayor John Hickenlooper declined to comment or said they did not know about the proposal. Colorado Democratic Party Chairwoman Pat Waak did not return a telephone message seeking comment.

Democratic National Convention Committee spokeswoman Natalie Wyeth said, "There's nothing to announce."

The convention will be held Aug. 25-28 at the Pepsi Center, with Obama scheduled to accept the Democratic presidential nomination on the final night, which also is the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1963.

Obama would be the first black nominee of a major political party.

The Pepsi Center's Web site says it can hold 21,000 people for special events. Invesco Field at Mile High, where the Denver Broncos play, seats more than 76,000.

Outtakes sind Fotos, die im Rahmen eines bezahlten Auftrags entstanden sind, für diesen aber dann nicht benötigt werden.

Bisher konnten AP-Fotografen diese Fotos an andere Bildagenturen weiterverkaufen und so etwas Geld zusätzlich verdienen. Da dem neuen Vertrag nach angeblich alle Fotos AP gehören sollen, wäre das nicht mehr möglich.

Auch an anderer Front ballt sich Ärger gegen AP zusammen, der am besten von TechCrunch zusammengefasst wird.

Tomorrow is the 4th and after AP US the day might actually take on a greater meaning for me. 

I am really excited for church camp though. It starts on sunday and I am actually going to be a leader. I am so excited. Mary Kate and I are gonna drive up there. I am so glad she is gonna be a leader with me. I had such a great experience and spiritual high when I went, I cannot wait to pass it off to those making Youth Leadership Workshop for the first time this year. I need to find a song to sing.

I started to fill out the common Application. Gosh- It wants to know about every little detail of mine and my parents life. Nosy college application. 

Let's look at my college list from my 1st choice on:

1: Rice University (Houston)

2: Case Western Reserve University (Columbus)

3: Vanderbilt University (Nashvegas...)

Ya so thats it....

I loved Rice so much when i visited it. :]

Well Im off to attempt to read for AP English...

1848 is good :]

As predicted, Sen. Obama has reversed---er, refined---himself on the issue of the Iraq war:

Sen. Obama describes his own centerlessness as quoted by Jennifer Rubin: “I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views”—What will the Obama-Screen reflect next on the issue of the Iraq War?

Back to Zeleny:

Mr. Obama, whose popularity in the Democratic primary was built upon a sharp opposition to the war and an often-touted 16-month gradual timetable for removing combat troops, dismissed suggestions that he was changing positions in the wake of reductions in violence in Iraq and a general election fight with Senator John McCain.

"I've always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed," he said. "And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies" [...]

[...] [Sen. Obama] said he is merely saying now what he always has: that the war needs to be brought to a responsible end, but that — as he put it — "we need to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in" [...] writes Jennifer Loven in an AP release titled Obama opens door to altering Iraq policy

Will Sen. Obama pay a price for this, his latest and most audacious "refinement"? Oh, absolutely---not! See:

• Kilgore: “Let Obama be Obama”—only what does that mean precisely?—does anyone have a sense of Sen. Obama’s larger vision yet?
• Lux of Open Left: “the only way to hold a Presidential candidate in the general election accountable once the general election season comes around is to work for their defeat or otherwise endanger their victory—For most of us, given the alternative of four more years of deadlocked government and a stubborn, hyper-aggressive President McCain, that is not an acceptable option”

N.

"We don't know what we don't know. And the object is to cut down on that,"

The primarily flaw in the plan proposed is that it removes the presumption of innocence which is a cornerstone of the American justice system. Instead, this policy would allow the FBI to assume that anyone who fits the profile is guilty and then weed out those that they believe are innocent. This leaves the new FBI policy looking like an inversion of due process and justice.

The DoJ's spokesman, Brian Roehrkasse, said that the new policy will simply harmonize various FBI policies. However, he wouldn't reject the AP's characterization of his policies when they pushed him on it, saying only:

"Any review and change to the guidelines will reflect our traditional concerns for civil liberties and First Amendment liberties and our traditional investigative emphasis on using the least intrusive means feasible,"

President Bush condemned racial profiling back in 2001 saying it was "wrong in America" and when an Arab-American Secret Service agent was refused access to a plane, Bush said "If he was treated that way because of his ethnicity, that will make me madder than heck," However, the President hasn't condemned or forbidden this new policy.

A joyous and blessed 4th o' July to all! Rejoice in the blessings God has granted to our nation! And remember, in all, give thanks.

Solo Deo Gloria,
jason

But then came Mitt Romney, and a lot of Christians said they wouldn't vote for a Mormon, and I said that if Romney lost because the RR wouldn't vote for him, I would disassociated myself from them.  Well, Romney lost because the media fell in love with John Sydney McCain III.  But, the RR didn't exactly put up a fight for McCain's love, in fact, RR leaders such as Dobson have said that they may not vote for McCain.  I did a post a couple months ago about why pro-lifers should vote for McCain, so I won't go into details about why I think conservative evangelicals should vote for him.  If you want to read more, see the link above.

I'll highlight some points from the AP article:

90 RR leaders (Phyllis Schlafly, head of the Eagle Forum; Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind series; Beverly LaHaye [Tim's wife], founder of Concerned Women for America; David Barton, founder of WallBuilders; Rick Scarborough, from Vision America; and Don Hodel, a former interior secretary and the former president of Focus on the Family; Dr. Dobson was not there - he was at a book signing in California) met in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday night, at a meeting hosted by Mathew Staver, head of Florida's Liberty Counsel legal advocacy group.

Staver told reporters, "Our shared core values compel us to unite and choose the presidential candidate that best advances those values.  That obvious choice is Sen. John McCain.  I think people left the meeting in unity the likes of which have not been evident through the primaries.  Obama is a considerable threat to our values.  At the same time, Senator McCain recently has been reaching out to evangelicals and conservative voters that we represent."

The leaders signed a letter to McCain that asked McCain to pick Mike Huckabee as his VP candidate.  Staver, one  of the signers, had endorsed Huckabee earlier in the year.

Phil Burress, the  leader of an Ohio group that was involved in an anti-gay marriage ban in 2004 described the letter as more of a "suggestion, not a demand.  This is a man you don't threaten.  His principles are his principles.  The last thing you want to do is try to force him to do something he doesn't want to do because he'd probably do the opposite."  I think that Burress is overreacting, but McCain does have somewhat of a firey personality, and a list of demands probably wouldn't come across too well.

Burress went on to say that choosing Huckabee is not the main goal, but that McCain should choose a "pro-life and pro-family" candidate, whether that is Huckabee or not.  He then went on to say that some RR leaders don't like Huckabee, because of his populist stances (social conservativism mixed with economic liberalism).  And that's one reason that I disliked Huckabee.  Christians often use a populist message claiming that "Jesus wanted us to help the poor, so let's have the government help the poor with welfare."  Well, Jesus wanted US to help the poor, but the "us" wasn't the government, but the church.  The reason that Christians turn to the government to help the poor is because the church has failed in its duty to the poor and elderly.  If the church did it's job, we wouldn't need Medicare and Medicaid.  And who do I mean when  I say "the church"?  I mean every Christian, including myself.  We should at least be giving a tenth of our income, and that would provide a huge resource to churches all over.  A lot of people give to the church, but it's often just a bare minimum.  OK, back on topic...

Burress told reporters, "People are not saying, 'Let's all go out and support John McCain.'  It's more like, 'We have to do what we have to do for our country.'  Basically, that boiled down to John McCain.  The only evangelicals that will support Obama are the ones who haven't read their Bible.  The more and more we learn about Obama, the closer and closer we get to McCain.  We have agreed that we'll be working hard the next few months."

"The only evangelicals that will support Obama are the ones who haven't read their Bible" - THAT'S AN AWESOME QUOTE!  I've never heard of that guy, but I like him!  I will say that that  shouldn't be taken to mean that anybody who votes for Obama isn't a Christian, but anybody who can support somebody who CLEARLY violates basic Biblical principles (anybody who isn't pro-life) has some issues with their Christianity (not that mine, or anybody's spiritual life is anywhere NEAR perfect).

I would like to see McCain stop supporting embryonic stem cell research, but I'd be willing to take the lesser of 2 evils on this one, and I'd like to see Dr. Dobson support McCain.

I'm glad to see the Religious Right coming around and trying to do the right thing here.

Done Ranting,

Ranting  Republican
:: :: :: :: ::

Mi mamita adorada y divina de mi alma:

Todos los días me levanto dándole gracias a Dios por tenerte. Todos los días abro los ojos a las 4:00 a.m. y me preparo para estar bien despierta, para oír tu mensaje en la cantera de las 5. Ésa es mi ilusión diaria, oír tu voz, sentir tu amor, tu ternura, tu constancia y entrega en el compromiso de no dejarme sola. Todos los días le pido a Dios que te bendiga, que te cuide, te proteja, que me permita algún día tener la oportunidad de consentirte en todo, darte gusto en todo, tenerte como una reina, al lado mío, porque no soporto la idea de volverme a separar de ti...

Así empezaba una larguísima carta que Ingrid Betancourt le escribió a su madre en esos días de soledad y desesperanza.

Seis años estuvo cautiva por las FARC. El único video que probaba que estaba con vida mostraba a una mujer debilitada, silenciosa, pensativa.

Hace algunos meses se temía por ella. De acuerdo a testimonios de rehenes que fueron liberados, Ingrid estaba muy enferma y, además, en la carta a su madre, ella misma parecía estar decidida a no luchar más.

Se hicieron muchos intentos por acordar su liberación. Intervinieron los gobiernos de Colombia, Venezuela y el de Francia, pero sin éxito. Ahora, miércoles 2 de julio del 2008, en una operación militar comandada por Colombia, Ingrid finalmente está libre.

En español y en francés, Ingrid se deshizo en agradecimientos: "Primero dar gracias a Dios, a la Virgen. Mucho me imaginé este momento con mi mamita". Agradeció, entonces, a aquellos "que me tuvieron en su corazón, así fuera por un momentito, que sintieron compasión por nosotros, los secuestrados. Gracias al Ejército de mi patria, Colombia. Gracias a su impecable operación. La operación fue perfecta".

Dijo también que justo hoy se había encomendado a Dios. "Tenía la esperanza de que pronto sería liberada. Gracias, Colombia. Gracias, Francia".

Este día recibimos una noticia que llevábamos tiempo esperando: Ingrid... ¡libre!

Con información de AP.

]]> http://imagazinefr.wordpress.com/?p=866 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:23:28 +0000 imagazinefr http://imagazinefr.wordpress.com/?p=866 CHARM EL-CHEIKH, Egypte - Le président zambien Levy Mwanawasa a été évacué vers la France après une attaque cérébrale lors du sommet de l'Union africaine à Charm el-Cheikh, mais il était vivant au moment de son transfert, a indiqué mercredi le directeur de l'hôpital égyptien où le chef d'Etat a d'abord été admis.

On déclarait mercredi de source diplomatique française ayant requis l'anonymat que son état de santé semblait préoccupant mais que le dirigeant âgé de 59 ans n'était pas décédé.

Selon Said Abdel Fattah Essa, directeur de l'hôpital de Charm el-Cheikh où il a été d'abord admis dimanche, le président zambien a été victime d'une "hémorragie cérébrale" que les médecins égyptiens ont réussi à stopper et se trouvait dans un semi-coma au moment de son transfert à Paris mardi soir à 19h.

Le président égyptien Hosni Moubarak a rendu visite à Levy Mwanawasa à l'hôpital avant son transfert, selon Said Abdel Fattah Essa. Le vice-président zambien avait affirmé mardi soir que son état "restait stable".

Levy Mwanawasa est l'un des rares dirigeants africains à critiquer ouvertement le leader zimbabwéen Robert Mugabe, présent lui-aussi au sommet de l'Union africaine qui s'est tenu lundi et mardi à Charm el-Cheikh. AP

The details are that gruesome.

Kennewick police say a 23-year-old woman named Phiengchai Sisouvanh Synhavong murdered a pregnant Pasco woman...and also removed a nearly full-term baby boy from the the victim's body.

As of this early morning hour (July 2, 2:50am, PST), the Tri-City Herald is reporting that the baby remains in critical condition.

27-year-old Araceli Camacho Gomez was found dead around 1am Saturday at a Kennewick park.  Investigators believe she had been murdered Friday night.

"The autopsy indicated additional cuts in the area of the uterus consistent with the cutting of the body to remove the child," police spokesperson Mike Blatman told the Associated Press.

The AP story also mentions evidence:

According to documents filed in court, blue mechanic's gloves soaked in blood, a boxcutter, bloody paper towels, yarn, a mucus bulb, baby bottle and baby socks were found in her purse. The court filings did not indicate whether the boxcutter was used to cut or stab Gomez.

A local television station, KEPR (CBS), has managed to interview family members on both sides of this story.  The TV station has also interviewed the victim's fiancé.  Videos of KEPR's coverage can be found here.

As this story continues to heat-up in the glow of the national media, stories about the murder will be all over the Web.  This post takes a different turn.  And aims to end on an uplifting note.

First, a bit more about the type of grisly crime allegedly committed by Synhavong.

Unfortunately, we've heard similar stories before; including the strangulation of a 23-year-old Missouri woman named Bobbie Joe Stinnett nearly four years ago. Lisa Montgomery confessed to that murder and also to having removed a fetus from Stinnett's body.

Less than two years ago, an Illinois case turned out to be even more horrific (hard to imagine, I know).  24-year-old Tiffany Hall didn't stop at removing a fetus, she also drowned her victim's three children.

I've been searching the Internet for additional examples of this type of crime and have just come across a truTV article titled, Fetal Snatchers.  The article is extensive and includes sections concerning the Montgomery and Hall cases. The bibliography also provides a rich source of related reading material.

However, the first thought that came to my mind after hearing about the Kennewick case Tuesday concerned a story that ultimately unfolded in the Manzano Mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico two decades ago.

In 1987, Darci Pierce abducted a young mother from an Albuquerque parking lot. Pierce used the victim's car key to perform a Caesarean section on the dying body of 23-year-old Cindy Ray.

Just three years ago, USA Today had this to say about the Pierce/Ray case:

It was the first recorded case of what a July 2002 study in the Journal of Forensic Sciences would call "newborn kidnapping by Caesarean section." Ann Burgess, a professor of nursing at Boston College and the study's lead author, says the women behind such attacks have a "childbearing fantasy" but are "cold, calculating and extremely self-centered."

I worked in Albuquerque as a TV reporter for ten years.  The Pierce case was old news by the time I had moved to New Mexico in 1995.  But it was one of those cases that people spoke of from time-to-time.  A case that most people could never forget.

Then, in 1997, New Mexicans would actually hear and see the child who'd been carved out of Cindy Ray's womb a decade earlier.  Anchor Tom Joles and then-Chief Photographer Carrie Moots of KOB-TV visited the child (by then, age 10) and her father.

11 years have now passed since KOB-TV first aired that story, but it is still very much worth watching (please view below).  It'll also deliver an uplifting end to this post, as promised above.

(Please allow a few seconds for the video to load)

[wpvideo QLdKvVxn]

-additional reading: New York Daily News list of similar cases

ohoto credit: radicalgraphics.org

What is it about Big Media that makes them so resistant to change? Many American industries - automotive, telecom, software, manufacturing, and so on - have successfully adapted themselves to changing economic and technological environments; not so the media companies. Almost eight years after A&M Records v. Napster the major labels continue to reject a distribution platform and business model that was built - for free - with all the features their customer base wanted: digital storage, easy sharing, and access to the long tail of recorded music.  Instead of this we are burdened with device lock-ins, DRM, and lawsuits.  It appears the Associated Press is committed to following the same ill-advised path to obsolescence that the RIAA has been on for years.  From BusinessWeek:

The AP . . . has been using a system from Redwood City (Calif.)-based startup Attributor. Like other content recognition systems, Attributor's software extracts a small digital fingerprint—a string of bits unique to a given article, song, or video—and collects them in a database. Then it continually crawls billions of Web sites and blogs, much as Google does when a user launches a search, to detect where that fingerprint recurs.

It is not unreasonable to assume they are about to embark on a lawsuit spree, offering to settle Unauthorized Content Reproduction suits for prices that are absurd, yet a bargain compared to lawyer's fees.  One can also assume that this tactic will produce the same results for the AP that it has for the RIAA: declining sales, increasing irrelevance, and a hostile relationship with a shrinking consumer base.

Reasonable levels of copyright and IP protection are useful - while I would be flattered to have my writing quoted elsewhere, I would hate to see it reproduced verbatim - but interminable copyright extensions and the capricious redefinition of fair use by content creators are far in excess of what is desirable, or even defensible.  The occasional plagairism or wholesale reproduction of an AP article simply doesn't justify the effect combing the internet for such violations will have on free speech as a whole, nor will it increase their readership.  Print media way dying long before internet came along, just as the major record labels were losing money years before Napster.   Refuting the very technology that could save them from obsolescence will not work any better than it has before.

The Associated Press hasn't yet realized bloggers are their Napster.  We constitute a free content distribution system that greatly expands their audience.  We increase the relevance and availability of that content by narrowcasting to our particular niche of that audience, and the best of us add value with additional commentary and related information.  Further, by fostering community dialog, we create a market for more original reporting - something in which most bloggers (with notable exceptions) are uninterested but in which the traditional media excels.  Or perhaps they have made that realization, and the implications scare them.

One thing the Associated Press has done is stifle criticism of its journalism.  If you can't quote it, you can't rebuke it.  Thus, they have increased their credibility and their ability to sell a particular version of events without fear of contradiction.  Big Media would love to return to a time of the Big Three networks and credentialed journalists because they had more power then.  This is simply another in a series of attempts to recoup that power by regaining control over the distribution of information.  Expect congress to be entirely supportive of their efforts.  Big Government relies on a monopoly of information just as Big Media does.  The implications of that should scare us.

Obama had decided to take a stroll down one of this tiny town's quiet streets Monday after a speech on the topic of patriotism. That sort of public appearance isn't something the Democratic presidential candidate does often, and he encountered people welcoming him onto the porches of their bungalows and clamoring politely but energetically in small crowds to see him.

He obliged nearly everyone who wanted to shake his hand.

But he never wavered from his goal -- the imposing white Victorian manse that Harry Truman called home and used as the "Summer White House" during his presidency. Proclaiming Truman "one of my favorites," Obama would chat briefly, then resume his walk toward the tour.

Until he met Tootie Williams, that is.

The St. Louis native was wearing an oversized white T-shirt. It featured a picture of him and said: "Obama's in the House."

Obama said he loved it. So Williams said she'd give it to him and started to peel it off.

This caused much laughter, but also obvious consternation on Obama's part, even after she assured him she had on another shirt underneath -- which she did. As she struggled to remove the T-shirt with a mob of reporters and cameras looking on, he warned "Hold the rest of it down!"

Williams' counterpart in the Clinton shirt, Independence native Debbie Twyman, turned out to be an Obama supporter.

"You've got the face of the Democratic Party right here," she yelled, giving Williams a hug and referencing the Obama-Clinton coming-together last week in New Hampshire. "Welcome to unity."

Obama finally reached the Truman home for a brief visit.

Businessweek has called it "an early skirmish in what's likely to become a protracted war over how and where media content is published online." Who knows, one day they may involved in one.

The "AP way," as Jeff Jarvis called it, may go down as trying to establish a top-down business approach in a bottom-up world. Or to put it another way, trying to force 'monetization' through the funnel of 'syndication.'

It's an odd time to try to lock down content and charge for it. I recently tried out Encyclopedia Britannica (and interviewed Tom Panelas) and came to the conclusion that instead of trying to set up snipers on the ramparts of the walled garden, Britannica has basically decided to create a new type of walled garden --leaving the keys to the entrance under the mat, so to speak. If a 240-year company can recognize the value in collaboration not confrontation, a 'younger' content repository like AP could surely follow suit.

If they don't want to take a leaf from the page of Britannica, how about this experiment by David Balter of BzzAgent? He's simultaneously selling and giving away (free download) a book called Word of Mouth Manual Volume II.

"Crazy like a fox, that Balter," says Todd Defren, whose blog PR Squared is one of the venues selected to allow those free downloads.

"Protection is no strategy for the future," says Jarvis.

"Content wants to lose the handcuffs," says little old me.

WASHINGTON - Le silence est rompu entre Barack Obama et Bill Clinton depuis que le futur candidat démocrate à la Maison Blanche a demandé lundi à l'ancien président américain de faire campagne pour lui. La conversation téléphonique, qui a duré une vingtaine de minutes, était la première entre les deux hommes depuis que le sénateur de l'Illinois a remporté la bataille de l'investiture démocrate aux dépens d'Hillary Clinton.

Pendant la campagne démocrate pour l'investiture, les critiques les plus violentes contre Barack Obama émanant de son propre camp sont souvent venus de Bill Clinton qui tentait de freiner son irrésistible ascension dès lors que celle-ci menaçait sérieusement la candidature d'Hillary. Tandis que l'ancienne Première dame des Etats-Unis a digéré sa défaite et commencé à aider Obama en encourageant ses partisans et ses financeurs à soutenir le sénateur de l'Illinois, un certain froid régnait encore entre l'ancien président et l'homme qui prétend devenir le prochain.

Le porte-parole de Barack Obama, Bill Burton, a assuré que le jeune sénateur métis était honoré d'avoir le soutien de Bill Clinton.

"Il a toujours cru que Bill Clinton était l'un des plus grands dirigeants de ce pays et l'un de ses esprits les plus brillants, et il a hâte de le voir à l'oeuvre dans la campagne et de recevoir ses conseils dans les mois à venir", a déclaré Burton.

Le porte-parole de Bill Clinton, Matt McKenna, a pour sa part précisé que l'ancien président avait renouvelé à M. Obama sa proposition -déjà formulée en une phrase la semaine dernière- de faire tout ce qui est en son pouvoir pour lui assurer la victoire en novembre face à John McCain.

"Le président Clinton continue d'être impressionné par le sénateur Obama et par la campagne qu'il a faite et il a hâte de faire campagne pour et avec lui dans les mois à venir", a déclaré McKenna. "Le président croit que le sénateur Obama a été une grande inspiration pour des millions de personnes dans le pays, et il sait qu'en tant que prochain président, il apportera le changement dont l'Amérique a besoin." AP

While NBC will have more than 2,200 hours of live sports available online including live blogging, NBC will not show online any event that the network plans to show on television until AFTER it airs on TV. All of this coverage on NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, USA, Bravo (?) and NBCOlympics.com will feature some of the most inspired performances by the most talented athletes. However, none of it will be seen on any other website:

According to the AP:

Other TV networks have a limited window in which to show Olympics highlights, but no video of Olympic events is permitted to be shown on any Web site besides NBCOlympics.com.

My questions is how does NBC enforce this? Sure, they're going to have staffers on YouTube trolling for words like, "Olympics" "Beijing" "2008" and "U.S. Women's Volleyball." But how does that stop information from leaking from Beijing to the internet and mobile phones? What happens when a runner's mom snaps a picture of her daughter's race and immediately posts it to her Flickr page? Is NBC going to sue the runner's phone savvy mom?

What happens when Michael Phelps posts from his blackberry using the Facebook application: "Michael Phelps is: really glad he just smashed ANOTHER record in Beijing." Will NBC monitor his and everyone of his teammates facebook pages? Will they monitor the wall posts too when a friend from Maryland then posts, "Way to break another record MP!!!"?

Can you imagine the NBC tracking all the athletes twitter pages, personal blogs, MySpace accounts? @KingJames: USA Mens BBall wins again...Yawn: Kobe went up for 37.

Sure NBC and YouTube/Google will be on the lookout for illegal posts of their coverage, but can NBC really stop the flow of information from every single person with a cellphone or laptop who knows the outcome ahead of time? This is the same network that was unable to prevent news from getting out of their own newsroom.

The answer is NBCUniversal can't do anything to be the first to show America the results from Beijing. It's up to the viewer to decide if they want to be the last to know. In that case turn off your technology and tune into NBC.

Turns out the news arm of the American Family Association (a religious group similar to Focus on The Family) has this auto-replace tool. And well...

In addition to blocking traffic from websites they don’t like, it looks like the web-geniuses behind the American Family Association’s OneNewsNow site have a few other tricks up their sleeves, such as automatically replacing any use of the word “gay” with the word “homosexual” in any of the AP stories they run … leading to instances in which proper names are reformatted to meet their ridiculous standard, such as this article about sprinter Tyson Gay winning the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in which he is renamed “Tyson Homosexual”:

He also proposes a $500 million per year program to provide summer learning for 1 million poor children to help close achievement gaps with white and wealthier students. A campaign fact sheet said he would pay for it by better managing surplus federal properties, reducing growth in the federal travel budget and streamlining the federal procurement process [...]

Here is why this development is interesting:

[...] Reaching out to evangelical voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is announcing plans that would expand President Bush's program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and - in a move sure to cause controversy - support their ability to hire and fire based on faith.

Obama was unveiling his approach to getting religious charities more involved in government anti-poverty programs during a tour and remarks Tuesday at Eastside Community Ministry in Zanesville, Ohio. The arm of Central Presbyterian Church operates a food bank, provides clothes, has a youth ministry and provides other services in its impoverished community.

"The challenges we face today, from putting people back to work to improving our schools, from saving our planet to combating HIV/AIDS to ending genocide, are simply too big for government to solve alone," Obama was to say, according to a prepared text of his remarks obtained by The Associated Press. "We need all hands on deck."

But Obama's support for letting religious charities that receive federal funding consider religion in employment decisions was likely to invite a storm of protest from those who view such faith requirements as discrimination [...]

N.