Great architecture: The NEW Seattle Public Library - If you have a chance to visit - make sure to attend a guided architectural tour through this fascinating building! 

CNN.com - Grading the president - Dec 20, 2004

CNN.com - Grading the president - Dec 20, 2004: "With Iraq, it's difficult to imagine that historians will give him anything but poor marks. Bush took the country to war on false intelligence. His defenders will say a President has to go with the information he has and the advice he receives. But that's a cop-out.
The greatest Presidents have been those who demonstrated astute judgment in times of crisis--often despite the advice they were getting. Bush was told that 140,000 troops would be sufficient for the occupation of Iraq. This turned out to be wrong. As Truman said, the buck stops here.
Success in past U.S. conflicts has not been strictly the result of military leadership but rather the judgment of the President in choosing generals and setting broad strategy."

The Amazing Human Mind

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg the phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aodccrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dnsoe't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the hmuan mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azmanig huh?
Yaeh and I awlyas tghuoht slpeling was ipmorantt.

Takhns, Harald, for piontnig tihs out!

vowe dot net :: David Marshak to join IBM

vowe dot net :: David Marshak to join IBM: "After 18 years I am leaving Patricia Seybold Group. In January I will be joining IBM/Lotus managing the real-time collaboration products."
Wow - that is certainly very intersting news! Let's see how this plays out, meaning how a veteran industry analyst turns into a product line manager within an IT industry giant. Be curious to see what David has to say about this experience in a couple of years from now ...

Happy birthday, Julian! 

Only in America - Janet Jackson's Super Bowl stage could be yours

Janet Jackson's Super Bowl stage could be yours | CNET News.com: "A Boston-area businessman is selling the stage upon which Janet Jackson shocked the world with a flash of her naked breast during the 2004 Super Bowl. "
Frankly, I am way more shocked by some of the brutality within the football game or the uses of guns all of the media etc.

MSNBC - Rumsfeld under fire for handling of Iraq

MSNBC - Rumsfeld under fire for handling of Iraq: "�I was very, very disappointed � no, let me put it stronger � I was angry by the words of the secretary of defense when he laid it all on the Army, as if he, as the secretary of defense, didn�t have anything to do with the Army and the Army was over there doing it themselves, screwing up,� Schwarzkopf said.
Schwarzkopf, a registered independent who campaigned for Bush in the last two presidential elections, has previously criticized Rumsfeld on several occasions as arrogant and out of touch with troops on the ground. "

Spar Dich reich!

Druckversion - K�ufermangel: Volkswagen schafft sein Golf-Ziel nicht - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Branchenkenner fuehren die Qualitaetsprobleme von VW auf die Kampagne zur Kostensenkung in den neunziger Jahren zurueck. Damals hatte der als 'Kostenkiller' bekannt gewordene VW-Vorstand Ignacio Lopez grossen Druck auf die Zulieferer gemacht. In der Folge gab es Rueckrufe wegen fehlerhafter Zulieferteile."
Was auf einem Spreadsheet oder in PowerPoint gut aussieht, funktioniert nicht immer wie geplant ...

Zwei Jahre spaeter ...

COMPUTERWOCHE ONLINE: Nemetschek ernennt zwei neue Vorstaende: "Peter Mossack, ehemaliger Entwicklungsvorstand der Software AG, wechselt auf die gleiche Position zu Nemetschek. Wie der Muenchner Hersteller von Software fuer die Baubranche bekannt gab, zeichnet der 50-jaehrige Manager ab Januar fuer die Produktstrategie und deren Umsetzung im Unternehmen verantwortlich."
Been there, done that.

Only in America - Nude statue lamp a Vermont debate

CNN.com - Nude statue lamp a Vermont debate - Dec 14, 2004: "The governor wants the lamp that incorporates the replica removed from his office desk during the upcoming legislative session. Douglas spokesman Jason Gibbs said last week the governor was concerned the statue could be broken, but he also said there was concern that school children would see the nude."

Thanks, Greg, for pointing this out!

In Europe, bad feelings for Americans

MSNBC - In Europe, bad feelings for Americans: "People in France, Germany and Spain are more likely to have an unfavorable than favorable view of Americans, Associated Press polling found."
Are you really surprised?

"Hoooo-rah! Rummy finally got called on the carpet."

Druckversion - Rumsfeld: Lost in a Masquerade - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Not by the president, of course, but by troops fighting in Iraq. Some of them are finally fed up enough to rumble about his back-door draft and failure to provide them with the proper armor for their Humvees, leaving them scrambling to improvise with what they call 'hillbilly armor.'"
"Rummy met with troops at Camp Buehring, named for Chad Buehring, an Army colonel who died last year when insurgents in Baghdad launched a rocket-propelled grenade into Al Rasheed, a Green Zone hotel once frequented by Western journalists and administration officials that is still closed to guests because - despite all the president's sunny bromides about resolutely prevailing - security in Iraq is relentlessly deteriorating.

As Joe Biden told Aaron Brown of CNN about his visit to Falluja, "They got the biggest hornets' nest, but the hornets have gone up and set up nests other places." He said that a general had run up to him as he was getting into his helicopter to confide, "Senator, anybody who tells you we don't need forces here is a G.D. liar."

Rummy, however, did not hesitate to give the back of his hand to soldiers about to go risk their lives someplace he didn't trouble to go.

He treated Thomas Wilson - the gutsy guardsman from Tennessee who asked why soldiers had "to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles, and why don't we have those resources readily available to us?" - as if he were a pesky Pentagon reporter. The defense chief used the same coldly cantankerous tone and squint he displays in press briefings, an attitude that long ago wore thin. He did everything but slap the kid in the hospital bed.

In one of his glib "Nothing's perfect," "Freedom's untidy" and "Stuff happens" maxims, Rummy told the soldier: "As you know, you go to war with the Army you have."

It wouldn't make a good Army slogan, and it was a lousy answer, especially when our kids are getting blown up every day in a war ginned up on administration lies. Remember when the president promised in the campaign that the troops would have all the body armor they needed?"

Nicely put, Ray!

Q&A: Light the birthday candles for Lotus Notes: "What's very clear is that Notes has transitioned into a cash cow; it's not at the leading edge of their initiatives. Workplace is at the leading edge, and they would like to, for very pragmatic business reasons, sell more DB2 and sell more Websphere and the things that they regard as more contemporary technologies than Notes. So I think you'll see a lot of marketecture that unifies two architectures, and you'll see active selling efforts on the newer stuff. The older stuff will gracefully stabilize. "

CRN | Breaking News | Happy Birthday, Notes

CRN | Breaking News | Happy Birthday, Notes

Only in America: Amerikas Moraldebatte

Amerikas Moraldebatte: Sexmonster in Suburbia - Kultur - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Dies ist mehr als Entertainment. Dies ist hohe Politik. Der Erfolg der schwarzen Kom�die von 'Golden Girls'-Veteran Marc Cherry trifft den Nerv der Nation - und zerst�rt ein aktuelles Klischee. Denn 'Housewives' entlarvt den 'neuen Kulturkrieg' ('New York Times') der Moralisten, die Pr�sident George W. Bushs Wiederwahl als Triumph von Sitte �ber Unsitte feierten, als eine heuchlerische Scharade."

CNN.com - Senator: Public�needs 'cold, hard facts' on Iraq - Dec 6, 2004

CNN.com - Senator: Public�needs 'cold, hard facts' on Iraq - Dec 6, 2004: "A moderate Republican senator who recently returned from Iraq said conditions are worse than last year and the American public needs to hear 'the cold, hard facts.'"

Earthquake strikes Germany, near France

We are always fearful about the potential for earthquakes in the Seattle area. Strangely enough - this one hit much closer to what we call our home: Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - Europe: Earthquake strikes Germany, near France

Tough luck

!cid_image001, originally uploaded by whilpert.

One desaster rarely happens alone ...

Consumers could get caught under falling dollar

MSNBC - Consumers could get caught under falling dollar: "A recent article in the Economist magazine contended that the dollar is on the brink of losing its global hegemony because of U.S. finances that �look more like those of a banana republic than an economic superpower.�
�You need an alternative,� said Joseph Quinlan, chief market strategist for Banc of America Capital Management. �I don�t think it is the euro. It�s not the yen or the yuan. By default the dollar is the world�s currency for now.�"

Research proving link between human bahavior and deathly heat wave in summer 2003

Klimastudie: Menschen mitschuldig an toedlicher Hitzewelle - Wissenschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Klimaforschern ist ein Durchbruch gelungen: Erstmals ist der menschliche Einfluss auf eine einzelne Naturkatastrophe erfasst worden. Die Hitzewelle vom August 2003, die in Europa mehrere Zehntausend Tote gefordert hat, war demnach groesstenteils die Folge von Umweltverschmutzung."

Only in America ...

Credit reporting agencies making big money by selling you information about yourself. Now they will do a little less business, because once a year one can order a free report - without the most critical information, however - your credit score. Is that an oversight? I don't think so ...

NPR : Phase-In Begins for Free Online Credit Reports: "Consumers contacting credit reporting agencies directly may be charged for the reports."

Paying back ...

NewsFactor Network - - Lycos Screensaver Spams the Spammers: "The European Internet portal Lycos has developed something that just about every e-mail user has fantasized about at one time or another: a way to spam spammers.
Lycos is offering a screensaver that repeatedly requests data from Web sites that use spam-email to market their goods and services. The software essentially allows recipients of spam to band together in order to clog the bandwidth of the servers that run these Web sites. "

The Australian: WMDs camouflage real reasons behind Iraq invasion [ 26nov04 ]

The Australian: WMDs camouflage real reasons behind Iraq invasion [ 26nov04 ]: "The Americans had established and then strengthened a military presence in countries surrounding Saudi Arabia - Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Invasion of Iraq would complete the encirclement. "

Good point.

This could be delicate ...

Kriegsverbrechen: US-Menschenrechtler verklagen Rumsfeld in Deutschland - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Der Fall ist diplomatisch aeusserst delikat: Die amerikanische Menschenrechtsorganisation CCR will beim deutschen Generalbundesanwalt Strafanzeige gegen US-Verteidigungsminister Rumsfeld stellen. Einem Zeitungsbericht zufolge lautet der Vorwurf auf Kriegsverbrechen, Verstoesse gegen das Voelkerrecht und die Uno-Folterkonvention."

Smoking: Will the Haze Ever Clear in Germany? - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Smoking: Will the Haze Ever Clear in Germany? - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Germans fear genetically modified food is unhealthy and refuse to eat it, yet they remain among Europe's heaviest smokers. What is going on?"

Why Germany should be proud

Expatica � Living in, moving to, or working in Germany, plus German news in English: "The result has been a change in how Germany sees its role in world affairs. Germans might be prone to bouts of negativism and self-criticism, but if there is a sense of gloom about how Germany's economy is fairing and the need to roll back its once generous welfare state, this does not seem to extend to the nation's current stance on international issues. Germans think they have as much to offer in dealing with global questions as other nations. "

Political decisions driven by religion?

Articles: "If American public policy turns its back on science to embrace religion, we will lose access to the tools that allowed us to create our dominant place in the world. We will forsake those successful tools in favor of the ideals of theocracy so repugnant to us in societies like Iran and Taliban Afghanistan. While the debate between science and religion in politics will continue, history shows that cooperation between science and politics has repeatedly played critical roles in protecting human freedom. The history of religion in politics can claim no such historical success. "

"Humans are just simple animals that can be easily trained by fear."

"Bush and Religion and Other Stuff.":

Advent, Advent ein Lichtlein brennt! 

"'Political decisions should be motivated by religion as little as possible.'

On this one: I fully agree with Gerhard Schroeder: "Political decisions should be motivated by religion as little as possible. "

Religion And Politics In The United States And Germany

Religion And Politics In The United States And Germany: "Long-held assumptions that Germany, Europe, and the United States constitute a 'community of values' have been called into question by recent polling data suggesting significant differences in German and American social values. The divergence appears particularly striking when one examines attitudes toward religion and its relationship to political life. This is true both with regard to religion defined more narrowly as an organized community of faith or, in its broader sense, as a overarching world view, perspective, or framework oriented toward religious values that transcends confessional divisions."

IN DEFENSE OF BIBLICAL MARRIAGE

The Presidential Prayer Team is currently urging us to "Pray for the President as he seeks wisdom on how to legally codify the definition of marriage. Pray that it will be according to Biblical principles. With many forces insisting on variant definitions of marriage, pray that God's Word and His standards will be honored by our government."

So here-in support of the Prayer Team's admirable goals-is a proposed Constitutional Amendment codifying marriage ENTIRELY ON BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES:

A. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28 and II Sam 3:2-5)
B. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13 and I Kings 11:3 and II Chron 11:21)
C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22: 13-21)
D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen. 24:3 and Num 25:1-9 and Ezra 9:12 and Neh 10:30)
E. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19 and Mark 10:9)
F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his sister-in-law, or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen 38:6-10 and Deut 25:5-10)

Thanks, Lon, for sharing this!

European traffic signs

Recently, I was searching for a collection of the European traffic signs to share with a friend in the U.S. I wanted to demonstrate, how the European traffic signs used less words and more graphical pictures to convey an idea.

What kind of traffic was this site talking about?!

Die Zeit - Four more years... of what?

Die Zeit - Four more years... of what?: "Then again, there is this week's pointed snub to Jose Luis Zapatero: the Spanish prime minister, who had pulled out all Spanish troops from Iraq after his election, was unable to place a congratulatory phone call to the President - while his predecessor Aznar was invited to the White House for a 40-minute private chat. Gerhard Schroeder, too, knows that George the Younger neither forgets nor forgives. It looks as though the next four years will be a test of responsibility and maturity on all sides. One thing only is certain: there will be no lack of opportunities. "

Die Zeit - The Disaggregation Temptation

Die Zeit - The Disaggregation Temptation: "Hello? Hello?? Europe calling! We know you're very busy inside the Beltway these days, what with the need for purging, er, re-locating all the Euro-huggers at the State Department and the CIA. But you're going to have to focus on this issue sooner rather than later, so you might as well pay attention now: Just what kind of relationship does the U.S. wish to have with the EU? "

Die Zeit - US Elections: What Do Europeans Want?

Die Zeit - US Elections: What Do Europeans Want?: "Blah blah blah, international cooperation ... (pause) Give me a break, huh."

The New York Times > Empty Maternity Wards Imperil a Dwindling Germany

The New York Times > International > Europe > Empty Maternity Wards Imperil a Dwindling Germany: "'They want their houses, they want their cars, they want their peace,' "

F... the South

F... the South: "Let's talk about those values for a f...ing minute. You and your Southern values can bite my ass because the blue states got the values over you f...ing Real Americans every day of the goddamn week. Which state do you think has the lowest divorce rate you marriage-hyping dickwads? Well? Can you guess?"

Wired News: Researchers: Florida Vote Fishy

Wired News: Researchers: Florida Vote Fishy: "They discovered that in the 15 counties using touch-screen voting systems, the number of votes granted to Bush exceeded the number of votes Bush should have received -- given all of the other variables -- while the number of votes that Bush received in counties using other types of voting equipment lined up perfectly with what the variables would have predicted for those counties.
The total number of excessive votes ranged between 130,000 and 260,000, depending on what kind of problem caused the excess votes. The counties most affected by the anomaly were heavily Democratic.
Sociology professor Michael Hout, who chairs the university's graduate Sociology and Demography group, said the chance for such a discrepancy to occur was less than 1 in 1,000.
'No matter how many factors and variables we took into consideration, the significant correlation in the votes for President Bush and electronic voting cannot be explained,' he said in a statement. 'There is just a trivial probability of evidence like this appearing in a population where the true difference is zero -- less than once in a thousand chances.' "

Florida: it not over yet ...

Florida: Bushs automatischer Wahlsieg - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Jetzt also auch Florida. Nach den Berichten �ber Unregelm��igkeiten bei der US-Pr�sidentschaftswahl im wichtigen Swing-State Ohio gibt es nun auch Zweifel am Ergebnis in Florida. Laut einer Untersuchung der renommierten Universit�t Berkeley brachten die elektronischen Wahlmaschinen dort Pr�sident Bush einen deutlichen Vorteil."

"Gartner believes that IBM has confused customers by offering overlapping product families, Lotus Notes/Domino and Workplace."

IBM's Workplace Will Be the Future of Lotus Notes/Domino: "Gartner expects IBM's Workplace will supersede Lotus Notes/Domino. New Workplace packages aimed at solving business problems (rather than enabling generic collaboration and communication) are a welcome, new focus."

"Workplace will be the future of Lotus Notes/Domino. Gartner believes that IBM has confused customers by offering overlapping product families, Lotus Notes/Domino and Workplace. IBM will not abandon Lotus Notes/Domino customers, but by 2009 the vendor plans to use a future version of Workplace as v.8 (or v.9) of Lotus Notes/Domino (0.6 probability). (This is not IBM’s official position.) We expect the heretofore separate-but-equal development paths will disappear. IBM will likely hasten to add that companies wanting some of the features of Workplace can have them today, without waiting the three to five years needed before Workplace becomes the next architectural generation of Lotus Notes/Domino."

Only in America: Leave-your-guns-at-home day at work - Nov. 16, 2004

Leave-your-guns-at-home day at work - Nov. 16, 2004: "Employees at a Little Rock office building have been asked to leave their deer hunting rifles at home because the president and three former presidents are coming to town to open Bill Clinton's presidential library. "
I could hardly imagine a similar news headline somewhere in Central Europe.

Effect of the U.S. media coverage on the recent presedential election

Barry Talks! : Common Sense for Uncommon Times: "What Rebecca doesn't discuss is the effect of these sorts of choices made by the networks. It's my view that the intensity of coverage given such lurid -- but, to the State of the Union, largely irrelevant -- topics as gay marriage and the murder trial du jour has successfully distracted the public from serious issues of war and peace and the impending financial bankruptcy of the US. By raising firestorms of hatred against gays --a key factor in Kerry's defeat -- haven't the networks broken their trust with America to provide objective journalism? Doesn't CNN and the rest own some of the results of the past election?"

You have nailed it, Barry! What's also interesting is the comment that Rebecca has posted on your weblog!

"If you break it, you own it."

The New York Times > Washington > Bush Accepted 4 Cabinet Resignations on Friday: "Although he was a professional soldier for 35 years, rising to chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and oversaw the first war against Saddam Hussein, in 1991, he urged the administration to use caution this time around. Some colleagues said Mr. Powell had used a slogan typically found in antique stores in describing what the United States' predicament might be if it went to war: 'If you break it, you own it.'"

CNN.com - Canadians open arms to Americans - Nov 15, 2004

CNN.com - Canadians open arms to Americans - Nov 15, 2004: "WHY MOVE TO CANADA?
Reasons to move to Canada, as cited by www.canadianalternative.com:
1. Canada has universal public health care.
2. Canada has no troops in Iraq.
3. Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol environmental treaty.
4. More than half of Canada's provinces allow same-sex marriage.
5. The Canadian Senate recommends legalizing marijuana.
6. Canada has no law restricting abortion.
7. Canada has strict gun laws and relatively little violence.
8. The United Nations has ranked Canada the best country to live in for eight consecutive years.
9. Canada abolished the death penalty in 1976.
10. Canada has not run a federal deficit since 1996-97. "

Druckversion - Korruption: Milliardensch�den im Gesundheitssystem - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Druckversion - Korruption: Milliardensch�den im Gesundheitssystem - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Berlin - 'Wir k�nnen davon ausgehen, dass drei bis zehn Prozent des Gesundheitsbudgets verloren gehen', sagte Transparency-International-Vorstand Anke Martiny am Freitag bei der Vorstellung eines Berichts �ber Korruption im Gesundheitswesen. Den Gesamtmarkt beziffert die Organisation auf 200 Milliarden Euro."

Notes / Domino decline 6%

We are continuing our product transition from Notes Domino, which declined 6 percent year-to-year, to our new workplace offering which exhibited strong growth both sequentially and year-to-year off a small base.

ENT News | News: IBM Buffs Workplace and WebSphere Portal

ENT News | News: IBM Buffs Workplace and WebSphere Portal: "IBM Workplace includes Lotus Workplace, WebSphere Portal, Lotus Notes and Domino, and WebSphere Everyplace, according to the company�s Web site."
As long as IBM keeps track of which of its places includes which other places customers don't need to get too confused ...

Zweifel am US-Wahlergebnis: Der Bezirk mit 139 Prozent Wahlbeteiligung - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Zweifel am US-Wahlergebnis: Der Bezirk mit 139 Prozent Wahlbeteiligung - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Glaubt man Greg Palast, dann hat John Kerry die US-Pr�sidentschaftswahl gewonnen. 'Ich wei�, keiner will's mehr h�ren', seufzt der investigative Reporter, Dokumentarfilmer und Bestseller-Autor, der sich mit seinen Recherchen zum Florida-Wahlfiasko von 2000 einen Namen machte. Jetzt will er einem neuen Wahlbetrug auf die Spur gekommen sein: 'Kerry hat in den ausschlaggebenden Staaten Ohio und New Mexico die meisten Stimmen bekommen. Sie sind aber zu Tausenden nicht gez�hlt worden.'"

MSNBC - $14.6 billion Boston Big Dig project is leaking

MSNBC - $14.6 billion Boston Big Dig project is leaking: "BOSTON - The Big Dig highway project in downtown Boston is riddled with leaks dumping millions of gallons of water into the $14.6 billion tunnel system, according to an engineer hired to investigate the cause of a massive leak in September."
This somehow makes me feel better not living in the Boston area any more ...

Not-so-free-press

Paging China! Help us! Urge the U.S. government to respect freedom of the press!

It does sound topsy-turvy, doesn't it? Generally, it's China and Zimbabwe that are throwing journalists in prison, while the U.S. denounces the repression over there.

But now similar abuses are about to unfold within the United States, part of an alarming new pattern of assault on American freedom of the press. In the last few months, three different U.S. federal judges, each appointed by President Ronald Reagan, have found a total of eight journalists in contempt of court for refusing to reveal confidential sources, and the first of them may go to prison before the year is out. Some of the rest may be in prison by spring.

The first reporter likely to go to jail is Jim Taricani, a television reporter for the NBC station in Providence, R.I. Mr. Taricani obtained and broadcast, completely legally, a videotape of a city official as he accepted an envelope full of cash.

U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres found Mr. Taricani in contempt for refusing to identify the person he got the videotape from, and the judge fined him $1,000 a day. That hasn't broken Mr. Taricani, so Judge Torres has set a hearing for Nov. 18 to decide whether to squeeze him further by throwing him in jail.

Even thoush Ashcroft is leaving - the damage seems to have been done already.

Physical wall replaced by mental divide

MSNBC - Physical wall replaced by mental divide: "It all happened on Nov. 9. 1989, the culmination of years of protests and the exodus of hundreds of thousands of East Germans longing for more freedom, democracy and free elections.
On the 15th anniversary of that historic moment, the enthusiasm and euphoria has disappeared and the mood has sobered for most Germans. "

It's gone - 15 years ago today ...

Zeitsprung - 9. November 1989: Sofort bedeutet sofort - Panorama - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Halloween 2004

133_3390, originally uploaded by whilpert.

Be scared!

Boston.com / Your Life / Health & Fitness / Fitness & Nutrition / Feds say obesity epidemic weighing down planes, pushing up fuel costs

Boston.com / Your Life / Health & Fitness / Fitness & Nutrition / Feds say obesity epidemic weighing down planes, pushing up fuel costs: "America's growing waistlines are hurting the bottom lines of airline companies as the extra pounds on passengers are causing a drag on planes. Heavier fliers have created heftier fuel costs, according to the government study.
Through the 1990s, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The extra weight caused airlines to spend $275 million to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel in 2000 just to carry the additional weight of Americans, the federal agency estimated in a recent issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine."

Debatte: Warum ich nicht nach Hause gehen kann - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Debatte: Warum ich nicht nach Hause gehen kann - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Berlin - Ich f�hle mich elend. Ich m�chte, dass die Kavallerie einf�llt und diese Heuchler verjagt. Oder besser: Ich will, dass die Komparsen in diesem schlechten Film einfach nur von der B�hne verschwinden.

Leider befinde ich mich in keinem B-Movie. George W. Bush ist wiedergew�hlt und f�r mich bedeutet das, dass ich in den kommenden vier Jahren nicht nach Hause gehen kann. Ob es nun gut oder schlecht ist - ich bleibe als Ausl�nder in Deutschland. Meine Begr�ndung ist einfach: Wenn es genug Unterst�tzung f�r einen wie Bush gibt, geh�re ich einfach nicht mehr in die Staaten. Ich passe auch nicht mehr in meinen wankelm�tigen Heimatstaat Kalifornien, an dem an Stammzellen geforscht werden darf aber der Terminator regiert. Nach vier Jahren in Deutschland ist Amerika f�r mich fremd geworden."

United States of Canada and "Jesusland"

Gro�bildansicht - Netzwelt - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "United States und 'Jesusland'"

Correlation between average IQ and electioin results

Gro�bildansicht - Netzwelt - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Sorry Everybody

Sorry Everybody: "Some of us � hopefully most of us � are trying to understand and appreciate the effect our recent election will have on you, the citizens of the rest of the world. As our so-called leaders redouble their efforts to screw you over, please remember that some of us � hopefully most of us � are truly, truly sorry. And we'll say we're sorry, even on the behalf of the ones who aren't."

Web-Bekenntnisse: Amerika sagt "Sorry!" - Netzwelt - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Web-Bekenntnisse: Amerika sagt "Sorry!" - Netzwelt - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Der im Amt best�tigte Pr�sident George W. Bush mag auf Vers�hnung setzen, doch vielen jungen US-W�hlern ist seine Wiederwahl peinlich. Im Web bitten einige die Welt humorig um Verzeihung - oder gleich darum, geheiratet zu werden, um aus 'Bush-Country' fort zu kommen."

Irak: Tausende Raketenwerfer aus Saddams Best�nden verschwunden - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

The U.S. presidential election is over - the fundamental problems in Iraq are not! Irak: Tausende Raketenwerfer aus Saddams Best�nden verschwunden - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Erneute Panne bei den Besatzungsm�chten im Irak: Aus den Arsenalen des fr�heren Diktators Saddam Hussein sind rund 4000 schultergest�tzte Raketenwerfer verschwunden. Die US-Armee geht davon aus, dass zumindest ein Teil davon im Besitz aufst�ndischer K�mpfer ist."

Debatte: Faschismus light? Bl�dsinn! - Kultur - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Debatte: Faschismus light? Bl�dsinn! - Kultur - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "wenn einem das Leben dazwischen kommt"

Welcome to MichaelMoore.com

Welcome to MichaelMoore.com: "always look on the bright side of life"

Philadelphia Daily News | 11/04/2004 | Why you keep losing to this idiot

Maybe that explains the unexplainable?
Philadelphia Daily News | 11/04/2004 | Why you keep losing to this idiot: "SIGH. I REALLY didn't want to have to write this.
George W. Bush has been re-elected. Yeah, the lawyers will haggle about Ohio. But this time, Democrats don't have the popular vote on their side. Bush does.
If you're a Bush supporter, this is no surprise. You love him, so why shouldn't everybody else?
But if you're dissatisfied with him - or, like me, you think he's been the worst president in memory - you have a lot of explaining to do. Why don't a majority of voters agree with us? How has Bush pulled it off?
I think this is the answer: Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity."

CNN.com - Regret, no remorse in Kerry's call for unity - Nov 3, 2004

It's all over now!
CNN.com - Regret, no remorse in Kerry's call for unity - Nov 3, 2004

US-Wahlkampf: Die Apfelsinen-Republik - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE - how Gore lost Florida

US-Wahlkampf: Die Apfelsinen-Republik - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Es war 2.16 Uhr am 8. November 2000, als ein junger Reporter von 'Fox News' verkuendete, dass George W. Bush den Staat Florida und damit die Praesidentschaft gewonnen habe. Al Gore rief George W. Bush an und gratulierte. Dann kamen die ersten Meldungen von der Katastrophe: vergessene Stimmen, Wahlzettel mit Fehlern, ein minimaler Abstand zwischen den Kandidaten. Gore rief noch einmal an.

Gore: 'Die Umstaende haben sich dramatisch veraendert. Das Ergebnis von Florida ist zu knapp, als dass man sich schon festlegen koennte.'

Bush: 'Moment, sagen Sie gerade, was ich zu hoeren glaube? Lassen Sie mich sichergehen, dass ich Sie richtig verstehe: Sie rufen an, um Ihre Glueckwuensche zurueckzuziehen?'

Gore: 'Sie muessen deshalb nicht gleich pampig werden.'

Bush: 'Aber alle Sender haben das Ergebnis gemeldet. Mein Bruder Jeb hat mir gesagt, dass die Zahlen korrekt sind.'

Gore: 'Ihr kleiner Bruder ist in diesem Fall wohl nicht die ultimative Autoritaet.'"

Das war wohl richtig - nutzte aber trotzdem nichts ...

Election 2004 Night Timeline

Election 2004 Night Timeline

The Buying of the President 2004 - The Center for Public Integrity

The Buying of the President 2004 - The Center for Public Integrity: "Bush gets nearly four times as much as Kerry"

Money talks.

Why I hate the phrase "Long Running Transactions"...

Why I hate the phrase "Long Running Transactions"...: "Work flows across services and businesses in ways that do not magically 'undo' even if you do master the use of compensations rather than the classic 'undo' of replacing the before values. The behavior of our interconnected systems is more an integration of lots of disparate work into summaries. "

USATODAY.com - DOD warned about Halliburton contracts

The only amazing fact about this issue is how late it seems to lead into a formal investigation. Contrast that with all the efforts and special prosecution that went into Whitewatergate, Monikagat etc., how little came out of that - and one really wonders why noone has been looking into this obvious conflict of interest way earlier and with way more depth?
USATODAY.com - DOD warned about Halliburton contracts: "Corps officials initially justified stopping the bidding by concluding that a 'compelling emergency' would exist if Halliburton's work was interrupted.
However, when Greenhouse challenged the justification and sought an explanation of the emergency, Corps officials changed their reasoning. The new explanation was that Halliburton subsidiary KBR was the 'one and only' company that could do the job.
Greenhouse wrote Strock on Oct. 5 that 'the truth should be clearly explained' about the reason for halting competition.
She not only complained there was no explanation of what drove officials to cite an emergency, but, referring to the second justification, added, 'It is not reasonable to believe that only one source responded to the solicitation.'
Greenhouse, who has said she was frozen out of decisions on Halliburton, went public last weekend with allegations that Army officials showed favoritism to the company. "

....

The Army has cited severe problems with Halliburton's work in the Balkans, many of them documented in a Jan. 4, 2002, report by Greenhouse — who reviewed findings of investigators known as a "tiger" team.

"The general feeling in the theater is that the contractor is 'out of control,'" she wrote. "There is little or no incentive for the contractor to reduce or keep cost down."

Greenhouse said it appeared the Halliburton subsidiary "makes the decisions of what is constructed, purchased or provided and it appears that oftentimes the products and services delivered reflect gold-plating since the contractor proudly touts that they provide the very, very best."

Bin Laden platziert seine Bombe

blog.tagesschau.de - mehr

CNN.com - FBI investigates Halliburton complaint - Oct 28, 2004

CNN.com - FBI investigates Halliburton complaint - Oct 28, 2004: "The FBI has made a formal request to interview the Army Corps of Engineers chief contracting officer who has alleged her agency unfairly awarded no-bid contracts worth billions of dollars to a Halliburton subsidiary for work in Iraq, law enforcement sources said Thursday"

CNN.com - Politics, gas fuel battle over forest - Oct 29, 2004

It's all about special interest:
CNN.com - Politics, gas fuel battle over forest - Oct 29, 2004: "A Texas energy company may get rights to drill in a pristine swath of a New Mexico national forest after a White House task force intervened on its behalf, a move that has become a hot issue in the battleground state before next week's presidential election."

The New York Times > Washington > The Billions: F.B.I. Investigating Contracts With Halliburton

The New York Times > Washington > The Billions: F.B.I. Investigating Contracts With Halliburton: "Ms. Greenhouse, in an Oct. 21 letter to the acting Army secretary, charged that officials had shown favoritism toward Halliburton, the Houston-based conglomerate formerly led by Vice President Dick Cheney, in the awarding and oversight of the oil contract. She also said officials at the Army Corps of Engineers had tried to remove her as chief contract monitor after she raised persistent questions about Halliburton contracts."

Zweifel am US-Wahlsystem: Wenn der Verlierer gewinnt - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Zweifel am US-Wahlsystem: Wenn der Verlierer gewinnt - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "'The winner takes all'

Amerikaner w�hlen anders. Das wei� die Welt sp�testens seit dem Wahldebakel von 2000, als der Kandidat mit den meisten Stimmen (48,38 Prozent) zum Verlierer erkl�rt wurde und der Kandidat mit dem niedrigeren Stimmanteil (47,87 Prozent) ins Wei�e Haus zog. Denn auf die tats�chliche Stimmenzahl kommt es beim indirekten US-Wahlrecht ja nicht an, sondern auf die regionale Verteilung der Wahlm�nner. Und manchmal l�uft das dann eben darauf hinaus, dass der popul�rste Mann verliert; Al Gore war da nicht der Erste. "

blog.tagesschau.de - Das Weblog von tagesschau.de

blog.tagesschau.de - Das Weblog von tagesschau.de: "Sieben Prozent der amerikanischen Waehler sollen noch unentschieden sein. Schauen wir 'mal, was diese Zauderer diese Woche in der Zeitung lesen: 380 Tonnen hochexplosiven Sprengstoffs im Irak spurlos verschwunden. Die Massenvernichtungswaffen, die als Kriegsgrund herhalten mussten, hat es nie gegeben. Aber das Sprengstofflager, das den UN-Waffeninspektoren lange vor Kriegsbeginn bekannt war, ist von den einmarschierenden Amerikanern schlicht ignoriert worden. Die 50 jungen irakischen Soldaten, die, frisch ausgebildet fuer die Verteidigung ihrer blutjungenDemokratie, hingemetzelt wurden, waren in den US-Zeitungen im Bild zu sehen (sehr ungewoehnlich!). Der Irak-Krieg wird bis spaetestens Februar kommenden Jahres 225 Milliarden Dollar verschlungen haben (als Kerry von 200 Milliarden sprach, haben ihn die Bush-Juenger fast gesteinigt). Und mit einem weiteren juristischen Kniff hat die CIA es hingekriegt, dass fuer einige der Kriegsgefangenen im Irak die Genfer Konvention nicht gilt (anders als von Bush versprochen). Dabei handelt es sich um die sogenannten 'ghost detainees', die gezielt vor dem Roten Kreuz versteckt worden sind. Schwer vorstellbar, dass es angesichts dieser Nachrichtenlage ueberhaupt noch Unentschiedene geben soll... "

Wiederaufbau im Irak: FBI �berpr�ft umstrittene Auftr�ge an Halliburton - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Is this the smoking gun?Wiederaufbau im Irak: FBI �berpr�ft umstrittene Auftr�ge an Halliburton - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Immer wieder kritisierten US-Rechnungspr�fer die Auftragsvergaben des Verteidigungsministeriums f�r den Wiederaufbau im Irak an den Halliburton-Konzern - eine Firma, deren fr�herer Chef der heutige Bush-Vize Dick Cheney war. F�nf Tage vor den Pr�sidentschaftswahlen hat das FBI jetzt Ermittlungen aufgenommen."

Two years before 9/11, candidate Bush was already talking privately about attacking Iraq, according to his former ghost writer

Guerrilla News Network: "He told me that as a leader, you can never admit to a mistake, Herskowitz said. That was one of the keys to being a leader."
I couldn't disagree any stronger!

CNN.com - Deja vu as Florida struggles to hold pristine election - Oct 28, 2004

Sounding familiar? Looks like this thing is already threatening to get out of hand before it really started ...
CNN.com - Deja vu as Florida struggles to hold pristine election - Oct 28, 2004: "Lawsuits, missing absentee ballots and accusations of bias -- from afar Tuesday's presidential election in Florida already looks like the Third World-style fiasco of 2000 that everyone wanted to avoid.
But election officials in the state run by President Bush's brother insist a massive turnout for early, pre-Election Day voting and a growing capacity to deal with lengthy queues show that Florida will get it right."

The Onion | What Do You Think?

The Onion | What Do You Think?: "As the war in Iraq drags on, some Americans fear reinstatement of the military draft. What do you think?"

What Makes 100%?

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint, it goes like this:
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:


If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And,


K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+! 7+5 = 96 %

But,


A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,


B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you


A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 127%


Thus, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that, while Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, Bullshit and Ass kissing will put you over the top.


Thanks, Andrea!

Bush in 30 Seconds

Bush in 30 Seconds

Bush Exposed - the Most Comprehensive Anti-Bush Blog on the Web.

Bush Exposed - the Most Comprehensive Anti-Bush Blog on the Web.: "This Bush is the worst president ever because no other president turned unprecedented peace and prosperity into terror, 'war,' fear, recession, and then a prolonged jobless snail's-pace teetering on yet another recession barley recovery that will never again turn into prosperity for all. They have ruined the lives of millions of Americans, and they want even more of the same to continue forever. Bush will take a victory as a mandate for even more of the same, and that's a recipe for complete disaster."

Great view of Luna Eclipse in Seattle

Luna Eclipse in Seattle
TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES
"Moonlight magic A sailboat on Lake Washington basks in the glow last night as the total lunar eclipse begins with a sliver of shadow starting its journey across the moon. Bellevue is in the background."
It could have been raining - or at least cloudy ...

The Seattle Times Home Page

The Seattle Times Home Page:
TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Moonlight magic
"A sailboat on Lake Washington basks in the glow last night as the total lunar eclipse begins with a sliver of shadow starting its journey across the moon. Bellevue is in the background."
And it could have been raining ... or at least cloudy!

CNN.com - Electoral College tie�could be mother of all messes - Oct 27, 2004

You wonder whether the high powers would be ready to consider reforming the electoral system should this actually happen next week:
Electoral College tie could be mother of all messes - Oct 27, 2004: "A freak tie result in the U.S. presidential election could mean the House of Representatives would choose the next president, a scenario that would favor Republican incumbent Bush.
But since the Senate would decide the vice presidency, Bush could end up with Democrat John Edwards."

President Bush: Flip-Flopper-In-Chief - American Progress Action Fund

President Bush: Flip-Flopper-In-Chief - American Progress Action Fund: "From the beginning, George W. Bush has made his own credibility a central issue. On 10/11/00, then-Gov. Bush said: 'I think credibility is important.It is going to be important for the president to be credible with Congress, important for the president to be credible with foreign nations.' But President Bush's serial flip-flopping raises serious questions about whether Congress and foreign leaders can rely on what he says."

See Ya Later Bush!

Who do you think said this?
See Ya Later Bush!: "'The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.'"

DEAD LETTER OFFICE: GeorgeWBush.org: Bush/Cheney in 2004!

not so official ...
DEAD LETTER OFFICE: GeorgeWBush.org: Bush/Cheney in 2004!

The New Yorker: The Talk of the Town

The New Yorker: The Talk of the Town: " In campaigning for America�s mainstream restoration, Kerry has insisted that this election ought to be decided on the urgent issues of our moment, the issues that will define American life for the coming half century. That insistence is a measure of his character. He is plainly the better choice. As observers, reporters, and commentators we will hold him to the highest standards of honesty and performance. For now, as citizens, we hope for his victory."

RealClearPolitics

This is a pretty comprehensive overview site:
RealClearPolitics

No Direct Evidence of Plot To Attack Around Elections (washingtonpost.com)

No Direct Evidence of Plot To Attack Around Elections (washingtonpost.com): "U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials say they have found no direct evidence of an election-related terrorist plot. Authorities also say that a key CIA source who had claimed knowledge of such plans has been discredited, casting doubt on one of the earliest pieces of evidence pointing to a possible attack. "

Top News Article | Reuters.com

Top News Article Reuters.com: "Two senators said on Sunday they were troubled by a report that U.S. intelligence officials secretly transferred as many as a dozen detainees out of Iraq in the last six months, possibly violating international treaties.
In an interview on ABC's 'This Week,' Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who has campaigned for President Bush in his re-election bid, warned against violating international treaties that aim to ensure humane treatment of prisoners and civilians during a war.
'These conventions and these rules are in place for a reason, because you get on a slippery slope and you don't know where to get off,' McCain, who was held prisoner by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, said.
'The thing that separates us from the enemy is our respect for human rights.' "

Then I don't understand how McCain can campaign for this president?!

VOA News - IAEA Says Tons of Powerful Explosives Missing from Iraq

VOA News - IAEA Says Tons of Powerful Explosives Missing from Iraq: "The International Atomic Energy Agency says several hundred tons of high explosive material have disappeared in Iraq. The agency says a lack of security has led to looting from several sites.
IAEA spokeswoman, Melissa Fleming, says the agency has information from the Iraqi Ministry of Science and Technology that around 350 tons of high explosives are missing.
'The Iraqi ministry attributed this loss to theft and looting due to lack of security,' he said. 'They were not clear when it might have been stolen, also they were not clear where it might be. The biggest concern is the threat if these explosives have fallen into the wrong hands.'
Ms. Fleming says it would be a big operation to remove such large amounts of material that were stored in several bunkers. "

Top News Article | Reuters.com

Top News Article | Reuters.com: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official has demanded an investigation into contracts given to Halliburton, citing 'improper action' that favored Vice President Dick Cheney's old company.
According to documents made available to Reuters on Monday by congressional sources, Army Corps whistle-blower Bunnantine Greenhouse complained of 'repeated interference' in billions of dollars of contracts given to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root for work in Iraq and the Balkans. "

CNN.com - Kerry slams Bush over missing explosives - Oct 25, 2004

CNN.com - Kerry slams Bush over missing explosives - Oct 25, 2004: "'This is one of the great blunders of Iraq, one of the great blunders of this administration. And the incredible incompetence of this president and this administration has put our troops at risk and put this country at greater risk than it ought to be.'
The International Atomic Energy Agency revealed Monday that 380 tons of powerful, conventional explosives are missing from the Al Qaqaa facility south of Baghdad, an area that was supposed to be under American military control. "

OUTFOXED: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism

Last night we watched OUTFOXED: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism:
"Outfoxed examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a 'race to the bottom' in television news. This film provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public's right to know."

From what I have seen before, the only thing that seems to be comparable to this kind of propaganda is probably Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler's
"Schwarzer Kanal", the weekly pitch from the chief propagandist of the former East Germany about why the West was so bad and - in his view - bound to run itself out of business.

This is what we like about the area we are living in currently ... 

The Daily Star - Opinion Articles - Why Bush spells victory on Nov. 2

The Daily Star - Opinion Articles - Why Bush spells victory on Nov. 2: "There is good reason to believe that Bush will lose. The latest New York Times/CBS News poll continued to show Bush weakening on key indicators; his job approval rating is at an all-time low at 44 percent, and over half those surveyed, 59 percent, see the country headed in the wrong direction. The country remains evenly divided but even more polarized than it was in 2000. Whoever wins will have a formidable task simply coping with the aftermath. The candidate least likely to bridge the partisan divide is the one I expect to win, Bush. "

President Kerry and Europe (washingtonpost.com)

President Kerry and Europe (washingtonpost.com): "As a contemporary historian, I conclude that some Republican presidents have done great things for Europe.
Ronald Reagan's dramatic turn from arms race to detente, in response to the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev, was one such. The current president's father, George H.W. Bush, made the peaceful liberation of Central Europe possible by his wise and mature statecraft. But not this Bush, not this time. "

washingtonpost.com - Charting the Campaign (washingtonpost.com)

washingtonpost.com - Charting the Campaign (washingtonpost.com)

Kerry for President (washingtonpost.com)

Kerry for President (washingtonpost.com): "We do not view a vote for Mr. Kerry as a vote without risks. But the risks on the other side are well known, and the strengths Mr. Kerry brings are considerable. He pledges both to fight in Iraq and to reach out to allies; to hunt down terrorists, and to engage without arrogance the Islamic world. These are the right goals, and we think Mr. Kerry is the better bet to achieve them. "

US-Wahlkampf: Pleitenserie f�r Bush - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

US-Wahlkampf: Pleitenserie f�r Bush - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "US-Pr�sident Bush hat an diesem Wochenende viel einstecken m�ssen: Seine Warnung vor einem Terror-Anschlag vor der Pr�sidentschaftswahl basierte auf einer Erfindung, bei der Registrierung von W�hlern soll gemauschelt worden sein, und immer mehr Zeitungen schlagen sich auf die Seite von Herausforderer John Kerry."

George Says...

George Says...: "How it works:
Just type in what you want George to say in the text box. Then choose a pose for George and a background (clicking those links will get you a list of thumbnail-size previews). Then click 'Go'. A custom George Says comic will be generated for you!"

Zeitungsbericht: Bushs Terrorwarnung basierte auf Erfindung - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Zeitungsbericht: Bushs Terrorwarnung basierte auf Erfindung - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Mit dramatischen Worten hatte US-Pr�sident George W. Bush davor gewarnt, Terroristen planten einen verheerenden Anschlag, um den Ausgang der Pr�sidentschaftswahl in den USA zu beeinflussen. Doch einem Zeitungsbericht zufolge waren die Hinweise auf den Anschlag von einem Geheimdienstmitarbeiter frei erfunden worden."

The seperate realities of Bush and Kerry Supporters

Congratulations Foxnews - mission accomplished!

US elections: 10 thousands of voter should be registered more than once - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

It hasn't really started yet and it seems to already be going wrong:
US-Wahlpannen: Zehntausende W�hler sollen mehrfach registriert sein - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Kurz vor der amerikanischen Pr�sidentenwahl werden immer neue Pannen bekannt. Eine Zeitung in Orlando berichtet, dass rund 68.000 W�hler in mehreren Bundesstaaten registriert sind. Die Unregelm��igkeiten treten auch in Florida auf, das bei der letzten Wahl entscheidend f�r den Sieg Bushs war."

Warmongers and military service

Its almost surreal ...

Comparing poll results

Talking about a devided nation - if even the polls differ this much!
WH2004: General

Interessante Links zur US-Wahl: Offizielles und weniger Offizielles im Netz - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Interessante Links zur US-Wahl: Offizielles und weniger Offizielles im Netz - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Globalvote 2004 - where non-americans get to vote - have your say in the US election

Globalvote 2004 - where non-americans get to vote - have your say in the US election: "Even if you are not a US citizen, the November 2 presidential election will have a huge impact on your life. The very idea of democracy requires that you should have a say in choosing who determines your destiny. This site therefore allows non-Americans to vote in the 2004 US presidential election. "
Exactly what I was waiting for!

Russian Duma ratifies Kyoto-Protocol - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Even the Russian Duma has just ratified the Kyoto protocol. Will the U.S. ever recognize its responsibility as the world's leading nation as creator of greenhouse gases?
Klimaschutz: Russische Duma ratifiziert Kyoto-Protokoll - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Opinion: Polls Apart - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Many experts have predicted that neither candidate will win a decisive victory. We might indeed have a razor-thin margin and even a replay of the disputed election of 2000. But the swings in sentiment in the polls have been so wide to suggest the possibility that one candidate could take a decisive lead by Election Day.

Or not.Opinion: Polls Apart - Politik - SPIEGEL ONLINE

US Elections: Fearing Friends - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Americans are heading to the polls, and concerns in Germany are rising about the outcome of the election. The problem isn't as simple as you might think. If Kerry wins, Berlin expects stepped up pressure to send troops to Iraq. If Bush wins, it will be easier to say "no," but the war could expand to Iran.

Welcome: Allow us to Introduce Ourselves - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE

For decades, English speakers haven't had access to Europe's leading newsmagazine. DER SPIEGEL and the award-winning Web site SPIEGEL ONLINE, with their second-to-none news coverage, rich story mix and clear, sharp European view, were obscured by an unbreachable language barrier.

Until now.
Welcome: Allow us to Introduce Ourselves - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE

grpNiteroi's Blog

Greg's new blog:
grpNiteroi's Blog

The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: John Kerry for President

The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: John Kerry for President

The New York Times > Opinion > Chiller Theater

This really makes you scratch your head:

As the election draws near, the Bush campaign grows ever more irresponsible in its effort to scare Americans into believing that voting for John Kerry will bring on another terrorist attack. In Ohio on Tuesday, Vice President Dick Cheney said Mr. Kerry was incapable of understanding, much less acting on, the specter of terrorists' creeping into our cities with nuclear bombs "to threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans." Attorney General John Ashcroft was back in Washington, meanwhile, suggesting that God had spared America from an attack since 9/11 because President Bush's team was assisting "the hand of Providence."
The New York Times > Opinion > Chiller Theater

Kerry's day-after strategy: Don't react like Gore

Getting ready for the day after ...

Kerry wins prophetic kids poll

... listen to these kids!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

email blog

Just testing the blogger.com capabilities ...

Germany rejects 'goosestep' image

Germany's foreign minister has urged British people to change their out-of-date opinion of his country. Joschka Fischer believes the negative view many Britons - especially young people - have of Germany is harming relations between the two nations.
He said the media was largely to blame for continuing an image of Germany as the land of the "Prussian goosestep".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3758982.stm

Druckversion - Debatte: Die deutsche Laehmung - Kultur - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "am Wichtigsten: an der Motivation, am Sieges- und Vernichtungswillen. Nach dem schnoerkellosen Abgang Rudi Voellers - selten wurden bei einem Ruecktritt "

C.I.A. Was Given Data on Hijacker Long Before 9/11

 

The wind machines are gone!

Finally, the last few of these rather noisy wind machines that were installed to dry out our home as a means to recover from the water damage described earlier, were removed from our home. We are still used to yelling at each other, but I hope we can overcome that and get used to a normal voice volume pretty soon once routine kicks in again ...

Hope that the contractors remain on schedule with the paint job in our living and dining rooms and putting the floor back in there during this next week. Oh, and we are also scheduled to have our furnace replaced next week, too. Don't want to ever have its pilot light go off and put us through a similar experience again!

Anyway, we would really love to 'move in' again at least by next weekend. So, stay tuned ...