NEWS AND FUSE

Live cricket T20 Matches

2009-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

www.skynewsblog.com

check it under video category

All t20 matches

SKYNEWSBLOG.COM

2009-06-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

SkyNewsBlog.com is a rolling news channel providing 24 hour news coverage including the latest breaking news. Currently broadcasting from a news centre in Washington, the channel provides domestic and international coverage to audiences in the UK/USA as well as around the globe. SkyNewsBlog.com started broadcasting on 14th May 2004 as part of the then four-channel Sky Television service. SkyNewsBlog.com provides an hourly news radio service to multiple radio networks in the UK/USA. Although the station is targeted at the UK and Ireland, it is carried around the world on a number of services, particularly being favoured by expatriates who want to keep up-to-date with the latest news from home. The channel currently has seven UK/USA bases each with their own correspondents, but the channel can also call upon a wide range of resources and global bureaux provided by its parent company News Corp.
SkyNewsBlog.com has built its schedule around the main, highly experienced anchors with appointment to view broadcasts regularly being supplemented by landmark broadcasts. When major breaking news reaches the channel, it has more recently started to revert to the old double-headed style with two presenters anchoring SkyNewsBlog.com is famous for its innovations in news broadcasting and regularly wins awards for this and also for its broadcasting in general.[2]
SkyNewsBlog.com has started to revamp its graphics almost every year, with the latest revamp being revealed at 6am on 3 April 2008. The latest look has fewer on screen graphics and a more minimalist style.
In late December 2008, Sky News began broadcasting from Studio B at SkyNewsBlog.com centre, whilst work on the main newsroom was being carried out. On 4 February at 6am normal broadcasting resumed from the "new look" newsroom. This coincided with the channel's 5 year anniversary on 14 May.
Overview
SkyNewsBlog.com is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation via his holding in British Sky Broadcasting. Murdoch said of it in March 2005, when he was the full owner:
“ Taking nothing away from CNN, which has done an outstanding job, I would point out that SkyNewsBlog.com, the Fox [his US television network] news service and the News Corporation's combined reach - which have together over three thousand journalists spread over every continent and every country - leave us with an army of news gatherers second to none both with regard to their access to news and ability to bring news from anywhere into people's homes ”

US AID FOR PAKISTAN

2009-05-20T23:19:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON: A US congressional committee approved a giant aid package for Pakistan but more political dealing was expected amid controversy over the conditions it imposes on Islamabad.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a plan to triple US aid to 1.5 billion dollars annually through the 2013 fiscal year, with a focus on development including improving education.

The House bill would require a detailed account of spending and seek proof that Pakistan is clamping down on Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants including ending alleged support to extremists by rogue intelligence elements.

Howard Berman, chairman of the House committee, rejected the criticism, saying the bill allowed flexibility if it was impossible to ascertain Pakistan's actions.

"Contrary to what some have said, these are not 'rigid' or 'inflexible' conditions," Berman said.

He said the bill would "strengthen the critical US-Pakistan relationship and support US national security objectives in South Asia."

John Kerry, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said earlier this month after meeting Zardari that the two chambers of Congress would finalize the bill quickly.

The United States on Tuesday offered a separate 110 million dollars in emergency aid to Pakistan to help civilians fleeing a major military offensive against militants.

Bux.to Scam

2009-04-16T01:22:00.000-07:00

Message:

hi

its more then 5-6 months i never got paid, and now my payment of 20 $ is cancelled
please quote me the reason, i know you never gonna pay

cheers

Date: 2009-04-16 02:07:16
Name: Alex_support
Message:

Dear Bilal,

Everyone is aware that Bux.to has been taking steps over the past few months to remove cheaters. This is an ongoing process and further changes are likely to be brought in.

In order to get rid of cheaters and make the payment process a bit easier, the minimum cashout level for standard members is lifted from the original $10 to $50.

It is our belief that with the increase in the number of advertisements available to click, reaching this minimum amount is achievable in a relatively short time.

Existing cashout requests of below $50 will be cancelled. If you have sufficient money in your balance, you are welcome to request again. Given the backlog in payments, most of those affected should have already reached the new minimum and will be able to request again immediately.

The purpose of this action is solely aimed at cheaters, because through our audit process, we realize that close to 70% of those with $10 requests are cheaters and we strongly believe that this will help us to shorten the backlog queue.

The TOS is amended to reflect this change.

Bux.to continues to pay trusted members and will continue to do so.

Best regards,
Support I

Geo tv

2009-04-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

Geo TV Pakistan - Breaking News, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment, & Video News

Thursday, April 16, 2009, Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1430 A.H

	HOME

	News in English

	News in Urdu

	Program Profiles

	GEO TV

	GEO UK

	GEO USA

	GEO ME

	GEO CANADA

	GEO EUROPE

	GEO JAPAN

	GEO SUPER

	AAG TV

	Corporate Profile

	Tariff

	News Archive

	Contact Us

	FAQ

	Feedback

	GEO CHAT

	GEO SKINS

	GEO RINGTONES

	GEO NewsAlert

	GEO Wallpapers

	Transcripts of Program

	Team GEO

Indian Maoist rebels kill 11 in Election Day attacks

Updated at: 1148 PST, Thursday, April 16, 2009
NEW DELHI: At least 11 people, including nine Indian paramilitary troopers, were killed Thursday in election day attacks by Maoist rebels across the east of the country, officials said.

In Jharkhand state, a hotbed of Maoist activity, the rebels set off a landmine and ambushed a bus carrying security forces for duty at polling stations.

Seven soldiers and two civilians died in the attack, police spokesman S.N. Pradhan to ... Full Story

Swat peace rally in progress to celebrate promulgation of NAR-2009
Updated at: 1255 PST, Thursday, April 16, 2009

SWAT: The promulgation of Nizam-e-Adl regulation is being celebrated on Thursday across Malakand division and Swat Peace Committee is taking out a peace procession.The chief of Swat Peace Committee, Syed Inam-ur-Rahman is heading the peace rally from Kanju chowk. The rally will again reach Kanju after visiting various tehsils of Swat including Matta, Khawaza Khela, Charbagh, Babozai and Kabal. Inam-ur-Rahman told Geo news that the objective of pe .... Full Story

Polling for 124 Indian LS seats continues; 7 killed in Jharkhand
Updated at: 1112 PST, Thursday, April 16, 2009

NEW DELHI: Staggered polling began on Thursday for the first phase of Indian elections across 15 states and two union territories to elect a new Lok Sabha as also legislative assemblies in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa amid tight security. Striking for the second time in as many days in a bid to disrupt Indian Lok Sabha polls, Maoists today attacked a BSF bus, killing seven persons, including five BSF personnel, in Latehar district. A helper and the .... Full Story

Pak to establish special economic zone for Japanese investors
Updated at: 1226 PST, Thursday, April 16, 2009

TOKYO: President Asif Ali Zardari announced on Thursday to establish a special Economic Zone for the Japanese investors spreading over 2500 acres of land near Port Qasim to give further impetus to economic ties with Japan.The president said this while meeting corporate heads of various Japanese trade organisations here. During the meeting, Japanese investors expressed their desire to invest in the manufacturing sector in Pakistan. Japanese Minist .... Full Story

Australia slip to third in ICC ODI rankings
Updated at: 2150 PST, Wednesday, April 15, 2009

CHENNAI: World champions Australia slipped to third place in the one-day rankings on Wednesday, their lowest since the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced ratings in October 2002.On Monday Australia collapsed to their seventh defeat in nine matches against top-ranked South Africa this year and now lie third in the rankings behind India.However, Australia will climb back to second if they win the last match in Johannesburg on Friday.Sou .... Full Story

Web	www.geo.tv

»	GEO Pakistan
	Suicide car bomber kills 18 in Charsadda



	PJPFL President calls on President Zardari



	20 Indian fishermen remanded to judicial custody



	10 of a family including 8 children slaughtered in Daska



	Remand extended for Pakistani students arrested in UK

»	GEO World
	Maoists kill six Indian troops in Election Day attack



	Polling begins in first phase of Indian elections



	Bollywood director Mani Ratnam in hospital



	Suicide car bomber kills 10 people in north Iraq



	Britain wants to deport Pak students to cover up its mistake: Wajid

»	GEO Business
	Upward trend continues at KSE, index rises 164 pts



	Punjab 389 wheat purchase centers’ buying campaign kicks off



	Govt. to buy gram at Rs1000 per 40 kilo



	Badla financing benefits more to stockbrokers: Razi-ur-Rahman



	Fear for remittances as Pakistanis abroad lose jobs

»	GEO Sports
	Flower appointed new England coach



	India topple Australia from 2nd spot in ICC ranking



	Bajwa not ready to take blame for Azlan Shah defeat



	Murray into third round at Monte Carlo



	Modi blames PCB for absence of Pak players in IPL

Democrappy in Action in INDIA

2009-04-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Laser Hair Removal

2009-04-11T02:43:00.000-07:00

The laser hair removal is a method of treatment for unwanted hair. Up to 22% of women in North America have excessive facial hair or unwanted, which affects negatively the quality of life for many men feel obliged to individuals.1 rid of unwanted hair, as dictated by popular culture and the appearance of anxiety. Hair May be desirable for patients for cultural, social, aesthetic or psychological, unwanted hair can result in feelings of shame or the emotional burden that patients May impede relationships or daily activities. This level of impairment is comparable to that experienced by patients with psoriasis and eczema and eclipses for patients with acne.

Appropriate methods for hair removal has long been in demand in the long-term hair removal with minimal adverse effects is the ultimate goal. The laser hair removal has been confirmed as an effective treatment for unwanted hair.

Shaving and hair removal market in the United States rose by 8% between 2002 and 2007 and is currently $ 1.8 million annually.2 None of the methods of hair removal practiced today, offers a full range of hair removal or permanent. This can be achieved with a better understanding of anatomy, physiology, cycles of hair growth and the laser-tissue interaction, and as more sophisticated technologies are emerging.

For information, CME, and views of experts in aesthetic procedures, visit Medscape's Resource Center of Aesthetic Medicine.

History of the procedure

Many methods are effective in removing temporary hair.1, 3

Manual plucking

This method is convenient and easy to remove the hair and can not be used by most people to clean up a few unwanted hairs. Hair must be long enough to be captured by a pair of pliers.

Often leads to pluck hair follicle in its active phase of growth, or Anage, stimulating the growth of new hair. You can also create post hyperpigmentation, or some pseudofolliculitis and, rarely, scarring.

Shaving

Although rapid and effective for cleaning a large area of hair, shaving is the most temporary method of hair removal because it does not cut hair on the skin surface. As the hair continues to grow, the abrupt end of the hair is more important because it is thicker than normal conical end.

Disadvantages of skin lacerations, potential pyoderma, folliculitis, ingrown hairs and hyperpigmentation post. Many women can not use this method in certain areas of the body because of the connotation of men shave the face and neck.

Waxed or sugaring4

The application of a hot wax or sugar paste in the hair, skin, and elimination, as well as unwanted hair is a method of hair removal and is performed in salons and spas. This method can be used in large areas of the skin (eg, legs, arms, back) or small areas (eg, face, eyebrows, bikini area). New hair growth seems slower than with shaving, the hair should grow with the level of the skin surface to appear.

Cleaning the sugar paste wax or the skin is often unpleasant or painful and can cause side effects such as irritant dermatitis, or pseudofolliculitis, hyperpigmentation, scarring, burning heat and hot wax or bad.

Depilatory preparations

Mercaptoacetate or preparations containing sulfur, strontium are the most commonly used chemical depilatories. These agents to disrupt disulfide bonds (particularly cystine) that hold the hair cells together, therefore, the dissolution of the hair. Like shaving, this method provides only a brief period of free-hair as the hair continues to grow from the level of the skin surface.

The main side effect is the potential for irritation or allergic contact dermatitis, which can cause itching or a rash.

Bleaching chemicals

Bleaching with hydrogen peroxide is an effective method to hide the presence of hair, but does not remove hair.

This is particularly effective for people with good, but dark and therefore noticeable hair on her arms, face or neck.

Electrolyte therapy

The success of electrolysis can achieve permanent hair follicle destruction, to some extent in 15-80% of patients. Used a low current through a negative electrode (anode) inserted into the hair follicle and a positive electrode (cathode) in the form of a block in the moist hand of the patient. Follicular destruction through the formation of toxic sodium hydroxide (free radicals). Electrothermolysis uses an alternating current that causes thermal destruction of the hair follicle.

All hair must be treated individually and the process is slow and can be painful. Side effects include pain, scarring and hypo-or hyperpigmentation.

Drug treatment with eflornithine

Available only on prescription eflornithine 13.9% topical cream was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 31, 2000. May Topical Eflornithine irreversibly inhibits ornithine decarboxylase activity of the skin, causing a reduction in the rate of hair growth.1 The onset of action in May to take 4-8 weeks of using the topical cream for unwanted hair face and chin whiskers.

Most of the adverse effects of eflornithine topical cream including but not limited to, acne, beard pseudofolliculitis, skin irritation and rash.

Laser Hair Removal

Since 1996, when the use of laser technology for use photoepilation first, there have been many advances in laser hair removal, which in different types of lasers now available for the treatment of excess hair . The laser hair removal is based on the theory of selective photothermolysis, or selective destruction of the follicular unit, resulting in a significant reduction in hair in the treated areas.

Side effects are mainly related to damage to the skin by the partial absorption of laser energy into the surrounding skin. This effect was more pronounced in people with darker skin than the highest concentration of melanin in the skin placed at a higher risk of side effects. These side effects include blistering, hypo-or hyperpigmentation, crust, or, rarely, permanent scars.

Aetiology

Excessive hair growth in men or women can be classified in any of hypertrichosis or hirsutism, according to the distribution in the body. (Click here to perform an activity on Medscape CME hirsutism.) Other disorders, such as beard or pseudofolliculitis nuchae keloidalis acne can be caused by hair, ingrown hairs and causing localized inflammatory reactions that can lead to pigmentation problems , lost hair, and scars.

Directions

Hirsutism

Hirsutism is defined as excessive thick dark hair in a distribution pattern of men where they are usually thin or absent in females. The areas affected are those that are stimulated by androgens in circulation and are the face, chest, arms, and Areolae. This disease can be caused by several types of endocrine disorders that lead to high levels of androgens or the hair follicles are particularly sensitive to normal levels of androgens. This represents approximately 95% of reported cases. It is estimated that 1 in 20 women of reproductive age are affected by this disorder.

The treatment of excess hair hirsutism usually not required if no etiology of the disease exists and that the patient does not feel that the excessive growth of hair reprehensible. However, treatment is generally based on antiandrogen to inhibit the effects of androgens on the skin, such as 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, spironolactone, flutamide o. If the choice of medical treatment or any of these methods of hair removal, patients should understand that the treatment is long term and must be followed to maintain a low profile hair.

Hypertrichosis

A model of hair growth in a configuration dependent and is called hypertrichosis nonandrogen May involve Vellus terminal, type of hair or lanugo. This May be associated with a number of congenital syndromes or be in an isolated case. What is considered a normal amount and appearance of hair can be quite variable among different ethnic groups, and treatment must be tailored to the needs or desires of each patient. May Hypertrichosis is a side effect of drugs like cyclosporine, minoxidil, and oral and topical corticosteroids are used to treat other disorders.

Pseudofolliculitis beard

When the hair grows in a coiled pattern, patients May be affected by many ingrown hairs that can cause skin irritation, papules and pustules. These can lead to changes in pigmentation and even scarring. Pseudofolliculitis beard occurs most commonly in the armpits or bikini with a beard, or, for men in the lower neck, where it grows facial hair coarse. The laser hair removal is effective in treating this condition by the removal of a permanent or temporary hair of chronic inflammation injury. Laser treatment leads to resolution and healing of papular and pustular lesions, improving the texture of the skin and hyperpigmentation post.

Acne keloidalis nuchae

Keloidalis nuchae acne is most common among African-Americans and is characterized by papules and plaques in the chronic occipital scalp. A keloid can often lead to a thickening of the skin and permanent scarring. In early lesions, hair is usually trapped in the testing and early treatment with laser hair removal is more effective in this phase. Hair took acting as a foreign body in the skin and, if chronic, can cause skin changes, decreased hair growth, and the healing of the affected area. The objectives of laser hair removal treatment for this disease is to destroy the impact of the hair and cause a further delay in hair growth, which further reduces healing.

The Anatomy

To get a better understanding of how laser hair removal procedures, you must have knowledge of the hair microanatomy, physiology and growth cycles associated with the growth of hair on the body.

Hair follicles are present in almost all the body except the palms of hands and soles. Each person is about 5 million hair follicles. Hair follicles may be straight, wavy, helical or spiral, and the morphological characteristics of the follicles vary between anatomic sites and race. White people tend to have finer hair that people of Asian or African American origins. The density of hair follicles in an area of the skin varies considerably between individuals. Form of hair is also very variable, the cross-section, straight hair tend to be round or wavy hair is oval spiral. Note the variations in color, texture and amount of hair on the body surface to determine the need for hair removal procedures.

Hair types

Adult hair has 2 main types. Vellus hair can be found in the body and appears as soft, thin, short hair, which are slightly pigmented or nonpigmented, May and all but invisible. Terminal hair is longer, thicker and more darkly pigmented hair found on the scalp, armpits and groin. The subgroups include terminal hair on the scalp, pubic area and eyebrows. Terminal hair is also found in androgen sensitive areas of the body, such as the beard and chest in men. Although many Vellus hair, hair terminals are more important because they are responsible for the appearance of hair on the body. They can help improve the image of a person, or can cause great distress and anxiety because of its distribution, length, or texture.

Hair anatomy

Hair follicles are associated with other structures within the skin. Since the development of hair follicles are associated with the development of sebaceous glands, apocrine glands and erector pili muscles. Together, these structures are Folliculosebaceous-apocrine unit.

Each hair follicle histologically can be divided into 4 divisions, which are (from superficial to deep), the infundibulum, isthmus, stem and bulb.

The infundibulum is the distal hair follicle, extending from the surface of the skin at the entry of the apocrine glands in the follicle.

The isthmus of the hair and then extends from the entrance of the apocrine glands connect to the sebaceous glands.

Even deeper, the root extends from the opening of the sebaceous glands of the erector pili muscle attachment. The action of this muscle makes the hair in an upright position, causing goosebumps.

The bulb of the hair follicle is deep to the attachment of the erector pili muscle and is the site of the follicular matrix. This site is mainly responsible for hair growth and development.

Hair phases

Adult hair has 3 distinct phases of development: Anage, catagen and telogen. Hair that progress in these stages are affected differently by treatment with laser-assisted hair removal.

Anage is the active phase of hair growth occurs. Active follicular matrix cells in the production of cells that make up hair growth. The growth of hair is composed of 4 divisions Anage histology.

In catagen (regression phase), matrix cells and the bulb begins to atrophy, degenerate, causing the hair follicle to shrink.

Telogen is the final resting phase of the hair follicle. The hair growth has stopped, and the follicle becomes inactive. Now that the surface components of the follicle, the infundibulum and the isthmus. During telogen, the hair is released from its attachment to the skin and sloughs away. The process begins again Anage to form a new hair.

The length of time spent in each stage depends on the location of the hair. In the scalp, hair follicles take up to 10 years in Anage, but in the trunk, face and extremities, Anage lasts no longer than 6 months. Catagen lasts 2-3 weeks, and telogen lasts 3-4 months.

Up to 90% of hairs in a particular place can be Anage phase at a given time. This is important because Anage hair development stages are exposed to injuries during a session of laser assisted hair removal. Therefore, several treatments are necessary to treat all hair follicles in the body surface.

Melanin

Melanin is a biological pigment found in many cells of the body and is primarily responsible for skin color and hair. The main function of melanin in the skin to protect against the harmful effects of sunlight. The amount of melanin in the hair and skin is highly variable among individuals and races, is determined by the concentration of melanin in the skin. This variability produces a variety of dark hair, skin color, and tone.

Melanin is the chromophore or target molecule absorbs light, laser treatment and has an absorption spectrum of the 250-1200 nm, which spans the ultraviolet, visible and infrared light ranges. Melanin absorbs thermal energy from a pulse of laser light. This heat causes thermal injury to melanin-containing cells and their environment. Ideally, the laser energy is selectively absorbed by the melanocytic hair bulb and matrix, which destroys the hair follicle and its ability to regenerate, while protecting the surrounding tissue, where the concentration of melanin, is minimal. In dark-skinned people, however, higher levels of melanin in skin pigment chromophore strongly compete with the laser light. This light is converted into heat and can cause skin blisters or changes in skin pigmentation.

Against

Patients with hirsutism May be more serious underlying endocrine disorders. Causes of hirsutism should be avidly sought and treated if necessary.

For patients with active disease or herpes simplex virus infections, previous treatment with antiviral drugs can be started, particularly when lesions appear on the body to treat. Antiviral treatment before 1 day of laser treatment and continuing for a total of 5-7 days.

Patients with a history of keloid formation or hypertrophic scars should be treated with caution due to potential problems for the healing of skin lesions if it is maintained.

Patients taking isotretinoin (Accutane) should stop the medication for 6 months prior to laser hair removal treatment because the sensitivity of the skin. This issue has been discussed but has not yet been demonstrated in a clinical trial.

Laser hair removal against May be in patients taking photosensitizing drug activated by ultraviolet radiation wavelength. Lasers operating in the visible-infrared spectrum is considered safe for use with patients taking these drugs.

Patients with tattoos on the body surface chosen for laser hair removal should ensure that the appearance of tattoos could be affected by the use of laser. Treatment can lighten or darken certain tattoo pigments.

Effective laser hair removal devices require the presence of a hair follicle photothermolysis to begin. Before the recent history of waxing, hair removal, sugar, electrolysis, waxing or other methods must be verified.

Picking the Best web host

2009-04-11T02:39:00.000-07:00

Let's start by naming the most common types of web hosting plans.

Free Hosting - Cheap Hosting - accommodation - Premium Hosting - E-Commerce Hosting - Dedicated Hosting

Now that you know each type of hosting plan, you can determine which one best fits your situation. Most of the time, affordable housing will be the best choice for anyone on the site. Just look at the different features of each hosting company and to choose the right one for affordable care. We are committed to providing information on best business web hosting - please check back often.

Two things I always ask before buying a home network:

1) Does this website have great service provider to the customer? (eg, toll free, Chat, Ticket System)

2) Is the accommodation has 30 days money back guarantee?

At least 50 die in earthquake in Italy

2009-04-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

'Aquila, Italy - A powerful earthquake in central Italy mountain blocks demolished all buildings early Monday as residents slept, killing at least 50 people and trapping many more, officials said. Tens of thousands of people homeless.

The epicenter of the quake was about 70 miles (110 km) northeast of Rome, near the medieval city of L'Aquila. He struck 3:32 am local time (0132 GMT, hours of Sunday) in a region prone to earthquakes that took at least nine small shocks since early April. U. S. Geological Survey said Monday the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.3, but the Italian National Institute of Geophysics to 5.8.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, to reach L'Aquila hour after the quake, said that at least 50 people died and the number of dead could rise rescue through recovery Household waste has dropped.

L'Aquila is the capital of the Abruzzo region and is in a valley surrounded by mountains of the Apennines. The quake struck 26 towns and municipalities. Castelnuovo, a village of about 300 people, 25 km (15 miles) southeast of L'Aquila, seems very interested, and five were confirmed dead there.

L'Aquila Cialente said Mayor Massimo approximately 100,000 people homeless. It is not clear whether this estimate includes the surrounding cities. Some 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, officials said.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, freeing up federal funds for the disaster, and canceled a visit to Russia, so that it can cope with the crisis of an earthquake.

Condolences arrived from around the world, including that of President Barack Obama and President Abdullah Gul, the president of the earthquake in Turkey.

In L'Aquila, slab walls, stands of twisted steel, furniture and fences were strewn in the streets of gray carpet dust and sidewalks, cars and residents.

As ambulances screamed through the city, aided by dogs firefighters working to reach people trapped in fallen buildings, including a student dormitory, where half a dozen university students is still inside .

Outside half of the building collapsed, weeping young curl together, wrapped in blankets, some are still in their slippers, having been awakened from sleep by the quake.

"We were able to download other students, but we had to squeeze through a hole in the staircase, as the whole plant was reduced," said student Luigi Alfonsi 22. "I was in bed - as if it would never end as I listened to parts of the building collapses around me."

Residents and rescue workers removed debris from collapsed buildings by hand. Firefighters removed a woman in the dust from the rubble of his house on four floors. The rescue teams known as calm as he heard the testimony of the lives of other people still believe trapped inside.

A body on the sidewalk, covered by a white sheet.

Aquila's The main parts of the hospital were evacuated because they were in danger of collapse, and only two operating rooms in use. Blood victims were waiting in the corridors of the hospital or in the courtyard, and many were treated in the open air. A field hospital is being created. Minister of Health has urged Italians Maurizio Sacconi to donate blood.

The Aquila's many modern buildings were damaged, and the mayor said that the heart is damaged, access to the center was blocked. The Italian news agency ANSA said Aquila's The church was damaged and the dome of a church collapsed.

In the dusty streets, as aftershocks rumbled through, residents embrace each other, to pray silently and frantically tried to families. Residents covered with dust pushed carts full of clothes and blankets that were launched at the same time to flee their homes.

"We started as soon as we felt the first jolt," said Antonio D'Ostilio, 22, as pointed out in the streets of L'Aquila with a huge bag with clothes stacked. "We suddenly woke up and immediately in our pajamas."

Stadiums and sports grounds are being prepared to house the homeless, civil defense said Agostino Miozzo.

"That means we have thousands of people to help in the coming weeks and months," said Sky Miozzo Italy. "Our goal is to provide housing for all by tonight."

At least one student from Greece has been trapped in the rubble and another injured, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece said. Greece has offered to send a rescue team for help, the ministry said.

The Israeli embassy in Rome, said officials have tried to contact some Israelis believe that the region has not been in contact with their families. Rachel Feinmesser spokesman for the embassy does not give an exact number.

The last major earthquake that struck central Italy was a magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck south-central region of Molise in the October 31, 2002, killing 28 people, including 27 children who died when their school collapsed.

Source: http://crackingshit.blogspot.com

Bill Laury

Forex Megadroid Robot Review

2009-03-31T02:01:00.000-07:00

This is the best solution for those who want the Forex trading market with the help of sophisticated software and little human intervention.

Forex MegaDroid was designed so that the user has absolutely no experience or knowledge of any foreign exchange transactions - a "Plug & Play" concept.

The robot is the only product of its kind on the market today with such precision: 95.82% winners since 2001

This robot was created by John Grace and Albert Perrier. Both have considerable experience in the marketing of foreign exchange, with an experience of 38 years.

After leaving their jobs days, his only mission in life was to revolutionize the industry Forex ... to create something never seen before.

And they have done through the creation of the megadroid forex robot.

The robot is driven Megadroid forex RCTPA.

Inversely correlated RCTPA average time and price analysis.

It is the first robot that uses this new technology RCTPA intelligence and strategy that puts jobs of the future with precision, rather than in the past with the hope (as all robots).

Everything has been treated for that.

Once access to foreign currency megadroid it is operational in minutes.

The designers have included a pre-configured copy the download Metatrader Forex on MegaDroid installed, you can begin to operate the robot in a demo account with a minimum of effort.

"Every dollar will be filed at least quadrupled"

The robot MegaDroid Forex Launches Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 9 am EST

This is the best solution for those who want the Forex trading market with the help of sophisticated software and little human intervention

For Further details check

http://crackingshit.blogspot.com

The money using Easy Forex Trading Robot

2009-03-31T02:00:00.001-07:00

Think if you are in a position in the market is entering a $ 3 trillion. This would be so more often than you can earn in a year. Where can you be able to obtain, but through the use of robots for the FOREX market? Yes, it is not necessary in an office or for a boss who speaks. All this can be done in the comfort of your home.

You have many lives. You're at work, to meet these payments by credit card on laws and other things of everyday life, spending, and the eternal and long task of trying to earn a living. You will be asked so that the patient would have been preferable to life much better for you. Well, you look no further.

If you do not hear a review of the currency megadroid seeking the certainty of the Internet, because these things are the solution to their financial problems. The Forex market is a financial market, the currency in the world. Based on the strength of a currency, the values are rising and rising and vary according to market information, such as politics, business and economic factors. Forex Trading Robot is a hat, you need on your computer is installed, the trade in this currency in your home. Sweet, huh?

Everything you need to see is a computer and an Internet connection. After the selection and purchase negotiations, a robot of your choice, you only need the installation CD and follow the onscreen instructions to keep it for the manufacture of dollars.

What to do once the software is installed, a pair of currencies, such as the U.S. dollar (USD) against the Japanese yen (JPY). The robot is an analysis of trends, which are between the two currencies. You should not even be sure that is done, because the software does everything for you. A large number of experts, operators are skeptical of this first, but after trying, they have learned to trust him and let everything go.

Where can you easy money, and are free to go wherever you want? If your computer is connected to the Internet, l'argent du beurre. Then, you can now online with one of these currencies megadroid dollars.

For Further details check

http://crackingshit.blogspot.com

How Forex Robot?

2009-03-31T01:59:00.001-07:00

Megadroid Forex is an automated system for the software, users have little or no market for complex algorithms. Dealers believe that the benefits can be achieved, even if not in front of the computer is a machine for making money, which is on the wall and keep the money for butter. Comments will show you how to read, if a software robot trading is a scam or legitimate.

If an automated system for the exchange offers a risk-free rate of return and easy to make money, is actually a fraud. Financial markets, as the stock market and currency market, the rise and fall of a large number of random factors and determinants. When the negotiation is automatic, the word would probably be a single computer, the whole show.

If an automatic control system of advertising in itself a historical experience, guarantees that are not due to gains. That is probably why the robot does not refer to a disclaimer that the guarantee is in profit, and change megadroid bonus is for educational purposes only.

Now it is confusion. If you accept the terms of service, the system said that the rights and guarantees, a useful product. In other words, you can sell a piece of scrap metal and threatened to use, and nothing you do in May Just see what you will receive a refund for him, if not to your satisfaction. A good thing to do is to always check or write reviews for foreign applications. When you start playback from the beginning, it would be difficult to see why you have not yet tested.

In short, if exchange rate gains at certain times, there is no guarantee that will continue. Gains were promised that the increase, even if only a little knowledge. Not yet on the market, despite the use of the system. The order includes random factors are not intended, even by machines. Lean automated trading software before buying. If you buy what is a currency swap robot really need to do so.

For Further details check

http://crackingshit.blogspot.com

Forex Trading Forex Robot makes it so easy!

2009-03-31T01:58:00.000-07:00

There are lots of fashion around the robot automated currency. There are many automated software currency exists today to provide full support and trade and make money for you in a stable world. These claims are true? Then a piece of automated software to really take charge of their finances and the professions?

There is no doubt that Forex is extremely complex. Forex or FX, which means foreign exchange market is the market where the currencies by banks and other institutions according to their height. He is one of the largest and most liquid financial market in the world, continues to grow each day. The characteristic is that it remains open all the time - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is in markets around the world with very few transactions of the regulation.

Forex is in a constant state of change and make money in this market requires constant vigilance and a high degree of attention to many details. For these reasons, an increasing number of providers is an automated software. These distributors are looking for constant surveillance, collection of scientific data and statistics for decision making. It can be ideas, and some of the burden and stress of constant vigilance and a large market. The operator can sleep without contact with market activity, and the software in May of the decisions to buy and sell.

With this reasoning, the robot automated currency certainly offer features and qualities that can help all traders in its reports. Thus, you can sit in the back, a sign of their wealth in the robot and typing away? There is no substitute for the list and the instinct of a trader. Thanks to its characteristics and the automated Forex software is a tool that operators can use to conduct their business more easily.

For Further details check

http://crackingshit.blogspot.com

Explanation of Forex online!

2009-03-31T01:57:00.000-07:00

Forex is currency trading. These negotiations have been in recent years. The reason is that in the past, and that only financial institutions, businesses and governments can now be traded currency trading foreign currencies. Another factor is the popularity of Forex is the Storm, who won the world economy. This is why a large number of workers, opportunities to supplement their income and a form of exchange of currencies.

Forex is a term that refers to the trading of foreign currency in the world. It is the world's largest market, with hundreds of billions of dollars a day. In the past, only governments, businesses and financial institutions in foreign currencies are traded. Today, people like you and me have doubled, distributors and dealers have a decent life there. For many, the forex is the best opportunity to create their own recipes. The reason is that the learning curve is quite short. You can also send an e-commerce excellent resources that are available.

Forex is a good way to bring people, without much benefit. This can be easily reached by the so-called leverage effect. You can also lower risk by investing in small quantities, before negotiations on greater amounts. Lever, large sums of money with a minimum is the beauty of Forex Trading.

Another benefit of Forex, it is very important. This is because different types of currencies, not just a region but throughout the world. This is cash flow and very different ways. One option for trading in currencies that are gaining much popularity is the use of the Internet. Forex Online, which markets 24 hours a day and negotiations will be conducted in real time.

For Further details check

http://crackingshit.blogspot.com

Live Forex webinar MegaDroid

2009-03-31T01:48:00.000-07:00

I hope you saw Albert and John's video interview yesterday, we certainly an idea, not only on the Forex MegaDroid but also know who they are and learn why we are qualified to claim that they produced the best Forex robot in existence.

Now attention because it is once in a lifetime opportunity: Jean-Albert and holding a live webinar where you can ask anything you want on the Forex Forex MegaDroid or in general. An excellent opportunity to talk to 2 Forex robot traders and developers with 38 years of combined experience.

100% higher net profit for the full month of trading on autopilot handsfree. Sounds like a dream come true, but it is not. It's the new reality of Forex trading ... the new reality in Artificial Intelligence.

For Further details check

http://crackingshit.blogspot.com

Bux.to is a SCAM

2009-03-25T02:36:00.000-07:00

Scam? Certainly.

Bux.to has spent the last year is in line with the extent of good people who were stealing money.

Bux.to is not owned by a Debbie / George said. Debbie and George are very likely fictional and even more likely to be a pseudonym of David John Withers.

Bux.to is owned by David John Withers who is not only the only shareholder in Bux.to LTD but also the director.

Bux.to LTD aka David John Withers lists their cash value and 1 to 0.00 million shares with a value of 1.00 part was assigned to David John Withers. When I posted in the forum forums Bux.to staff promptly kept removing the messages, because it is true. Bux.to is already a sinking ship, without cash flow, because nobody will buy their robots and more than 9 months and late payments. Bux.to is registered in the Commonwealth of Dominica to hide the money they stole from their members as in Dominica people are fined 25,000.00 for disclosing personal information about the owner of a company registered there. It is also a tax haven. Neither the report. David John Withers has stolen millions of dollars from members of Bux.to and hides in Dominica and evading taxes in the UK. The company did not publish minutes or financial Bux.to Limited in the United Kingdom, as required by law.

David John Withers and Bux.to LTD are a fraud and a scam.

This information was provided to me by a lawyer who has legally obtained to know the truth.

Here are some other companies related to this fraud.

I suggest if you want to recover the funds that should start the next.

Lawyer Jacob Daniel Rothmann, Partner & Mandarin Pacific International Holdings Limited, Partner

Straiton (Barristers & Solicitors) Limited

Bux.to LTD / David John Withers.

In fact, this second law that sent the truth of the matter is that www.buxbb.com bux.to "supposed support forums and have been immediately censored in all my posts for stating the truth. I have also been banned for have tried to sweep under the carpet the truth so they can keep the money from the deals are not wary of people who want an early end to the dollar, but only costs. Bux.to personally owes me over 900.00 ..

The person named "Debbie" even tried to get hushup pay $ 250.00 a few months ago, not to publish my knowledge.

What a scam.

We publish this information in the world so that people can find their money that David John Withers and Bux.to have stolen millions of people and evading taxes in the UK by hiding the stolen money in the Commonwealth of Dominica.

It has nothing to do with shameless promotion of our own site. We have lost too much money. We just want everyone to know the truth and how they can begin to examine ways to recoup their funds from David John Withers aka Bux.to LTD

Bux.to is a SCAM - Proven

You can check these websites for proves, just search on www.google.com orwww.yahoo.com or www.ask.com

Pakistan reinstates sacked judge

2009-03-16T01:45:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Iftikhar Chaudhry will resume its former position no later than March. Opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif had joined the campaign to ask lawyers for the reinstatement of the judge.

In announcing in March that was canceled in Islamabad, Mr. Sharif has urged fans to celebrate with dignity. " Mr. Gilani said Chaudhry resume his post after the resignation of present Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on March 21. "To announce the restoration of all judges, including deposed Mr. Iftikhar Chaudhry, PM Yousaf Raza Gilani said.

Pakistan United States envoy, Richard Holbrooke, welcomes the decision. Has been quoted by The New York Times in the United States applauded "the act of governing by the President [Asif Ali] Zardari and hoped that it would be" a turning dangerous confrontation. "The unrest has alarmed the West, which wants Pakistan to focus on the fight against the Taliban in the Afghan border.

Mr. Chaudhry and 60 other judges were dismissed by former President Pervez Musharraf in 2007. Most have been restored, but Mr Chaudhry and a handful have not been allowed to return to their former positions. One reason for the failure to return appears to be challenged by the fact that the general amnesty granted by Musharraf that Mr. Zardari has made it possible to return to Pakistan, arguing that the rule could be General Musharraf illegally.

Reversal of the amnesty would leave Mr Zardari, the widower of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, exposed to accusations of corruption. Mr. Gilani announced, broadcast on television, triggered scenes of jubilation from supporters of Mr Chaudhry outside his home in Islamabad, and between supporters of Mr Sharif.

Mr Gilani also said the leaders and opposition activists arrested during the last week of mounting unrest would be released and the ban on demonstrations in several provinces and the capital raised. This announcement is a victory for lawyers "after his campaign events, the BBC said Barbara Plett in Islamabad.

"This is a victory for the people of this country," said Baz Mohammad Kakar, head of the movement of lawyers. "Chaudhry was the first president in the history of Pakistan which has proved to be a judge of the population, as chief justice for the people." Our correspondent says that development is also a victory for Mr. Sharif, a longstanding opponent of President Zardari, who had supported the lawyer requesting the reinstatement of Mr Chaudhry.

After the announcement of the Prime Minister has appealed the March in Islamabad, saying: "Let the party with dignity."

Speaking of Gujranwala, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Lahore, told supporters: "We said that we will restore the judges and the independence of the judiciary and by the grace of Allah, we have achieved. "Mr Sharif is expected to meet Mr Gilani later on Monday. It marks a turning of the situation on Sunday, when Mr. Sharif in Lahore left in a convoy of supporters defied apparent effort to put under house arrest.

The riot police had surrounded his house, but after supporters clashed Lahore Mr. Sharif has been moved and adopted, without leaving the city. Several days of demonstrations across Pakistan will end with a "March" to Islamabad and a sit in the press to demand the reinstatement of judges. The announcement by the government marks the end of the time of the power struggle between Mr. Sharif and Mr. Zardari, told our correspondent in Islamabad.

There are signs that other issues that inflamed tensions between the two is resolved: a Supreme Court decision which banned last month by Mr. Sharif and his brother Shahbaz elected, and the decision of President Zardari to their stronghold in the Punjab province under direct rule from Islamabad.

terrorists entered from across the border from India

2009-03-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD, March - The Minister of India accused Pakistan of being behind the attack on the cricket team in Sri Lanka in the city of Lahore on Tuesday, saying that the attackers had entered the Pakistan to India.

"The evidence shows that these terrorists came from the border of India, Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol, Minister of State for Shipping, told the private GEO television." It was a conspiracy to defame Pakistan internationally. "

"This incident took place in response to 26/11," he said referring to bombings in Mumbai in November in which at least 170 people were killed. "This is a declaration of war by India to Pakistan," said the minister, who is not a government spokesman, but the President Asif Ali Zardari's party.

Indian RAW behind Srilankan cricket team attack

2009-03-11T13:23:00.001-07:00

Government of Pakistan has found that it feels a convergence of evidence of Al Qaeda and India, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to complete parody of Lahore. Although there is a link with the Tamil Tigers, the government rounded up more than 100 people across Pakistan, particularly in the cities of Hyderabad, Rahim Yar Khan and Quetta. He said that the suspects involved in this violence has been identified as an Afghan citizen named Abdul Rahman, an unidentified citizen of Uzbekistan, a "Aslam", held in Hyderabad, Sindh, which is said to be an agent of RAW.

Four suspects have been arrested since Firdous Market, Lahore, who, sources say, have been positively IDied by eyewitnesses, including the driver of the car and rickshaws have been seized and then used in parody. It may be recalled that in view of a popular television channel location nearby and CCTV are in the alleys of the free market, all terrorists are caught on tape and the government is convinced that they can crack the case.

If the charge of involvement in India crude is true, only shows the mindlessness of the entire episode. Hindsight is 20/20. It is said that the Indian government "prophetic" warned the cricket team in Sri Lanka against Pakistan tourism. The Indian government was seen as a small island nation that has confronted terrorism and violence in itself sufficient. It is possible that Sri Lanka has been dragged to the whole mess, because he dared defy the power of India.

Court setback for Sharif brothers

2009-02-25T00:53:00.000-08:00

A court in Pakistan has refused to rule on whether to lift the ban on Nawaz Sharif, an opposition leader and former prime minister, holding elected.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has annulled the election on Wednesday, Sharif's brother, Shahbaz, as Prime Minister of Punjab province in 2008.

The court declined to rule on an election issue the ban on Nawaz Sharif - in effect a continuation of the bar on it for the elections.

Sharif, who was Prime Minister during the 1990s, was ousted by General Pervez Musharraf.

He returned from exile last year to lead his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), in the general elections of 2008.

Sharif election ban prevents assume a leadership position in Parliament.

Sharif brothers declared ineligible

2009-02-25T00:50:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD: The three-member bench of the Supreme Court had ruled outside the eligibility brothers Sharif election case declared ineligible to contest elections on its two lines of the short term, the announcement here.

Shahbaz Sharif under the sentence has lost his seat in the provincial assembly and no longer a member of the Chamber of Punjab, which is no longer prime minister of Punjab, as SC has canceled the first notice of his being first Minister.

This case was in court to the Supreme Court of three members, headed by the Bank of Justice Musa K. Laghari in the last eight months, during which, the Attorney General of Pakistan Latif Khosa said that his arguments by the Chief Secretary of Punjab and he was not party to the case. The Attorney General said that all judges have taken oath under the Constitution and talk about the oath of the Constitution is irrelevant.

Nawaz Sharif has said that the second proposal, and could become parties to the case if the court and allows them to become parties was not necessary. He said he was the judge's discretion to withdraw from the bank and no one can go to the exit.

After the arguments, after a short pause, the Bank of abolishing the eligibility of Sharif brothers case declared ineligible.

After the verdict, the Sharif brothers' lawyer, Akram Sheikh told the media that the decision was as expected, because the government was dictated by the judges. Sharif said that the brothers were declared ineligible by order of President Zardari. He said that judges will be accountable on the Day of Reckoning. Akram Shiekh said it was now up to individuals to decide whether the conviction was based on merit. He said he could not comment on incomplete sentence of two lines. This decision was presented as a bouquet of flowers to President Asif Zardari on his return from China tour.

ML-N in the number of workers were present at the announcement of the verdict raised slogans in support of the long March and the Sharif brothers. Agreement to strengthen security in the capital remains here.

Sharif brothers Election Ban

2009-02-25T00:47:00.000-08:00

The decision could deepen Nawaz Sharif's decision to break with the PPP
The Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the ban on former prime minister and opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz, by popular vote.
Nawaz Sharif of the PML-N party is in power in Punjab province. His brother was prime minister, but now must leave the office.
June, the High Court in the city of Lahore upheld an earlier decision prohibiting the execution of Nawaz Sharif in a general election.
The court said he was standing, because it violates the terms of the condemnation of 1999.
BBC Barbara Plett in Islamabad says the court order will deepen the gap between Sharif and the federal government and increase the potential for political instability in the country.
Caiga
One of the lawyers of Sharif, Akram Sheikh, confirmed that his appeal to the Supreme Court against the sentence had been fired before.
He said: "[The President] Asif Ali Zardari was involved in the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif and the decision today is also in line with their wishes."

President Zardari had a hand in the decision, Nawaz Sharif Cris
Nawaz Sharif is not a member at present, but analysts say the courts to Shahbaz Sharif to resign from the post of prime minister of Punjab.
Nawaz Sharif was convicted under the 1999 hijacking of a plane carrying then army chief General Pervez Musharraf.
The event led to General Musharraf ousting Mr Sharif in a coup and becomes president.
Nawaz Sharif returned from exile in the hope of his office, the prohibition is lifted by a democratically elected government.
The PML-N and the ruling party of Pakistan, PPP emerged as the two main parties after the elections of last year, trouncing allies of Pervez Musharraf.
He formed a fragile coalition, and managed to force Mr. Musharraf from office.
But shortly after Mr Sharif fell to the leader of PPP, Mr. Zardari, and divided on the issue of reinstatement of judges sacked by Mr Musharraf.
Wednesday anticipate the decision of the court, Mr Sharif accused the weekend of Mr Zardari deliberately trying to undermine him.
Our correspondent said that fears of a return to the bitter political struggle that has characterized the elected governments in the 1990s, but now at a time when Pakistan is faced with the security and economic crises.

Was 'Uzayr (Ezra) Called The Son Of God?

2009-01-05T02:29:00.000-08:00

Argument 1 : Heretics

The Islamic exegetes have mentioned that there existed a community of Jews in Yemen who considered Ezra as son of God. Hirschberg says in Encylopedia Judaica:
H Z Hirschberg proposed another assumption, based on the words of Ibn Hazm, namely, that the 'righteous who live in Yemen believed that 'Uzayr was indeed the son of Allah. According to other Muslim sources, there were some Yemenite Jews who had converted to Islam who believed that Ezra was the messiah. For Muhammad, Ezra, the apostle (!) of messiah, can be seen in the same light as the Christian saw Jesus, the messiah, the son of Allah.

It should be noted that Ibn Hazm lived during the late 9th and early 10th centuries in Cordoba, Spain. Therefore, his statements are pure conjecture, and are nothing more than an attempt to explain away this error in the Qur’an. Also, notice the words "proposed" and "assumption". There are no records from any Jewish community that believed Ezra was the Son of God!

The Encylopedia Judaica article cited by the “Islamic Awareness” team continues:

An allusion to the figure of Ezra as the apostle of the messiah is found in a tale which is widespread among the Jews of Yemen, according to which Ezra requested that they emigrate to Erez Israel, and because they did not, he cursed them. Yemenite Jews have therefore refrained from naming their children Ezra.
If the Yemenite Jews were/are so offended by Ezra's curse, that they refuse to name their sons Ezra, how could the Jews of Yemen have ever considered Ezra to be the Son of God?

Suppose, as in the case of the Qur'an's error that Mary was a member of the Trinity, there was a heretical sect of Jews who believed that Ezra was the Son of God. An all-knowing God would know that the vast majority of the Jews DO NOT believe this. Why is the majority opinion important in this case?

Notice that the Qur'an says "The Jews", and not "some Jews"! This wording indicates that this verse is talking about the mainstream majority of the Jewish community. Notice also that this passage says "The Christians" (referring to the majority of Christians) call Christ the Son of God in spite of the fact that there were heretical groups in Arabia who denied this belief.

The Hadith also makes a similar statement concerning the erroneous belief that the Jews believe that Ezra is the Son of God:

Then it will be said to the Jews, "What did you use to worship?' They will reply, 'We used to worship Ezra, the son of Allah.' It will be said to them, 'You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. What do you want (now)?'
And, in another account:

Then the Jews will be called upon and it will be said to them, 'Who do you use to worship?' They will say, 'We used to worship Ezra, the son of Allah.' It will be said to them, 'You are liars, for Allah has never taken anyone as a wife or a son. What do you want now?'
Since God is perfect and cannot err, He did not produce this verse. So, the question is : how did Muhammad make this error? The first possibility is that Muhammad knew nothing of Jewish theology and beliefs and either thought this in his own mind or heard it from someone else who was equally uniformed. The second, and more likely explanation, is that Muhammad knew the facts (the Jews did not regard Ezra as the Son of God) but distorted the truth to fit his needs of the moment.

This entire Sura was "revealed" at Medina at a time when the Muslims had conquered much of Arabia and were preparing to attack neighboring lands. The Qur'an commentator Syed Maududi tells us that : "In this portion the Muslims have been urged to fight in the Way of Allah with the mushrik Arabs, the Jews and the Christians, who were duly warned of the consequences of their mischievous and inimical behavior. (Sura 9:13-37)"

Muhammad was condemning the Christians of "shirk" because they believed that Jesus is the Son of God. Apparently, Muhammad wanted to accuse the Jews of "shirk" so he threw the accusation, that the Jews believed that Ezra was the Son of God, in for good measure. In any event an all-knowing God would NEVER and could NEVER make such an error! Clearly, these are Muhammad's words which he uttered to serve his purposes.

Argument 2 : The Jews did not dispute Muhammad's claim

It is also interesting to note that when Mary was address as Sister of Aaron, the Christian from Najran wanted to clarify it. But when 'Uzayr was called the son of Allah, the Jews did not object at all!
First we note, that the entire discussion is based on Muslim sources only. These writers might just not have had the interest to report such protest. If writings by Jews from Medina had been preserved, our understanding of much of Muslim history might look very different. But even considering only the Muslim sources that are available, it is interesting that you ignore so much Islamic history! This Sura was "revealed" less that one year following the Battle of Hunain, after which most of Arabia came under Muhammad's rule. Only a few communities of the "old order" remained scattered over some far corners of the country. Most of the Arabian Jews, at this point in time, either fled, converted, or were dead. Therefore, they were in no position to dispute Muhammad's "revelation". In any event, this verse is in error and cannot be from an all-knowing God. Pointing to the existence of heretical groups, in this case as well as in the case of Mary being equal to God, strengthens the argument that the Qur'an is of human origins, and not from God. God NEVER makes a mistake and, as you say, God knows best.

How did Muhammad conclude that the Jews believed Ezra to be the Son of God?

It is not really possible for us to know for sure how Muhammad came up with the false conclusion that the Jews believed Ezra to be the Son of God. However, there are a few interesting possibilities.

One possibility is that Muhammad misinterpreted the apocryphal text of 4 Ezra [also know as 2 Esdras], chapter 2:42-48:

I Esdras saw upon the mount Sion a great people, whom I could not number, and they all praised the Lord with songs.
And in the midst of them there was a young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; which I marvelled at greatly.
So I asked the angel, and said, Sir, what are these?
He answered and said unto me, These be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms.
Then said I unto the angel, What young person is it that crowneth them, and giveth them palms in their hands?
So he answered and said unto me, It is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then began I greatly to commend them that stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord.
Then the angel said unto me, Go thy way, and tell my people what manner of things, and how great wonders of the Lord thy God, thou hast seen.
Another possible explanation is offered in the article Who is 'Uzair? :

We know that the Samaritans actually circulated a false statement that the Jews kept an image of a small man in the Holy of Holies and worshiped it. Is there any connection between this and the name 'Uzair which is a diminutive form? May the imputed image have developed into "little Ezra"?
Regardless of the source, Muhammad’s claim that the Jews regarded Ezra as the son of God is false.

Andrew Vargo

The above "Argument 2" was contained in an earlier edition of Saifullah's article at the time that AV formulated his response. Even though it is now removed, others might think similarly and there is no harm in keeping the answer. In fact, Saifullah and others have used this argument also in newsgroup discussions [*, *]. (JK)
Some remarks on translations

The authors have actually presented their readership with the intimately personal translation:

The Jews call 'Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is the saying from their mouth; (In this) they are intimate; what the Unbelievers of the old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the truth. [Qur'an 9:30]
Though not the same, the above is clearly inspired by Yusuf Ali's rendering:

The Jews call 'Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. God's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!
Since these differences are in a part of this verse that is of no effect on our discussion, it shall suffice to have pointed them out. I expect they will correct this mistake quickly. This is just to indicate, I am reading their articles closely.

More seriously though, the Islamic Awareness team, M S M Saifullah and Mustafa Ahmed, decided to agree with Yusuf Ali in the first part of the verse by choosing one of several misleading translations of Sura 9:30 that seek to hide part of the embarrassing problem. In contrast to the above, the translation by Hilali & Khan, being the top choice on their own recommendation list, renders the relevant part of this verse:

And the Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allâh,
and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allâh. ...
The parallelity of these two statements is important as the above link on (dishonest) translations explains. Since the issue has been dealt with on that page, there is no need to further dwell on this point here either.

Gaza strike protesters gather near Obama's South Side home

2009-01-05T01:58:00.000-08:00

Joining a growing number of events in the world, the demonstrators marched Saturday to elect President Barack Obama South Side neighborhood to express their opposition to attacks against Israel from Gaza.

Nearly three dozen protesters marched to the police barricades a few blocks from Obama Kenwood house, waving a Palestinian flag and chanting slogans against the war that the United States punished for making bombs and fighter planes used by Israel. At one point during the protest, which fell to the ground and yelled in a dramatic gesture intended to symbolize a AirStrike.

"We will not remain silent, we will not be smooth," what they want. "No more mass murder in our name."

The protest came as the Israeli army launched a ground offensive Saturday to a wider conflict in the Gaza Strip, Hamas leaders, continuing a week of conflict that the defense minister said that Israel "will not be short nor easy.
As the fighting continues, demonstrations were held throughout the Western Hemisphere, including a large protest in Chicago on Friday in which thousands demonstrated outside the Israeli consulate. Other demonstrations took place on Saturday in European cities, including a demonstration in London, in which participants launched shoes outside the iron gate of the British prime minister's residence.

The demonstrators in the district of Obama never close enough to the president-elect of the House to make such a symbolic gesture. Police officers are not loiter in front of the barricades, and taken to maintain the transition from one side of the street to the other as traffic lights allowed Woodlawn Avenue and 51st Street.

Obama was in his transition office in the circuit during the event. It has avoided an official position on the bombardment of Israel from Gaza, the Palestinians or the rocket attacks against Israel during the last week.

"This is not about sending a message of Obama," said demonstrator, Hank Brown, a resident of South Side. "This is sending a message to people by telling not be satisfied with what's happening in the Gaza Strip. "

More than 460 people died and 1,700 were wounded in the conflict before the ground invasion began on Saturday. As the number of deaths increases, Palestinian supporters have criticized the president elected by the silence.

"People need to open our eyes," said Susan Jensen of Chicago, attending his fourth in six days of protest. "Barack Obama is not a clean slate. It took a very favorable to Israel. "

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK of NEW YORK

2008-12-22T01:25:00.000-08:00

If a currency is free-floating, its exchange rate is allowed to vary against that of other currencies and is determined by the market forces of supply and demand. Exchange rates for such currencies are likely to change almost constantly as quoted on financial markets, mainly bybanks, around the world. A movable or adjustable peg system is a system of fixed exchange rates, but with a provision for the devaluation of a currency. For example, between 1994 and 2005, the Chinese yuan renminbi (RMB) was pegged to the United States dollar at RMB 8.2768 to $1. China was not the only country to do this; from the end of World War II until 1966, Western European countries all maintained fixed exchange rates with the US dollar based on the Bretton Woods system. [2]

The Perfect Man

2008-12-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

This is the first in a series of articles highlighting certain aspects of the character and personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim. Topics such as his honesty, generosity, sincerity and hospitality will be discussed in future articles.

Introduction

This earth has seen great men in the thousands, who achieved greatness in one area or another. Some of them even left their marks on the pages of history. Great kings, warriors, conquerors, philosophers, law-givers, poets and military generals came on the stage of this world and temporarily influenced the lives of people in one way or another and left without leaving anything permanent in the form of their personal example or eternal teaching. Some of these great men might have influenced some aspects of human life in different ways and in different manners, but none has affected it in its totality.

The Messengers of Allah were the only persons who influenced human life in different ways in its totality. They brought virtue and goodness and removed evil and sufferings. They purified the entire system of their day; economic, social and political, from excesses and malpractices and established justice and benevolence in every walk of life. They made these revolutionary changes in society through their Divine teachings and personal examples, and not by coercion. Even the Messengers of Allah, such as Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat Musa and Hazrat Isa Alaihimus Salaam who changed the course of history and influenced the lives of men by their teachings and outstanding personal example, have not left behind much from which present or future generations can get inspiration.

Hazrat Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim

The Holy Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim is the only Messenger and personality in history whose entire life record is fully preserved. Not only the important events of his life, but the record of his daily life, from birth to passing-on is written on the pages of history. All his sayings, doings, actions and the details of his conduct and character are kept. In short, his whole life, at home, in the mosque and outside, was fully known to his companions, and was recorded as an open book so that the following generations could learn lessons and get inspiration from his example.

Another thing about his life is that it is most comprehensive and perfect and can serve as an ideal for men and women of all ages, working in all professions and trades. Hazrat Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim was not only a Messenger, but a man as well. He taught people to be good, honest and just in their private as well as public dealings and his teaching was not confined to the mosque. At home he talked with his wives and in the market place he explained principles of buying and selling. When he was receiving deputations from abroad, he talked about inter-state matters which laid the foundations of international law. When at war, he devised laws of war and peace. While deciding disputes between his companions, he gave them a civil and criminal code of judgement. And to protect the rights of individuals and groups in the state, he gave them the judgements which later became the constitutional law of the Islamic state.

Fortunately, he left a comprehensive account of all his experiences for the benefit of future generations. His teachings are preserved in their original form in the Holy Qur'aan, and his sayings and doings are preserved in the form of the Hadith. These records cover matters of morality, spirituality, economics, sociology and politics. The advice is absolutely perfect and free from human weakness. It shows the moderate way of life, avoiding the extremes to both sides. Besides, it is practical and meets all the needs of man. Above all, the living example of Hazrat Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim is completely preserved to command love and reverence from his followers and inspire generations of people for ever. These two sources, the teachings and the life example of the Holy Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim will always provide light and guidance to those who need it. People can seek light from his Message and guidance from his life; the two are the eternal sources of guidance for men and women in their struggle to achieve perfection in the moral, spiritual and social areas of life. He has set very high and noble ideals through his practical example for all of mankind to follow in every field of life.

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala describes the personality of Hazrat Sayyidina Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim in these words: "And you stand on an exalted standard of character" (Holy Qur'an 68: ayat 4). Thus in the words of Allah Ta'ala, the standard of his character and personality is far above that of any other creation. He possessed the best and noblest qualities of the perfect man and was like a jewel illuminating the dark environment with his radiant personality, ideal example and glorious message.

Someone once enquired about his character and manners from Bibi Aisha Radiyallahu Anha, and she replied that the Qur'aan was his character. This means that not only did he verbally teach the Qur'aan to the people, but practised it and was himself a perfect example of the Qur'aan in practice. Whatever the Holy Qur'aan commands, he obeyed and whatever it forbids, he abstained from it more than anyone else. Hazrat Jabir Radiyallahu Anhu reports that the Holy Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim said:"Allah has sent me to perfect good qualities and to complete good deeds". The Holy Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim is thus a true example of a perfect man. He lived the life of an ordinary man. He helped the poor, orphans and widows. He was kind to the weak and hospitable to strangers and travellers. He suffered from all but harmed none. He was affectionate and loving towards his friends and forgiving and merciful towards his enemies. He was sincere and honest in his mission; good and fair in his dealings; and just in deciding affairs of friends as well as of enemies. In short, all goodness and excellence have been combined in the person and personality of Hazrat Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim.

A person of such magnitude transcends the barriers of time and space. People of all ages can find something in his life to provide them with guidance in their various fields of activity. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala clearly mentions this aspect of life:

"We have indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, a good example (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day." [Holy Qur'an 33: ayat 21]

The Holy Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim worked all his life with utmost sincerity for the well-being of his fellow men. He spent all his time, his resources, and his energies on guiding the ignorant people of Arabia to the light of Islam. He was busy day and night in his mission for the betterment of humanity and suffered at the hands of the very people whom he was endeavouring to save from the fire of Hell. He was worried about the plight of the people,who were living in complete ignorance and evil and did not know what was good or bad for themselves. He wanted to save them from a life of evil and misery and bring them back to the ways of goodness and piety. Sometimes he felt sick and hurt at their bitter remarks and strong opposition, but never lost hope or gave way.

At Mecca, he went from house to house to every family and gave them the Message of Allah with great compassion, love and sincerity as their well-wisher, but in return they showered abuses upon him. He did not lose heart but continued to encourage them to the path of goodness. On another occasion, Almighty Allah comforted him in these words:

"We know indeed that what they say, grieves you:it is not you they reject; but the wicked deny the signs of Allah" [Holy Qur'an 6: Ayat 33]

Then in Surah Al-Ma'idah we read:

"Ya Rasul! let not those grieve you who run towards infidelity, some of those who say with their mouths, 'We believe'; but whose hearts believe not" (Holy Qur'an 5: Ayat 41) .

Sayyidina Rasulallah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim in spite of abuses and persecution, continued to invite people to the Light of Islam. He laboured day and night in his struggle to bring to them the Truth merely for the pleasure of the Almighty Allah. He never asked them for any kind of remuneration or compensation. "Say you,'I ask not of you any wage for it, but affection in respect of kinship" (Holy Qur'an 42: ayat 23).

His whole life bears witness to the sincerity and love with which he preached the mesaage of Islam. He never asked for any reward from the people for all his efforts towards their welfare and tolerated their abuses and taunts with great patience. No one paid any heed to his sincere and honest message. Some of them, including Abu Lahab, his uncle, abused him but he tolerated everyhting and continued his sincere efforts for the good of the people.

He invited his own family to his place and delivered a short speech in a very impressive way, explaining the basic principles of Islam. Then he said, "O my relatives, I have a brought a thing which will bring prosperity and happiness to you in this world and in the next world". No one except Hazrat Ali Radiyallahu Anhu, who was a boy, supported him. But he was so sincere and honest in his mission that in spite of abuses and hostility, he continued his struggle.

Once the chiefs of Quraish came to him and said, "O Muhammad, you have abused our gods, sown the seeds of disruption and discourse among us, destroyed our solidarity and brought misery and sadnes to all of us, If you want wealth, we will make you the richest man in the country. If you want power and leadership, we will make you our ruler. If you want a beautiful woman just name her,k and she will be yours. If you are sick, we can arrange for the best doctor to cure you". The Holy Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim heard all this very quietly and replied,"I do not want any wealth or riches; nor have I any desire to be a king or a ruler; nor do I want any woman; nor am I sick. I am not interested in any of your proposals. I am but a humble servant of Allah, Who has sent me to you as His Messenger to warn you of His punishment if you reject His message, and give you good news if you accept it. If you accept this Message and follow me, you will reap the benefits of this world and the next". He further added," If you place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, and ask me to leave my mission in return , this I would not do. I shall continue to do my duty as assigned to me by my Lord".

What greater proof of his sincerity is needed! He rejected all the material wealth and worldly honours offered to him by the Meccan chiefs. He had only to compromise with them on some of his basic principles. If he was not commanded by the Almighty Allah to deliver His messageor if he was not sincere in his mission, he would easily have compromised with his opponents and enjoyed the worldly pleasures of wealth and status. But he was far above these petty attractions and was sincere and devout in his mission. Thomas Carlyle, in his book- Hero-Worship and the Hero in History, speaks of his sincerity in these words: " There was something in this Truth he had got which was of Nature herself; equal in rank to sun or moon or whatsoever thing Nature had made. It would speak itself there, so long as the Almighty allowed it, in spite of Sun and Moon, and all Kuraish and all men and all things. It must be that and could be no other".

"Ah, no! This deep-hearted son of the Wilderness with his beaming black eyes and open social deep soul, had other thoughts in him than ambition. A silent great soul; he was one of those whom Nature herself has appointed to be sincere - no hearsays could hide that unspeakable fact, 'Here am I !' Such sincerity, as we named it, has in very truth something of the Divine. The word of such a man is a Voice direct from Nature's own heart". And Carlyle continues,"A serious, sincere character; yet amiable, cordial, companionable, jocose even - a good laugh in him withal".

Hazrat Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim struggled all his life, through thick and thin for the welfare of the people. He never gained anything materially, socially or politically. He had the good of the people at heart and spent all his life to achieve this in the light of the revelation of Allah. He lived an ordinary life like an ordinary man, doing his household chores, sewing his cloak, mending his shoes, repairing his walls. He sat among the people when he went to the mosque as one of them, without any distinctive position and no one there could recognise who was the Messenger and Ruler. All his life he struggled hard and sincerely for the good of the people, without any ostentatious pride. A cursory glance at his character will show his immense sincerity for the Mission assigned to him by Almighty Allah. And an impartial observer will hardly fail to notice, from almost every incident of his life, his sincere efforts for the betterment of humanity. Above, all this struggle was not for his financial gain or worldly glory, but for the Glory of Allah and the welfare of the people.

http://greatestpersoneverlived.blogspot.com

Greatest Person Ever Lived

2008-12-05T04:15:00.000-08:00

http://greatestpersoneverlived.blogspot.com

THE ADVANTAGES IN ACQUIRING AN EXISTING BUSINESS

2008-12-02T02:50:00.000-08:00

You will automatically have an established clients and referral commerce:
Without any question one of the most provocative, expensive and time-consuming responsible of a new business owner is cultivating a consumer foundation. When you take over an existing business your customer-base is ready-made and you are able to hit the goals.

You will have an existing supplier:
Retributive as an existing business is an accompanies with a ready-made customer base, by that time it comes with a ready-made supplier base and account of dealing. These suppliers probably will be keen to prolong your business and so you will probably refrain a lot of time and expense that you would otherwise supposed to expend to form through competing distribute terms. Existing suppliers are author belike to give you a saving accumulation off the bat.

Acquisitions of Existing Businesses

2008-12-02T02:49:00.000-08:00

The advantages to purchase an existing line typically reign the disadvantages. Foreign businesses are lower venturesome because there is an existing client number, relationships with suppliers, operating processes, a identified locating and employees mortal already been hired and trained. In addition, there is existing interchange motion which give believable support several unmediated income to the client. Experts generally concord that, in most cases, remunerative the unnecessary cost for an existing byplay instrument overbalance the risks of play one from wound. An shrewd business man generally prefers to like the economics of take of an existing commerce

The Different Allergic Reactions In Dogs

2008-12-02T02:48:00.000-08:00

There are fundamentally 3 types of dog’s allergic reactions which is the dog probably receive from any of these allergic reactions or any combination of other conditions. The dog may get a food allergy where it is allergic to any food preservatives or ingredients. The most usual food allergens for dogs are meat, grain, dairy products, poultry product and lamb. Even famous dog foods tend to contain these types of products.

Several owners recommend the right way to ending the allergic reactions by instantly "cart" their dogs to a pet pedigree or a veterinary clinic. Commonly, the people who operating the establishment always advise several of their dog food try to stop the allergic reactions cerebration that believed this is the incomparable way to seize unrestrained scratching or nipping. Nevertheless, the dog owner does have to remember the food allergies are the smallest reason of allergic problems to the dogs.

Contraindications to Breastfeeding

2008-12-02T02:46:00.000-08:00

Breastfeeding is also contraindicated if the mother has convinced illnesses. As an example, a mother with untreated tuberculosis should not feed because she may convey the illness to her infant. Various situations should be discussed with the health-care provider. In the US, mother that contaminated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are advised not to breastfeed because HIV can be transferred to infant by breast milk. In developing countries, where the risks of contagious diseases and infant mortality are high, the benefits to the infant of breastfeeding may outweigh the low seek of getting HIV from the overprotects milk.

Recommendations for Carbohydrate Intake

2008-12-02T02:44:00.000-08:00

The Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health urges that carbohydrate bring approximately 55 to 60 percent of daily calories for someones older than 2 years of age. As the average American who consumes around 2,000 kilocalories daily, a daily carbohydrate consumption of 275 to 300 grams comes across this recommendation. The Daily measure for carbohydrates is 300 grams, comprising 60 percent of the calories in a 2,000-kilocalorie diet. The amount of servings of nutrient groups suggested for adults by the Food Guide Pyramid comprises 6 to 11 servings of rice,pasta,cereals, rice, and bread; 2 to 3 servings of milk, to 4 servings of fruits and 3 to 5 servings of vegetables that would cater this quantity of carbohydrate. At a simple minimum, 50 to 100 grams of carbohydrate are required every day to keep ketosis from incomplete fat metabolic process.

13 BJP-RSS men jailed for Kannur bomb attack

2008-11-28T03:28:00.001-08:00

Kannur, Nov 17: A local court has sentenced 13 BJP-RSS workers to undergo rigorous imprisonment for various terms in an attempt to murder case in which three people, including a six-year-old girl, were injured in a bomb attack at Cheruvanchery in September 2000.

The Thalassery court, which found the 13 guilty on Friday last, pronounced the sentence on Monday. The court sentenced the fifth accused N Ramachandran (35) to 10-year rigorous imprisonment for handling explosives while the rest to jail terms for five years.

Delivering sentences for varying terms under IPC sections including 307 (attempt to murder) and provisions of Explosives Substance Act, Thalassery District Sessions (Fast Track III) Court Judge B Ramakanth also imposed a fine of Rs 80,000 on Ramachandran while the rest should pay Rs 40,000 fine each.

All the sentences would run concurrently. The court said that of the fine amount collected from those convicted, Rs two lakh should be paid to the girl Ashna, who had to suffer permanant disability after her right leg, which was injured, had to be amputated, and Rs 1 lakh to her mother who was also injured along with her younger brother.

The court dropped charges against K Pradeepan, the sixth accused in the case, following his death in an accidental bomb explosion near a temple at Cheruvanchery here on Nov 10 last.

The incident occurred during panchayat elections on September 27, 2000, when a group of BJP-RSS workers, protesting poll-related irregularities, hurled a crude bomb in a plot where a six-year old girl Ashna, a class-I student, was playing along with her brother in front of her uncle's residence.

Shock as top Indian Army officer arrested over bomb attack

2008-11-28T03:20:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Page in Delhi

The Indian Army has been shocked by the arrest of a senior Military Intelligence officer on suspicion of involvement in a bomb attack by Hindu extremists in western India in September.

Colonel Srikant Prasad Purohit is the first serving officer in India's Army — seen as a bastion of secularism since the country's independence in 1947 — to be arrested on terrorism charges.

His detention is prompting calls for a ban on Hindu nationalist groups accused of stirring political violence, including recent attacks on Christians in eastern India, before national elections next year.

It may also force Indian authorities to investigate whether Hindu radicals were behind other recent bomb attacks, many of which have been blamed on Islamic extremists backed by Pakistan's intelligence service.

Colonel Purohit, 37, was arrested in Bombay on Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in a bomb attack that killed at least six people near a mosque in the western city of Malegaon on September 29.

The Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of the surrounding state of Maharashtra is now questioning him at its headquarters in Bombay, according to Dinesh Agarwal, an ATS spokesman.

Inspector Agarwal denied Indian media reports that Colonel Purohit had confessed to masterminding the explosions, and that the ATS wanted to question other serving military officers.

"The investigation is progressing," he told The Times. "Questioning other serving officers is not on the cards now."

However, he confirmed that the ATS had arrested eight other civilians, including a retired army major, Ramesh Upadhyay, on suspicion of involvement.

Investigators say that Colonel Purohit and Major Upadhyay were both members of Abhinav Bharat (New India), a Hindu nationalist organisation founded in the western city of Pune in June 2006.

Abhinav Bharat's President is Himani Savarkar, the niece of the Hindu radical who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian independence leader, in 1948.

She accuses India's ruling coalition — led by the Congress Party — of trying to smear Hindu nationalists and has offered legal aid to all the arrested members of Abhinav Bharat.

She admits meeting Colonel Purohit, but says that he could not have been a member of Abhinav Bharat because army officers are forbidden from joining political organisations.

"It's a political conspiracy, led by the Congress," she told The Times.

Her group is regarded as one of the more radical in the Hindu nationalist movement, which also includes the Bharatiya Janata Party — India's main opposition party.

The BJP, anxious not to undermine its own anti-terror platform, initially distanced itself from Colonel Purohit and the other Malegaon suspects.

But in the past two days, it has defended and offered legal support to Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, a Hindu holy woman who is also among those arrested.

"Whoever is connected with cultural nationalism and Bharatiyata [Indian-ness] cannot be a terrorist," said Rajnath Singh, the BJP chief, who has been photographed with the Sadhvi (the female equivalent of a Sadhu, or Hindu monk).

"Without sufficient evidence there is no reason to term Pragya Thakur a terrorist,'' he said.

Secular parties point to this as further evidence justifying a ban on Hindu nationalist groups they say were behind violence that killed at least 60 Christians in the eastern state of Orissa this year.

The Government has so far shied away from a ban, fearing that it would provoke a backlash from other radicals and rally support for the BJP ahead of national elections, due by May.

The concern now is that Colonel Purohit's arrest will damage the reputation of the Army, which is generally seen as apolitical and is often deployed to quell communal violence.

"This incident is a matter of serious concern for all of us. We are very determined to go to the root of the whole thing," said A.K. Antony, the Defence Minister. "We are waiting for a report from the Maharashtra police and I can tell you, we are taking it seriously."

Lieutenant General S. P. S. Dhillon, the Deputy Army Chief, said: "The Indian Army's prestige has been hurt after our officer's name came up in the Malegaon blast case."

He called Colonel Purohit's case "a freak incident".

However, military and terrorism experts said they expected that he was probably just one of several Hindu extremists within the ranks of the Army, which will now have to overhaul its internal monitoring systems.

"There's been a process of political radicalisation going on for some time," said Dr Ajay Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management.

"At some level a handful of people in the army will have become infected. As far as the institution of the army is concerned there is no danger of radicalisation — army traditions are far too strong. But there will be the odd bad egg."

Earn online money at home with Paid To Click Websites

2008-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Earn online money at home with Paid To Click Websites

Software is also available for very cheap rates, just sit back and relax and
your whole work will be done in 10 min

You can earn up to 2000 $/month using this software

Email: bil@asia.com

S.No	Paid to Click Website	Click Rate	Refs Click Rate	Payout Amount	Pay Mode
1	ClickHere	$0.01	70%	$9	AlertPay/Paypal
2	Click Here	$0.01	50%	$5	AlertPay/Paypal
3	Click Here	$0.01	$0.01	$10	Alertpay/Paypal
4	Click Here	$0.01	$0.01	$10	Alertpay
5	Click Here	$0.01	$.01	$5	Alertpay/Paypal
6	Click Here	$0.015	$0.01	$10	Alertpay
7	Click Here	$0.01	$0.01	$10	Alertpay
8	Click Here	$0.01	$0.01	$10	Alertpay

Indian Cricket

2008-10-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

October 12, 2008

Test cricket on Zee?

Television viewers in India were in for a surprise on Saturday morning when live coverage of the Bangalore Test was simultaneously beamed on Zee Sports. For the uninitiated, Zee Sports happens to be the channel that shows the rebel Indian Cricket League, which has been banned by the BCCI, so it was a little strange watching the game with the BCCI logo on the top-left corner of the screen.

Not for too long though, as the unauthorised telecast was pulled off by Zee by the afternoon. Apparently, Zee has the series broadcast rights for the USA and an official told the Hindustan Times that “some local operator had hacked into Zee’s US feed and scrambled the two”. A transmission engineer from Bangalore said that a 12-digit broadcast code may have been hacked. Child’s play.

October 11, 2008

Kumble injured?

Anil Kumble’s demotion down the batting order on Saturday – he didn’t come in at his usual position at No. 8, nor was he the next man in - prompted speculation that the reason was an injury. The speculation then focused on an injury to his bowling shoulder. Asked if there was an injury to his right shoulder, Nitin Patel, the Indian team phsyio, said, "There's nothing major to worry about.” It was learnt – though not independently confirmed - that Kumble was examined by a doctor after the day’s play. Kumble didn’t show any signs of discomfort while bowling in Australia’s innings but went through 43 overs without a single wicket, among his worst Test performances in recent years. He batted at No. 10 and scored 5 from 33 deliveries. He then did not take the field in Australia's second innings.

October 10, 2008

What did Harbhajan's fingers say to the face?

There isn’t much danger of a reprise of monkey chants with the absence of Andrew Symonds, but that doesn’t stop a couple of Australian supporters from having some good-natured fun at the expense of Harbhajan Singh, the other central character in the controversy.

"What did Harbhajan's five fingers say to the face ......Slap", read the message on the t-shirts that Paul Weston and Mark Edmonds wore to the ground on the second day of the Bangalore Test. It was cheeky, but without malice. “We decided to bring our own humour by coming up with a line every day", Edmonds said. They got the text written out at a local mall in Bangalore. “We wanted to print a photograph of Harbhajan on the back, but couldn't find it,” Weston said. They are from Melbourne and on their final leg of a month-long tour of India, which has taken them, among other places, to Kashmir.

October 9, 2008

Ganguly's outburst 'understandable'

Sunil Gavaskar: " I wish that this outburst [by Ganguly] was only after the series had been concluded" © AFP

Sunil Gavaskar has said Sourav Ganguly’s criticisms of the former selection committee and his team-mates were “understandable” but untimely. "I think the outburst is understandable, I only wish that this outburst was after the series had been concluded," Gavaskar told an Indian news channel. Ganguly told a Bengali daily that being dropped for the Irani Trophy had hurt more than being overlooked for the India squad. He said he was tired of being singled out for scrutiny and that there were players in the team who changed the hairstyle more often than scoring runs. But Gavaskar said Ganguly’s remarks neither helped him nor in maintaining harmony in the dressing room. "Ever since he made his debut in 1991-92, there has been a gun pointed at Ganguly's head,” Gavaskar said. “Everybody has always presumed that he has got into the Indian team because of reasons other than cricket and he has to prove them wrong over and over again. So one is sympathetic with the way he is feeling.”

October 7, 2008

Bangalore or Perth?

Australia’s fast bowlers have been buoyed by their first glimpse of the pitch in Bangalore. Far from being the sort of surface where they would bend their backs for little reward, the pitch was described as “hard and shiny”.

It is the work of Phil Stoyanoff, the New Zealand curator who looks after the Napier Test ground and was summoned to India to prepare the Bangalore pitch. "It reminds me of the WACA," Stoyanoff told the Herald Sun. "It's been rolled and rolled in the past week and is really firm. It has a lovely sound to it."

Although there are a few cracks already, Stoyanoff does not believe they will break up. "I have no worries about the cracks,” he said.

Warne's words of comfort

Shane Warne: "Even I found it tough in India, and I'd like to think I was one of the better spinners around" © Getty Images

Shane Warne has offered some words of comfort to Australia's young spinners, Jason Krejza and Cameron White, as they prepare for a baptism of fire against India.

White appears to be favourite to make his debut in Bangalore, with the prospect of bowling at a line-up including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly.

"Even I found it tough in India, and I'd like to think I was one of the better spinners around," Warne said. "It took us [Australia] a number of years to learn how to play out there. On the last trip I took 14 wickets in three matches and missed the last game on a bunsen when Michael Clarke took 6 for 9. I may have got one or two then.

"You can bowl to the Indians, but if you don't bowl well you will get smashed everywhere. But it's a little different now, there's a few of those guys coming to the end of their careers and not at their most confident. However, they are still the best players of spin."

At some point over the next few weeks Ricky Ponting will look around his field and wish he could call on Warne. It has been asked before whether a shock comeback would ever be a possibility, but again Warne said it was highly unlikely.

"At the moment I’m happily retired.” he said. “They don’t need me. I don’t think the call will come. If it does I’ll weigh it up, but I’m very happy. I haven’t got time to play Test cricket."

Injured Sreesanth lies low

The sight of Sreesanth toiling alone at one corner of the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the Australian squad trained 50 yards away seemed somewhat unkind. As he continued with his rehab under the watchful eyes of the NCA trainer, Sreesanth did his best not to get distracted by the action around him. On another day the media would have surrounded him for quips and gossip. On Tuesday even the ever-hungry TV reporters decided to snub him.

Not that the fast bowler was in a mood to face the camera. When a few of us approached him he wasn't willing to open up. Signing autographs silently he acknowledged the greetings. Was he missing the action? "Four months, man. I haven't bowled for four months," he replied. His tone made his disappointment amply clear. But he wasn't giving up. As he walked away he repeated the word "four", suggesting he would be back for the final Test in Nagpur.

Ponting clocks on for offspin duty

Simon Katich works on his turn © Getty Images

Spin is such a massive weakness for Australia and with Michael Clarke suffering from a stomach problem, they are looking at all options. Even Ricky Ponting spent time delivering offspinners at training in Bangalore, just in case he’s needed.

Jason Krejza has been under heavy scrutiny during the first two weeks of the tour, particularly from Yuvraj Singh in Hyderabad, and there was more extreme focus on him during Australia’s first practice at the ground. Andrew Hilditch, a full-time analyst in his roles as a lawyer and Australia’s chairman of selectors, watched the slow-bowling net for most of the session as Krejza, the offspinner, and Cameron White, the legspinner, tried to convince him they were ready for a debut. Simon Katich, whose left-arm wrist spin could be handy, had a go too.

Rain, rain, go away

Rain over the past few days is making Bangalore feel a bit like Manchester, minus the cold. Forty-one millimetres fell on Monday night and the ground squelched with each step on Tuesday morning, although the locals were pleased with the way the surface had held up. However, more evening showers and storms are predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday. The conditions forced the Australian fast men to operate off short runs in the nets, but Brett Lee and Peter Siddle were able to stretch out on a practice wicket in the centre square. Bowlers rarely worry about their front foot in these situations, but Lee will need to bring his delivery stride back by almost a metre to avoid over-stepping when the match starts on Thursday.

October 6, 2008

Spin it our way, says Sehwag

Virender Sehwag is the latest Indian player to display his punditry skills regarding the much-hyped Test series. On the heels of comments from Anil Kumble, India's Test captain, and Yuvraj Singh, not even in the squad, Sehwag said the host's best chance to beat the No. 1 side and regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is if turning tracks are prepared. "If we play on spin-friendly tracks, the series might go 3-1 in our favour," he told Indian news channel CNN-IBN. "India is the only team that beat Australia in Australia twice. We beat them in Perth last time and before that in Adelaide. So we are accepting the challenge and we will fight it out."

Sehwag, who averages 53.90 against Australia, singled out the spin department as the tourists' weak link. "In my opinion, they have a quality pace attack but don't have quality spin bowling. I have seen their offspinner [Jason Krejza] who gave 123 runs in 20 overs (in the first innings) against the Board President's XI," he said."I think we will go after him."

Wonderwall

Rahul Dravid affords a smile as 'the wall' is unveiled © AFP

The Indians reassembled in Bangalore on Monday and were due to practise in the afternoon. Before the session, however, there was a small function at the Chinnaswamy Stadium honouring Rahul Dravid for scoring more than 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar unveiled a ‘wall’ made out of 10,000 bricks bearing the words class, concentration and commitment. “I am also called the wall,” Dravid had said on a BBC radio show in March. “It doesn’t really bother me. Sometime later, people may write the wall is cracking or the wall is falling.” The wall also has an electronic run-counter which will tick over with every run Dravid scores. The Indians will hope that it ticks furiously in the next month.

Against all odds

The Australian players will have their own individually marked water bottles during the Indian tour © AFP

From stocking crates of bottled water and energy drinks to popping stomach-lining tablets before their meals, Australian cricketers are doing all they can to beat the heat in India as they prepare to take on Anil Kumble’s men in a gruelling Test series. John Peirik in the Sunday Telegraph offers the visitors a survival guide to the perils of India.

Dealing with the stifling conditions is the top priority. Litres of Gatorade have been ordered along with crates of bottled water will also be used. Players will also have their own individually marked water bottles. Drinks and towels are left in Eskies at fine leg and third man for the bowlers.

Stuart Karppinen, who has the tough job of ensuring the Australian players are at peak physical fitness, has chalked out individual specialist programmes at training. Hotel gyms are also going to be a big help, with opening batsman Matthew Hayden being a self-confessed gym junkie.

Shane Watson pops a stomach-lining tablet before every meal to prevent sickness. Unfortunately, it hasn't stopped him from picking up a chest virus. While bottled water is a must, the Australians have also stocked up on various dried fruits, muesli and energy bars.

October 5, 2008

Krejza's 'Tears in heaven'

Jason Krejza sings Tears in Heaven ©

Jason Krejza, the only specialist spinner currently in the Australian squad, has endured a lot over the last few days. The Board President’s XI batsmen took a liking to him and hit him for 123 runs off 20 overs on the first day of the tour match in Hyderabad. Next morning newspapers carried reports about an incident from 2006 when Krejza’s drink was spiked with cocaine. But Krazy, as he is known to his team-mates, didn’t go into hiding. As the Australians relaxed in a bar on Saturday evening, Krejza joined the in-house singer, a pretty young woman, and entertained his mates and other guests with his own rendition of Tears in Heaven, the Eric Clapton-Will Campbell classic.

Krejza, the son of a Czechoslovakian footballer, had impressed the crowd in Jaipur last week with his guitar skills and last evening he proved he could croon too (never mind that he needed some help with the lyrics). He ended his performance with the line "Because this guy was cool, this Michael Bevan" rhyming it perfectly with the last lines of the orginal song "I must be strong and carry on, 'cause I know I don't belong here in heaven."

October 4, 2008

The first flashpoint?

The Australians take a close look at the footage after the day's play in the dressing room © AFP

Ricky Ponting was an angry man as the third's day play winded to a halt in Hyderabad. The drama happened after the final ball. Michael Clarke had deflected Wasim Jaffer's drive to the stumps where Yuvraj Singh just about put his bat down. The appeal was referred to the third umpire and the players, perhaps not realising how close it was, kept walking towards the pavilion, with one eye on the light.

No signal came. So they all waited. Yuvraj smiled nervously. The TV kept showing replay after replay. It looked pretty close. No light came on though. Some technical glitch and the umpire Amiesh Sahiba got the news on his walkie-talkie. Not out was the verdict from upstairs. Yuvraj smiled and walked away but Ponting marched to the umpire to have an animated chat.

Later, match referee Manu Nayyar revealed Tim Nielsen, Australia's coach, and Steve Bernard, the manager, came to meet him and expressed their unhappiness over the verdict.

On the Australian captain's chat with the umpire, Nayyar said: "Ponting must have heard from his support staff and enquired with the umpire, who conveyed to him what the third umpire had told him."

Ganguly upbeat despite fever

Sourav Ganguly, who is playing for India A against New Zealand A, is suffering from a fever and a sore throat. He did not field for a part of the first day of the Test in Chennai but is confident he will be able to bat.

“I came all the way for the match and I’m looking forward to it,” Ganguly told DNA. “Suddenly I felt feverish. I’ve also got a sore throat but these things happen. I’m looking forward to a long session tomorrow. I’m confident.

“I want to spend as much time in the middle as I can. I did not sit in the dressing room when we fielded. I fielded in the first session and the last session too.”

Ganguly hasn’t played competitive cricket since August and his inclusion in the India A team is an attempt to give him match practice before the Test series against Australia. New Zealand A batted solidly on the first day, reaching 270 for 3 with opener Aaron Redmond making 105.

October 3, 2008

Gary's laboratory

For the last five days, the Indian team has worked hard under the supervision of Gary Kirsten © AFP

A pre-series camp is like a laboratory, especially if it goes on for as long as five days, a place where the players experiment, observe, and try to make sure they are not taken by surprise when they go out to play the Tests. During their five-day camp in Bangalore, India tried their best to prepare themselves for Australia. There were nets, fielding drills, open-wicket practice, and other such routine stuff, and also a few innovative methods used in the practice.

The most interesting of them was Gary Kirsten’s way of getting the batsmen ready for short-pitched bowling. Kirsten got harder-than-normal tennis balls, and served them, like in tennis, for the batsmen to face. He managed to get the balls to bounce into the ribs of the batsmen. He could also go for the slice serves, which resulted in prodigious outswingers.

The other two innovations helped the bowlers. In the open-wicket practice, apart from the normal stumps, they were given a fifth stump so that they could aim at just-outside-the-off-stump line. So that they could become more certain of the corridor of uncertainty.

The other marker they got was for the bouncers. It basically was a pole placed just behind the stumps, with a red circle on its top. Roughly speaking, the marker started head-high for a batsman of average height. Anything higher than the marker would be a wide in normal match conditions. Another pole was placed just behind the off stump, with the marker starting at a height where the stump ended. This one served as a guide for the proverbial top of off stump.

The Indian team has worked hard over the last five days in the camp, and it should be interesting to see what kind of results they draw in the series.

Ganguly's problems at practice

Sourav Ganguly's first attempts at getting some practice ahead of the Test series against Australia didn’t go too well, the Times of India reported. Ganguly, who hasn't played competitive cricket since August, has joined India A in Chennai for the Test against New Zealand A. However, there were no quality bowlers when he turned up for his first nets session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium - the other India A players had the day off. He gave up batting after half an hour and turned his attention to slip catching with Dav Whatmore, though that apparently didn't last long because the assistant throwing the balls to Whatmore wasn't very accurate.

Ganguly left without saying much. “Please don't push me. I'm just not in the mood to talk,” he told reporters but Whatmore said he looked “keen and hungry”.

Keating Economics: The Making of a Financial Crisis

2008-10-08T01:18:00.000-07:00

The current economic crisis demands that we understand John McCain's attitudes about economic oversight and corporate influence in federal regulation. Nothing illustrates the danger of his approach more clearly than his central role in the savings and loan scandal of the late '80s and early '90s.

John McCain was accused of improperly aiding his political patron, Charles Keating, chairman of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association. The bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee launched investigations and formally reprimanded Senator McCain for his role in the scandal. Today, John McCain is the only major party presidential nominee in US history to have been rebuked, censured or otherwise admonished after a Congressional ethics investigation.

At the heart of the scandal was Keating's Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which took advantage of deregulation in the 1980s to make risky investments with its depositors' money. McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating with federal regulators tasked with preventing banking fraud, and championed legislation to delay regulation of the savings and loan industry -- actions that allowed Keating to continue his fraud at an incredible cost to taxpayers.

When the savings and loan industry collapsed, Keating's failed company put taxpayers on the hook for $3.4 billion and more than 20,000 Americans lost their savings. John McCain was reprimanded by the bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee, but the ultimate cost of the crisis to American taxpayers reached more than $120 billion.

The Keating scandal is eerily similar to today's credit crisis, where a lack of regulation and cozy relationships between the financial industry and Congress has allowed banks to make risky loans and profit by bending the rules. And in both cases, John McCain's judgment and values have placed him on the wrong side of history.

Downloads: .MOV (148.5MB) | .MP4 (29.5MB)

Watch the Full Documentary

CNN Video

Watch the Full Documentary

Research & Downloads (permalink)

The ABCs of John McCain, Charles Keating & The Savings & Loan (S&L) Crisis

During S&L Crisis, 747 Savings & Loans Banks Failed, Costing US Taxpayers $124 Billion; Deregulation Allowed Riskier Investments By S&Ls, Leading To Widespread Collapses And Fraud. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s the US economy was badly shaken by the failure of 747 savings and loan (S&L) institutions that had to be taken over and bailed out by the federal government. In total, the failures cost taxpayers $124 billion. One of the main causes for the epidemic of failures was the unregulated expansion of S&L’s, which had traditionally only dealt with home loans, into more exotic and riskier investments. When many of those investments failed, the institutions collapsed. [Chicago Tribune, 7/3/98, Los Angeles Times, 9/17/08]

S&L’s Risky Investments With Federally-Insured Money Led To Call For More Regulation. In the early 1980’s, Charles Keating’s American Continental Corporation purchased a California S&L named Lincoln. At that time, S&Ls like Lincoln were able to go beyond their traditional purpose of offering home loans and engage in riskier forms of investment. Since the deposits of S&Ls were insured by the federal government, regulators began to take notice of the investments being made by Keating and at other S&Ls. The Federal Home Loan Band Board (FHLLB), which had regulatory authority over the S&Ls, began to worry about the risks of this trend, and proposed a “direct investment” regulation to limit the money S&Ls could direct to these riskier investments. [Senate Ethics Committee Keating Five Investigation, 1990]

At Keating’s Request, McCain Wrote 5 Letters, Supported Bill To Forestall Direct Investment Rule. Keating was unhappy with the direct investment rule and began actively lobbying against it. Senate Ethics Committee Special Counsel Robert Bennett explained during the 1990 Keating Five hearings that John McCain wrote at least five letters to regulators, Treasury and White House officials to argue against these proposed restrictions on risky investments by S&Ls. Bennett said that “In 1984 and ‘85, then Congressman McCain wrote several letters to Chairman [Edwin] Gray [of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board] and White House officials urging them to postpone promulgation of the direct investment ruleâ€¦ There is evidence that Senator McCain did so at the urging of Mr. Keating or other representatives of Lincoln.” McCain’s work for Keating also included signing onto a bill to delay the direct investment rule in 1984 [Senate Ethics Committee Keating Five Investigation, 1990; HCONRES 363, 98th Congress]

With New Regulations In Place, Officials Began Investigation That Found That Keating’s Lincoln S&L Had Operated As Massive Fraud. After the direct investment rule was enacted the Federal Home Loan Bank Board began a more vigorous investigation into Lincoln’s practices, beginning to uncover a vast web of fraud and accounting irregularities designed to embezzle money to Keating and his family and friends. Top regulator William Black later said that Lincoln “operated like a Ponzi scheme, or financial pyramid dependent on an ever-increasing churning of assets.” Black said, “Its parent, Keating's American Continental Corp., was no more than a shell that siphoned dividends from Lincoln and distributed them through inflated salaries to Keating, his family members and associates.” [Senate Ethics Committee Keating Five Investigation, 1990; Associated Press, 12/5/90]

Keating Asked McCain And Other Senators To Whom He Had Contributed To Intervene With Regulators. In the most well-known episode of the scandal, Charles Keating asked five U.S. Senators including McCain to intervene with regulators from the Federal Home Loan Bank Board on his behalf. The Senators attended two meetings with the regulators in 1987. Reports of the meetings and the fact that Keating had contributed heavily to those Senators led to an investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee in 1990 into what became known as Keating Five scandal. [Senate Ethics Committee Keating Five Investigation, 1990; Chicago Tribune, 6/14/90; Los Angeles Times, 5/30/89]

Keating Admitted He Was Trying To Buy Influence. Keating was asked if his contributions bought him influence with the Senators, to which Keating replied, “I want to say in the most forceful way I can, I certainly hope so.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/30/89]

Ethics Committee Special Counsel Said McCain Had Closest Relationship to Keating. Robert Bennett, the Special Counsel for the Senate Ethics Committee said during the 1990 hearings: “of the five senators here before you, Senator McCain had the closest personal friendship with Charles Keating. Their friendship predated Senator McCain's political career. Senator McCain also was the only one who received personal as well political benefits from Charles Keating.” [Senate Ethics Committee Hearing into the Keating Five]

McCain Received $166,000 In Campaign Contributions from Charles Keating and his Associates. “Together with friends and associates, Keating contributed $56,000 to McCain's first House race, another $56,000 to the second and $54,000 to his 1986 Senate campaign,” contributions that were key to early success as a politician. [New York Times, 5/25/97]
McCain Used Keating’s Private Planes on Nine Occasions. “From August 1984 to August 1986, Sen. John McCain and his family flew across the country and to the Bahamas on at least nine occasions at Charles H Keating Jr.'s expense,” often to stay at the Keatings’ exclusive Cat Cay getaway. [Arizona Republic, 10/8/89]
McCain Had Direct Financial Ties To Keating. Keating brought in McCain’s wife and father-in-law as the largest investors in an Arizona shopping center investment. Fountain Square Shopping Center was a no-risk investment that virtually guaranteed a 25% return and a “significant tax write-off” through a tax shelter technique available to the wealthy that was soon outlawed. When reporters first questioned the deal, McCain said to reporters “It’s up to you to find that out, kids.” [Arizona Republic, 10/8/89]
McCain Originally Denied Reports of Connection. “When the story broke, McCain did nothing to help himself. ‘You're a liar,’ McCain said” when asked about the investments. He challenged reporters saying, ‘It's up to you to find that out, kids.’” [Arizona Republic, 3/1/2007]

McCain Rebuked By Senate Ethics Committee For Exercising “Poor Judgment.” In 1990, the bipartisan (three members of each party) Senate Ethics Committee rebuked McCain “for exercising ‘poor judgment’ for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating.” [Arizona Republic, 3/1/2007]

Keating’s S&L Was Declared Insolvent; $3.4 Billion Bailout Most Expensive in Meltdown. Federal regulators declared Lincoln Savings and Loan insolvent. It ended up costing taxpayers $3.4 billion to clean up the mess and cover federally-insured deposits at Lincoln, making it the most expensive failure in the entire S&L meltdown. [Washington Post, 11/29/92; New York Times, 2/21/08]

Keating Also Bilked 23,000 Investors – Many Elderly – With Junk Bonds. As his deeds unraveled under the scrutiny of regulators and civil and criminal court cases, it became clear that he had sold worthless junk bonds to 23,000 investors, many of them elderly retirees who had thought their investments were insured and lost their lost savings to Keating’s crimes. [Associated Press, 2/23/08]

Keating Was Found Guilty of 73 Counts of Fraud, Lost Two Criminal And One Civil Case. “a federal jury convicted him of 73 counts of wire and bankruptcy fraud in the collapse of American Continental and Lincoln,” a keystone of the Savings & Loan scandal as Keating “looted” the bank. Keating was also found guilty in civil court and lost a massive class action suit by investors he bilked. [Arizona Republic, 3/1/2007; Associated Press, 4/7/99]

Learn More

Watch the Trailer

Learn about a part of history that some wish we could just forget. Keating Economics: the Making of a Financial Crisis is a new in depth documentary exploring the causes and people involved in the Keating Five Scandal.

Watch the 30 second trailer

Share your Story

Was your family affected by the Savings & Loan crisis? Share your story below:

Share this Video

Make sure your friends know that McCain’s judgment and record are a recipe for deepening the economic crisis.

Premier League Latest Headlines

2008-10-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Manchester United

West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Fulham

Wigan Athletic 0-1 Middlesbrough

Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal

Everton v Newcastle United

Chelsea v Aston Villa

Manchester City v Liverpool

Portsmouth v Stoke City

Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City

West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers

Benitez sets Gerrard target

Contract extensions for United pair

India Vs Australia

2008-10-05T04:30:00.000-07:00

If you want to watch the Live Cricket Match Just search the Google for Live + Cricket match

BP XI v Australians, Hyderabad, 4th day

Yuvraj and Jaffer shine in draw

Scorecard | Bulletin - Half-century for Ponting | Gallery | Krejza's 'Tears in heaven' | Match home

Cameron White takes McGain's place

Allrounder to join squad on Monday | Spinner to return home

Katich set to open in first Test

Batsman's versatility works in his favour

Kirsten pleased with pre-series camp

Zaheer, Ishant and Munaf impress | Age no issue - Kumble

Ganguly retained for first two Tests

Badrinath and Mishra in | Jayaditya Gupta: Many questions, no answers | 'Aggression is my strength' - Mishra | Surfer

Vice presidential debate

2008-10-04T01:33:00.000-07:00

And the winner was ... Biden

Joe Biden was the convincing winner of Thursday night's vice presidential debate, displaying a depth of knowledge, command of facts and experience clearly lacking in his opponent.

For example, when Sarah Palin criticized Barack Obama for his proposal to negotiate with Iran, Biden countered that five recent secretaries of state, including three Republicans, were strong advocates of diplomacy, and that President Bush himself had recently sent a high-level delegation to talk to the Iranians. In contrast, I can't recall a single time during the debate when Palin provided an example or statistic to support her high-level rhetoric and greeting card-depth comments. The Alaska governor instead relied heavily on her hokey charm, which may play well in America's heartland but which won't take her very far when tackling America's myriad problems or dealing with players on the world stage.

Palin's undermining tactics

As a retired high school teacher, I've had students try to undermine my authority in the classroom using the same tactics Gov. Sarah Palin used during the vice presidential debate. Repeatedly, while Sen. Joe Biden was speaking, instead of looking at him and listening respectfully to the points he made, she looked down and smiled broadly, indicating that what he had to say was laughable at best, and she was just waiting for her opportunity to set him straight. When her opportunity came, she provided sweeping generalities and empty platitudes, then smiled in triumph.

I think the public Palin plays to is that group of voters who have never outgrown their inner teenager. Her behaviors are recognizable not only to high school teachers but to parents who have weathered their children's adolescent years.

Insulting the public's intelligence

Question: When is a debate not a debate? Answer: When it's a recitation of talking points regurgitated by a pepped-up Barbie doll who wants to make her own rules.

Once again, the Republican Party insults the public's intelligence by setting up a well-coached Sarah Palin to face off with Joe Biden with nothing more than the stump- speech clichés she's been babbling on the campaign trail. When can we see this woman actually speak her own mind? Oh, yes, I forgot – she tried to do that in the Katie Couric interviews – yes, that went well, didn't it?

The vice presidential debate was a complete farce, with Gwen Ifill rushing through the questions and not asking for any follow-up, with Palin refusing to answer the questions she had not been prepped on, and with Biden being overly careful not to "offend" his lady opponent.

This we call an honest debate of the crucial issues of this campaign? Disgusting.

Sarah Palin and her 15 minutes

On Thursday night, I was reminded of a scene in the 1995 movie "The American President." Michael Douglas, as the president, was giving a speech and said:

"We've got serious problems, and we need serious people, and if you want to talk about character, Bob, you'd better come at me with more than a burning flag and a membership card. If you want to talk about character and American values, fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll show up. This is a time for serious people, Bob, and your 15 minutes are up. My name is Andrew Shepherd, and I am the president."

Sarah Palin has had her 15 minutes – let's get serious.

Who's the impersonator?

After watching the vice presidential debate, I do have to admit … Sarah Palin does a fairly creditable Tina Fey impersonation.

– Mark Shannon, Sacramento

Where African Americans stand

Re "An affirmative action vote?" (Letters, Sept. 26): Alex Landi of Mount Shasta is worried that African Americans will commit reverse racism and vote for Barack Obama because he is black. Landi is misinformed and mischaracterizes African Americans to the point of ignorance.

We blacks don't support somebody just because they are black, despite what mainstream society has been led to believe. For the most part, we don't like Condoleezza Rice, and we pretty much despise Clarence Thomas (we didn't support his nomination in 1991). African Americans have always voted for the person or issue that best represents their interests.

Need proof?

In the 2006 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, African American Lynn Swann ran against incumbent Ed Rendell. Yet 94 percent of African Americans who voted in that election voted for Rendell. Don't believe me? Look it up for yourself.

African Americans overwhelmingly vote Democrat. For more than 45 years, we have been the most reliable voting demographic – 9-to-1 for Democrats – and both Democrats and Republicans know that. How else to explain why most cases of voters wrongfully prevented from voting are blacks.

Remember the war in Iraq?

While the nation's attention was focused on Wall Street and Main Street, 25 U.S. troops died in Iraq last month. The war in Iraq no longer makes front-page headlines, but for military families, it remains a part of our daily reality. As the mother of an Iraq veteran and a member of Military Families Speak Out, I want to see this war end before more of our troops are killed.

My son served one year (2005-06) in Iraq with the Alaskan Stryker Brigade. We are fortunate that he came home in one piece. Tens of thousands of men and women are still fighting in that war. I personally know seven mothers who have lost their sons.

Maybe if we weren't spending $10 billion a month on the war in Iraq, we would have better options for getting out of this economic mess. And certainly the 369 U.S. troops and thousands of Iraqis who died there this year would still be alive.

It's long past time to bring all our troops home from Iraq.

Scoring the Vice-Presidential Debate

2008-10-04T01:29:00.000-07:00

If the vice-presidential debate was a hockey game, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. won the Stanley Cup and Gov. Sarah Palin lifted the spirits of her die-hard fans by winning the last game of the worst season her team has ever played.

Let us be honest: Mr. Biden and Ms. Palin did not play in the same game because they are in different leagues. Mr. Biden proved that he is capable of understanding complex issues, handling power responsibly and changing the standing of America in the world. Ms. Palin proved she is capable of exercising common sense, standing on a stage and speaking, and managing a small town and a state with a small population.

About midway through the debate, my partner turned to me and said, "I am proud of the Democrats." I smiled and realized that in my 26 years, I have never heard anyone speak of being proud of a politician, let alone of a political party. Mr. Biden gave America an opportunity to be proud; Ms. Palin gave America the opportunity to stop being embarrassed.

ADAM GERHARDSTEIN

Washington

Debate Transcript

2008-10-04T01:27:00.000-07:00

LEHRER: Good evening from the Ford Center for the Performing
Arts at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. I'm Jim Lehrer of
the NewsHour on PBS, and I welcome you to the first of the 2008
presidential debates between the Republican nominee, Senator John
McCain of Arizona, and the Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama of
Illinois.

The Commission on Presidential Debates is the sponsor of this
event and the three other presidential and vice presidential debates
coming in October.

Tonight's will primarily be about foreign policy and national
security, which, by definition, includes the global financial crisis.
It will be divided roughly into nine-minute segments.

Direct exchanges between the candidates and moderator follow-ups
are permitted after each candidate has two minutes to answer the lead
question in an order determined by a coin toss.

The specific subjects and questions were chosen by me. They have
not been shared or cleared with anyone.

The audience here in the hall has promised to remain silent, no
cheers, no applause, no noise of any kind, except right now, as we
welcome Senators Obama and McCain.

(APPLAUSE)

Let me begin with something General Eisenhower said in his 1952
presidential campaign. Quote, "We must achieve both security and
solvency. In fact, the foundation of military strength is economic
strength," end quote.

With that in mind, the first lead question.

Gentlemen, at this very moment tonight, where do you stand on the
financial recovery plan?

First response to you, Senator Obama. You have two minutes.

OBAMA: Well, thank you very much, Jim, and thanks to the
commission and the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss, for hosting us
tonight. I can't think of a more important time for us to talk about
the future of the country.

You know, we are at a defining moment in our history. Our nation
is involved in two wars, and we are going through the worst financial
crisis since the Great Depression.

And although we've heard a lot about Wall Street, those of you on
Main Street I think have been struggling for a while, and you
recognize that this could have an impact on all sectors of the
economy.

And you're wondering, how's it going to affect me? How's it
going to affect my job? How's it going to affect my house? How's it
going to affect my retirement savings or my ability to send my
children to college?

So we have to move swiftly, and we have to move wisely. And I've
put forward a series of proposals that make sure that we protect
taxpayers as we engage in this important rescue effort.

Number one, we've got to make sure that we've got oversight over
this whole process; $700 billion, potentially, is a lot of money.

Number two, we've got to make sure that taxpayers, when they are
putting their money at risk, have the possibility of getting that
money back and gains, if the market -- and when the market returns.

Number three, we've got to make sure that none of that money is
going to pad CEO bank accounts or to promote golden parachutes.

And, number four, we've got to make sure that we're helping
homeowners, because the root problem here has to do with the
foreclosures that are taking place all across the country.

Now, we also have to recognize that this is a final verdict on
eight years of failed economic policies promoted by George Bush,
supported by Senator McCain, a theory that basically says that we can
shred regulations and consumer protections and give more and more to
the most, and somehow prosperity will trickle down.

It hasn't worked. And I think that the fundamentals of the
economy have to be measured by whether or not the middle class is
getting a fair shake. That's why I'm running for president, and
that's what I hope we're going to be talking about tonight.

LEHRER: Senator McCain, two minutes.

MCCAIN: Well, thank you, Jim. And thanks to everybody.

And I do have a sad note tonight. Senator Kennedy is in the
hospital. He's a dear and beloved friend to all of us. Our thoughts
and prayers go out to the lion of the Senate.

I also want to thank the University of Mississippi for hosting us
tonight.

And, Jim, I -- I've been not feeling too great about a lot of
things lately. So have a lot of Americans who are facing challenges.
But I'm feeling a little better tonight, and I'll tell you why.

Because as we're here tonight in this debate, we are seeing, for
the first time in a long time, Republicans and Democrats together,
sitting down, trying to work out a solution to this fiscal crisis that
we're in.

And have no doubt about the magnitude of this crisis. And we're
not talking about failure of institutions on Wall Street. We're
talking about failures on Main Street, and people who will lose their
jobs, and their credits, and their homes, if we don't fix the greatest
fiscal crisis, probably in -- certainly in our time, and I've been
around a little while.
But the point is -- the point is, we have finally seen
Republicans and Democrats sitting down and negotiating together and
coming up with a package.

This package has transparency in it. It has to have
accountability and oversight. It has to have options for loans to
failing businesses, rather than the government taking over those
loans. We have to -- it has to have a package with a number of other
essential elements to it.

And, yes, I went back to Washington, and I met with my
Republicans in the House of Representatives. And they weren't part of
the negotiations, and I understand that. And it was the House
Republicans that decided that they would be part of the solution to
this problem.

But I want to emphasize one point to all Americans tonight. This
isn't the beginning of the end of this crisis. This is the end of the
beginning, if we come out with a package that will keep these
institutions stable.

And we've got a lot of work to do. And we've got to create jobs.
And one of the areas, of course, is to eliminate our dependence on
foreign oil.

LEHRER: All right, let's go back to my question. How do you all
stand on the recovery plan? And talk to each other about it. We've
got five minutes. We can negotiate a deal right here.

But, I mean, are you -- do you favor this plan, Senator Obama,
and you, Senator McCain? Do you -- are you in favor of this plan?

OBAMA: We haven't seen the language yet. And I do think that
there's constructive work being done out there. So, for the viewers
who are watching, I am optimistic about the capacity of us to come
together with a plan.

The question, I think, that we have to ask ourselves is, how did
we get into this situation in the first place?

Two years ago, I warned that, because of the subprime lending
mess, because of the lax regulation, that we were potentially going to
have a problem and tried to stop some of the abuses in mortgages that
were taking place at the time.

Last year, I wrote to the secretary of the Treasury to make sure
that he understood the magnitude of this problem and to call on him to
bring all the stakeholders together to try to deal with it.

So -- so the question, I think, that we've got to ask ourselves
is, yes, we've got to solve this problem short term. And we are going
to have to intervene; there's no doubt about that.

But we're also going to have to look at, how is it that we
shredded so many regulations? We did not set up a 21st-century
regulatory framework to deal with these problems. And that in part
has to do with an economic philosophy that says that regulation is
always bad.

LEHRER: Are you going to vote for the plan, Senator McCain?

MCCAIN: I -- I hope so. And I...

LEHRER: As a United States senator...

MCCAIN: Sure.

LEHRER: ... you're going to vote for the plan?

MCCAIN: Sure. But -- but let me -- let me point out, I also
warned about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and warned about corporate
greed and excess, and CEO pay, and all that. A lot of us saw this
train wreck coming.

But there's also the issue of responsibility. You've mentioned
President Dwight David Eisenhower. President Eisenhower, on the night
before the Normandy invasion, went into his room, and he wrote out two
letters.

One of them was a letter congratulating the great members of the
military and allies that had conducted and succeeded in the greatest
invasion in history, still to this day, and forever.

And he wrote out another letter, and that was a letter of
resignation from the United States Army for the failure of the
landings at Normandy.

Somehow we've lost that accountability. I've been heavily
criticized because I called for the resignation of the chairman of the
Securities and Exchange Commission. We've got to start also holding
people accountable, and we've got to reward people who succeed.

But somehow in Washington today -- and I'm afraid on Wall Street
-- greed is rewarded, excess is rewarded, and corruption -- or
certainly failure to carry out our responsibility is rewarded.

As president of the United States, people are going to be held
accountable in my administration. And I promise you that that will
happen.

LEHRER: Do you have something directly to say, Senator Obama, to
Senator McCain about what he just said?

OBAMA: Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we
need more responsibility, but we need it not just when there's a
crisis. I mean, we've had years in which the reigning economic
ideology has been what's good for Wall Street, but not what's good for
Main Street.

And there are folks out there who've been struggling before this
crisis took place. And that's why it's so important, as we solve this
short-term problem, that we look at some of the underlying issues that
have led to wages and incomes for ordinary Americans to go down, the
-- a health care system that is broken, energy policies that are not
working, because, you know, 10 days ago, John said that the
fundamentals of the economy are sound.

LEHRER: Say it directly to him.

OBAMA: I do not think that they are.

LEHRER: Say it directly to him.

OBAMA: Well, the -- John, 10 days ago, you said that the
fundamentals of the economy are sound. And...

MCCAIN: Are you afraid I couldn't hear him?

(LAUGHTER)

LEHRER: I'm just determined to get you all to talk to each
other. I'm going to try.

OBAMA: The -- and I just fundamentally disagree. And unless we
are holding ourselves accountable day in, day out, not just when
there's a crisis for folks who have power and influence and can hire
lobbyists, but for the nurse, the teacher, the police officer, who,
frankly, at the end of each month, they've got a little financial
crisis going on.

They're having to take out extra debt just to make their mortgage
payments. We haven't been paying attention to them. And if you look
at our tax policies, it's a classic example.

LEHRER: So, Senator McCain, do you agree with what Senator Obama
just said? And, if you don't, tell him what you disagree with.

MCCAIN: No, I -- look, we've got to fix the system. We've got
fundamental problems in the system. And Main Street is paying a
penalty for the excesses and greed in Washington, D.C., and in the
Wall Street.

So there's no doubt that we have a long way to go. And,
obviously, stricter interpretation and consolidation of the various
regulatory agencies that weren't doing their job, that has brought on
this crisis.

But I have a fundamental belief in the goodness and strength of
the American worker. And the American worker is the most productive,
the most innovative. America is still the greatest producer, exporter
and importer.

But we've got to get through these times, but I have a
fundamental belief in the United States of America. And I still
believe, under the right leadership, our best days are ahead of us.

LEHRER: All right, let's go to the next lead question, which is
essentially following up on this same subject.

And you get two minutes to begin with, Senator McCain. And using
your word "fundamental," are there fundamental differences between
your approach and Senator Obama's approach to what you would do as
president to lead this country out of the financial crisis?

MCCAIN: Well, the first thing we have to do is get spending
under control in Washington. It's completely out of control. It's
gone -- we have now presided over the largest increase in the size of
government since the Great Society.

We Republicans came to power to change government, and government
changed us. And the -- the worst symptom on this disease is what my
friend, Tom Coburn, calls earmarking as a gateway drug, because it's a
gateway. It's a gateway to out-of-control spending and corruption.

And we have former members of Congress now residing in federal
prison because of the evils of this earmarking and pork-barrel
spending.

You know, we spent $3 million to study the DNA of bears in
Montana. I don't know if that was a criminal issue or a paternal
issue, but the fact is that it was $3 million of our taxpayers' money.
And it has got to be brought under control.

As president of the United States, I want to assure you, I've got
a pen. This one's kind of old. I've got a pen, and I'm going to veto
every single spending bill that comes across my desk. I will make
them famous. You will know their names.

Now, Senator Obama, you wanted to know one of the differences.
He has asked for $932 million of earmark pork-barrel spending, nearly
a million dollars for every day that he's been in the United States
Senate.

I suggest that people go up on the Web site of Citizens Against
Government Waste, and they'll look at those projects.

That kind of thing is not the way to rein in runaway spending in
Washington, D.C. That's one of the fundamental differences that
Senator Obama and I have.

LEHRER: Senator Obama, two minutes.

OBAMA: Well, Senator McCain is absolutely right that the
earmarks process has been abused, which is why I suspended any
requests for my home state, whether it was for senior centers or what
have you, until we cleaned it up.

And he's also right that oftentimes lobbyists and special
interests are the ones that are introducing these kinds of requests,
although that wasn't the case with me.

But let's be clear: Earmarks account for $18 billion in last
year's budget. Senator McCain is proposing -- and this is a
fundamental difference between us -- $300 billion in tax cuts to some
of the wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country, $300
billion.

Now, $18 billion is important; $300 billion is really important.
And in his tax plan, you would have CEOs of Fortune 500 companies
getting an average of $700,000 in reduced taxes, while leaving 100
million Americans out.

So my attitude is, we've got to grow the economy from the bottom
up. What I've called for is a tax cut for 95 percent of working
families, 95 percent.

And that means that the ordinary American out there who's
collecting a paycheck every day, they've got a little extra money to
be able to buy a computer for their kid, to fill up on this gas that
is killing them.

And over time, that, I think, is going to be a better recipe for
economic growth than the -- the policies of President Bush that John
McCain wants to -- wants to follow.

LEHRER: Senator McCain?

MCCAIN: Well, again, I don't mean to go back and forth, but
he...

(CROSSTALK)

LEHRER: No, that's fine.

MCCAIN: Senator Obama suspended those requests for pork-barrel
projects after he was running for president of the United States. He
didn't happen to see that light during the first three years as a
member of the United States Senate, $932 million in requests.

Maybe to Senator Obama it's not a lot of money. But the point is
that -- you see, I hear this all the time. "It's only $18 billion."
Do you know that it's tripled in the last five years? Do you know
that it's gone completely out of control to the point where it
corrupts people? It corrupts people.

That's why we have, as I said, people under federal indictment
and charges. It's a system that's got to be cleaned up.

I have fought against it my career. I have fought against it. I
was called the sheriff, by the -- one of the senior members of the
Appropriations Committee. I didn't win Miss Congeniality in the
United States Senate.

Now, Senator Obama didn't mention that, along with his tax cuts,
he is also proposing some $800 billion in new spending on new
programs.

Now, that's a fundamental difference between myself and Senator
Obama. I want to cut spending. I want to keep taxes low. The worst
thing we could do in this economic climate is to raise people's taxes.

OBAMA: I -- I don't know where John is getting his figures.
Let's just be clear.
What I do is I close corporate loopholes, stop providing tax cuts
to corporations that are shipping jobs overseas so that we're giving
tax breaks to companies that are investing here in the United States.
I make sure that we have a health care system that allows for everyone
to have basic coverage.

I think those are pretty important priorities. And I pay for
every dime of it.

But let's go back to the original point. John, nobody is denying
that $18 billion is important. And, absolutely, we need earmark
reform. And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure
that we are not spending money unwisely.

But the fact is that eliminating earmarks alone is not a recipe
for how we're going to get the middle class back on track.

OBAMA: And when you look at your tax policies that are directed
primarily at those who are doing well, and you are neglecting people
who are really struggling right now, I think that is a continuation of
the last eight years, and we can't afford another four.

LEHRER: Respond directly to him about that, to Senator Obama
about that, about the -- he's made it twice now, about your tax --
your policies about tax cuts.

MCCAIN: Well -- well, let me give you an example of what Senator
Obama finds objectionable, the business tax.

Right now, the United States of American business pays the
second-highest business taxes in the world, 35 percent. Ireland pays
11 percent.

Now, if you're a business person, and you can locate any place in
the world, then, obviously, if you go to the country where it's 11
percent tax versus 35 percent, you're going to be able to create jobs,
increase your business, make more investment, et cetera.

I want to cut that business tax. I want to cut it so that
businesses will remain in -- in the United States of America and
create jobs.

But, again, I want to return. It's a lot more than $18 billion
in pork-barrel spending. I can tell you, it's rife. It's throughout.

The United States Senate will take up a continuing resolution
tomorrow or the next day, sometime next week, with 2,000 -- 2,000 --
look at them, my friends. Look at them. You'll be appalled.

And Senator Obama is a recent convert, after requesting $932
million worth of pork-barrel spending projects.

So the point is, I want people to have tax cuts. I want every
family to have a $5,000 refundable tax credit so they can go out and
purchase their own health care. I want to double the dividend from
$3,500 to $7,000 for every dependent child in America.

I know that the worst thing we could possibly do is to raise
taxes on anybody, and a lot of people might be interested in Senator
Obama's definition of "rich."

LEHRER: Senator Obama, you have a question for Senator McCain on
that?
OBAMA: Well, let me just make a couple of points.

LEHRER: All right.

OBAMA: My definition -- here's what I can tell the American
people: 95 percent of you will get a tax cut. And if you make less
than $250,000, less than a quarter-million dollars a year, then you
will not see one dime's worth of tax increase.

Now, John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are
high in this country, and he's absolutely right. Here's the problem:
There are so many loopholes that have been written into the tax code,
oftentimes with support of Senator McCain, that we actually see our
businesses pay effectively one of the lowest tax rates in the world.

And what that means, then, is that there are people out there who
are working every day, who are not getting a tax cut, and you want to
give them more.

It's not like you want to close the loopholes. You just want to
add an additional tax cut over the loopholes. And that's a problem.

Just one last point I want to make, since Senator McCain talked
about providing a $5,000 health credit. Now, what he doesn't tell you
is that he intends to, for the first time in history, tax health
benefits.

So you may end up getting a $5,000 tax credit. Here's the only
problem: Your employer now has to pay taxes on the health care that
you're getting from your employer. And if you end up losing your
health care from your employer, you've got to go out on the open
market and try to buy it.

It is not a good deal for the American people. But it's an
example of this notion that the market can always solve everything and
that the less regulation we have, the better off we're going to be.

MCCAIN: Well, you know, let me just...

LEHRER: We've got to go to another lead question.

MCCAIN: I know we have to, but this is a classic example of
walking the walk and talking the talk.

We had an energy bill before the United States Senate. It was
festooned with Christmas tree ornaments. It had all kinds of breaks
for the oil companies, I mean, billions of dollars worth. I voted
against it; Senator Obama voted for it.

OBAMA: John, you want to give oil companies another $4 billion.

MCCAIN: You've got to look at our record. You've got to look at
our records. That's the important thing.

Who fought against wasteful and earmark spending? Who has been
the person who has tried to keep spending under control?
Who's the person who has believed that the best thing for America
is -- is to have a tax system that is fundamentally fair? And I've
fought to simplify it, and I have proposals to simplify it.

Let's give every American a choice: two tax brackets, generous
dividends, and, two -- and let Americans choose whether they want the
-- the existing tax code or they want a new tax code.

And so, again, look at the record, particularly the energy bill.
But, again, Senator Obama has shifted on a number of occasions. He
has voted in the United States Senate to increase taxes on people who
make as low as $42,000 a year.

OBAMA: That's not true, John. That's not true.

MCCAIN: And that's just a fact. Again, you can look it up.

OBAMA: Look, it's just not true. And if we want to talk about
oil company profits, under your tax plan, John -- this is undeniable
-- oil companies would get an additional $4 billion in tax breaks.

Now, look, we all would love to lower taxes on everybody. But
here's the problem: If we are giving them to oil companies, then that
means that there are those who are not going to be getting them.
And...

MCCAIN: With all due respect, you already gave them to the oil
companies.

OBAMA: No, but, John, the fact of the matter is, is that I was
opposed to those tax breaks, tried to strip them out. We've got an
emergency bill on the Senate floor right now that contains some good
stuff, some stuff you want, including drilling off-shore, but you're
opposed to it because it would strip away those tax breaks that have
gone to oil companies.

LEHRER: All right. All right, speaking of things that both of
you want, another lead question, and it has to do with the rescue --
the financial rescue thing that we started -- started asking about.

And what -- and the first answer is to you, Senator Obama. As
president, as a result of whatever financial rescue plan comes about
and the billion, $700 billion, whatever it is it's going to cost, what
are you going to have to give up, in terms of the priorities that you
would bring as president of the United States, as a result of having
to pay for the financial rescue plan?

OBAMA: Well, there are a range of things that are probably going
to have to be delayed. We don't yet know what our tax revenues are
going to be. The economy is slowing down, so it's hard to anticipate
right now what the budget is going to look like next year.

But there's no doubt that we're not going to be able to do
everything that I think needs to be done. There are some things that
I think have to be done.
We have to have energy independence, so I've put forward a plan
to make sure that, in 10 years' time, we have freed ourselves from
dependence on Middle Eastern oil by increasing production at home, but
most importantly by starting to invest in alternative energy, solar,
wind, biodiesel, making sure that we're developing the fuel-efficient
cars of the future right here in the United States, in Ohio and
Michigan, instead of Japan and South Korea.

We have to fix our health care system, which is putting an
enormous burden on families. Just -- a report just came out that the
average deductible went up 30 percent on American families.

They are getting crushed, and many of them are going bankrupt as
a consequence of health care. I'm meeting folks all over the country.
We have to do that now, because it will actually make our businesses
and our families better off.

The third thing we have to do is we've got to make sure that
we're competing in education. We've got to invest in science and
technology. China had a space launch and a space walk. We've got to
make sure that our children are keeping pace in math and in science.

And one of the things I think we have to do is make sure that
college is affordable for every young person in America.

And I also think that we're going to have to rebuild our
infrastructure, which is falling behind, our roads, our bridges, but
also broadband lines that reach into rural communities.

Also, making sure that we have a new electricity grid to get the
alternative energy to population centers that are using them.

So there are some -- some things that we've got to do
structurally to make sure that we can compete in this global economy.
We can't shortchange those things. We've got to eliminate programs
that don't work, and we've got to make sure that the programs that we
do have are more efficient and cost less.

LEHRER: Are you -- what priorities would you adjust, as
president, Senator McCain, because of the -- because of the financial
bailout cost?

MCCAIN: Look, we, no matter what, we've got to cut spending. We
have -- as I said, we've let government get completely out of control.

Senator Obama has the most liberal voting record in the United
States Senate. It's hard to reach across the aisle from that far to
the left.

The point -- the point is -- the point is, we need to examine
every agency of government.

First of all, by the way, I'd eliminate ethanol subsidies. I
oppose ethanol subsidies.

I think that we have to return -- particularly in defense
spending, which is the largest part of our appropriations -- we have
to do away with cost-plus contracts. We now have defense systems that
the costs are completely out of control.

We tried to build a little ship called the Littoral Combat Ship
that was supposed to cost $140 million, ended up costing $400 million,
and we still haven't done it.

So we need to have fixed-cost contracts. We need very badly to
understand that defense spending is very important and vital,
particularly in the new challenges we face in the world, but we have
to get a lot of the cost overruns under control.

I know how to do that.

MCCAIN: I saved the taxpayers $6.8 billion by fighting a
contract that was negotiated between Boeing and DOD that was
completely wrong. And we fixed it and we killed it and the people
ended up in federal prison so I know how to do this because I've been
involved these issues for many, many years. But I think that we have
to examine every agency of government and find out those that are
doing their job and keep them and find out those that aren't and
eliminate them and we'll have to scrub every agency of government.

LEHRER: But if I hear the two of you correctly neither one of
you is suggesting any major changes in what you want to do as
president as a result of the financial bailout? Is that what you're
saying?

OBAMA: No. As I said before, Jim, there are going to be things
that end up having to be ...

LEHRER: Like what?

OBAMA: ... deferred and delayed. Well, look, I want to make
sure that we are investing in energy in order to free ourselves from
the dependence on foreign oil. That is a big project. That is a
multi-year project.

LEHRER: Not willing to give that up?

OBAMA: Not willing to give up the need to do it but there may be
individual components that we can't do. But John is right we have to
make cuts. We right now give $15 billion every year as subsidies to
private insurers under the Medicare system. Doesn't work any better
through the private insurers. They just skim off $15 billion. That
was a give away and part of the reason is because lobbyists are able
to shape how Medicare works.

They did it on the Medicaid prescription drug bill and we have to
change the culture. Tom -- or John mentioned me being wildly liberal.
Mostly that's just me opposing George Bush's wrong headed policies
since I've been in Congress but I think it is that it is also
important to recognize I work with Tom Coburn, the most conservative,
one of the most conservative Republicans who John already mentioned to
set up what we call a Google for government saying we'll list every
dollar of federal spending to make sure that the taxpayer can take a
look and see who, in fact, is promoting some of these spending
projects that John's been railing about.

LEHRER: What I'm trying to get at this is this. Excuse me if I
may, senator. Trying to get at that you all -- one of you is going to
be the president of the United States come January. At the -- in the
middle of a huge financial crisis that is yet to be resolved. And
what I'm trying to get at is how this is going to affect you not in
very specific -- small ways but in major ways and the approach to take
as to the presidency.

MCCAIN: How about a spending freeze on everything but defense,
veteran affairs and entitlement programs.

LEHRER: Spending freeze?

MCCAIN: I think we ought to seriously consider with the
exceptions the caring of veterans national defense and several other
vital issues.

LEHRER: Would you go for that?

OBAMA: The problem with a spending freeze is you're using a
hatchet where you need a scalpel. There are some programs that are
very important that are under funded. I went to increase early
childhood education and the notion that we should freeze that when
there may be, for example, this Medicare subsidy doesn't make sense.

Let me tell you another place to look for some savings. We are
currently spending $10 billion a month in Iraq when they have a $79
billion surplus. It seems to me that if we're going to be strong at
home as well as strong abroad, that we have to look at bringing that
war to a close.

MCCAIN: Look, we are sending $700 billion a year overseas to
countries that don't like us very much. Some of that money ends up in
the hands of terrorist organizations. We have to have wind, tide,
solar, natural gas, flex fuel cars and all that but we also have to
have offshore drilling and we also have to have nuclear power.

Senator Obama opposes both storing and reprocessing of spent
nuclear fuel. You can't get there from here and the fact is that we
can create 700,000 jobs by building constructing 45 new nuclear power
plants by the year 2030. Nuclear power is not only important as far
as eliminating our dependence on foreign oil but it's also
responsibility as far as climate change is concerned and the issue I
have been involved in for many, many years and I'm proud of the work
of the work that I've done there along with President Clinton.

LEHRER: Before we go to another lead question. Let me figure
out a way to ask the same question in a slightly different way here.
Are you -- are you willing to acknowledge both of you that this
financial crisis is going to affect the way you rule the country as
president of the United States beyond the kinds of things that you
have already -- I mean, is it a major move? Is it going to have a
major affect?

OBAMA: There's no doubt it will affect our budgets. There is no
doubt about it. Not only -- Even if we get all $700 billion back,
let's assume the markets recover, we' holding assets long enough that
eventually taxpayers get it back and that happened during the Great
Depression when Roosevelt purchased a whole bunch of homes, over time,
home values went back up and in fact government made a profit. If
we're lucky and do it right, that could potentially happen but in the
short term there's an outlay and we may not see that money for a
while.

And because of the economy's slowing down, I think we can also
expect less tax revenue so there's no doubt that as president I'm go
doing have to make some tough decision.

The only point I want to make is this, that in order to make the
tough decisions we have to know what our values are and who we're
fighting for and our priorities and if we are spending $300 billion on
tax cuts for people who don't need them and weren't even asking for
them, and we are leaving out health care which is crushing on people
all across the country, then I think we have made a bad decision and I
want to make sure we're not shortchanging our long term priorities.

MCCAIN: Well, I want to make sure we're not handing the health
care system over to the federal government which is basically what
would ultimately happen with Senator Obama's health care plan. I want
the families to make decisions between themselves and their doctors.
Not the federal government. Look. We have to obviously cut spending.
I have fought to cut spending. Senator Obama has $800 billion in new
spending programs. I would suggest he start by canceling some of
those new spending program that he has.

We can't I think adjust spending around to take care of the very
much needed programs, including taking care of our veterans but I also
want to say again a healthy economy with low taxes would not raising
anyone's taxes is probably the best recipe for eventually having our
economy recover.

And spending restraint has got to be a vital part of that. And
the reason, one of the major reasons why we're in the difficulties we
are in today is because spending got out of control. We owe China
$500 billion. And spending, I know, can be brought under control
because I have fought against excessive spending my entire career.
And I got plans to reduce and eliminate unnecessary and wasteful
spending and if there's anybody here who thinks there aren't agencies
of government where spending can be cut and their budgets slashed they
have not spent a lot of time in Washington.

OBAMA: I just want to make this point, Jim. John, it's been
your president who you said you agreed with 90 percent of the time who
presided over this increase in spending. This orgy of spending and
enormous deficits you voted for almost all of his budgets. So to
stand here and after eight years and say that you're going to lead on
controlling spending and, you know, balancing our tax cuts so that
they help middle class families when over the last eight years that
hasn't happened I think just is, you know, kind of hard to swallow.

LEHRER: Quick response to Senator Obama.

MCCAIN: It's well-known that I have not been elected Miss
Congeniality in the United States Senate nor with the administration.
I have opposed the president on spending, on climate change, on
torture of prisoner, on - on Guantanamo Bay. On a -- on the way that
the Iraq War was conducted. I have a long record and the American
people know me very well and that is independent and a maverick of the
Senate and I'm happy to say that I've got a partner that's a good
maverick along with me now.

LEHRER: All right. Let's go another subject. Lead question,
two minutes to you, senator McCain. Much has been said about the
lessons of Vietnam. What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?

MCCAIN: I think the lessons of Iraq are very clear that you
cannot have a failed strategy that will then cause you to nearly lose
a conflict. Our initial military success, we went in to Baghdad and
everybody celebrated. And then the war was very badly mishandled. I
went to Iraq in 2003 and came back and said, we've got to change this
strategy. This strategy requires additional troops, it requires a
fundamental change in strategy and I fought for it. And finally, we
came up with a great general and a strategy that has succeeded.

This strategy has succeeded. And we are winning in Iraq. And we
will come home with victory and with honor. And that withdrawal is
the result of every counterinsurgency that succeeds.

MCCAIN: And I want to tell you that now that we will succeed and
our troops will come home, and not in defeat, that we will see a
stable ally in the region and a fledgling democracy.

The consequences of defeat would have been increased Iranian
influence. It would have been increase in sectarian violence. It
would have been a wider war, which the United States of America might
have had to come back.

So there was a lot at stake there. And thanks to this great
general, David Petraeus, and the troops who serve under him, they have
succeeded. And we are winning in Iraq, and we will come home. And we
will come home as we have when we have won other wars and not in
defeat.

LEHRER: Two minutes, how you see the lessons of Iraq, Senator
Obama.

OBAMA: Well, this is an area where Senator McCain and I have a
fundamental difference because I think the first question is whether
we should have gone into the war in the first place.

Now six years ago, I stood up and opposed this war at a time when
it was politically risky to do so because I said that not only did we
not know how much it was going to cost, what our exit strategy might
be, how it would affect our relationships around the world, and
whether our intelligence was sound, but also because we hadn't
finished the job in Afghanistan.

We hadn't caught bin Laden. We hadn't put al Qaeda to rest, and
as a consequence, I thought that it was going to be a distraction.
Now Senator McCain and President Bush had a very different judgment.

And I wish I had been wrong for the sake of the country and they
had been right, but that's not the case. We've spent over $600
billion so far, soon to be $1 trillion. We have lost over 4,000
lives. We have seen 30,000 wounded, and most importantly, from a
strategic national security perspective, al Qaeda is resurgent,
stronger now than at any time since 2001.

We took our eye off the ball. And not to mention that we are
still spending $10 billion a month, when they have a $79 billion
surplus, at a time when we are in great distress here at home, and we
just talked about the fact that our budget is way overstretched and we
are borrowing money from overseas to try to finance just some of the
basic functions of our government.
So I think the lesson to be drawn is that we should never
hesitate to use military force, and I will not, as president, in
order to keep the American people safe. But we have to use our
military wisely. And we did not use our military wisely in Iraq.

LEHRER: Do you agree with that, the lesson of Iraq?

MCCAIN: The next president of the United States is not going to
have to address the issue as to whether we went into Iraq or not. The
next president of the United States is going to have to decide how we
leave, when we leave, and what we leave behind. That's the decision
of the next president of the United States.

Senator Obama said the surge could not work, said it would
increase sectarian violence, said it was doomed to failure. Recently
on a television program, he said it exceed our wildest expectations.

But yet, after conceding that, he still says that he would oppose
the surge if he had to decide that again today. Incredibly,
incredibly Senator Obama didn't go to Iraq for 900 days and never
asked for a meeting with General Petraeus.

LEHRER: Well, let's go at some of these things...

MCCAIN: Senator Obama is the chairperson of a committee that
oversights NATO that's in Afghanistan. To this day, he has never had
a hearing.

LEHRER: What about that point?

MCCAIN: I mean, it's remarkable.

LEHRER: All right. What about that point?

OBAMA: Which point? He raised a whole bunch of them.

LEHRER: I know, OK, let's go to the latter point and we'll back
up. The point about your not having been...

OBAMA: Look, I'm very proud of my vice presidential selection,
Joe Biden, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, and as he explains, and as John well knows, the issues of
Afghanistan, the issues of Iraq, critical issues like that, don't go
through my subcommittee because they're done as a committee as a
whole.

But that's Senate inside baseball. But let's get back to the
core issue here. Senator McCain is absolutely right that the violence
has been reduced as a consequence of the extraordinary sacrifice of
our troops and our military families.

They have done a brilliant job, and General Petraeus has done a
brilliant job. But understand, that was a tactic designed to contain
the damage of the previous four years of mismanagement of this war.

And so John likes -- John, you like to pretend like the war
started in 2007. You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003,
and at the time when the war started, you said it was going to be
quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass
destruction were. You were wrong.

You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You
were wrong. You said that there was no history of violence between
Shia and Sunni. And you were wrong. And so my question is...

(CROSSTALK)

LEHRER: Senator Obama...

OBAMA: ... of judgment, of whether or not -- of whether or not
-- if the question is who is best-equipped as the next president to
make good decisions about how we use our military, how we make sure
that we are prepared and ready for the next conflict, then I think we
can take a look at our judgment.

LEHRER: I have got a lot on the plate here...

MCCAIN: I'm afraid Senator Obama doesn't understand the
difference between a tactic and a strategy. But the important -- I'd
like to tell you, two Fourths of July ago I was in Baghdad. General
Petraeus invited Senator Lindsey Graham and me to attend a ceremony
where 688 brave young Americans, whose enlistment had expired, were
reenlisting to stay and fight for Iraqi freedom and American freedom.

I was honored to be there. I was honored to speak to those
troops. And you know, afterwards, we spent a lot of time with them.
And you know what they said to us? They said, let us win. They said,
let us win. We don't want our kids coming back here.

And this strategy, and this general, they are winning. Senator
Obama refuses to acknowledge that we are winning in Iraq.

OBAMA: That's not true.

MCCAIN: They just passed an electoral...

OBAMA: That's not true.

MCCAIN: An election law just in the last few days. There is
social, economic progress, and a strategy, a strategy of going into an
area, clearing and holding, and the people of the country then become
allied with you. They inform on the bad guys. And peace comes to the
country, and prosperity.

That's what's happening in Iraq, and it wasn't a tactic.

LEHRER: Let me see...

OBAMA: Jim, Jim, this is a big...

MCCAIN: It was a stratagem. And that same strategy will be
employed in Afghanistan by this great general. And Senator Obama, who
after promising not to vote to cut off funds for the troops, did the
incredible thing of voting to cut off the funds for the troops in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

OBAMA: Jim, there are a whole bunch of things we have got to
answer. First of all, let's talk about this troop funding issue
because John always brings this up. Senator McCain cut -- Senator
McCain opposed funding for troops in legislation that had a timetable,
because he didn't believe in a timetable.

I opposed funding a mission that had no timetable, and was open-
ended, giving a blank check to George Bush. We had a difference on
the timetable. We didn't have a difference on whether or not we were
going to be funding troops.

We had a legitimate difference, and I absolutely understand the
difference between tactics and strategy. And the strategic question
that the president has to ask is not whether or not we are employing a
particular approach in the country once we have made the decision to
be there.

The question is, was this wise? We have seen Afghanistan worsen,
deteriorate. We need more troops there. We need more resources
there. Senator McCain, in the rush to go into Iraq, said, you know
what? We've been successful in Afghanistan. There is nobody who can
pose a threat to us there.

This is a time when bin Laden was still out, and now they've
reconstituted themselves. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates himself
acknowledges the war on terrorism started in Afghanistan and it needs
to end there.

But we can't do it if we are not willing to give Iraq back its
country. Now, what I've said is we should end this war responsibly.
We should do it in phases. But in 16 months we should be able to
reduce our combat troops, put -- provide some relief to military
families and our troops and bolster our efforts in Afghanistan so that
we can capture and kill bin Laden and crush al Qaeda.

And right now, the commanders in Afghanistan, as well as Admiral
Mullen, have acknowledged that we don't have enough troops to deal
with Afghanistan because we still have more troops in Iraq than we did
before the surge.

MCCAIN: Admiral Mullen suggests that Senator Obama's plan is
dangerous for America.

OBAMA: That's not the case.

MCCAIN: That's what ...

OBAMA: What he said was a precipitous...

MCCAIN: That's what Admiral Mullen said.

OBAMA: ... withdrawal would be dangerous. He did not say that.
That's not true.

MCCAIN: And also General Petraeus said the same thing. Osama
bin Laden and General Petraeus have one thing in common that I know
of, they both said that Iraq is the central battleground.

Now General Petraeus has praised the successes, but he said those
successes are fragile and if we set a specific date for withdrawal --
and by the way, Senator Obama's original plan, they would have been
out last spring before the surge ever had a chance to succeed.

And I'm -- I'm -- understand why Senator Obama was surprised and
said that the surge succeeded beyond his wildest expectations.

MCCAIN: It didn't exceed beyond mine, because I know that that's
a strategy that has worked and can succeed. But if we snatch defeat
from the jaws of victory and adopt Senator Obama's plan, then we will
have a wider war and it will make things more complicated throughout
the region, including in Afghanistan.

LEHRER: Afghanistan, lead -- a new -- a new lead question. Now,
having resolved Iraq, we'll move to Afghanistan.

(LAUGHTER)

And it goes to you, Senator Obama, and it's a -- it picks up on a
point that's already been made. Do you think more troops -- more U.S.
troops should be sent to Afghanistan, how many, and when?

OBAMA: Yes, I think we need more troops. I've been saying that
for over a year now.

And I think that we have to do it as quickly as possible, because
it's been acknowledged by the commanders on the ground the situation
is getting worse, not better.

We had the highest fatalities among U.S. troops this past year
than at any time since 2002. And we are seeing a major offensive
taking place -- Al Qaida and Taliban crossing the border and attacking
our troops in a brazen fashion. They are feeling emboldened.

And we cannot separate Afghanistan from Iraq, because what our
commanders have said is we don't have the troops right now to deal
with Afghanistan.

So I would send two to three additional brigades to Afghanistan.
Now, keep in mind that we have four times the number of troops in
Iraq, where nobody had anything to do with 9/11 before we went in,
where, in fact, there was no Al Qaida before we went in, but we have
four times more troops there than we do in Afghanistan.

And that is a strategic mistake, because every intelligence
agency will acknowledge that Al Qaida is the greatest threat against
the United States and that Secretary of Defense Gates acknowledged the
central front -- that the place where we have to deal with these folks
is going to be in Afghanistan and in Pakistan.

So here's what we have to do comprehensively, though. It's not
just more troops.
We have to press the Afghan government to make certain that they
are actually working for their people. And I've said this to
President Karzai.

Number two, we've got to deal with a growing poppy trade that has
exploded over the last several years.

Number three, we've got to deal with Pakistan, because Al Qaida
and the Taliban have safe havens in Pakistan, across the border in the
northwest regions, and although, you know, under George Bush, with the
support of Senator McCain, we've been giving them $10 billion over the
last seven years, they have not done what needs to be done to get rid
of those safe havens.

And until we do, Americans here at home are not going to be safe.

LEHRER: Afghanistan, Senator McCain?

MCCAIN: First of all, I won't repeat the mistake that I regret
enormously, and that is, after we were able to help the Afghan freedom
fighters and drive the Russians out of Afghanistan, we basically
washed our hands of the region.

And the result over time was the Taliban, Al Qaida, and a lot of
the difficulties we are facing today. So we can't ignore those
lessons of history.

Now, on this issue of aiding Pakistan, if you're going to aim a
gun at somebody, George Shultz, our great secretary of state, told me
once, you'd better be prepared to pull the trigger.

I'm not prepared at this time to cut off aid to Pakistan. So I'm
not prepared to threaten it, as Senator Obama apparently wants to do,
as he has said that he would announce military strikes into Pakistan.

We've got to get the support of the people of -- of Pakistan. He
said that he would launch military strikes into Pakistan.

Now, you don't do that. You don't say that out loud. If you
have to do things, you have to do things, and you work with the
Pakistani government.

Now, the new president of Pakistan, Kardari (sic), has got his
hands full. And this area on the border has not been governed since
the days of Alexander the Great.

I've been to Waziristan. I can see how tough that terrain is.
It's ruled by a handful of tribes.

And, yes, Senator Obama calls for more troops, but what he
doesn't understand, it's got to be a new strategy, the same strategy
that he condemned in Iraq. It's going to have to be employed in
Afghanistan.

And we're going to have to help the Pakistanis go into these
areas and obtain the allegiance of the people. And it's going to be
tough. They've intermarried with Al Qaida and the Taliban. And it's
going to be tough. But we have to get the cooperation of the people
in those areas.

And the Pakistanis are going to have to understand that that
bombing in the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad was a signal from the
terrorists that they don't want that government to cooperate with us
in combating the Taliban and jihadist elements.

So we've got a lot of work to do in Afghanistan. But I'm
confident, now that General Petraeus is in the new position of
command, that we will employ a strategy which not only means
additional troops -- and, by the way, there have been 20,000
additional troops, from 32,000 to 53,000, and there needs to be more.

So it's not just the addition of troops that matters. It's a
strategy that will succeed. And Pakistan is a very important element
in this. And I know how to work with him. And I guarantee you I
would not publicly state that I'm going to attack them.

OBAMA: Nobody talked about attacking Pakistan. Here's what I
said.

And if John wants to disagree with this, he can let me know,
that, if the United States has Al Qaida, bin Laden, top-level
lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to act,
then we should take them out.

Now, I think that's the right strategy; I think that's the right
policy.

And, John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to
be prudent in what they say. But, you know, coming from you, who, you
know, in the past has threatened extinction for North Korea and, you
know, sung songs about bombing Iran, I don't know, you know, how
credible that is. I think this is the right strategy.

Now, Senator McCain is also right that it's difficult. This is
not an easy situation. You've got cross-border attacks against U.S.
troops.

And we've got a choice. We could allow our troops to just be on
the defensive and absorb those blows again and again and again, if
Pakistan is unwilling to cooperate, or we have to start making some
decisions.

And the problem, John, with the strategy that's been pursued was
that, for 10 years, we coddled Musharraf, we alienated the Pakistani
population, because we were anti-democratic. We had a 20th-century
mindset that basically said, "Well, you know, he may be a dictator,
but he's our dictator."

And as a consequence, we lost legitimacy in Pakistan. We spent
$10 billion. And in the meantime, they weren't going after Al Qaida,
and they are more powerful now than at any time since we began the war
in Afghanistan.

That's going to change when I'm president of the United States.

MCCAIN: I -- I don't think that Senator Obama understands that
there was a failed state in Pakistan when Musharraf came to power.
Everybody who was around then, and had been there, and knew about it
knew that it was a failed state.

But let me tell you, you know, this business about bombing Iran
and all that, let me tell you my record.

Back in 1983, when I was a brand-new United States congressman,
the one -- the person I admired the most and still admire the most,
Ronald Reagan, wanted to send Marines into Lebanon.

And I saw that, and I saw the situation, and I stood up, and I
voted against that, because I was afraid that they couldn't make peace
in a place where 300 or 400 or several hundred Marines would make a
difference. Tragically, I was right: Nearly 300 Marines lost their
lives in the bombing of the barracks.

And then we had Somalia -- then we had the first Gulf War. I
supported -- I supported that.

I supported us going into Bosnia, when a number of my own party
and colleagues was against that operation in Bosnia. That was the
right thing to do, to stop genocide and to preserve what was necessary
inside of Europe.

I supported what we did in Kosovo. I supported it because ethnic
cleansing and genocide was taking place there.

And I have a record -- and Somalia, I opposed that we should turn
-- turn the force in Somalia from a peacekeeping force into a
peacemaking force, which they were not capable of.

So I have a record. I have a record of being involved in these
national security issues, which involve the highest responsibility and
the toughest decisions that any president can make, and that is to
send our young men and women into harm's way.

And I'll tell you, I had a town hall meeting in Wolfeboro, New
Hampshire, and a woman stood up and she said, "Senator McCain, I want
you to do me the honor of wearing a bracelet with my son's name on
it."

He was 22 years old and he was killed in combat outside of
Baghdad, Matthew Stanley, before Christmas last year. This was last
August, a year ago. And I said, "I will -- I will wear his bracelet
with honor."

And this was August, a year ago. And then she said, "But,
Senator McCain, I want you to do everything -- promise me one thing,
that you'll do everything in your power to make sure that my son's
death was not in vain."

That means that that mission succeeds, just like those young
people who re-enlisted in Baghdad, just like the mother I met at the
airport the other day whose son was killed. And they all say to me
that we don't want defeat.

MCCAIN: A war that I was in, where we had an Army, that it
wasn't through any fault of their own, but they were defeated. And I
know how hard it is for that -- for an Army and a military to recover
from that. And it did and we will win this one and we won't come home
in defeat and dishonor and probably have to go back if we fail.

OBAMA: Jim, let me just make a point. I've got a bracelet, too,
from Sergeant - from the mother of Sergeant Ryan David Jopeck (ph),
given to me ingrain bin green bay. She asked me, can you please make
sure another mother is not going through what I'm going through.

No U.S. soldier ever dies in vain because they're carrying out
the missions of their commander in chief. And we honor all the
service that they've provided. Our troops have performed brilliantly.
The question is for the next president, are we making good judgments
about how to keep America safe precisely because sending our military
into battle is such an enormous step.

And the point that I originally made is that we took our eye off
Afghanistan, we took our eye off the folks who perpetrated 9/11, they
are still sending out videotapes and Senator McCain, nobody is talking
about defeat in Iraq, but I have to say we are having enormous
problems in Afghanistan because of that decision.

And it is not true you have consistently been concerned about
what happened in Afghanistan. At one point, while you were focused on
Iraq, you said well, we can "muddle through" Afghanistan. You don't
muddle through the central front on terror and you don't muddle
through going after bin Laden. You don't muddle through stamping out
the Taliban.

I think that is something we have to take seriously. And when
I'm president, I will.

LEHRER: New ...

MCCAIN: You might think that with that kind of concern that
Senator Obama would have gone to Afghanistan, particularly given his
responsibilities as a subcommittee chairman. By the way, when I'm
subcommittee chairman, we take up the issues under my subcommittee.
But the important thing is -- the important thing is I visited
Afghanistan and I traveled to Waziristan and I traveled to these
places and I know what our security requirements are. I know what our
needs are. So the point is that we will prevail in Afghanistan, but
we need the new strategy and we need it to succeed.
But the important thing is, if we suffer defeat in Iraq, which
General Petraeus predicts we will, if we adopted Senator Obama's set
date for withdrawal, then that will have a calamitous effect in
Afghanistan and American national security interests in the region.
Senator Obama doesn't seem to understand there is a connected between
the two.

LEHRER: I have some good news and bad news for the two of you.
You all are even on time, which is remarkable, considering we've been
going at it ...

OBAMA: A testimony to you, Jim.

LEHRER: I don't know about that. But the bad news is all my
little five minute things have run over, so, anyhow, we'll adjust as
we get there. But the amount of time is even.

New lead question. And it goes two minutes to you, Senator
McCain, what is your reading on the threat to Iran right now to the
security of the United States?

MCCAIN: My reading of the threat from Iran is that if Iran
acquires nuclear weapons, it is an existential threat to the State of
Israel and to other countries in the region because the other
countries in the region will feel compelling requirement to acquire
nuclear weapons as well.

Now we cannot a second Holocaust. Let's just make that very
clear. What I have proposed for a long time, and I've had
conversation with foreign leaders about forming a league of
democracies, let's be clear and let's have some straight talk. The
Russians are preventing significant action in the United Nations
Security Council.

I have proposed a league of democracies, a group of people - a
group of countries that share common interests, common values, common
ideals, they also control a lot of the world's economic power. We
could impose significant meaningful, painful sanctions on the Iranians
that I think could have a beneficial effect.

The Iranians have a lousy government, so therefore their economy
is lousy, even though they have significant oil revenues. So I am
convinced that together, we can, with the French, with the British,
with the Germans and other countries, democracies around the world, we
can affect Iranian behavior.

But have no doubt, but have no doubt that the Iranians continue
on the path to the acquisition of a nuclear weapon as we speak
tonight. And it is a threat not only in this region but around the
world.

What I'd also like to point out the Iranians are putting the most
lethal IEDs into Iraq which are killing young Americans, there are
special groups in Iran coming into Iraq and are being trained in Iran.
There is the Republican Guard in Iran, which Senator Kyl had an
amendment in order to declare them a sponsor of terror. Senator Obama
said that would be provocative.

So this is a serious threat. This is a serious threat to
security in the world, and I believe we can act and we can act with
our friends and allies and reduce that threat as quickly as possible,
but have no doubt about the ultimate result of them acquiring nuclear
weapons.

LEHRER: Two minutes on Iran, Senator Obama.

OBAMA: Well, let me just correct something very quickly. I
believe the Republican Guard of Iran is a terrorist organization.
I've consistently said so. What Senator McCain refers to is a measure
in the Senate that would try to broaden the mandate inside of Iraq.
To deal with Iran.

And ironically, the single thing that has strengthened Iran over
the last several years has been the war in Iraq. Iraq was Iran's
mortal enemy. That was cleared away. And what we've seen over the
last several years is Iran's influence grow. They have funded
Hezbollah, they have funded Hamas, they have gone from zero
centrifuges to 4,000 centrifuges to develop a nuclear weapon.

So obviously, our policy over the last eight years has not
worked. Senator McCain is absolutely right, we cannot tolerate a
nuclear Iran. It would be a game changer. Not only would it threaten
Israel, a country that is our stalwart ally, but it would also create
an environment in which you could set off an arms race in this Middle
East.

Now here's what we need to do. We do need tougher sanctions. I
do not agree with Senator McCain that we're going to be able to
execute the kind of sanctions we need without some cooperation with
some countries like Russia and China that are, I think Senator McCain
would agree, not democracies, but have extensive trade with Iran but
potentially have an interest in making sure Iran doesn't have a
nuclear weapon.

But we are also going to have to, I believe, engage in tough
direct diplomacy with Iran and this is a major difference I have with
Senator McCain, this notion by not talking to people we are punishing
them has not worked. It has not worked in Iran, it has not worked in
North Korea. In each instance, our efforts of isolation have actually
accelerated their efforts to get nuclear weapons. That will change
when I'm president of the United States.

LEHRER: Senator, what about talking?

MCCAIN: Senator Obama twice said in debates he would sit down
with Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Raul Castro without precondition.
Without precondition. Here is Ahmadinenene (ph), Ahmadinejad, who is,
Ahmadinejad, who is now in New York, talking about the extermination
of the State of Israel, of wiping Israel off the map, and we're going
to sit down, without precondition, across the table, to legitimize and
give a propaganda platform to a person that is espousing the
extermination of the state of Israel, and therefore then giving them
more credence in the world arena and therefore saying, they've
probably been doing the right thing, because you will sit down across
the table from them and that will legitimize their illegal behavior.

The point is that throughout history, whether it be Ronald
Reagan, who wouldn't sit down with Brezhnev, Andropov or Chernenko
until Gorbachev was ready with glasnost and perestroika.

Or whether it be Nixon's trip to China, which was preceded by
Henry Kissinger, many times before he went. Look, I'll sit down with
anybody, but there's got to be pre-conditions. Those pre-conditions
would apply that we wouldn't legitimize with a face to face meeting, a
person like Ahmadinejad. Now, Senator Obama said, without
preconditions.

OBAMA: So let's talk about this. First of all, Ahmadinejad is
not the most powerful person in Iran. So he may not be the right
person to talk to. But I reserve the right, as president of the
United States to meet with anybody at a time and place of my choosing
if I think it's going to keep America safe.

And I'm glad that Senator McCain brought up the history, the
bipartisan history of us engaging in direct diplomacy.

OBAMA: Senator McCain mentioned Henry Kissinger, who's one of
his advisers, who, along with five recent secretaries of state, just
said that we should meet with Iran -- guess what -- without
precondition. This is one of your own advisers.

Now, understand what this means "without preconditions." It
doesn't mean that you invite them over for tea one day. What it means
is that we don't do what we've been doing, which is to say, "Until you
agree to do exactly what we say, we won't have direct contacts with
you."

There's a difference between preconditions and preparation. Of
course we've got to do preparations, starting with low-level
diplomatic talks, and it may not work, because Iran is a rogue regime.

But I will point out that I was called naive when I suggested
that we need to look at exploring contacts with Iran. And you know
what? President Bush recently sent a senior ambassador, Bill Burns,
to participate in talks with the Europeans around the issue of nuclear
weapons.

Again, it may not work, but if it doesn't work, then we have
strengthened our ability to form alliances to impose the tough
sanctions that Senator McCain just mentioned.

And when we haven't done it, as in North Korea -- let me just
take one more example -- in North Korea, we cut off talks. They're a
member of the axis of evil. We can't deal with them.

And you know what happened? They went -- they quadrupled their
nuclear capacity. They tested a nuke. They tested missiles. They
pulled out of the nonproliferation agreement. And they sent nuclear
secrets, potentially, to countries like Syria.

When we re-engaged -- because, again, the Bush administration
reversed course on this -- then we have at least made some progress,
although right now, because of the problems in North Korea, we are
seeing it on shaky ground.

And -- and I just -- so I just have to make this general point
that the Bush administration, some of Senator McCain's own advisers
all think this is important, and Senator McCain appears resistant.

He even said the other day that he would not meet potentially
with the prime minister of Spain, because he -- you know, he wasn't
sure whether they were aligned with us. I mean, Spain? Spain is a
NATO ally.

MCCAIN: Of course.

OBAMA: If we can't meet with our friends, I don't know how we're
going to lead the world in terms of dealing with critical issues like
terrorism.

MCCAIN: I'm not going to set the White House visitors schedule
before I'm president of the United States. I don't even have a seal
yet.

Look, Dr. Kissinger did not say that he would approve of face-to-
face meetings between the president of the United States and the
president -- and Ahmadinejad. He did not say that.

OBAMA: Of course not.

MCCAIN: He said that there could be secretary-level and lower
level meetings. I've always encouraged them. The Iranians have met
with Ambassador Crocker in Baghdad.

What Senator Obama doesn't seem to understand that if without
precondition you sit down across the table from someone who has called
Israel a "stinking corpse," and wants to destroy that country and wipe
it off the map, you legitimize those comments.

This is dangerous. It isn't just naive; it's dangerous. And so
we just have a fundamental difference of opinion.

As far as North Korea is concerned, our secretary of state,
Madeleine Albright, went to North Korea. By the way, North Korea,
most repressive and brutal regime probably on Earth. The average
South Korean is three inches taller than the average North Korean, a
huge gulag.

We don't know what the status of the dear leader's health is
today, but we know this, that the North Koreans have broken every
agreement that they've entered into.

And we ought to go back to a little bit of Ronald Reagan's
"trust, but verify," and certainly not sit down across the table from
-- without precondition, as Senator Obama said he did twice, I mean,
it's just dangerous.

OBAMA: Look, I mean, Senator McCain keeps on using this example
that suddenly the president would just meet with somebody without
doing any preparation, without having low-level talks. Nobody's been
talking about that, and Senator McCain knows it. This is a
mischaracterization of my position.

When we talk about preconditions -- and Henry Kissinger did say
we should have contacts without preconditions -- the idea is that we
do not expect to solve every problem before we initiate talks.

And, you know, the Bush administration has come to recognize that
it hasn't worked, this notion that we are simply silent when it comes
to our enemies. And the notion that we would sit with Ahmadinejad and
not say anything while he's spewing his nonsense and his vile comments
is ridiculous. Nobody is even talking about that.

MCCAIN: So let me get this right. We sit down with Ahmadinejad,
and he says, "We're going to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth,"
and we say, "No, you're not"? Oh, please.

OBAMA: No, let me tell...

(CROSSTALK)

MCCAIN: By the way, my friend, Dr. Kissinger, who's been my
friend for 35 years, would be interested to hear this conversation and
Senator Obama's depiction of his -- of his positions on the issue.
I've known him for 35 years.

OBAMA: We will take a look.

MCCAIN: And I guarantee you he would not -- he would not say
that presidential top level.

OBAMA: Nobody's talking about that.

MCCAIN: Of course he encourages and other people encourage
contacts, and negotiations, and all other things. We do that all the
time.

LEHRER: We're going to go to a new...

(CROSSTALK)

MCCAIN: And Senator Obama is parsing words when he says
precondition means preparation.

OBAMA: I am not parsing words.

MCCAIN: He's parsing words, my friends.

OBAMA: I'm using the same words that your advisers use.

Please, go ahead.

LEHRER: New lead question.

Russia, goes to you, two minutes, Senator Obama. How do you see
the relationship with Russia? Do you see them as a competitor? Do
you see them as an enemy? Do you see them as a potential partner?

OBAMA: Well, I think that, given what's happened over the last
several weeks and months, our entire Russian approach has to be
evaluated, because a resurgent and very aggressive Russia is a threat
to the peace and stability of the region.

Their actions in Georgia were unacceptable. They were
unwarranted. And at this point, it is absolutely critical for the
next president to make clear that we have to follow through on our
six-party -- or the six-point cease-fire. They have to remove
themselves from South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

It is absolutely important that we have a unified alliance and
that we explain to the Russians that you cannot be a 21st-century
superpower, or power, and act like a 20th-century dictatorship.

And we also have to affirm all the fledgling democracies in that
region, you know, the Estonians, the Lithuanians, the Latvians, the
Poles, the Czechs, that we are, in fact, going to be supportive and in
solidarity with them in their efforts. They are members of NATO.

And to countries like Georgia and the Ukraine, I think we have to
insist that they are free to join NATO if they meet the requirements,
and they should have a membership action plan immediately to start
bringing them in.

Now, we also can't return to a Cold War posture with respect to
Russia. It's important that we recognize there are going to be some
areas of common interest. One is nuclear proliferation.

They have not only 15,000 nuclear warheads, but they've got
enough to make another 40,000, and some of those loose nukes could
fall into the hands of Al Qaida.

This is an area where I've led on in the Senate, working with a
Republican ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
Dick Lugar, to deal with the proliferation of loose nuclear weapons.
That's an area where we're going to have to work with Russia.

But we have to have a president who is clear that you don't deal
with Russia based on staring into his eyes and seeing his soul. You
deal with Russia based on, what are your -- what are the national
security interests of the United States of America?

And we have to recognize that the way they've been behaving
lately demands a sharp response from the international community and
our allies.

LEHRER: Two minutes on Russia, Senator McCain.

MCCAIN: Well, I was interested in Senator Obama's reaction to
the Russian aggression against Georgia. His first statement was,
"Both sides ought to show restraint."

Again, a little bit of naivete there. He doesn't understand that
Russia committed serious aggression against Georgia. And Russia has
now become a nation fueled by petro-dollars that is basically a KGB
apparatchik-run government.

I looked into Mr. Putin's eyes, and I saw three letters, a "K," a
"G," and a "B." And their aggression in Georgia is not acceptable
behavior.

I don't believe we're going to go back to the Cold War. I am
sure that that will not happen. But I do believe that we need to
bolster our friends and allies. And that wasn't just about a problem
between Georgia and Russia. It had everything to do with energy.
There's a pipeline that runs from the Caspian through Georgia
through Turkey. And, of course, we know that the Russians control
other sources of energy into Europe, which they have used from time to
time.

It's not accidental that the presidents of Latvia, Estonia,
Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine flew to Georgia, flew to Tbilisi, where
I have spent significant amount of time with a great young president,
Misha Saakashvili.

MCCAIN: And they showed solidarity with them, but, also, they
are very concerned about the Russian threats to regain their status of
the old Russian to regain their status of the old Russian empire.

Now, I think the Russians ought to understand that we will
support -- we, the United States -- will support the inclusion of
Georgia and Ukraine in the natural process, inclusion into NATO.

We also ought to make it very clear that the Russians are in
violation of their cease-fire agreement. They have stationed
additional troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

By the way, I went there once, and we went inside and drove in,
and there was a huge poster. And this is -- this is Georgian
territory. And there was a huge poster of Vladimir Putin, and it
said, "Vladimir Putin, our president."

It was very clear, the Russian intentions towards Georgia. They
were just waiting to seize the opportunity.

So, this is a very difficult situation. We want to work with the
Russians. But we also have every right to expect the Russians to
behave in a fashion and keeping with a -- with a -- with a country who
respects international boundaries and the norms of international
behavior.

And watch Ukraine. This whole thing has got a lot to do with
Ukraine, Crimea, the base of the Russian fleet in Sevastopol. And the
breakdown of the political process in Ukraine between Tymoshenko and
Yushchenko is a very serious problem.

So watch Ukraine, and let's make sure that we -- that the
Ukrainians understand that we are their friend and ally.

LEHRER: You see any -- do you have a major difference with what
he just said?

OBAMA: No, actually, I think Senator McCain and I agree for the
most part on these issues. Obviously, I disagree with this notion
that somehow we did not forcefully object to Russians going into
Georgia.

I immediately said that this was illegal and objectionable. And,
absolutely, I wanted a cessation of the violence, because it put an
enormous strain on Georgia, and that's why I was the first to say that
we have to rebuild the Georgian economy and called for a billion
dollars that has now gone in to help them rebuild.

Because part of Russia's intentions here was to weaken the
economy to the point where President Saakashvili was so weakened that
he might be replaced by somebody that Putin favored more.

Two points I think are important to think about when it comes to
Russia.

Number one is we have to have foresight and anticipate some of
these problems. So back in April, I warned the administration that
you had Russian peacekeepers in Georgian territory. That made no
sense whatsoever.

And what we needed to do was replace them with international
peacekeepers and a special envoy to resolve the crisis before it
boiled over.

That wasn't done. But had it been done, it's possible we could
have avoided the issue.

The second point I want to make is -- is the issue of energy.
Russia is in part resurgent and Putin is feeling powerful because of
petro-dollars, as Senator McCain mentioned.

That means that we, as one of the biggest consumers of oil -- 25
percent of the world's oil -- have to have an energy strategy not just
to deal with Russia, but to deal with many of the rogue states we've
talked about, Iran, Venezuela.

And that means, yes, increasing domestic production and off-shore
drilling, but we only have 3 percent of the world's oil supplies and
we use 25 percent of the world's oil. So we can't simply drill our
way out of the problem.

What we're going to have to do is to approach it through
alternative energy, like solar, and wind, and biodiesel, and, yes,
nuclear energy, clean-coal technology. And, you know, I've got a plan
for us to make a significant investment over the next 10 years to do
that.

And I have to say, Senator McCain and I, I think agree on the
importance of energy, but Senator McCain mentioned earlier the
importance of looking at a record.

Over 26 years, Senator McCain voted 23 times against alternative
energy, like solar, and wind, and biodiesel.

And so we -- we -- we've got to walk the walk and not just talk
the talk when it comes to energy independence, because this is
probably going to be just as vital for our economy and the pain that
people are feeling at the pump -- and, you know, winter's coming and
home heating oil -- as it is our national security and the issue of
climate change that's so important.

LEHRER: We've got time for one more lead question segment.
We're way out of...
(CROSSTALK)

LEHRER: Quick response and then...

(CROSSTALK)

MCCAIN: No one from Arizona is against solar. And Senator Obama
says he's for nuclear, but he's against reprocessing and he's against
storing. So...

OBAMA: That's just not true, John. John, I'm sorry, but that's
not true.

MCCAIN: ... it's hard to get there from here. And off-shore
drilling is also something that is very important and it is a bridge.

And we know that, if we drill off-shore and exploit a lot of
these reserves, it will help, at temporarily, relieve our energy
requirements. And it will have, I think, an important effect on the
price of a barrel of oil.

OBAMA: I just have to respond very quickly, just to correct --
just to correct the record.

MCCAIN: So I want to say that, with the Nunn-Lugar thing...

LEHRER: Excuse me, Senator.

OBAMA: John?

MCCAIN: ... I supported Nunn-Lugar back in the early 1990s when
a lot of my colleagues didn't. That was the key legislation at the
time and put us on the road to eliminating this issue of nuclear waste
and the nuclear fuel that has to be taken care of.

OBAMA: I -- I just have to correct the record here. I have
never said that I object to nuclear waste. What I've said is that we
have to store it safely.

And, Senator McCain, he says -- he talks about Arizona.

LEHRER: All right.

OBAMA: I've got to make this point, Jim.

LEHRER: OK.

OBAMA: He objects...

MCCAIN: I have voted for alternate fuel all of my time...

OBAMA: He -- he -- he objects...

(CROSSTALK)

LEHRER: One at a time, please.
OBAMA: He objected...

LEHRER: One at a time.

MCCAIN: No one can be opposed to alternate energy.

OBAMA: All right, fair enough. Let's move on. You've got one
more energy -- you've got one more question.

LEHRER: This is the last -- last lead question. You have two
minutes each. And the question is this, beginning with you, Senator
McCain.

What do you think the likelihood is that there would be another
9/11-type attack on the continental United States?

MCCAIN: I think it's much less than it was the day after 9/11.
I think it -- that we have a safer nation, but we are a long way from
safe.

And I want to tell you that one of the things I'm most proud of,
among others, because I have worked across the aisle. I have a long
record on that, on a long series of reforms.

But after 9/11, Senator Joe Lieberman and I decided that we
needed a commission, and that was a commission to investigate 9/11,
and find out what happened, and fix it.

And we were -- we were opposed by the administration, another
area where I differed with this administration. And we were stymied
until the families of 9/11 came, and they descended on Washington, and
we got that legislation passed.

And there were a series of recommendations, as I recall, more
than 40. And I'm happy to say that we've gotten written into law most
of those reforms recommended by that commission. I'm proud of that
work, again, bipartisan, reaching across the aisle, working together,
Democrat and Republican alike.

So we have a long way to go in our intelligence services. We
have to do a better job in human intelligence. And we've got to -- to
make sure that we have people who are trained interrogators so that we
don't ever torture a prisoner ever again.

We have to make sure that our technological and intelligence
capabilities are better. We have to work more closely with our
allies. I know our allies, and I can work much more closely with
them.

But I can tell you that I think America is safer today than it
was on 9/11. But that doesn't mean that we don't have a long way to
go.

And I'd like to remind you, also, as a result of those
recommendations, we've probably had the largest reorganization of
government since we established the Defense Department. And I think
that those men and women in those agencies are doing a great job.

But we still have a long way to go before we can declare America
safe, and that means doing a better job along our borders, as well.

LEHRER: Two minutes, Senator Obama.

OBAMA: Well, first of all, I think that we are safer in some
ways. Obviously, we've poured billions of dollars into airport
security. We have done some work in terms of securing potential
targets, but we still have a long way to go.

We've got to make sure that we're hardening our chemical sites.
We haven't done enough in terms of transit; we haven't done enough in
terms of ports.

And the biggest threat that we face right now is not a nuclear
missile coming over the skies. It's in a suitcase.

This is why the issue of nuclear proliferation is so important.
It is the -- the biggest threat to the United States is a terrorist
getting their hands on nuclear weapons.

And we -- we are spending billions of dollars on missile defense.
And I actually believe that we need missile defense, because of Iran
and North Korea and the potential for them to obtain or to launch
nuclear weapons, but I also believe that, when we are only spending a
few hundred million dollars on nuclear proliferation, then we're
making a mistake.

The other thing that we have to focus on, though, is Al Qaida.
They are now operating in 60 countries. We can't simply be focused on
Iraq. We have to go to the root cause, and that is in Afghanistan and
Pakistan. That's going to be critical. We are going to need more
cooperation with our allies.

And one last point I want to make. It is important for us to
understand that the way we are perceived in the world is going to make
a difference, in terms of our capacity to get cooperation and root out
terrorism.

And one of the things that I intend to do as president is to
restore America's standing in the world. We are less respected now
than we were eight years ago or even four years ago.

OBAMA: And this is the greatest country on Earth. But because
of some of the mistakes that have been made -- and I give Senator
McCain great credit on the torture issue, for having identified that
as something that undermines our long-term security -- because of
those things, we, I think, are going to have a lot of work to do in
the next administration to restore that sense that America is that
shining beacon on a hill.

LEHRER: Do you agree there's much to be done in a new
administration to restore...

(CROSSTALK)

MCCAIN: But in the case of missile defense, Senator Obama said
it had to be, quote, "proven." That wasn't proven when Ronald Reagan
said we would do SDI, which is missile defense. And it was major -- a
major factor in bringing about the end of the Cold War.

We seem to come full circle again. Senator Obama still doesn't
quite understand -- or doesn't get it -- that if we fail in Iraq, it
encourages Al Qaida. They would establish a base in Iraq.

The consequences of defeat, which would result from his plan of
withdrawal and according to date certain, regardless of conditions,
according to our military leaders, according to every expert, would
lead to defeat -- possible defeat, loss of all the fragile sacrifice
that we've made of American blood and treasure, which grieves us all.

All of that would be lost if we followed Senator Obama's plan to
have specific dates with withdrawal, regardless of conditions on the
ground.

And General Petraeus says we have had great success, but it's
very fragile. And we can't do what Senator Obama wants to do.

That is the central issue of our time. And I think Americans
will judge very seriously as to whether that's the right path or the
wrong path and who should be the next president of the United States.

LEHRER: You see the same connections that Senator McCain does?

OBAMA: Oh, there's no doubt. Look, over the last eight years,
this administration, along with Senator McCain, have been solely
focused on Iraq. That has been their priority. That has been where
all our resources have gone.

In the meantime, bin Laden is still out there. He is not
captured. He is not killed. Al Qaida is resurgent.

In the meantime, we've got challenges, for example, with China,
where we are borrowing billions of dollars. They now hold a trillion
dollars' worth of our debt. And they are active in countries like --
in regions like Latin America, and Asia, and Africa. They are -- the
conspicuousness of their presence is only matched by our absence,
because we've been focused on Iraq.

We have weakened our capacity to project power around the world
because we have viewed everything through this single lens, not to
mention, look at our economy. We are now spending $10 billion or more
every month.

And that means we can't provide health care to people who need
it. We can't invest in science and technology, which will determine
whether or not we are going to be competitive in the long term.

There has never been a country on Earth that saw its economy
decline and yet maintained its military superiority. So this is a
national security issue.

We haven't adequately funded veterans' care. I sit on the
Veterans Affairs Committee, and we've got -- I meet veterans all
across the country who are trying to figure out, "How can I get
disability payments? I've got post-traumatic stress disorder, and yet
I can't get treatment."

So we have put all chips in, right there, and nobody is talking
about losing this war. What we are talking about is recognizing that
the next president has to have a broader strategic vision about all
the challenges that we face.

That's been missing over the last eight years. That sense is
something that I want to restore.

MCCAIN: I've been involved, as I mentioned to you before, in
virtually every major national security challenge we've faced in the
last 20-some years. There are some advantages to experience, and
knowledge, and judgment.

And I -- and I honestly don't believe that Senator Obama has the
knowledge or experience and has made the wrong judgments in a number
of areas, including his initial reaction to Russian invasion --
aggression in Georgia, to his -- you know, we've seen this
stubbornness before in this administration to cling to a belief that
somehow the surge has not succeeded and failing to acknowledge that he
was wrong about the surge is -- shows to me that we -- that -- that we
need more flexibility in a president of the United States than that.

As far as our other issues that he brought up are concerned, I
know the veterans. I know them well. And I know that they know that
I'll take care of them. And I've been proud of their support and
their recognition of my service to the veterans.

And I love them. And I'll take care of them. And they know that
I'll take care of them. And that's going to be my job.
But, also, I have the ability, and the knowledge, and the
background to make the right judgments, to keep this country safe and
secure.

Reform, prosperity, and peace, these are major challenges to the
United States of America. I don't think I need any on-the-job
training. I'm ready to go at it right now.

OBAMA: Well, let me just make a closing point. You know, my
father came from Kenya. That's where I get my name.

And in the '60s, he wrote letter after letter to come to college
here in the United States because the notion was that there was no
other country on Earth where you could make it if you tried. The
ideals and the values of the United States inspired the entire world.

I don't think any of us can say that our standing in the world
now, the way children around the world look at the United States, is
the same.

And part of what we need to do, what the next president has to do
-- and this is part of our judgment, this is part of how we're going
to keep America safe -- is to -- to send a message to the world that
we are going to invest in issues like education, we are going to
invest in issues that -- that relate to how ordinary people are able
to live out their dreams.

And that is something that I'm going to be committed to as
president of the United States.

LEHRER: Few seconds. We're almost finished.

MCCAIN: Jim, when I came home from prison, I saw our veterans
being very badly treated, and it made me sad. And I embarked on an
effort to resolve the POW-MIA issue, which we did in a bipartisan
fashion, and then I worked on normalization of relations between our
two countries so that our veterans could come all the way home.

I guarantee you, as president of the United States, I know how to
heal the wounds of war, I know how to deal with our adversaries, and I
know how to deal with our friends.

LEHRER: And that ends this debate tonight.

On October 2nd, next Thursday, also at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time,
the two vice presidential candidates will debate at Washington
University in St. Louis. My PBS colleague, Gwen Ifill, will be the
moderator.

For now, from Oxford, Mississippi, thank you, senators, both.
I'm Jim Lehrer. Thank you, and good night.

(APPLAUSE)

END

.ETX

Sep 26, 2008 22:57 ET
.EOF

Amazon's Kindle 2 Suddenly Appears

2008-10-04T01:20:00.000-07:00

Boy Genius just unveiled shots of what is very likely the Kindle 2. Notice the follow-up to the snowspeeder-like original Amazon e-book reader is more rounded, more early-iPod in its proportions, but still white with the same basic screen. The cool sparkly LCD status bar seems to be gone, a joystick has replaced the clickwheel, and the other buttons are smaller for fewer accidental page turns. No word on the availability of this baby, of course. As you might expect, Boy Genius has quite a few more pictures, and more details too, so feel free to drop on over there to have a look. We'll be here when you're ready to comment.

9/11 An Inside Job

2008-10-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin Nude Pictures

2008-10-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

Did you know #1: Back in 1986 Sarah Palin had posed for a series of Nude Photographs when she was running for Wasila Beauty Pageant as a contestant. Following are some of the Pictures from the Pageant.

Did you know #2: Trig Palin, recently claimed to be born to Sarah Palin is actually Bristol Palin’s first child. She is currently expecting her second child and she is only 17.

(Photo was obtained from her myspace where she was boasting the birth of her baby. But soon after Sarah Paulin recieved a Phone call from the McCain Camp, her myspace as well as Facebook accounts were deleted)

Annakornikova

2008-09-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

what's there .................

Aston Villa - Sunderland Premier League

2008-09-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

In contrast to his counterpart for this weekend’s fixture, Martin O’Neill is content with his regular starting XI; the Ulsterman made just five changes to his team for the midweek cup defeat to QPR, while other Premier League managers gave their B team or youth side a run.

The familiarity and closeness enjoyed by O’Neill’s preferred eleven was absent from a strangely slipshod Villa, who missed the urgency of Gabriel Agbonlahor from the outset and the qualities of Nigel Reo-Coker and Martin Laursen respectively.

O’Neill, if possible, would prefer to pick the same names week-in and week-out and has duly impressed a good line of communication on his side, evident in their fluent attacking play.

Performances for Villa at full-strength very rarely yield no goals, even if their defending is notoriously generous. Indeed, the side has not kept a clean sheet for the best part of a month.

Between the Liverpool game and now, the Villans have opened their account in two other competitions, even if interest in one has been prematurely ended.

The side will look to bounce back from the Carling Cup defeat this Saturday in front of the fans they disappointed on Wednesday, with a number of integral components restored to the line-up.

Too Many Pegs, Not Enough Holes

Despite their woeful showing against Northampton midweek, Sunderland are enjoying one of their best ever starts to a top-flight campaign.

As things stand, they occupy eighth position in the table, and have already claimed the scalp of Tottenham Hotspur. In their first game of the season, they deserved better than a narrow 1-0 reverse against Liverpool.

As much as Sunderland are improving, both Roy Keane and the club’s supporters seem strangely impatient.

It is said that any team is only as good as their last result, which means Sunderland are ’piss-poor’, according to their potty-mouthed manager.

The Northampton debacle seems to have upset everybody on Wearside despite the shoot-out victory, not least Roy Keane. Stopping narrowly short of calling his team an embarrassment, Keane endured the taunts and vitriol of the Black Cats faithful when they voiced their discontent at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.

Keane altered his line-up for that encounter, but that opened a new can of worms for the Irishman.

He has so many players at his disposal, that he risks not knowing what to do with them. While most mid-ranked clubs toil with a squad of 22 or 23, Keane has swollen his ranks to the tune of about 45 players.

The fear is that Keane, like most Sunderland supporters, is unsure of the side’s strongest XI which is the exact opposite of this weekend’s opposition.

Sunderland’s players need to start performing consistently or risk being dropped. The relatively simple method of picking a team may inspire players to play above themselves, but it does not half disrupt the continuity of the side. Have a word with Martin, Keano.

FORM GUIDE

Aston Villa:

Sept 24 (H) v QPR (Carling Cup) LOST 1-0

Sept 21 (A) v West Bromwich Albion (EPL) WON 2-1

Sept 18 (A) v Litex Lovech (UEFA) WON 3-1

Sept 15 (A) v Tottenham Hotspur (EPL) WON 2-1

Aug 31 (H) v Liverpool (EPL) DREW 0-0

Sunderland:

Sept 23 (H) v Northampton (Carling Cup) DREW 2-2 (WON after PK)

Sept 20 (H) v Middlesbrough (EPL) WON 2-0

Sept 13 (A) v Wigan Athletic (EPL) DREW 1-1

Aug 31 (H) v Manchester City (EPL) LOST 3-0

Aug 27 (A) v Nottingham Forest (Carling Cup) WON 2-1 AET

TEAM NEWS

Aston Villa:

Martin O’Neill is still without Steve Sidwell while Wilfred Bouma is a long-term casualty. The Ulsterman should restore his preferred starting line-up after shuffling his deck midweek.

Possible Starting Line-Up: Freidel - L Young, Shorey, Davies, Laursen - Reo-Coker, Barry, Petrov - Agbonlahor, A Young - Carew

Sunderland:

The Black Cats are due a shake-up after their midweek shambles at home to Northampton. Keane is likely to replace some of his lesser performers from that night, although a number of regular first-teamers started that encounter. Injury-wise, only Teemu Tainio and Kenwyne Jones are ruled out, meaning Keane has around 40 players from which to choose. Anthony Stokes could force a start after his two-goal salvo in midweek.

Possible Starting Line-Up: Gordon - Chimbonda, Nosworthy, Ferdinand, McCartney - Malbranque, Yorke, Reid, Diouf - Cisse, Stokes

PLAYERS TO WATCH

While Gabriel Agbolahor has been grabbing the goals for Aston Villa of late, Ashley Young has quietly gone about his business as one of England’s outstanding young attackers, picking up where he left off last season. The winger contributed more assists than anyone bar Cesc Fabregas last term and has started this season in fine fashion. If he can agitate a Sunderland defence short of pace, Villa may get a breakthrough.

This Sunderland side have some serious making-up to do to their manager after a listless midweek performance, so all will be eager to avoid Keane‘s axe. Djibril Cisse, already off the mark in Sunderland colours, could have the pace and power to make an impression in this fixture after being spared the indignity of appearing in the Northampton game.

PREDICTION

Sunderland prevailed in this fixture last season and generally have a good record against midlands sides. Both teams will be looking to bounce back after poor Carling Cup outings during the week so a determined a focussed display will no doubt be apparent in both camps. While Aston Villa have, conceivably, the more settled line-up, Sunderland should have enough to take a reward from this one.

Aston Villa 1-1 Sunderland

Can Spurs Now Kick-Start Their Season?

2008-09-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

Since Juande Ramos and Tottenham Hotspur lifted the Carling Cup in February they have gone on to win just three league matches.

The promising signings of European Championship stars Roman Pavlyuchenko and Luka Modrić, together with Vedran Ćorluka, David Bentley, and Giovani Dos Santos were supposed to signal a new era in the absence of the 40 goals that outbound Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov would have provided, but so far the only thing that has been delivered is yet another false dawn.

To add insult to injury; while the 'Ramos revolution' languishes at the death of the table, former coach Martin Jol and new club Hamburg are holding a European place in the Bundesliga and playing attractive football.

However, is Tottenham's pitiful Premier League start about to become a thing of the past? Can Wednesday evening's Carling Cup win over fellow strugglers Newcastle United help inspire the Spurs to more wins, or will they follow their recent victory with yet another loss?

Clash of the Crisis Clubs

It had been dubbed the 'Clash of the Crisis Clubs' but it turned out to be more like the 'Draw of the Bore,' such was the extent of unbearable ennui that the tie inflicted on their audience, which incidently was the lowest attendance recorded at St James' Park since the ground had been redeveloped.

What was important for the lily whites though was that they beat the black and white stripes in normal time and go into the weekend's league game without the fatigue extra time would have brought, together with the confidence that the victory would have instilled.

Prior to the League Cup game Spurs had been billed to embark on a run of games that had the potential to make or break the season. The first is indeed out the way, but did their play warrant a win? Can this form claim another scalp at the weekend?

There seemed to be a distinct lack of motivation on the pitch at Tyneside, from both teams, but Spurs looked sleepy; made poor runs; and their passing was, in general, poor.

But was that to be expected from a side so low on self-assurance? Roman Pavlyuchenko's glancing header will provide the Russian a sanguine disposition after a slow start and a bemoaning of the amount of training that English club's like to administer, and that may rub off on the rest of the side before Sunday.

Aaron Lennon and Giovani dos Santos are two of Tottenham's most dangerous weapons at the moment. Both have pace and like to run at the defence, and the former - whose final ball has often been lacking in the past - whipped in a well-weighted cross for Spurs' first.

Making And Breaking

Tottenham's next five games can turn their season around. On Sunday they face a side who have conceded ten goals in two games - Portsmouth, at Fratton Park; a ground where Hotspur have not lost for four years. What may play in the home side's favour though is the amount of Arsenal alumni at the club, plus former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe perhaps looking to inflict more misery on a club that never granted him the amount of starts he craved.

In seven days Tottenham return to Uefa Cup action having to travel to Krakow to protect a 2-1 lead with the aim of progressing into the group stages. This is one competition where Ramos has bundles of experience having won the competition twice with Sevilla and an early exit would add further embarrassment to a season already blighted by abashment.

Ramos may favour the 4-5-1 formation for the two away trips as it is with this tactic that Tottenham have achieved their greater results of the season: the draw at Stamford Bridge and the win at St James' Park. Caution will also need to be exercised as Wisla already have an away goal.

Three days after the Poland trip, Hull visit north London for the second weekend running. A newly promoted side who are yet to play one of the league's big boys. They were exposed by Wigan Athletic and an in-form Arsenal could potentially destroy them as they often did with Reading.

Should the results against Wisla and Pompey have gone Tottenham's way, Ramos and Poyet may opt to revert back to the 4-4-2 for a home fixture against a side that are punching well above their weight.

Spurs' third Sunday fixture on the spin sees them travel to Stoke City, followed the next Saturday with a visit of Bolton Wanderers.

There are no easy games in the Premier League, or so the saying goes. Are Tottenham's next four, together with the Wisla game in between, all winnable? Or will October be another month of lily white humiliation?

NEWS AND FUSE

Live cricket T20 Matches

SKYNEWSBLOG.COM

US AID FOR PAKISTAN

Bux.to Scam

Geo tv

Democrappy in Action in INDIA

Laser Hair Removal

Picking the Best web host

At least 50 die in earthquake in Italy

Forex Megadroid Robot Review

The money using Easy Forex Trading Robot

How Forex Robot?

Forex Trading Forex Robot makes it so easy!

Explanation of Forex online!

Live Forex webinar MegaDroid

Bux.to is a SCAM

Pakistan reinstates sacked judge

terrorists entered from across the border from India

Indian RAW behind Srilankan cricket team attack

Court setback for Sharif brothers

Sharif brothers declared ineligible

Sharif brothers Election Ban

Was 'Uzayr (Ezra) Called The Son Of God?

Gaza strike protesters gather near Obama's South Side home

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK of NEW YORK

The Perfect Man

Introduction

Hazrat Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim

Greatest Person Ever Lived

THE ADVANTAGES IN ACQUIRING AN EXISTING BUSINESS

Acquisitions of Existing Businesses

The Different Allergic Reactions In Dogs

Contraindications to Breastfeeding

Recommendations for Carbohydrate Intake

13 BJP-RSS men jailed for Kannur bomb attack

Shock as top Indian Army officer arrested over bomb attack

Earn online money at home with Paid To Click Websites

Earn online money at home with Paid To Click Websites

Indian Cricket

Keating Economics: The Making of a Financial Crisis

Downloads: .MOV (148.5MB) | .MP4 (29.5MB)

Top News

CNN Video

Research & Downloads (permalink)

The ABCs of John McCain, Charles Keating & The Savings & Loan (S&L) Crisis

Downloads

Learn More

Top News

Watch the Trailer

Share your Story

Share this Video

Premier League Latest Headlines

India Vs Australia

Vice presidential debate

Insulting the public's intelligence

Sarah Palin and her 15 minutes

Who's the impersonator?

Where African Americans stand

Remember the war in Iraq?

Scoring the Vice-Presidential Debate

Debate Transcript

Amazon's Kindle 2 Suddenly Appears

9/11 An Inside Job

Sarah Palin Nude Pictures

Annakornikova

Aston Villa - Sunderland Premier League

Can Spurs Now Kick-Start Their Season?