Still ‘Hope’ For Gov’s Homeowners Program? (Pro Publica)

November 25, 2008 5:18 pm EST

"We wrote a couple of weeks ago about how the federal government’s program to help homeowners avoid foreclosure is flopping. The government had projected 400,000 could be helped by the "HOPE for Homeowners" program. As of two weeks ago, just 42 people had applied. The government has budgeted $3.9 billion for the program."

Read the entire article at Pro Publica
http://www.propublica.org/article/still-hope-for-govs-homeowners-program-1125/

A Bailout That Works? (Pro Publica)

According to this article, the total bill to taxpayers is now eight trillion dollars. Trillion? With a T? Can that possibly be right? No wonder I can't get Social Security. -BV

November 26, 2008 11:40 am EST

"The latest installment – jointly from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury – is aimed at loosening the mortgage markets and encouraging new loans to consumers. And according to the Wall Street Journal, there were signs yesterday afternoon that it may work: Some 30-year mortgage rates sank a half-percentage point yesterday."

Read the entire article at Pro Publica
http://www.propublica.org/article/a-bailout-that-works/

Detroit's auto bubble pain (CNNMoney)

"Fire burn and cauldron bubble." Wouldn't that be a more accurate way of predicting Detroit's future? -BV

Automakers are suffering because sales were artificially boosted by cheap credit and the Big Three thought this could last forever.
November 30, 2008: 6:59 PM ET

"Automakers are counting on a rebound in demand by 2010. But that could turn out to be unrealistic because of an "auto bubble" the Big Three helped to create during the past few years.

"Cheap financing, easy credit conditions and attractive pricing on cars due to overcapacity in the U.S. auto market caused record sales earlier this decade."

Read the entire article at CNNMoney
http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/30/news/companies/auto_bubble/

Obama poised to name Hillary Clinton to State post (Reuters)

Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:53pm EST

"President-Elect Barack Obama was poised to name his national security team on Monday, with former political rival Hillary Clinton in line to be picked as secretary of state.

"As part of a deal with Obama to clear the way for his wife to get the post, former President Bill Clinton agreed to make public the names of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation, the New York Times reported in Sunday's editions."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4AT26E20081130

Bush on His Legacy: I 'Liberated' Iraqis (ABC News)

Sadly, I think he actually believes this. I can't decide whether to laugh, cry, or just shake my head in wonder. -BV

President Says He Wants to Be Remembered for Liberating Iraqis and HIV/AIDS Work in Africa
Nov. 28, 2008

"In a personal and wide-ranging interview conducted by his sister about his legacy, his faith and the influence of his father, President George W. Bush said he hopes to be remembered as a liberator of the Iraqi people. "

Read the entire article at ABC News
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6353033&page=1

Fraud detected more often at bankrupt companies (Reuters)

This would certainly explain why so many corporations are seeking a Government bailout rather than seeking protection under the bankruptcy laws. -BV

Mon Nov 24, 2008 9:51am EST

"Bankrupt companies are three times more likely to have been cited for fraud by U.S. regulators, according to a study released on Monday."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AN3NJ20081124

General Motors board weighs bankruptcy option: report (Reuters)

The beginning of the end or the end of the beginning? -BV

Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:02am EST

"The board of directors of embattled U.S. automaker General Motors Corp is considering "all options" including bankruptcy, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's website late on Friday."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AL0VW20081122

Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy (Huffington Post)

Thanks to madinmd for sending me this.
In this column by Andy Borowitz, his toung is obviously in his cheek...but not too far. -BV

Posted November 18, 2008 12:47 PM (EST)

"In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say."

Read the entire column at the Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/obamas-use-of-complete-se_b_144642.html

Top judge: US and UK acted as 'vigilantes' in Iraq invasion (Guardian UK)

Tuesday November 18 2008 00.01 GMT

"One of Britain's most authoritative judicial figures last night delivered a blistering attack on the invasion of Iraq, describing it as a serious violation of international law, and accusing Britain and the US of acting like a 'world vigilante'."

Read the entire article at the Guardian (UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/18/iraq-us-foreign-policy

Will Bush’s midnight rules be reversible? (Politico.com)

11/19/08 11:16 AM EST

"Whether it’s relaxing pollution control standards for power plants or allowing loaded weapons into national parks, the Bush Administration is scrambling to approve or change as many federal rules as it can before it hands off power to President-elect Barack Obama. This surge of “midnight regulations” presents a thorny question for the next administration: What can it do to void rules it thinks should be undone?"

Read the entire article at Politico.com
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15758.html

Recount begins in Minnesota for U.S. Senate seat (Los Angeles Times)

With Ted Stevens defeared (apparently) in Alaska, the remaining Senate races in Georgia and Minnesota become more important. Somebody pass me the popcorn... -BV

November 20, 2008

"The election of 2008 is far from over here in Minnesota, where a breathtakingly narrow lead in the U.S. Senate race -- 215 ballots in favor of Coleman over Franken, out of 2.9 million cast -- has sparked lawsuits, accusations of electoral shenanigans and a Midwestern take on Florida's infamous hunt for hanging chads."

Read the entire article at the Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-minnesota-recount20-2008nov20,0,6879029.story

Qaeda scorns Obama with racial slur and urges attacks (Reuters)

For a year now I've had to deal with fools who claimed that Barack Obama was a Muslem, an Arab, a terrorist, a lot of things that he plainly wasn't. Isn't. You might think that with Al Qaeda dissing him directly that some of this would be silenced; sadly, you'd be wrong. Some people would rather hang on to their misconceptions and outright lies if they let them also hang on to their hate. -BV

Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:16pm EST

"Al Qaeda's deputy leader accused Barack Obama of betraying his race and his father's Muslim heritage on Wednesday and urged more attacks, as the group tried to counter the incoming U.S. president's global popularity."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AI47X20081119

Dick Cheney indicted in Texas (Fox 21, Colorado Springs)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 3:55 p.m.

"A grand jury in South Texas indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in local federal detention centers."

Read the entire article at Fox 21, Colorado Springs
http://www.kxrm.com/news/story.aspx?id=224012

Begich claims victory over Stevens for Alaska Senate seat (CNN)

November 18, 2008

"Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, the Republican lawmaker convicted on felony corruption charges in October, appears to have lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Mark Begich, according to a release from Begich's campaign and unofficial results from state officials."

Read the entire article at CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/18/alaska.senate.race/

Lieberman keeps Senate chairmanship (Reuters)

Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:55am EST

"Senate Democrats on Tuesday yielded to the wishes of President-elect Barack Obama and allowed Joe Lieberman to keep his committee chairmanship despite having backed Republican John McCain for the White House, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa said."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AG7MC20081118

America the Illiterate (Truthdig)

Thanks to madinmd for sending me this.

Posted on Nov 10, 2008

"We live in two Americas. One America, now the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world. It can cope with complexity and has the intellectual tools to separate illusion from truth. The other America, which constitutes the majority, exists in a non-reality-based belief system. This America, dependent on skillfully manipulated images for information, has severed itself from the literate, print-based culture."

Read the entire column at Truthdig
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081110_america_the_illiterate/

Why (Else) to Watch the Minnesota Senate Squeaker (ProPublica)

November 14, 2008 12:33 pm EST

"Unlike many states, Minnesota has a solid idea of how well its machines scan ballots because it randomly audits samples of votes. One test found only one error out of 12,000 ballots. Another turned up as many as 53 'discrepancies' -- between a machine's and a human's read -- out of 94,000.

"That's impressively accurate for voting machines. But it's not precise enough to predict who'll triumph in the U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken. They're currently separated by 206 votes out of 2.9 million cast."

Read the entire article at ProPublica
http://www.propublica.org/article/why-else-to-watch-the-minnesota-senate-squeaker-1114/

Iraq's cabinet approves troops pact with U.S. (Reuters)

This is a serious backstep for the Bush administration, who will undoubtedly spin it as a giant leap forward. -BV

Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:30am EST

"Iraq's cabinet approved a pact on Sunday that will let U.S. troops stay in the country until 2011, setting a final date to end a military presence that began with the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AF0GY20081116

Olbermann: Gay marriage is a question of love (MSNBC)

Thanks to randomguage for sending me the original video link at the Huffington Post; I had to search around a bit to find a full-text link, without video that would crash my computer. -BV

Everyone deserves the same chance at permanence and happiness
updated 9:13 p.m. ET, Mon., Nov. 10, 2008

"Finally tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast."

Read the entire Special Comment at MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27650743/

Cloistered for weeks, Palin is now everywhere (Reuters)

You'd think an Alaskan would know better than to risk over-exposure...
Is anyone besides me sick of her yet? -BV

Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:37am EST

"The McCain campaign largely kept her under wraps out of fear that she might make more verbal missteps as she did in high-profile television interviews shortly after she was picked as McCain's No. 2. But now that she is no longer under the watchful eyes of McCain campaign officials, the Alaska governor is talking, and talking and talking."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4AC09P20081113

U.S. trails other nations in chronic illness care (Reuters)

The next time someone tries to tell you the reasons we shouldn't have universal medical care, have them explain this. -BV

Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:20am EST

"Chronically ill Americans are more likely to forgo medical care because of high costs or experience medical errors than patients in other affluent countries, according to a study released on Thursday."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4AC10720081113

Doctors say marrow transplant may have cured AIDS (Associated Press)

November 12, 2008

"An American man who suffered from AIDS appears to have been cured of the disease 20 months after receiving a targeted bone marrow transplant normally used to fight leukemia, his doctors said Wednesday."

Read the entire article at the Associates Press on Yahoo!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081112/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_aids_treatment;_ylt=AuoLGccLYexTCzk1Z__CxHms0NUE

Hoax NY Times newspaper declares end of Iraq war (Reuters)

Submitted without comment...but with a snicker. -BV

Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:43pm EST

"A group of pranksters handed out more than 1.2 million fake New York Times newspapers mainly in New York City and Los Angeles on Wednesday with a front page story declaring 'Iraq War Ends.'"

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4AB76Q20081112

Paulson backs off asset plan; crisis cures at risk (Reuters)

If you thought you were going to receive some help from the huge Federal bailout, think again. -BV

Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:48pm EST

"Secretary Henry Paulson, in the most explicit sign yet that Treasury was abandoning its initial plan for the rescue funds, said he preferred to focus instead on buying stakes in banks to encourage them to increase lending."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE49N5VU20081112

Unfinished business (The Ecomonist)

America's election is not over: a handful of Senate seats are still up for grabs
Nov 11th 2008

"DESPITE the decisive victory of Barack Obama and the Democrats last Tuesday, a surprising amount of business remains unfinished. The Democrats made several gains in the 100-seat Senate, but the intentions of one incumbent and the victor in three seats remains to be determined, for a variety of unusual reasons."

Read the entire article at The Economist
http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12586376

Palin presses her case (Boston Globe)

Not her fault? Not entirely...but to a large extent. Do we really want to see this woman back on the national political scene? And will she ever leave it? -BV

November 11, 2008 09:47 AM

"Sarah Palin's PR offensive continued this morning, with a bottom-line message: The sweeping Republican loss last week isn't her fault."

Read the entire article at the Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/11/palin_presses_h.html

European governments turn left in global crisis (Reuters)

Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:11am EST

"European governments are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into bank rescues and economic stimulus plans to try to prevent the crisis becoming a deep depression."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4AA2UV20081111

Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda (New York Times)

Published: November 9, 2008

"The United States military since 2004 has used broad, secret authority to carry out nearly a dozen previously undisclosed attacks against Al Qaeda and other militants in Syria, Pakistan and elsewhere, according to senior American officials."

Read the entire article at the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/washington/10military.html?bl&ex=1226552400&en=0a657ff1585ec327&ei=5087%0A

Sparring Starts as Republicans Ponder Future (New York Times)

Published: November 10, 2008

"One week after the Republicans were routed in the presidential election, the fight is on over who will be the new leaders of the party. Republicans are debating how to position themselves ideologically and how aggressively to take on President-elect Barack Obama."

Read the entire article at the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/us/politics/11repubs.html

Palin puts faith in God for 2012 (BBC)

I don't think she has a prayer. -BV

Defeated Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said she hopes God will "show her the way" on any future bid for the White House.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008

"Mrs Palin, who was accused of going rogue during the election campaign, also admitted veering "off script", but denied harming the Republican ticket"

Read the entire article at the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7721272.stm

Obama to use executive orders for immediate impact (Associated Press)

November 9, 2008

"President-elect Obama plans to use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes office, perhaps reversing Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas."

Read the entire article at the Associated Press on Yahoo!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama;_ylt=Ah2Fjut9Y72O0fKFK5g_hrqs0NUE

The issues facing Obama (International Herald Tribune)

Published: November 9, 2008

Read the entire article at the International Herald Tribune
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/09/america/issues.php

Kremlin on lonely G20 crusade against Washington (Reuters)

Some cause for concern here; if Russia is indeed too Capitalist to return to Communism, then what's left but Facism? A cold war against a Facist Russia isn't likely to be any better than against a communist one...your thoughts? Hit the Comments link.

Fri Nov 7, 2008 12:05pm EST

"Russia is using the global financial crisis to attack U.S. policies and to try to reduce Washington's influence, but many countries are looking forward to Barack Obama's presidency and few are likely to follow suit."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUSTRE4A65J920081107

Hamas leader ready to talk to Obama (Reuters)

Sat Nov 8, 2008 5:41am EST

"Hamas is ready to talk to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama but he must respect the Palestinian Islamist group's "rights and options," its leader Khaled Meshaal said in an interview Saturday."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4A71AY20081108

Obama healthcare plan boon for hospitals: Moody's (Reuters)

Fri Nov 7, 2008 1:09pm EST

"President-elect Barack Obama's plan to extend health care to uninsured Americans will provide a boon to hospitals, along with medical centers and hospital equipment makers, according to Moody's Investors Service."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4A65W720081107

Pinch Me ...a message from Michael Moore (MichaelMoore.com)

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

"In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea."

Read the entire article at MichaelMoore.com
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=240

Obama Unites World 10 Weeks Before Taking Oath (WNBC)

Our new leader is generating enthusiasm even before he takes office.

Updated 6:53 PM EST, Thu, Nov 6, 2008

"...as Obama prepares to govern, not the least benefit of his great victory is the impact it is having on the rest of the world."

Read the entire article at WNBC
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Obama_Unites_World_10_Weeks_Before_Taking_Oath.html

Dems Getting Closer to Sixty? (ABC News)

While Minnesota recounts the ballots, Dems win key Oregon race

Nov. 6, 2008

"The record 2.9 million ballots cast in Minnesota's Senate race will get an automatic recount after incumbent Republican Norm Coleman's apparent narrow victory over Democratic challenger Al Franken."

Read the entire article at ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=6197839&page=1

Author Michael Crichton has 'Died Unexpectedly' (Entertainment Tonight)

Thanks to randomgauge for sending me this.

Posted November 05, 2008 8:55:00 AM

"In what his family calls an unexpected death, it was revealed that he was waging a private battle against cancer."

Read the entire article at Entertainment Tonight
http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/11/67369/

USC Study of Alhurra Withheld From Public; Inquiries of Network’s Operation Deepen (Pro Publica)

Thanks to madinmd for sending me this.

November 4, 2008 3:23 pm EST

"The government board that oversees the US-funded Arabic satellite channel Alhurra has refused to make public an independent study commissioned last year to review the network’s content."

Read the entire article at Pro Publica
http://www.propublica.org/feature/usc-study-of-alhurra-withheld-from-public-inquiries-of-networks-operation-d/

Russia to station missiles near Poland (Reuters)

Remember all that stuff about the new President being tested? Here's the first question: "What do you do about a new Cold War?" -BV

Wed Nov 5, 2008 10:06am EST

"Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged on Wednesday to station new missiles near Poland's border in response to U.S. plans for an anti-missile system and proposed extending the presidential term to six years from four."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4A46T820081105

Obama captures White House win (Reuters)

Tue Nov 4, 2008 11:32pm EST

"Democrat Barack Obama captured the White House on Tuesday after an extraordinary two-year campaign, defeating Republican John McCain to make history as the first black to be elected U.S. president."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4A36V020081105

The Promised Land ...a message from Michael Moore (MichaelMoore.com)

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

"McCain is right about one thing: Barack Obama is the most liberal senator in the United States Senate. More liberal than Ted Kennedy. When was the last time you had a chance to send the MOST liberal senator to the White House? Trust me, it won't happen again in our lifetime."

Read the entire article at MichaelMoore.com
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=239

What If the Presidential Election Is Tied? (ABC News)

This article outlines what is supposed to happen in the event of a Presidential tie. Information that I hope we won't need.

Examining the Possibility and Outcome of a 269-269 Electoral Vote Tie
Nov. 4, 2008

"There are 538 Electoral College votes at stake Tuesday to determine who will be the next president. It takes a majority, 270, to be elected. But what if it ends up tied 269-to-269? And how realistic is that?"

Read the entire article at ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=6172350&page=1

Voting machine problems reported on East Coast, in Midwest (Los Angeles Times)

7:02 AM PST, November 4, 2008

"Reporting from Washington -- Voting machine malfunctions and other problems were exacerbating long lines at polling places in several key battlegrounds as voting got underway on the East Coast and in the Midwest this morning, election monitors reported."

Read the entire article at the Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-votingproblems5-2008nov05,0,2933241.story

Independent Counsel Clears Palin of Ethics Violations (New York Times)

November 3, 2008

"A second investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused the powers of her office to pursue a personal vendetta has found “no probable cause” to believe she violated an Alaska ethics law by trying to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired or by actually dismissing the state’s public safety commission, who was the trooper’s boss."

Read the entire article at the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/us/politics/04palin.html?ref=politics

Lies, Half Truths and Contradictions: Chronicle ''Hidden'' Audio on Obama (San Francisco Chronicle)

November 2, 2008

"It's not true.

"But the Drudge Report, the Republican National Committee and apparently even GOP VP candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fell for completely fabricated news from a shady website called Newsbusters today suggesting the San Francisco Chronicle has ''hidden'' audio with Sen. Barack Obama regarding his statements on coal."

Read the entire article at the San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/b/a/2008/11/02/nov05election-lies_half_truth_2.DTL

Judge tells White House to release wiretapping docs (Reuters)

Sun Nov 2, 2008 1:20pm EST

"The Bush administration must give to a federal court documents related to government wiretapping of domestic communications without a warrant after the September 11 attacks, according to a recent court order."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4A11QJ20081102

Facts don't get in the way of Web political rumors (Associated Press at Yahoo!)

Sat Nov 1, 10:36 am ET

"SAN FRANCISCO – With just days to go before the election, gossip, hearsay, innuendo and smears are flying through the Internet as gadflies and rumormongers hope to sway voters before they head to the polls."

Read the entire article at the Associated Press on Yahoo!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081101/ap_on_el_pr/internet_political_rumors;_ylt=Ah6X0uKvldvwv_LvzJwzjfes0NUE

House GOP leader uses expletive to describe Obama (Associated Press at Yahoo!)

If I were a Republican, I'd be swearing right now, too. -BV

Sat Nov 1, 4:32 pm ET

"House Republican leader John Boehner has used a vulgar expression to refer to Democrat Barack Obama and his voting record in the Illinois legislature"

Read the entire article in the Associated Press at Yahoo!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081101/ap_on_el_pr/boehner_obama_insult;_ylt=AjLkIgWZYsGPjuWHvMzYU2us0NUE

Studs Terkel 1912-2008 (The Los Angeles Times and The Christian Science Monitor)

1. Studs Terkel, writer and radio personality, dies at 96 (Los Angeles Times)

The Chicago fixture used his knack for conversation to capture oral histories on World War II, the Great Depression and more.
November 1, 2008

"Studs Terkel, who made his name listening to ordinary folks talk about their ordinary lives -- and who turned that knack for conversation into a much-honored literary career -- died Friday. He was 96"

Read the entire article at the Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-terkel1-2008nov01,0,108267.story


2. The life and work of Studs Terkel (Christian Science Monitor)
11.01.08

"The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once said of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and oral historian Studs Terkel that he 'is more than a writer; he is a national resource.' But Terkel saw himself as a teller of stories – the stories of others.

"Terkel died on Friday in Chicago at the age of 96. He leaves behind him a rich legacy of American stories, told both in print and on the air."

Read the entire article at the Christian Science Monitor
http://features.csmonitor.com/books/2008/11/01/the-life-and-work-of-studs-terkel/

Obama unaware of aunt's immigration status: campaign (Reuters)

Is this the best the Republicans can do for an "October Surprise?" I mean, it's hardly front page stuff... -BV

Sat Nov 1, 2008 6:36pm EDT

"Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama knows nothing about the status of a Kenyan relative reported to be living in the United States illegally but believes 'all appropriate laws should be followed,' his campaign said on Saturday."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4A01FC20081101

Rare flash of anger from Obama on Halloween night (Reuters)

If the Republican Right tries to make anything out of this, that will be all the evidence I need that they don't deserve to win. Anything. Ever. -BV

Sat Nov 1, 2008 8:31am EDT

"It wasn't quite a Halloween nightmare on Obama street, but journalists on Friday drew a rare flash of anger from the normally unflappable Democratic presidential nominee."

Read the entire article at Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE49U82620081101