Sunday, February 28, 2010

8.8 Chilean Earthquake 500 Times More Powerful than Haiti

From Denny: Yesterday, the country of Chile experienced a mind-numbing 8.8 magnitude earthquake. It tore apart over 1.5 million homes, bridges and highways in central Chile. Over 90 aftershocks followed. The 8.8 earthquake was felt 1,800 miles away in Sao Paulo, Brazil to the east.

In the capitol city of Santiago, 200 miles away and to the northeast from the epicenter (which was out at sea off the coast), there was damage:

Santiago airport with smashed windows, collapsed walkways, torn ceilings
Fine Arts Museum, badly damaged
several hospitals, no details as to damage

Chile's main seaport, in Valparaiso about 75 miles from Santiago:

two oil refineries shut down production - to restart large plants like this can take a month.
copper mines shut down production


The city of Concepcion was hardest hit along with the major port city of Talcahuano. With a major port damaged like this it could be difficult to get supplies to those most in need.

Haiti's was a 7.0 magnitude. The point spread doesn't sound like much until you realize that the difference is 500 times greater in ferocity. It's amazing any buildings are standing and more people were not killed. Right now that's about 708 in estimates because the Chilean Navy did not warn coastal villagers of an impending tsunami right after the earthquake. They did not have time to flee to the hills and many died needlessly.

Chile's coastal areas devastated by the large waves:

San Juan Bautista village on Robinson Crusoe Island
The port of Talcahuano
Vichato in the BioBio region

The surge of Pacific Ocean water affected 53 nations as they posted tsunami warnings. Hawaii dodged the negative effects of tsunami waves but they were prepared. They warned and evacuated for the "just in case" scenario. Hilo International Airport was closed as a precaution because it is located on the shore.

By today, it was estimated that over two million people have been displaced from their homes. They have not yet given figues on how many businesses are shut down and how many people are out of work. Like in Haiti, these may prove to be dire times for Chile. Why does the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, not accept immediate help from other countries like America who are standing by with rescue teams and relief efforts? As it has proven difficult in Haiti to setup and feed three million displaced people, so it will prove a problem in Chile in the coming weeks. It's best to jump on that problem now rather than wait.

For those with electricity in Chile, this is the news they awoke to find about the earthquake, raw news footage:






Assessing the damage done to historical sites:





From ITN News an aerial view of the devastation:







Here is video of looting. Do you think these people watched all the news coverage about Haiti and realized it will be weeks - if ever - before help arrives? Most people would loot for food and supplies too, knowing help may not come in time.






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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Funny Political Cartoons: Political Olympics, Broken Government, Lampooning Toyota - 27 Feb 2010

From Denny: This week the cartoonists were bearing down on the corruption in our politics - mainly from Big Business, Big Banks, Big Health Insurance and the Republicans. The President's Health Summit fizzled because of the silly Republicans who thought they were endearing themselves to the insurance companies. They did not endear themselves to the American public.

See: Republicans Smash Health Care Summit, Snub Prez Obama

Toyota - and their cavalier attitude toward public safety - did not escape their scorching pens either. When Toyota's President Akio Toyoda finally showed up to testify and apologize before the American Congress, there were actually newscasters in Japan questioning that Toyoda's predicament was the result of American politics. Are they crazy? Toyota's own emails and memos denounced them as the conniving deceitful greedy businessmen they truly are. They have been hiding evidence of serious defects for decades from the American government and the public who trusted them and their product.

So, my question back at the so-called journalists in Japan: How many of you are bought and paid for by Toyota or the Japanese government? Toyota made their mess all on their own. They just regret finally getting caught and having to answer for their crimes against the public. Lives have been lost due to their cavalier attitude.

Olympic cartoons still abound, especially in regard to Obama and The Party of No! and what a feat it is to medal gold around this cantankerous bunch. Politics really is an Olympic sport: you have the reckless thugs and those trying to display some classy attitude as they compete.

Tiger Woods still roasts on the fire of most people's lips and the cartoonists' furious pens. His third sponsor dropped him this week: Gatorade. Tiger is watching his $500 million in sponsor deals do a slow motion evaporation in spite of his half-hearted insincere efforts.

The man is obviously mentally or emotionally ill and in need of a long rest away from the spotlight. I have yet to hear of a cure for narcissism so the jury is still out on whether he can regain any one's trust now that he was outted by his mistresses. It's a lot less about sex and more about trust and good character as to why so many people are now turned off to him. Usually, when you see a celebrity fall apart all at once like this it's because the longer it goes on the more difficult it is to hide the issues.


Broken Government:

















































Politics and the Olympics metaphor:












































The Chinese and American governments continue to spar over Taiwan and the Dalai Lama. Hey, they wanted to be our credit card bankers, buying up that humongus debt, what more do they want? Google sex toys?

China Dragon vs. American Eagle





Toyota is spinning out of control in America. They parade out apologies instead of real solutions because they are too cheap to pay for them. They are arrogant enough to believe they will dominate the American auto market again. Uh, guys, news flash: You are toast. Pack up your cars and go home. Toyota used car sales are plummeting and will remain so for years as a result of your idiot strategies. Glad I don't own one. Any one who does had better ride it until the wheels fall off or trade it quickly for something far more road worthy.


Toyota Ads:


































Wait for it... wait for it... here it is: The Tiger Woods Apology Cartoons:





























And from the regular guys' perspective - you know, all of us who feel our government and business we work for just don't hear us - these cartoons are for you:














The Olympic cartoons are not yet out in full force but this one recounts the time when there was not a dry eye in the house when this Canadian skater, Joannie Rochette, won the Bronze medal in ladies' figure skating after her mother suddenly died of a heart attack just two days before the event. It really shows an Olympic fortitude you have to admire even if she didn't receive the gold. She got the gold in so many people's hearts all around the world.

Best Olympic moment:





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Country of Origin Debate over Lenses Not New





I've seen posts on various Pentax forums debating if there is a difference between the FA31mm, which is now made in Vietnam versus when they were made in Japan. As has been mentioned by several forum members, I can confirm that the same glass and components are being used and that our plant in Vietnam is "assembling" these lenses with the exact same specs as was used in Japan.

Partly to satisfy my own interest and also determine if there was potentially a noticeable difference in samples from the different countries of origin, I had our logistics manager procure for me three samples of the 31mm lens made in Japan, as well as three samples of the 31mm lens made in Vietnam. From a workmanship standpoint, I have found no discernible differences in the fit, finish or mechanics of these samples.

In my limited spare time over the past three to four months, I have put these lenses through a series of different tests shooting with both my K-7 and K-x. None of these tests were done in a lab, but I mixed up my shooting environments to include dim light, bright sun, abstract scenes, grand kids, etc. In fact, all my recent photos shot with the 31mm lens where randomly taken with the various samples.

To illustrate this post today, I've included two photos of the same flower vase shot with a Japanese 31mm and a Vietnamese 31mm. As it was raining and windy this morning when I took these photos, I wouldn't peep too deeply into these images. You're likely to see blur in the branches due to wind. However, if you sit back and just look at the overall color, contrast and saturation of these images, you'll find as I did that there's no real difference between the samples. And beside acuity, I've always regarded these attributes as the real test of any given lens.

I recognize that my post will not stem on-going discussions and debates about this lens, but I would hope this helps clarify the situation to some extent. I'd also like to point out to anyone that is relatively new to the arcane matters that surround high-quality optics, that these intense debates about the 31mm's country of origin are not new to our industry. For years, many Leica photographers have debated the merits of Leitz lenses made in Canada versus Germany. Although you can find many references to this debate, here's a link to one forum discussion Canada vs German Leitz Lenses .

So, in trying to summarize the reason for my post, I would not be overly concerned with the country of origin for any high-quality lens that you consider buying today. Based on my tests, I can't see or feel any difference between my FA31mm samples.

And to those that continue to promote widely that "made in Japan" FA 31mm's are better...you might just inadvertently end up setting higher prices for these samples on the "used", "LNIB" open market. Yes that did happen with used Leitz lenses for awhile, and I'd hate to see that happen with the 31mm since it'd be based more on myth than fact!
















(As the photo above shows, I tested a range of FA31mm samples including an older "silver" version. Notice the middle lens is stamped "Made in Japan" on the lens shade ring, whereas the Vietnam made sample to the right simply has the serial number stamped in the exact same location. I compared workmanship of all components, including the lens cap. I am not sure if the photo clearly shows the comparable fit and finish of the lens caps, but I can tell you that I've already mixed up the "black" caps and really can't tell which cap goes with which lens...smile)

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Republican Senator Holds Unemployment Benefits Extension Bill Hostage

hat tip: W.E.E. See You

From The AP:

Unemployment Extension Fails in Senate
GOP Sen. Jim Bunning Blocks Action over Concerns About Swelling Deficit

(AP) The Senate failed late Thursday to extend programs for laid-off workers, jeopardizing unemployment benefits scheduled to expire over the weekend.

The benefits are part of a larger package of government programs, from highway funding to loans for small businesses, set to expire Sunday because senators couldn’t agree on how to pay for an extension.

The House passed a bill Thursday extending the programs for a month while lawmakers consider how to address the issues long-term. Senate Democrats repeatedly tried to follow suit Thursday night but they couldn’t overcome the objections of a single lawmaker, Republican Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky, that the $10 billion bill would add to the budget deficit.


The Democrats are to blame for not forcing this clown to stand up on the floor, and any of his co-conspirators to STAND ON THE SENATE FLOOR - FOR ALL TO SEE - as they hurt at least 1.2 million American citizens. If they're so big and bad - FORCE THEM TO FILIBUSTER. This mamby-pamby bullshyt of letting them get away with it - without shouting it from the rooftops everytime a Democrat gets on tv - is pathetic.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?

From Bob Cesca:


Funding

* No reimbursements to States for previously-committed Federal highway funds. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will not be able to approve any expenditures from the Highway Trust Fund beginning on Monday, March 1. This will prohibit FHWA from reimbursing States for any previously-committed Federal highway funds.
* No ability to commit additional Federal highway funds. Due to both a statutory prohibition and the furlough of its employees (described below), beginning on Monday, March 1, FHWA will be unable to approve States’ commitment of any Federal highway funds.
* No ability to commit additional Federal transit funds. FTA will be unable to approve any new transit grants from all transit programs that are funded out of the Highway Trust Fund. This will prohibit States, transit agencies and MPOs from receiving funds from any of the following programs: Bus and Bus Facilities, Urban and Rural Formula, Metropolitan and Statewide Planning, Fixed Guideway Modernization, Formula Grants for Elderly and Disabled, Job Access and Reverse Commute, New Freedom and Transit in the Parks.

Furloughs

* Shutdown of Agencies and furloughs of over 4,000 Federal employees. The entire FHWA, the entire Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA), some portions of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and some portions of the Research and Innovation Transportation Administration (RITA), will cease operations and furlough their employees (totaling over 4,000 employees) beginning on Tuesday, March 2.

ARRA

* ARRA “Recovery Act” Impact: Due to the furlough of FHWA employees, any remaining obligation of funds by States may not be processed. This could cause States to lose some unspent ARRA funds.

Highway Safety

* No new MCSAP or new entrant grants. The shutdown of the FMCSA will prevent the agency from entering into new obligations for its 11 grant programs and funding vouchers for work performed during the duration of the lapsed authority. In particular, two highly visible programs, the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grants and the New Entrant grants, would be greatly affected. The MCSAP program provides funding to States to reduce the number and severity of crashes and hazardous materials incidents involving commercial motor vehicles. The New Entrant program provides funds to States to prevent unsafe motor carrier companies from entering the industry.

* All of NHTSA’s State highway safety grant programs would shut down. In addition to the furlough of its personnel, NHTSA would have to shut down operations of Highway Safety Research and Development; National Driver Register (NDR); and Highway Safety Grants, and would have to stop paying all bills for the programs under these accounts.


and what was Bunning's response when asked about all the unemployed people who would stop getting their benefits?

TOUGH SHIT

I kid you not.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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President Obama Signs Executive Order to Strengthen HBCU's

President Obama signs an executive order to strengthen the capacity of and increase access to Federal funding for the Nations Historically Black Colleges and Universities. February 26, 2010.

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President Obama's Weekly Youtube Address

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1981: A New Beginning


All this year at my Facebook page, which you can view from the link in the sidebar here at my website by joining up yourself and 'Friend'-ing me, I am taking a daily trip back in time to the 1980's. Each month I am highlighting a different year chronologically, and this month have been featuring the music, tv, movies, and important events of 1981. You can also follow this little mini-series of articles on each year of the "1980's'" by clicking on to that 'label' below this article.

As we all know, a new decade does not actually technically begin in a year that ends in a zero, it begins with the year ending in one (1). So while 1981 might be the 2nd year of the 1980's, it's the first year of a new decade and marked a beginning in a couple of different chapters of my own life.

In late September of 1980, my little young family had moved into an apartment in South Philly. 1981 would be the first and only full calendar year that we would live there. It was an interesting year at what became simply known as 'the apartment' in our little circle of friends. We had many a Friday night party at the place in the early months of the year, but as the summer drew on things got a bit more crowded.

In another development of those early months, the news came to us that a new addition was expected in the Veasey clan. Having given birth to Chrissy the previous February, we learned that Anne was pregnant again. Given that she was due at the end of July 1981, it appeared that this was a post-World Series baby conceived in the immediate aftermath of the Phils' first-ever championship at the end of October.

So leaping forward, on July 30th, 1981, Kelly Anne Veasey came into the world. We had planned all along to actually name her 'Kerry' rather than 'Kelly'. But another young couple who lived on Anne's parents block in Prospect Park, PA, were due at the same time. They gave birth just before us, and named their new daughter 'Kerry'. That killed it, we weren't going to be seen as copy-cats. So 'Kelly' it was. A fine Irish name.

Kelly's sister Christine had been almost too good to be true as a baby. She was quiet, happy, mostly healthy, slept through the night. A dream for a young couple who already had enough on their plates. Kelly - not so much. She was sickly for much of her first year, puking up everywhere and crying incessantly. We were paying the price for the good luck the first time around.

Kelly would grow out of that illness and crying period quickly the following summer, and would go on to be a wonderful, happy, care-free joy to be around for anyone who knew her. Well, maybe except for the whole pulling-out of her sister's hair episode. She remains that lovable way to this day. But as for that first year? Well, for the sake of the love that I have for her today, I'll pass on further commentary.

I began to get a little more responsibility in my job at First Pennsylvania Bank as well. In those days my work mostly consisted still of duties as a Messenger Clerk, and I was also getting involved in bond reconciliation and cremation procedures. It wasn't much, but for a kid who was still a teenager it was good, steady work with a small but livable paycheck. Most importantly for my young family, the job came with a good health care plan.

In the spring of 1981 an old friend from my Two Street neighborhood who also was working for the bank, Bob Bergmann, got me started in a venture that would change my life. Bob remembered me as a good ballplayer as a kid, and so he recruited me for a men's softball team for which he was playing in the bank's large intra-mural program.

I joined up with the team called the Pirates managed by the head of the bank's mailroom, Rich Quick. The team had a couple of strong hitting stars in a big lefty 1st baseman named John Dunn and a fast, strong, young outfielder named Fran Mehaffey. We were expected to contend, but fell short of those expectations. The personalities on the team never seemed to mesh, but the experience did get me back into athletics on an adult level and would expose me to my future as a ballplayer.

The fall after that season was finished, I was approached by a man from another area of our Trust Department by the name of Ed Markowski. Ed had been around the bank for a long time at that point, and was the head of a team known as 'Pennamco' which was usually a .500 team in the bank league and which had a large number of older players.

Their team was trying to get younger, and Ed recruited me, as well as a number of other younger guys, to play for them the following season. I hadn't been real happy with the Pirates experience, but loved playing again, and so I joined Ed's team. We would eventually go on to become the Brewers softball team, and the rest is a history that you will read in future months.

Out in the real world at large, 1981 saw the changeover from the national malaise of the Jimmy Carter years to the new hope of the Ronald Reagan presidency. As I have said before, I was a card-carrying fully indoctrinated liberal Democrat at the time who thought that Carter was a brilliant man and that Reagan was a dunce. I couldn't understand how the country had voted him in to office. How time would prove me wrong.

Reagan was sworn-in to office on January 20th as the 40th President of the United States. Just minutes later, Iranian officials released the 52 American hostages which they had been holding captive in that country for more than a year since a militant Islamic regime had taken power, ending what had become known as the 'Iran Hostage Crisis'.

A week later the entire Philadelphia region was abuzz as for the very first time our own Philadelphia Eagles had advanced to play in the Super Bowl. On January 11th, the Birds had sent the rival Dallas Cowboys packing with a thrilling 20-7 victory in the NFC Championship game. Under their brilliant young, driven head coach Dick Vermiel, the Eagles were led by quarterback Ron Jaworski, running back Wilbert Montgomery, veteran wide receiver Harold Carmichael, and a tenacious defense led by linebacker Bill Bergey.

The Eagles went into the Super Bowl as the favorites against the AFC's Oakland Raiders. I remember the exciting buildup to the game both in the local media and among my own young circle of friends. We planned a big Super Bowl party that Sunday to match the bash we had enjoyed just months earlier when the Phillies won the World Series. A keg of beer was on ice in my kitchen, food was brought by all of the group, and the party was just getting ready to start.

It all came crashing down really, really fast, for both myself and the Eagles. A short time before the game was to begin, I got a phone call from my step-grandmother Kay. She was telling me that my grandfather Ray, the man who I grew up knowing simply as 'Pop' and who lived just a half block from my apartment, was having some physical problems.

I quickly left the apartment and the party and went to Pop's house, and found him there mostly unresponsive. At Kay's direction and with her help, we loaded him in to Pop's car and I drove to the hospital. It was here in a hospital E/R where my grandfather was being diagnosed with and eventually treated for what turned out to be a stroke that I watched the Super Bowl.

By the time that we got Pop checked-in and I had a chance to check a TV for an Eagles update, the rout was on. The Raiders had scored two early touchdowns on passes from veteran quarterback Jim Plunkett who would go on to be named the MVP as the Raiders became the first NFL Wildcard team to win a Super Bowl in what ended up as a 27-10 Oakland romp.

Pop ended up recovering from that stroke and he lived for more than another decade. He was a great guy who was very close to my family while I was growing up, never living more than a block away from my mom. She was sick at the time, and he took on a lot of her care in the 1970's and into those early 1980's before I took over that role. It's after him that I wanted to be called 'Pop' by my own grandkids when Elysia was born in 2002, and so I am.

Despite the Eagles upset in the Super Bowl, this was a time of unparalleled cumulative success for Philadelphia pro sports teams. Within the same calendar year of 1980-81, the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and 76ers all appeared in their respective title games or series. The Phillies would win that 1980 World Series, the Flyers won Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. The Eagles won that 1981 NFL Championship game, and the Sixers would go on to win the 1983 NBA Finals. It was the only way that I really knew. I thought we were supposed to always win like that. I would learn differently soon enough.

On March 6th of 1981, iconic CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite signed off the air following his final news broadcast. In those pre-cable days, network news anchors were considered the kings of the news media, and none was bigger or more popular at that time than Cronkite. He had been guiding the country through difficult news times for decades, including the Kennedy assasination. He signed off just before nearly having to repeat that terrible broadcast.

On March 20th, President Ronald Reagan stepped out of the Washington Hilton Hotel where he had delivered a morning speech and moved towards the open door of his waiting limo. With a full phalanx of Secret Service officers around, a lone gunman suddenly rushed forward and shot Reagan at point-blank range. Though he was seriously injured, his lung collapsed, and he nearly died, Reagan recovered relatively quickly.

Press Secretary James Brady was not so lucky. Also shot during the hail of bullets, Brady had been struck in the head. He became permanently disabled, and the shooting would lead to the various measures and efforts to restrict handgun access and violence. The would-be assassin, John Hinckley Jr, had been obsessed with actress Jodie Foster, and claimed that the shooting was in part inspired by her role in the film 'Taxi Driver' and to gain her attention.

On April 12th, the United States moved into a new era in space exploration with the launch of the first-ever Space Shuttle. The shuttle 'Columbia' lifted off on the 20th anniversary of the first human space flight, moving America back into space after almost a decade away.

On May 13th, the danger for world leaders reared it's ugly head once again as a Muslim assassin shot the wildly popular Pope John Paul II at close range in St. Peter's Square. The Pope would go on to recover from his injuries as Reagan had, and eventually would both meet with and forgive his would-be Turkish assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca.

On June 5th in Los Angeles, five homosexual men were reported by the Centers for Disease and Control as having a rare pneumonia-like illness that had seriously compromised their immune systems. The men became the first officially recognized cases and victims of AIDS.

A week later, on June 12th, Major League Baseball players began a strike that would cancel almost 40% of the regular season schedule and eventually result in the first and only split-season format in MLB history. Nine days later, Wayne Williams was arrested in Atlanta. He would be eventually charged in the murder of 30 people in what was known as the 'Atlanta child murders'.

The eventful year continued when on July 7th, President Reagan nominated the first-ever woman for service on the Supreme Court of the United States. Sandra Day O'Connor would eventually be confirmed and serve on the highest court in the land for a quarter century. On July 27th, a young boy, Adam Walsh, was kidnapped from a Sears store in Florida. His murder would spur his father to eventually form the 'America's Most Wanted' program.

Two days after Walsh's disappearance, most of the world was focused on the massive, ornate celebration of the wedding to end all weddings. On July 29th in England, Lady Diana Spencer married Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince Charles, in front of a worldwide television audience.

1981 has already given us enough of note? Not so fast. On August 1st, the now-legendary and iconic vision of the astronaut planting a flag on the moon appeared across cable services for the very first time to herald the launch of MTV, the Music Television Network. Two days later, the nation's air traffic controllers would go on strike. Two days after that, President Reagan fired all 11,359 of them in the greatest labor-busting move in U.S. history.

The 2nd half of the year seemed to slow things down from the explosiveness of the first half, but it did serve to supply one major end-of-an-era moment. On December 11th, boxing legend Muhammad Ali stepped in to the ring and fought against Jamaican-Canadian heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick. Berbick had lost a hard-fought 15-round decision to champion Larry Holmes months earlier, and on this night he dispatched the great Ali in what would prove to be the final fight in the career of the man simply known as 'The Greatest'.

1981 was a year of fighting on many fronts. Fighting through barriers, fighting through disaster, fighting through change on numerous fronts. The 1980's were now fully underway with Reagan in the White House, Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, the Cold War coming to a head, radical Islam beginning it's march, the Space Shuttle program launched, and both MTV and CNN changing how we view it all.

BORN 1981: Kelly Veasey, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Serena Williams, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Knowles, Natalie Portman, Jessica Alba, Josh Groban, Eli Manning, Jennifer Hudson, Howie Day, Elijah Wood, Julia Stiles, Hayden Christensen, Justin Morneau, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Anna Kournikova, Jake Peavy, Adriana Lima, Roger Federer, Carl Crawford, Tila Tequila, Ivanka Trump, Barbara & Jenna Bush, Natasha Bedingfield, Amy Lee

DIED 1981: Bill Haley, Natalie Wood, Richard Boone, Joe Louis, Bobby Sands, Bob Marley, George Jessel, Harry Chapin, Adam Walsh, Paddy Chayefsky, Lowell Thomas, Anwar Sadat, Moshe Dayan, Edith Head, William Holden, Jack Albertson, Hoagy Carmichael
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Friday, February 26, 2010

End of the Beginning for Imran Khan and PTI

Bye-elections in Rawalpindi’s NA 55 held a lot more significance than any such elections in the past, since this turned out to be a contest between Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PMLN) and the Rest of Pakistan which consisted of Shiekh Rasheed’s Awami Muslim League (AML), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PMLQ). Most observers were convinced that AML was also well supported by the Establishment.
Since the bye-elections in NA 21 Mansehra it was widely speculated that if PMLN fails to win NA 55 with a considerable margin it will be the end of PMLN’s presumed position as the government-in-waiting. A Shiekh Rasheed victory would have also helped PPP, PMLQ and the Establishment regain some of the ground lost in the past couple of years. However, none of that were to be and PMLN’s candidate managed to beat Mr. Rasheed and friends by over 20,000 votes according to the unofficial results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan staff.
There were two slightly less interesting side shows - Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Jamat-e-Islami (JI). Since both of these parties decided to boycott the elections in February 2008 and had spent most of the last 24 months criticizing the government and the opposition equally this was going to be a test for their message. Challenge for JI were to prove that they are politically alive but unfortunately for them it isn’t the 80’s anymore and General Zia has been dead for 22 years, they managed only 3,109 votes.
Challenge for Imran Khan was to prove that he can be competitive in the mainstream with the big guys. Based on the unofficial results PTI’s Ijaaz Khan managed to bag 3,105 votes in a constituency with 333,928 registered voters - 0.93% only, which was very consistent with PTI’s performance in the past 14 years since their formation in 1996.
                                                No. of seats

General Elections 1997                         0
General Elections 2002                         1
General Elections 2008                  Boycotted

Concessions were made in 1997 general elections for their performance since the party was formed just a few months before the elections and there was hardly any time to organize a proper election campaign.
For the engineered general elections of 2002 organized by the dictator General Musharraf it is interesting to note that PTI had nominated its candidates for almost all seats in the National Assembly and they managed to win only one which was contested by Imran Khan.
They boycotted the general elections in 2008 and there were speculations that PTI will now do much better compared with the 2002 general elections since they have had an opportunity to promote their message through the electronic media. PTI’s performance in 2010 bye-elections so far is as follows:
Bye Elections 2010            Winning Votes   PTI Votes

NA 21 Mansehra                 36,622               4,582
NA 55 Rawalpindi                63,888               3,105
PF 83 Swat                        7,505                3,821

Winning a seat would have been great but they weren’t even close to winning, in none of the cases were they even on the second position, in larger constituencies there impact was minimal where they bagged less than 1% of registered votes and had it not been for the celebrity party chairman they would not have been covered by the media. After observing their performance over the past 14 years it is fair to conclude that the political “beginning” for PTI and Imran Khan has “ended” and their future in popular politics has been placed in a box marked “Loud but Insignificant” and fairly soon even the urban youth will embrace this reality.

Our nation has always been interested in having one leader who would fix everything for them, we have never been fans of having a system and allowing it to function. Imran Khan when he first launched himself as a political figure was very close to what some people had in mind but having been around for a long time now he has failed to make any impact, which makes us think what happened to him and PTI? Here are some thoughts:

- Imran Khan has been the biggest problem for Imran Khan and PTI since he is so madly in love with himself that he has never allowed any strong political personalities to get involved with PTI. Mairaj Mohammad Khan a seasoned and well respected politician was forced to withdraw from PTI because of Imran Khan’s erratic behavior. All the office bearers listed on the party website are complete unknowns with the exception of Hamid Khan who became relatively famous during the lawyer’s movement in 2007.
- He displayed lack of commitment with the democratic political system when he supported General Musharraf after the coup in October 1999. According to Mr. Khan he also interviewed with the GHQ for an employment opportunity as the Prime Minister of Pakistan a job which was later taken by Zafarullah Jamali, Ch. Shujaat and then one Mr. Shaukat Azziz.
- He has failed to understand the mechanics of the election system in Pakistan and all his campaigns to date have been weak and idealistic. He has not been able to connect with the rural political culture where voting patterns are heavily influenced by families, communities and land ownerships.
- Mr. Khan has been mindlessly criticizing all political forces and hence has failed to form any political alliances which could have been the way forward for PTI since the party itself has no structure, his only partner so far has been Jamat-e-Islami whose student wing treated him with very little respect in November 2007 at Punjab University.
- PTI’s focus could have been the urban youth which has some patience for his rhetoric, but Mr. Khan’s decision to take on popular leaders like MQM’s Altaf Hussain and PPP’s late Benazir Bhutto deprived PTI of any opportunity to develop party bases in large cities.
- Mr. Khan’s rampaging self love was fully on display in his address to the Pakistani community in the UK in January 2010, which became a YouTube hit due to his insensitive and callous comments where he criticized everyone he could think of including the person who drove him to the venue. In his speech which sounded more like a poor stand up act he claimed that all dark skinned people are from Africa and they all look alike this was intended to be an attack on Mr. Babar Ghauri of MQM however, it displayed why he is not qualified to be a leader or a politician.

Clearly status quo is not option for PTI or Imran Khan and a different political strategy is needed since PTI is already on the list of endangered species. One of the options for Mr. Khan could be to have his own talk-show where he can be as self-righteous as he likes to be and continue with his condescending behavior.
If Mr. Khan were to carry on as a political leader he will have to either join a larger political entity (PMLN is already working on this) or allow PTI to grow naturally so that the party can gain strength at the union counsel level, they can then consolidate and be competitive at higher levels, a top-down approach which worked for Z.A. Bhutto is not working for Mr. Khan. The PTI experiment has failed the sooner they accept it the better it will be for Imran Khan.
In the meanwhile I choose to remain optimistic and passionate about Pakistan.
at

The Coffee Party: The Anti-Tea Party



The genesis of the idea for the Coffee Party Movement and its purpose is best explained by the video above. It all started with documentary filmmaker Annabel Park venting her frustrations on her Facebook page about media coverage that made it seem that the Tea Parties were representative of the “real America.” She vehemently disagreed and her comments on Facebook got a lot of feedback from people who similarly felt pent-up and frustrated.

Their name the “Coffee Party” directly references the Tea Party movement and presents itself as an alternative. Park argues elected officials who represent us should work towards positive solutions to the problems the country faces instead of adopting obstructionist political tactics that play on peoples’ fears and which are driven by deliberate misinformation.

The Coffee Party is currently organizing nationwide. It is stressing the message that its members are voters who intend to hold elected officials accountable to holding up progress. Its members will participate and be engaged in the political process.

In addition, the Coffee Party values diversity, is, itself, diverse and completely comfortable with the changing ethnic demographics of the US. Park argues that politicians are exploiting the anxieties people feel regarding these changing demographics for political gain and that it is wrong.

Cooperation is needed to solve problems and that no practical solutions can be reached when there is no cooperation in Congress. Dialogue is impossible when one side—a reference to the Republicans and the Tea Party movement in the healthcare town hall meetings over the summer of 2009—is engaged in tactics designed to shut down discussion.

Park says the Congress works for us – the American people – not corporations and not just a sliver of the total demographic. Congress should stop the endless fighting and get down to work on problem-solving and representing our interests as their constituents. The Coffee Party Movement is an open invitation to participate to anyone who believes that government should be part of problem-solving and representing our interests.

The Movement is Growing

I was able to speak with an organizer of the Coffee Party. He argued that many Americans are tired of the Tea Partiers portrayal in the media as the representation of the "Real America." Many Americans oppose the Tea Party and their tactics and rhetoric and need a vehicle to represent their side on the debates and issues of a country in crisis.

In addition, the Coffee Partiers want to give voice to real economic populism that is designed to address the concerns of middle and working class Americans. The Coffee Party organizers don't want the Right to have a monopoly of the populist side of the debate on economics and economic issues.

Their main struggle at this point is to come to a consensus on core principles and areas of focus. Their Facebook note on developing a platform for the movement reflects a desire to demonstrate, through practice and example, their commitment to (a) inclusivity and respect for a diversity of opinion and (b) a commitment to small "d" democracy and consensus-building.
We will try to show by example what a participatory democracy can and ought to look like. We need to show that we can come together as a community, despite our differences, and engage in a constructive dialogue that leads to solutions.

The movement is currently centered around social media networks. They have a website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

Since they started the social media sites in early February, there are now over 40 chapters nationwide and growing everyday. Their Facebook group had over 20,000 fans as of the time I am writing this (late February) and growing rapidly.

Potential and Challenge for the Future

The Coffee Party Movement has the potential to really take off and spread like wildfire much the same way the Tea Parties started through social media and grassroots networks. I am very pleased that a citizen-centered, grassroots uprising other than a right-wing one is in the works which seeks to address the gridlock and polarization in Congress and the dysfunctional politics in general in Washington DC.

The very fact that within a month of launching that they have established nearly 40 chapters nationwide and have passed the 20,000 member mark in the Facebook page bodes well for their future.

The real test for the Coffee Party will come when they have reached critical mass, have established an organizational structure and then are in a position to DO something. Either support or oppose some political measure, or apply pressure on a politician by giving or withholding support. Once the Coffee Party Movement has passed the stage of conversations and meetings and are in a position to execute their ideas into practice will determine what type of organization and movement they will be.

Another big test would be how they are portrayed in the mass media and if the media portrayals create momentum that will allow the Coffee Party to control the narrative in the public consciousness regarding the issues it wishes to address. The American mass media is notorious for leaning towards sensationalism and soundbites instead of substantive, in-depth treatment of serious issues. And let us not forget the influence of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck in allowing the Right to set the stage, climate and control the debate and to derail the momentum of any fledgling movement that they oppose.

Their organizers told me that they are non-partisan and fully intend to reach out and appeal to Republicans and conservatives as well as independents. Reading their Facebook wall comments and general thrust of their communications, they appear to have a primarily left-leaning membership and leadership (so far) with a focus on supporting the aims of the more progressive policies of the Obama administration.

The question in my mind is this a grassroots movement that independents can participate in?

The Coffee Party would do well to heed the findings and statistics in this study:

People who self-identify as independents now outnumber those who self-identify as either Republican or Democrat. They have found both major parties inadequate, and are cynical about the two major national parties for solutions or leadership. Independents like me are independent precisely because we reject that the frame and scope of political debate and discourse in the U.S. should be limited to the Republicans and Democrats. Like the Coffee Party, we want solutions and problem-solving, not gridlock and endless partisan bickering.

If the Coffee Party Movement will succeed in truly transcending narrow partisanship it would have to watch out about becoming subsumed into or being perceived by the public as an appendage of the Democratic Party. Being a primarily liberal or Democratic organization and one which seeks to apply pressure to politicians to adopt more progressive positions is fine. The danger for the Coffee Party in appealing to non-Democrats lies in being seen as just another vehicle to elect Democratic politicians into office.

I gather that the Coffee Party Movement intends to be independent of the major parties. It bodes well for them to keep that vision in mind as they grow and develop their organization.
at
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Beyond the Olympics: Canadas Strong Sense of Duty Beyond Self

From Denny: Canada's population - in such a vast country - is only 34 million compared to its southern neighbor America of 300 million. Canada is a place where a strong sense of duty toward others, once called small town values in America, still prevails.

Many Americans are unaware of how much Canada has worked shoulder to shoulder with us over the decades. American media also has done a lousy job of covering consistent news about Canada - so much so that Americans have no clue about their neighbor to the North unless they live along the border.

Fortunately, since Canada has hosted this Winter Olympics, American news crews have been crawling all over the place to find out "just who are these people called the Canadians?" Well, it's about time, guys! This news segment was a wonderful tribute to the military who have served with our military. What is also notable is the public who acknowledge and respect their sacrifices. Take a look:

Canada's strong sense of military duty and sacrifice:


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Last Canadian World War I Veteran, John Babcock, Dies:


Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy




*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!
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Come See Nasty in AZ

Check out Haro's Cory "Nasty" Nastazio at the Vans store doing auto's  in AZ March 4th...

bmxaz
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