November 3, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
We have seen the old punchcard ballots ridiculed for their potential flaws in 2000, in Florida. We have seen the dangers of touchscreen voting machines almost everywhere they have been used, at one point or another. Indeed, the state of New Jersey is using them even after having commissioned a study that demonstrated comprehensively they could be easily manipulated to swing an election. And none of the solutions we’ve heard seem able to guarantee an errorless or tamper-free count.
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July 7, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The plane carrying Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, of Illinois, has been forced to make an alternate landing in St. Louis, after the pilot of his plane detected a “control ability issue”, related to the “pitch of the plane” according to a CNN reporter on board the flight. The plane has landed, and the senator is safe, being escorted into the airport while his staff and retinue of reporters await a new plane. The pilot is said to have recovered full control of the plane while in descent, and the CNN reporter called it “one of the smoothest landings” he had experienced.
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June 29, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
Zimbabwe’s 5-term president Robert Mugabe, the only one since liberation from the British nearly 3 decades ago, looks poised to serve a 6th term after holding a “presidential runoff election”, in which his opponent was forced to withdraw due to allegations of constant violence and intimidation from ruling-party supporters and paramilitaries. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had asked his supporters to vote for Mugabe if they felt their safety would otherwise be in jeopardy.
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June 23, 2008 :: Denver Lessing :: No Comment Yet
Pres. Robert Mugabe has been accused by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, as well as numerous independent observers, of using state-backed and paramilitary violence to intimidate his opponents and “rig” the vote scheduled for 27 June. Now, the MDC’s leader Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn his candidacy for the vote, calling the entire process illegitimate. Tsvangirai won more votes than Mugabe in the 1st round of voting, even by the state’s official count, which many believe may have been manipulated in order to force a runoff.
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June 7, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
In a not-too-thinly-veiled effort to rig the outcome of the 27 June runoff election, in which Robert Mugabe (Zanu-PF), incumbent with 28 years in power, will contest Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC), the Mugabe regime has attacked foreign diplomats looking into charges of state-sponsored violence, banned all NGOs from the country, cracked down on foreign press, and beaten and detained members of the opposition. Tsvangirai has been detained twice in the last week.
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June 2, 2008 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is a force to be reckoned with, a political entity with a nationwide support network that outstrips nearly all rivals and most past icons, with the added weight of her husband’s legacy and immense popularity among key constituencies. But, she has made her case for the presidency at a time when another Democrat has achieved even greater success and has rallied hundreds of thousands of new voters, and at present, she is, in fact, in second place, with one day to go.
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May 16, 2008 :: jr3o :: No Comment Yet
16 May :: At least 50,000 people are believed dead in China’s Sichuan province, as the rescue mission extends beyond 72 hours; the massive quake, which included 8 to 10 aftershocks of roughly 5.0 on the Richter scale, caught many small cities unprepared; Chinese authorities have been quick to respond, and civilians are helping to […]
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April 23, 2008 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
23 April :: Zimbabwe opposition refuses coalition gov’t headed by Mugabe; Mugabe’s Zanu-PF says it is planning for runoff election, not power-sharing; Tsvangirai’s MDC says it won the vote already held and will not accept any arrangement where Mugabe remains in power…
Burgeoning Asian rice crisis attributed to economic planning focusing on modernization, devoting few […]
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April 11, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
The Zimbabwe opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by Morgan Tsvangirai, has been meeting with African leaders in an effort to shore up support against the regime of Robert Mugabe, which preliminary vote counts suggest may have lost the recent election, both for parliament and the presidency. Mugabe’s suppoerters have been fighting to keep down opposition support, while Mugabe has refused to allow vote counts to be made public.
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April 11, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
11 April :: Tsvangirai “optimistic” after meeting with South Africa pres. Thabo Mbeki; opposition, some int’l observers accuse regime of intimidation tactics, including arrests, paramilitary sweeps, confiscation of property; ruling Zanu (PF) party has ceded to perception it could not have won majority, is pressing MDC to accept runoff vote… Cubans now able to buy […]
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March 17, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
On Thursday of last week, we found on the same day reports that mortgage foreclosures were at an all-time high in the US, the US dollar had fallen to an all-time low against the euro ($1.56 to 1€), the Federal Reserve joined with other central banks to infuse $200 billion into capital markets, oil hit […]
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March 10, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
10 March :: Anti-depressants, sex-hormones, painkillers and anti-biotics in significant quantities (though reporting has used term “trace amounts”, which does not necessarily speak to quantity) in 24 of 28 US metropolitan areas tested; contaminated drinking water goes to 41 million Americans; health effects unknown, but potentially concerning as “Experts say medications may pose a unique […]
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February 17, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
17 February :: Kosovo to declare independence from Serbia today, according to reports from Pristina, EU agencies; EU officials said “around 1,900 international police officers, judges, prosecutors and customs officials and approximately 1,100 local staff will be based in headquarters in Pristina or located throughout the judicial and police system in Kosovo”, according to CNN, […]
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February 7, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
Reports from New Mexico are demonstrating a range of problems that faced voters during the Super Tuesday “nationwide primary” Democratic party caucuses there. The New Mexico caucus system is run by the party itself, and involves actual paper ballots, cast by each individual voting. But the list of voters eligible to participate is not maintained […]
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February 7, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
Reports from New Mexico are demonstrating a range of problems that faced voters during the Super Tuesday “nationwide primary” Democratic party caucuses there. The New Mexico caucus system is run by the party itself, and involves actual paper ballots, cast by each individual voting. But the list of voters eligible to participate is not maintained […]
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January 27, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
27 January :: Tribal violence, spurred by Kenya’s disputed election, continues to spread, with 50 dead in recent clashes; VoA reports “Local media report that people have been hacked with machetes, shot with bows and arrows and burned to death in their homes. Shooting in Naivasha continued late Sunday despite the arrival of soldiers and […]
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January 20, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
20 January :: Electronic voting machines in Horry County, South Carolina, have reportedly failed in 100% of its precincts, creating the real possibility that South Carolina’s Republican primary vote cannot be confirmed by any official means; with the machines used already known to be vulnerable to hacking and malfunction, “Late in the week poll workers […]
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January 14, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
14 January :: Israel, Palestinians have opened most extensive peace negotiations in more than 7 years, after US pres. Bush toured region in effort to accelerate talks; Reuters reports: “Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said she would keep details of her talks with former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie confidential, but later told parliament she […]
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January 10, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
Across the United States, problems are being discovered with what are supposed to be the state of the art in balloting technology: digital touchscreen voting machines. Security questions were raised initially when the machines were widely distributed, by a handful of companies, with no hard-copy record of voters’ intent, which led to a nationwide movement […]
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January 10, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
Across the United States, problems are being discovered with what are supposed to be the state of the art in balloting technology: digital touchscreen voting machines. Security questions were raised initially when the machines were widely distributed, by a handful of companies, with no hard-copy record of voters’ intent, which led to a nationwide movement […]
More on page 156
January 10, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
10 January :: Suicide bomber strikes Lahore, Pakistan, killing at least 23 riot police and injuring dozens of other people, raising fears that political crisis in troubled nuclear state could result in prolonged campaign of violence… Concerns about integrity of US election process spread as more states take action to bar use of touchscreen voting […]
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January 7, 2008 :: jr3o :: No Comment Yet
While speculation is widespread that the purpose of the Oklahoma meetings, involving 17 former and current politicians and public servants, is to announce the candidacy of New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, for the presidency, the groups says it only wants to lay out a series of principles of bipartisanship in government, which they hope presidential candidates will adopt. The mass media rumor mill is suggesting the group will propose Bloomberg as an independent candidate for the presidency, with fmr. Democratic senator Sam Nunn as his running mate.
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January 6, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
6 January :: Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga rejects Pres. Kibaki’s offer for a power-sharing gov’t, saying Kibaki’s authority is nullified by alleged efforts to rig the December vote… Latest polling shows Obama, McCain pulling ahead of rivals in New Hampshire, apparently bolstered by weekend debates; Clinton, Romney campaigns struggling to keep positive outlook on […]
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January 3, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
UNIQUE SYSTEM BRINGS MUCH DIRECT CANDIDATE-VOTER INTERACTION, DESPITE INDIRECT MEASURE OF VOTER PREFERENCE
Often treated by mass media reporting as an “idiosyncratic” or “archaic” process, the Iowa caucuses are voters’ first opportunity to weigh the value of the spectrum of candidates running for the office of the presidency. A caucus is not a vote, as […]
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January 1, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
1 January 2008 :: Le Monde has acquired a document that outlines irregularities recorded by observers of the Kenyan presidential poll, appearing to demonstrate fraud amounting to the altering of millions of votes: according to Le Monde, the report shows that opposition leader Raila Odinga led by as much as one million votes, a lead […]
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December 31, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
31 December :: Reports suggest Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party now seeks to mount firm opposition to Musharraf rule, creating concerns of unrest, political instability as troubled nation seeks return to democratic government; WSJ reports new PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari “yesterday repeatedly referred to the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), a party affiliated with Mr. Musharraf […]
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December 27, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
26 December :: Uzbekistan’s elections have been criticized for official manipulation and declared “undemocratic”, with international observers citing a number of procedural measures and alleged incidents of intimidation that prevented a free and fair vote; Karimov, Uzbekistan’s only post-Soviet president officially won 88.1% of the votes tallied; the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe […]
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December 23, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
The top ten most underreported humanitarian crises worldwide are, according to Doctors without Borders (MSF), “Displaced Fleeing War in Somalia Face Humanitarian Crisis; Political and Economic Turmoil Sparks Health-Care Crisis in Zimbabwe; Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Spreads As New Drugs Go Untested; Expanded Use of Nutrient Dense Ready-to-Use Foods Crucial for Reducing Childhood Malnutrition; Civilians Increasingly Under […]
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December 17, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
17 December :: Michigan Republican Peter Hoekstra, ranking GOP member of the House intelligence committee, has said the committee will pursue its investigation of the CIA’s destruction of tapes of alleged torture; Hoekstra told the press it was important that there be accountability in the intelligence community, adding “The CIA did not tell us about […]
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December 7, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
6 December :: UN says US Senate plan to cap greenhouse gas emissions is step in right direction for US, for public health worldwide, in effort to reduce climate change impact; after new Australian gov’t ratified Kyoto Protocol at Bali talks, US is only developed nation not signed on, while Bush admin. representative at Bali […]
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December 3, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
3 December :: With 54.5% of vote counted, Putin’s ‘United Russia’ party has reportedly gathered 62.9% of the vote, the Communist party a distant 2nd with 11.6%; NY Times reporting “Across Russia in recent weeks, members of opposition parties said they had been subjected to intense harassment from the authorities, and people who worked for […]
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December 1, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
EUROPE’S TOP ELECTION MONITORING BODY HAS REFUSED TO OBSERVE SUNDAY’S ELECTIONS SAYING PROCESS HAS BEEN UNFAIR
Reports from across Russia indicate that by various means, state authorities are pressuring organizations and institutions of all kinds to force mass voter turnout for Pres. Putin’s United Russia party. The Kremlin denies the allegations, but at least one high […]
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November 22, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
22 November :: Recently retired army chief, long-time Chávez ally, Gen. Baduel under attack for break with Venezuelan president, as Chávez supporters label him ‘traitor’; Baduel, who helped restore Chávez to power after failed 2002 coup, has said he disagrees with plans to change constitution to allow indefinite presidential term; IHT reports such critique “considered […]
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November 20, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
20 November :: US military to turn over AP photographer to Iraqi authorities for prosecution, accusing him of links to terrorist groups; AP says no such links have even been demonstrated, Iraq native —who won Pulitzer Prize with team of AP photographers— was detained by US after offering shelter to people fleeing a bombing raid […]
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November 13, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
13 November :: New report by Congressional Joint Economic Committee says wars in Iraq, Afghanistan have already cost taxpayers $1.5 trillion over last 6 years, including long-term cost rises related to oil, veterans’ healthcare, borrowing… Bhutto again under house arrest, calls for Musharraf to resign office, form interim “coalition of interests” to govern in run-up […]
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November 11, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
11 November :: German chancellor Angela Merkel and US pres. George W. Bush have declared their mutual intention to press for a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions; both leaders say they believe diplomacy and economic measures can be effective in persuading the Islamic republic to abandon its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons capability; speculation […]
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November 10, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
10 November :: Pakistan gov’t announces plans to lift state of emergency within one month, saying it was declared to fight radical fundamentalist militia allegedly spreading from country’s northwest border provinces… NY Times reports “The Pakistani police allowed the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to leave her house today, but blocked her from visiting the home […]
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November 9, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
9 November :: Musharraf’s forces in riot gear have surrounded home of Bhutto’s home, alleging suicide bombers are waiting to strike, no one being allowed in or out; move is aimed at preventing her holding massive rally in Rawalpindi; after she attempted to leave, she was prevented by gov’t forces, she has been placed under […]
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October 7, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
7 August :: Brain-eating amoeba found throughout Tucson, AZ, water supply, authorities say no need to worry, as chlorination kills parasite; at least 6 young men and boys have been killed by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba this year in warm lakes, according to NIH researcher for recreational water-born diseases; scientists say rising temperatures may mean […]
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September 28, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
28 September :: Shijiazhuang, a city of 2 million on the North China Plain has seen 11% growth, construction boom, even as irreplaceable aquifers are drying up, water tables fast dropping; as IHT reports, “China is scouring the world for oil, natural gas and minerals to keep its economic machine humming. But trade deals cannot […]
