Very funny. I hope they don't figure out all the Diebold machines are wired Republican, otherwise the Party wouldn't even have a chance. But one-party wiring of people was the UUSR method, maybe the Russians will be more comfortable with that outcome.
I'm glad they are here, for one they'll get to see our system at work, and, in any case, the corruption was all Democartic Party machine stuff, so at least the Republicans won't get dragged before an EU court.
Russian Observers To Work at US Presidential Elections
MOSCOW. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Russian Central Elections Commission officials
will monitor the U.S. presidential elections on November 2.
The Central Elections Commission's press service told Interfax that
commission member Vladimir Lysenko left for the United States on Friday to
join an observer mission representing the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights. This international monitoring mission comprises about 15 long- term
observers. More than 75 observers representing the OSCE are expected to
arrive in the United States ahead of the elections.
Central Elections Commission Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov plans to go to
the United States on October 30 at the invitation of the International
Foundation for Electoral Systems to monitor the presidential vote, the
press service said.
MOSCOW. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Russian Central Elections Commission officials
will monitor the U.S. presidential elections on November 2.
The Central Elections Commission's press service told Interfax that
commission member Vladimir Lysenko left for the United States on Friday to
join an observer mission representing the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights. This international monitoring mission comprises about 15 long- term
observers. More than 75 observers representing the OSCE are expected to
arrive in the United States ahead of the elections.
Central Elections Commission Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov plans to go to
the United States on October 30 at the invitation of the International
Foundation for Electoral Systems to monitor the presidential vote, the
press service said.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Gore Gores - A Bard Blog Repost
(Editor: This is reposted as we've been having a problem accessing for comment.)
Thanks to Kip for this Gore speech video:
Gore Speech (http://www.c-span.org/Search/basic.asp?BasicQueryText=gore&SortBy=date)
Fmr. Vice Pres. Al Gore Speech on Bush Presidency
Former Vice Pres. Al Gore delivers his final major policy speech of the campaign season. Mr. Gore critiques Pres. Bush's presidency in many areas, specifically Iraq, jobs retention and creation, the environment and people's trust in government.
10/18/2004: WASHINGTON, DC: 1 hr. 30 min.: C-SPAN
My comment (Bard): he immediately removes the commonly-held reasons why Bush ignores evidence that might show he's wrong in his policies or that he could have made a mistake: 1) he's not smart enough; 2) his religious faith doesn't let him. Gore says he's very shrewd, and that his faith has nothing to do with it. Watch the thing to see what Gore thinks is actually going on.
Thanks to Kip for this Gore speech video:
Gore Speech (http://www.c-span.org/Search/basic.asp?BasicQueryText=gore&SortBy=date)
Fmr. Vice Pres. Al Gore Speech on Bush Presidency
Former Vice Pres. Al Gore delivers his final major policy speech of the campaign season. Mr. Gore critiques Pres. Bush's presidency in many areas, specifically Iraq, jobs retention and creation, the environment and people's trust in government.
10/18/2004: WASHINGTON, DC: 1 hr. 30 min.: C-SPAN
My comment (Bard): he immediately removes the commonly-held reasons why Bush ignores evidence that might show he's wrong in his policies or that he could have made a mistake: 1) he's not smart enough; 2) his religious faith doesn't let him. Gore says he's very shrewd, and that his faith has nothing to do with it. Watch the thing to see what Gore thinks is actually going on.
Secretary Colin L. Powell Interview With The USA Today Editorial Board
Another informative (non-political) selection from
Johnson's Russia List
a daily e-mail newsletter with information and analysis about contemporary Russia from a wide range of sources. To subscribe or unsubscribe, e-mail David Johnson.
http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/
#6 - JRL 8419 - JRL Home
excerpt
US Department of State
Interview With The USA Today Editorial Board
Secretary Colin L. Powell
Washington, DC
October 18, 2004
SECRETARY POWELL: With respect to the Eurasian land mass, if I can put it that way, we have developed a very good and strong relationship with the Russian Federation, and we had some concerns about some of the things that are happening inside of Moscow, and when we have these concerns, we don't hide them. We talk to them about it. The President talked to President Putin about it. I've been to Russia. I've written letters to the editor in Izvestia, which are not always received with delight. Nevertheless, our policy towards Russia is to work with them in areas where we cooperate and have mutual interest in, and where there are disagreements, let's work through these disagreements, let's not hide them.
Something that's seldom written about is that for the last 50 years, the whole southern belt of Eurasia, the Caucasus and Central Asia; that was always the Near Abroad for the old Soviet Union, yet the United States has got a presence in almost every one of those “Stans”, and we're also working with Armenia and Azerbaijan to do something about Nagorno-Karabakh, and all of those nations now are in some kind of relationship with the United States that would have been unimaginable 15 or 20 years ago, and what is even more interesting is that it is with the understanding, for the most part, and with cooperation and collaboration with the Russian Federation.
It isn't that they don't sometimes get nervous and we have to discuss it. But the fact of the matter is we're there, and as my former colleague Igor Ivanov once said in response to a question he received, why are the Americans over there? Aren't they the enemy? And his answer was, "No, the enemy is now terrorism, the enemy is illegal immigration, the enemy is drugs, the enemy is radicalism, and the United States and Russia are working together."
And we demonstrated that, I think, very vividly in Georgia last November when Shevardnadze became in a very difficult position, an untenable position, and it was clear that there was going to be a revolution in Tbilisi unless something was done. And over the course of a weekend, between what we did, in my direct conversations with the Russian Foreign, Igor Ivanov, and Ivanov going to Tbilisi and I'm talking to Igor as he landed in Tbilisi and talked to him as he went in to see Shevardnadze, and Shevardnadze realized it was best for him to step aside. And then in two months' time, working with the Russians and the Georgians, we had a free, open, fair election that by January, first week in January, brought into place the new president, Saakashvili, what is now known as the Rose -- movement of the Rose Revolution, that was good, solid diplomacy on their part....
In the case of Russia, I think this is a case where the Russian people came out of the post-Soviet Union era in a state of total chaos -- a great deal of freedom, but it was freedom to steal from the state and President Putin took over and restored a sense of order in the country and moved in a democratic way.
And the Russian people are enormously supportive of his efforts. We have expressed our concerns about some of the actions he's taken with respect to the election of governors, the ability of a free press to operate, some of the aspects of his election and the election of the Duma. And so he has heard us. It's not as if we are being silent. But at the same time, he has to make his judgment as to what his people want and how to move.
I do not see Russia sliding back down into the abyss of the Soviet Union. But they may not be moving as quickly or in as steadied a manner as we might like to see toward all (inaudible) of democracy, but I think they are still moving in the correct direction.
Johnson's Russia List
a daily e-mail newsletter with information and analysis about contemporary Russia from a wide range of sources. To subscribe or unsubscribe, e-mail David Johnson.
http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/
#6 - JRL 8419 - JRL Home
excerpt
US Department of State
Interview With The USA Today Editorial Board
Secretary Colin L. Powell
Washington, DC
October 18, 2004
SECRETARY POWELL: With respect to the Eurasian land mass, if I can put it that way, we have developed a very good and strong relationship with the Russian Federation, and we had some concerns about some of the things that are happening inside of Moscow, and when we have these concerns, we don't hide them. We talk to them about it. The President talked to President Putin about it. I've been to Russia. I've written letters to the editor in Izvestia, which are not always received with delight. Nevertheless, our policy towards Russia is to work with them in areas where we cooperate and have mutual interest in, and where there are disagreements, let's work through these disagreements, let's not hide them.
Something that's seldom written about is that for the last 50 years, the whole southern belt of Eurasia, the Caucasus and Central Asia; that was always the Near Abroad for the old Soviet Union, yet the United States has got a presence in almost every one of those “Stans”, and we're also working with Armenia and Azerbaijan to do something about Nagorno-Karabakh, and all of those nations now are in some kind of relationship with the United States that would have been unimaginable 15 or 20 years ago, and what is even more interesting is that it is with the understanding, for the most part, and with cooperation and collaboration with the Russian Federation.
It isn't that they don't sometimes get nervous and we have to discuss it. But the fact of the matter is we're there, and as my former colleague Igor Ivanov once said in response to a question he received, why are the Americans over there? Aren't they the enemy? And his answer was, "No, the enemy is now terrorism, the enemy is illegal immigration, the enemy is drugs, the enemy is radicalism, and the United States and Russia are working together."
And we demonstrated that, I think, very vividly in Georgia last November when Shevardnadze became in a very difficult position, an untenable position, and it was clear that there was going to be a revolution in Tbilisi unless something was done. And over the course of a weekend, between what we did, in my direct conversations with the Russian Foreign, Igor Ivanov, and Ivanov going to Tbilisi and I'm talking to Igor as he landed in Tbilisi and talked to him as he went in to see Shevardnadze, and Shevardnadze realized it was best for him to step aside. And then in two months' time, working with the Russians and the Georgians, we had a free, open, fair election that by January, first week in January, brought into place the new president, Saakashvili, what is now known as the Rose -- movement of the Rose Revolution, that was good, solid diplomacy on their part....
In the case of Russia, I think this is a case where the Russian people came out of the post-Soviet Union era in a state of total chaos -- a great deal of freedom, but it was freedom to steal from the state and President Putin took over and restored a sense of order in the country and moved in a democratic way.
And the Russian people are enormously supportive of his efforts. We have expressed our concerns about some of the actions he's taken with respect to the election of governors, the ability of a free press to operate, some of the aspects of his election and the election of the Duma. And so he has heard us. It's not as if we are being silent. But at the same time, he has to make his judgment as to what his people want and how to move.
I do not see Russia sliding back down into the abyss of the Soviet Union. But they may not be moving as quickly or in as steadied a manner as we might like to see toward all (inaudible) of democracy, but I think they are still moving in the correct direction.
New Statues in Russia
From David Johnson's excellent Russian news summary letter.
http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson
Mosnews.com
October 22, 2004
Eccentric Monuments Replace Overturned Lenin Busts
Polina Moroz
In Moscow, a sculpture of a pickle will commemorate one of Russia’s beloved
snacks. 38 designs were judged by Muscovites in a popular vote for the most
original concept. Ten finalists were selected for the second round, after
which the winner will be cast in bronze. The contest is organized by the
Knyazev production center which wants to unveil the statue as “a monument
to a truly Russian snack”.
Constructing random monuments is all the rage in Russia. After decades of
the obligatory statues of Lenin and Stalin on every town’s main square,
people are acquiring a taste for sculptures that honor everyday things or
overlooked characters from Russian culture.
Famous poet Alexander Pushkin is an ever popular monument item, and a
cultural figure that is a constant source of folklore. However, a new
sculpture in Pskov region depicts not the poet, but a hare that supposedly
ran across Pushkin’s path in 1825, when Pushkin was fleeing exile to St.
Petersburg. Being the superstitious Russian that he was, Pushkin changed
plans considering the hare a bad omen. Good for him, since it saved him
from participating in the Decembrist uprising against the regime that led
many of his friends to the scaffold. 175 years later Russians honor the
hare for stopping Pushkin and giving him 13 more years of productive
writing. Despite the hare’s efforts, Pushkin didn’t live to see 40: he was
killed in a duel in 1837.
One new statue in the Moscow metro commemorates the misery of all homeless
dogs. Entitled “Empathy”, the dog sculpture is situated in a metro passage
where two years ago a stray dog was viciously butchered by 22-year-old
model Juliana Romanova. Romanova reportedly set her Staffordshire terrier
on the dog, and then stabbed it six times with a kitchen knife. She was
later declared insane and locked up in a mental hospital. The statue is in
memory of all mistreated canines and depicts a dog sitting on a granite
pedestal and scratching out fleas.
Other new projects feature products that are symbolic for a particular
city, or beloved Russian foods. One such sculpture will be a tribute to the
processed cheese “Druzhba” (friendship). This year the cheese turns 40
years old, and many consider it a true symbol of the Soviet era.
In Minusinsk, Krasnoyarsk Region, the mayor announced a contest for the
best design of a tomato sculpture, to be set up on the central square. In
Novgorod, pensioner Nikolai Zaryadov has constructed a makeshift potato
monument in his home village: a two meter pipe with a large rock,
presumably a potato, on top. At the foot of this potato shrine is the
inscription “Thank you Columbus, thank you Peter the Great, for our beloved
vegetable!” Zaryadov says he constructed the sculpture so that the current
generation of Russians can remember that the vegetable saved millions of
people from starvation.
Why the sudden urge to put up quirky statues? The city hall of Angarsk
(north-east Russia), which plans to construct a sculpture of a marmot,
wants to “attract tourists and to put people in a good mood”, but there are
also historical and cultural causes.
In an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta, the assistant director of the
Tretyakov gallery, Alexander Morozov, commented on this new trend for
monument construction: “We have an urge to fill our daily lives with signs
and symbols that bring back memories. I think this initiative comes from
the people themselves. We never had any pop art when it was popular in the
U.S.” Indeed, monuments in Russia were traditionally meaningful and
demanded reverence, since the subject matter was always serious: first, war
memorials, then statues of communist leaders and famous writers.
Monuments always have a symbolic power over public space, and their history
has social, not just artistic, significance. In the Moscow suburb where I
grew up there was always a statue of Lenin next to the local “House of
Culture”. First he lost his hand, then his head. Then overnight Lenin
disappeared. The empty pedestal was too shocking for the local communists,
and they addressed the local city government for some kind of replacement.
The local city government came up with the brilliant idea of crowning two
old pipes with a small white Lenin head. This hideous construction was
toppled in a matter of weeks and the whole monument replaced with a
flowerbed. Goodness knows what will appear next; a turnip? We wait in fear.
http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson
Mosnews.com
October 22, 2004
Eccentric Monuments Replace Overturned Lenin Busts
Polina Moroz
In Moscow, a sculpture of a pickle will commemorate one of Russia’s beloved
snacks. 38 designs were judged by Muscovites in a popular vote for the most
original concept. Ten finalists were selected for the second round, after
which the winner will be cast in bronze. The contest is organized by the
Knyazev production center which wants to unveil the statue as “a monument
to a truly Russian snack”.
Constructing random monuments is all the rage in Russia. After decades of
the obligatory statues of Lenin and Stalin on every town’s main square,
people are acquiring a taste for sculptures that honor everyday things or
overlooked characters from Russian culture.
Famous poet Alexander Pushkin is an ever popular monument item, and a
cultural figure that is a constant source of folklore. However, a new
sculpture in Pskov region depicts not the poet, but a hare that supposedly
ran across Pushkin’s path in 1825, when Pushkin was fleeing exile to St.
Petersburg. Being the superstitious Russian that he was, Pushkin changed
plans considering the hare a bad omen. Good for him, since it saved him
from participating in the Decembrist uprising against the regime that led
many of his friends to the scaffold. 175 years later Russians honor the
hare for stopping Pushkin and giving him 13 more years of productive
writing. Despite the hare’s efforts, Pushkin didn’t live to see 40: he was
killed in a duel in 1837.
One new statue in the Moscow metro commemorates the misery of all homeless
dogs. Entitled “Empathy”, the dog sculpture is situated in a metro passage
where two years ago a stray dog was viciously butchered by 22-year-old
model Juliana Romanova. Romanova reportedly set her Staffordshire terrier
on the dog, and then stabbed it six times with a kitchen knife. She was
later declared insane and locked up in a mental hospital. The statue is in
memory of all mistreated canines and depicts a dog sitting on a granite
pedestal and scratching out fleas.
Other new projects feature products that are symbolic for a particular
city, or beloved Russian foods. One such sculpture will be a tribute to the
processed cheese “Druzhba” (friendship). This year the cheese turns 40
years old, and many consider it a true symbol of the Soviet era.
In Minusinsk, Krasnoyarsk Region, the mayor announced a contest for the
best design of a tomato sculpture, to be set up on the central square. In
Novgorod, pensioner Nikolai Zaryadov has constructed a makeshift potato
monument in his home village: a two meter pipe with a large rock,
presumably a potato, on top. At the foot of this potato shrine is the
inscription “Thank you Columbus, thank you Peter the Great, for our beloved
vegetable!” Zaryadov says he constructed the sculpture so that the current
generation of Russians can remember that the vegetable saved millions of
people from starvation.
Why the sudden urge to put up quirky statues? The city hall of Angarsk
(north-east Russia), which plans to construct a sculpture of a marmot,
wants to “attract tourists and to put people in a good mood”, but there are
also historical and cultural causes.
In an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta, the assistant director of the
Tretyakov gallery, Alexander Morozov, commented on this new trend for
monument construction: “We have an urge to fill our daily lives with signs
and symbols that bring back memories. I think this initiative comes from
the people themselves. We never had any pop art when it was popular in the
U.S.” Indeed, monuments in Russia were traditionally meaningful and
demanded reverence, since the subject matter was always serious: first, war
memorials, then statues of communist leaders and famous writers.
Monuments always have a symbolic power over public space, and their history
has social, not just artistic, significance. In the Moscow suburb where I
grew up there was always a statue of Lenin next to the local “House of
Culture”. First he lost his hand, then his head. Then overnight Lenin
disappeared. The empty pedestal was too shocking for the local communists,
and they addressed the local city government for some kind of replacement.
The local city government came up with the brilliant idea of crowning two
old pipes with a small white Lenin head. This hideous construction was
toppled in a matter of weeks and the whole monument replaced with a
flowerbed. Goodness knows what will appear next; a turnip? We wait in fear.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Some Hunters Plan to Desert Bush (Wall St Jrnl 10/22/04))
CIMARRON, N.M. -- Larry Dwyer, Oscar Simpson and Alan Lackey are lifelong Republicans who voted for President Bush in 2000. They agree with many of the president's policies.
But they won't be voting for Mr. Bush this year, they say. All three are elk hunters who spend much of the year anticipating outdoors vacations in New Mexico and Colorado. They argue that the administration has bad conservation and wildlife policies that threaten what is dearest to them: public hunting grounds.
Bard comment: these guys are real Republicans, but they've seen the ground truth of the environmental policies of Bush, despite the Orwellian warm and fuzzy titles, like "Healthy Forest Initiative".
But they won't be voting for Mr. Bush this year, they say. All three are elk hunters who spend much of the year anticipating outdoors vacations in New Mexico and Colorado. They argue that the administration has bad conservation and wildlife policies that threaten what is dearest to them: public hunting grounds.
Bard comment: these guys are real Republicans, but they've seen the ground truth of the environmental policies of Bush, despite the Orwellian warm and fuzzy titles, like "Healthy Forest Initiative".
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Stromboli Eruption
FOTO35 VOLCANO ERUPTION STROMBOLI ITALY time exp 03
Originally uploaded by DoHop.
An Italian Landscape, Vulcan's Birthplace.
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