A Happy Thanksgiving Message to All

from the Candid Blogger.

Obama: "Change Comes from Me"

Responding to assertions that his cabinet appointments don't represent real change, President-elect Barack Obama firmly responded to those critics.

“When it comes to the people that we've pulled together -- because I know this has been sort of conventional wisdom floating around Washington -- that, well, you know, there's a recycling of people who were in the Clinton administration,” Obama replied, referring specifically to the economic team he introduced on Monday. “And so it would be surprising if I selected a Treasury secretary who had had no connection with the last Democratic administration because that would mean that the person had no experience in Washington whatsoever.”

He added that it would be troubling had he made appointments with no government experience given the severity of the market meltdown.

In terms of breaking from the past, his team of advisers combine experience with fresh thinking, Obama said, adding that the “vision for change comes first and foremost…from me.”

“That's my job, is to provide a vision in terms of where we are going and to make sure, then, that my team is implementing it,” he said. “I think that when you ultimately look at what this advisory board looks like, you'll say this is a cross-section of opinion that in some ways reinforces conventional wisdom, in some ways breaks with orthodoxy in all sorts of ways.”

Why a Bailout Won't Save Our Auto Industry

Detroit just doesn't make them like they used to:

Unbelievable Gas Price -- Don't Blink

Sacramento News Chopper Videos UFO

SACRAMENTO, CA - News10 often receives calls from those who spotted something unusual in the night skies. It's not nearly as common for those calls to be backed up by our own Air10.

While shooting Friday Night Football highlights over Sacramento, Air10 pilot Ed Georges and FNF correspondent Angel Cardenas spotted a strange set of lights flying over their helicopter.

"I know what aircraft lighting looks like and this was definitely something different," Georges said. "It looked almost like a scrolling message on a blimp to the naked eye. I was at 1,200 feet and it was considerably higher."

Georges said he and Cardenas maneuvered the helicopter to get a better look at the lights through Air10's Power Zoom camera.

"(Angel and I) were both amazed at the odd lights and movement. I started flying toward it, but it began to fade away and disappeared to the southeast," Georges said. "Not knowing the size of the object, I couldn't determine how far away we were, but I believe it was some distance away as the image was fuzzy even through the PowerZoom camera."

Complete Story

Obama Announces Plan to Create 2.5 Million Jobs

Friday, November 21, 2008 09:48pm EST

On the anniversary of the assassination of our last great President, John F. Kennedy, and faced with the worst economic mess since the Great Depression, President-elect Barack Obama today announced a bold initiative to save or create 2.5 million jobs in the next two years.

In his weekly address, President-elect Obama announced that he has directed his economic team to formulate an Economic Recovery Plan -- a two-year, nationwide initiative that will strengthen our economy and put millions of Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing our schools, and securing our clean energy future.

How Banks Scammed Borrowers Who Trusted Them

Criminal Conspiracy: Fraud

Banks across the United States convinced Borrowers to take money that the Banks knew the Borrowers could not afford to pay back, as part of a criminal conspiracy among many in the Financial Services industry. Banks started by offering adjustable rate mortgages. Very little down, very low payments and then, a few years out - when theoretically the property would be worth much more - the monthly payments would rise dramatically. The idea was that long before then the home buyer would have sold out at a nice profit, and bought their next home.

Then they sent bank-approved appraisers out to certify the market value of your home to justify the loan being made and to convince the Borrower that they owned equity in their home that far exceeded what the Banks knew to be true. They intentionally over-inflated the so-called value of your home so that they could extend credit to you that you could not afford. Lenders, realtors, mortgage brokers, appraisers, all made out like what they truly are -- BANDITS.

The same banks who put people being into real estate loans they could not handle didn't stop there. That was only the first step. Did you know the banks also had sales "hit teams" to tempt people into taking cash advances way beyond what they could afford? They encouraged these same borrowers to take out credit lines or credit cards with very high limits, often $10,000 - $15,000, knowing full well that if ever a payment was one day late, their great introductory low rate would automatically and permanently increase to 29.99%!

Don't just take my word for it, here is proof from those that did it for the banking industry. Two insiders spill the beans:

Why did they do this? Corporate home builders got paid lavish premiums for their inventory...real estate companies and loan brokers got rich from these sales...the Wall Street banks that packaged these scam loans and sold them throughout the world made hundreds of billions of dollars...and that nutcase in the White House got to fund his wars and make billions for his cronies at Halliburton and Blackwater.

A natural outgrowth of this scam was a rash of defaulted loans and foreclosures that the Banks certainly knew would be the ultimate result. So, many Borrowers lost their entire net worth, their credit and their homes. I know of a beautiful adobe 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on the golf course that is a short walk from my house that was valued last year at $525,000. It just went at auction for $198,000. So all the home values in the neighborhood just took a big hit and all the homeowners just lost money. Think the Banks care? Hell no. They get the homes back and start all over. It's called "capitalism". I call it FRAUD.

To those Borrowers who fell victim to their scam, they pursue them relentlessly for the balance owed on their credit, and make daily telephone collection calls in a concerted attempt to force Borrowers into Bankruptcy. They want your home, and they want you out of the picture, saddled with credit that makes you ineligible for further loans from them. They have an active network of companies who specialize in assisting banks in getting the Borrowers out. Then, a network of companies specialize in handling the foreclosure and resale of the properties, with the Banks starting out with a new group of unsuspecting Borrowers and the cycle continues.

So, what did the Socialist, George Bush do? Give the Banks billions of dollars in "bailout funds". So Banks have tightened credit requirements, and are investing the money rather than making loans. What better way to say, "Screw You" to the American public? Where are Bonnie and Clyde when we need them?

By the way, what happens to those scammed borrowers? It isn't pretty: CLICK HERE

IF YOU HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF BANK FRAUD, CLICK HERE: FIGHT BACK

FORECLOSURES: THE OTHER CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE

Less dramatic than the wildfires is the foreclosure tidal wave that's overtaking California.

* Over 700 families lose their home EVERY DAY

* "Nice" neighborhoods where every other house is vacant

* Families walking away from their homes leaving all the furnishings

It's mind boggling...



Contrary to anti-social, right wing propaganda, "sub-prime" loans were not made to help poor people get their first homes. They were created to help new home builders, especially in states like California, Nevada, and Florida, sell out their new home inventory at super-inflated prices.

Home buyers were told by the Fed chairman...by the President...by Fox News...by every idiot financial reporter on TV...that the loans they were taking out were a "good deal." The loans were very simple:

Very little down, very low payments and then, a few years out - when theoretically the property would be worth much more - the monthly payments would rise dramatically. The idea was that long before then the home buyer would have sold out at a handsome profit and moved onto their next home. Free enterprise at work.

It's easy to call these people foolish, but they are really the victims of a scam.

The home builders got paid lavish premiums for their inventory...real estate companies and loan brokers got rich from these sales...the Wall Street banks that packaged these scam loans and sold them throughout the world made hundreds of billions of dollars...and the psychopathic Bush administration got to fund its wars without raising taxes based on the illusion that the economy was good and could afford it.

Now the chickens are coming home to roost.

This is EXACTLY the same scam that Bush Sr. ran in the 1980s using the Savings and Loans real estate fraud bubble to pay for the Contra war and God only knows how many billions he and his fellow crooks siphoned off on the side. Bush Sr. even had the same Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan running the central bank. The only difference is this disaster is 1000x larger.

Obama Promises A Return to Global Climate Change Negotiations

"My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process.

That will start with a federal cap and trade system. We will establish strong annual targets that set us on a course to reduce emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them an additional 80% by 2050.

Further, we will invest $15 billion each year to catalyze private sector efforts to build a clean energy future. We will invest in solar power, wind power, and next generation biofuels. We will tap nuclear power, while making sure it’s safe. And we will develop clean coal technologies.

This investment will not only help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, making the United States more secure. And it will not only help us bring about a clean energy future, saving our planet. It will also help us transform our industries and steer our country out of this economic crisis by generating five million new green jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced.

But the truth is, the United States cannot meet this challenge alone. Solving this problem will require all of us working together. I understand that your meeting is being attended by government officials from over a dozen countries, including the UK, Canada and Mexico, Brazil and Chile, Poland and Australia, India and Indonesia. And I look forward to working with all nations to meet this challenge in the coming years.

Let me also say a special word to the delegates from around the world who will gather at Poland next month: your work is vital to the planet. While I won’t be President at the time of your meeting and while the United States has only one President at a time, I’ve asked Members of Congress who are attending the conference as observers to report back to me on what they learn there.

And once I take office, you can be sure that the United States will once again engage vigorously in these negotiations, and help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change.

Now is the time to confront this challenge once and for all. Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response. The stakes are too high. The consequences, too serious.

Stopping climate change won’t be easy. It won’t happen overnight. But I promise you this: When I am President, any governor who’s willing to promote clean energy will have a partner in the White House. Any company that’s willing to invest in clean energy will have an ally in Washington. And any nation that’s willing to join the cause of combating climate change will have an ally in the United States of America. Thank you."

The California Wildfire Scam

Deliberate Ineptitude

It was only four years ago almost to the day that we experienced the Cedar fire, which at that time was one of the biggest fires in California history. After investigation it was proven to be Arson.

Every year at this time the weather in Southern California becomes very dry and dangerous for fire. You would think our government agencies would have learned something from it. You would think that in four years... they would have figured out how to be prepared for this, but as you can see, the response has been totally inadequate. The numbers are staggering whether you are talking about money, homes, animals or the environment. It's all devastating.

There is no reason for these fires to be so out of control. Governor Arnold ("my Dad was a Nazi") Schwarzenegger knows it and so does George Bush (grandson of a Nazi bagman and banker.) The technology exists RIGHT NOW to knock these fires out with minimal loss of life and property. Instead, the government crooks play at being "leaders," praising the (very real) heroism of the fire fighters (how 9-11-like).

Did this tragedy have to happen? The answer is -- No. The technology to put out these monstrous fires already exists, but "our government" refused to use it in 2003, because it was made in Russia. Years ago, the Russians adapted a massive transport plane that is designed to combat just such fires. The Russians designed the Ilyusian IL76 Water-Bomber plane with the capacity to carry 16,000 gallons of water, able to put out a fire the size of 10 football fields lined up end to end, in fifteen seconds. Reloading is fast and easy and cheap.

Instead, on TV we see little wisps of EXPENSIVE and ineffective chemicals being dropped and the fires getting larger and larger. What's going on? Why did we refuse it then? Did politics and historical animosity get in the way of saving our land, our animals, and our homes? Why was it not called in for this fire?

These are questions that the citizens should be asking Governor Schwarzenegger and their other Government representatives. Wake up Californians, and start asking the tough questions.

While you are asking, here is an article you can read about the offer from Russia to have two planes available on notice to anyone who asks:

Big Russian Waterbomber Refused by Embattled U.S. Forest Service

Obama Interviewed on 60 Minutes

This is Barack Obama's first interview since being elected the 44th President of the United States.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Saving the Auto Industry - A Practical Solution

Let's Kill Two Birds with One Stone

GM killed off its original EV1 electric car during the 1990’s, a decision that its CEO Rick Wagoner admits was a bad move. These highly successful cars were put on the road by General Motors on a lease-only basis. People loved this car. In fact, Tom Hanks leased one and wanted to extend the lease at the end of its term. GM refused, recalled all of the cars, took them to the Mojave Desert, and shredded them. They then sold the trademarks and patents to the oil industry. This is a short 2-minute video that touches on the important points:

Here is the whole story:

Cars can Run on Air NOW

Odds are you've never heard of this car. Why not? Why is a French company developing it with zero help from the high rolling US-UK dominated global financial system which until recently had money for every loony scheme imaginable?

Answer: The banking system and the oil industry are closely intertwined and they want to protect their investment in the gasoline infrastructure at all costs.

Fortunately, France doesn't have the same commitment to gasoline as fuel that the US and UK does. France does have oil companies, but it doesn't have the equivalent of Exxon or Royal Dutch Shell. India doesn't either. But the French and the Indians do have superb engineers. Assuming that the collapse of the global financial system doesn't derail the launch of this car, India and France will have vehicles that are completely independent of the oil companies.

No toxic fuel, no toxic emissions, super low cost, utter reliability, and here's the really cool part: the "fuel" could be available anywhere there is room for an air compressor including your own home.

What's not to like about this? Why is the news of this technology all but banned in the US? The banking system and the oil industry (and news media industry) are closely intertwined. It's really that simple.

We Also Have Solar Powered Electric Cars

A new day is coming. Human ingenuity is boundless and the good guys really do outnumber the bad guys. We just have to get better organized. There's a good reason the powers that be work so hard to try to dumb and beat us down. We're damn hard to tame, and they know it. If you want the plans for this car, they're here: PLANS FOR SOLAR ELECTRIC CARS

Facts: Scientific and historical about Gasoline and Alcohol

1. The original automobiles ran on alcohol because when they were invented gasoline was not available.

2. Rockefeller spent $4 million (that we know of) to promote Prohibition, a ban on alcohol manufacturing in the US that started in 1919 just as the car industry was taking off.

3. When Prohibition was lifted in 1933, gasoline stations were ubiquitous and most engines ran on gasoline only.

4. Alcohol can be manufactured locally and on a community level from renewable plant material for $1 per gallon.

5. The growing of plant material for alcohol would have no effect on the price of food.

6. The growing of plants for fuel would more than neutralize the carbon created by burning alcohol for fuel.

7. In Brazil, over 50% of new cars sold can already run on 100% alcohol.

8. Producing alcohol from plant material is incredibly energy efficient.

9. The oil companies aggressively promote garbage science to deceive the public into believing that alcohol fuels: a) will cause starvation, b) are uneconomical, and c) are net polluters.

10. Gasoline is a high toxic material.

11. It is entirely unneeded to fuel our cars.

12. Oil companies like Chevron have pressured PBS, commercial TV networks and other news media to keep this basic information from the public for decades - and the censorship continues to this day.

A Practical Solution

Bailing out our auto industry so that they can continue to produce high powered cars that get horrible fuel efficiency in opposition to what is needed in society is nonsense. A creative approach is needed. Since GM has already proven that they have the ability to produce efficient and effective electric cars, and since the oil industry chose not to develop the technology they bought from GM, but rather to bury it, I have a simple solution.

The oil industry has had its greatest years in history financially. Let's require THEM to bail out the auto industry and either put to use the technology they already purchased years ago, or to invest heavily in the alternative presented on this page. There is no reason that the American people should have to reach into their pockets when the technology and ability to produce is already there.

Here is an electric car being produced in the United States right now, the Tesla.

Barack Obama's Historic Journey

Alternate Fuel Technology Banned in U.S.

Compressed Air Technology

Odds are you've never heard of this car. Why not? Cars can be run on AIR - right now!

Why is a French company developing it with zero help from the high rolling US-UK dominated global financial system which until recently had money for every loony scheme imaginable?

Answer: The banking system and the oil industry are closely intertwined and they want to protect their investment in the gasoline infrastructure at all costs.







Fortunately, France doesn't have the same commitment to gasoline as fuel that the US and UK does. France does have oil companies, but it doesn't have the equivalent of Exxon or Royal Dutch Shell. India doesn't either. But the French and the Indians do have superb engineers.

Assuming that the collapse of the global financial system doesn't derail the launch of this car, India and France will have vehicles that are completely independent of the oil companies.

No toxic fuel, no toxic emissions, super low cost, utter reliability, and here's the really cool part: the "fuel" could be available anywhere there is room for an air compressor including your own home.

What's not to like about this? Why is the news of this technology all but banned in the US? The banking system and the oil industry (and news media industry) are closely intertwined.

It's really that simple.

The CATS (Compressed Air Technology System) "air car" from Motor Development International is a significant step for zero-emission transport, delivering a compressed air-driven vehicle that is safe, quiet, has a top speed of 110 km/h and a range of 200 km. Costing next to nothing to run, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) - includes a pick-up truck and van.

ATTENTION PRESIDENT OBAMA!

"Yes We Can" - Obama Wins Presidency

The New First Family

AN HISTORIC MOMENT

MSNBC projects that Barack Obama has been elected our 44th President of the United States! Watch as they make the projection and as people all across the nation celebrate this amazing moment in American history.

"CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA"

Barack Obama's Historic Acceptance Speech

Barack Obama complete his amazing metoric rise in American politics by steamrolling John McCain in a landslide victory that finally puts an end to the Bush regime. Reaction from around the world is stunning with expressions of hope for the future and improved international relations the theme.

Here is the text of Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech:

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."

COLIN POWELL REACTS:

THE WORLD REACTS:

Sydney, Australia

World reaction to Barack Obama's election as America's first black president:

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"Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place." — Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president.

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"This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten. America is re-becoming a New World. ... On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes." — Rama Yade, France's black junior minister for human rights.

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"If it were possible for me to get to the United States on my bicycle, I would." — Joseph Ochieng, a 36-year-old carpenter who celebrated in Nairobi's Kibera shantytown, one of Africa's largest slums.

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"It's the beginning of a different era in the U.S. The United States is a country to dream about, and for us black Brazilians, it is even easier to do so now." — Emmanuel Miranda, a 53-year-old police officer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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"No doubt that Obama will be better for the Americans and the whole world, and being elected after the horrible policy of George Bush is enough by itself. Whatever change he can bring to the world after this catastrophic polices would be great." — Hisham Abu Amer, 28, in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Final 2008 Polls from Real Clear Politics

General Election: McCain vs. Obama

Polling Data

Poll	Date	Sample	MoE	Obama (D)	McCain (R)	Spread
RCP Average	10/29 - 11/03	--	--	52.0	44.2	Obama +7.8
Marist	11/03 - 11/03	804 LV	4.0	52	43	Obama +9
Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby	11/01 - 11/03	1201 LV	2.9	54	43	Obama +11
IBD/TIPP	11/01 - 11/03	981 LV	3.2	52	44	Obama +8
FOX News	11/01 - 11/02	971 LV	3.0	50	43	Obama +7
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl	11/01 - 11/02	1011 LV	3.1	51	43	Obama +8
Rasmussen Reports	10/31 - 11/02	3000 LV	2.0	52	46	Obama +6
Gallup	10/31 - 11/02	2472 LV	2.0	55	44	Obama +11
Diageo/Hotline	10/31 - 11/02	887 LV	3.3	50	45	Obama +5
CBS News	10/31 - 11/02	714 LV	--	51	42	Obama +9
ABC News/Wash Post	10/30 - 11/02	2470 LV	2.5	53	44	Obama +9
Ipsos/McClatchy	10/30 - 11/02	760 LV	3.6	53	46	Obama +7
CNN/Opinion Research	10/30 - 11/01	714 LV	3.5	53	46	Obama +7
GWU/Battleground	10/29 - 11/02	800 LV	3.5	50	44	Obama +6
Pew Research	10/29 - 11/01	2587 LV	2.0	52	46	Obama +6

See All General Election: McCain vs. Obama Polling Data

Intrade Market Prices for General Election: McCain vs. Obama

Republicans File FEC Complaint vs. Obama for Visiting Grandma

Obama and Grandma "Toot"

The depths to which the Republican Party has sunk never ceases to amaze me.  

California GOP files FEC complaint over Obama's visit to grandmother

In what the Washington Post called "perhaps the most ill-timed press release of the 2008 campaign," the California Republican Party announced that they'd filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that Sen. Barack Obama had illegally funneled funds from his campaign account for his personal use.

The use? Visiting his dying grandmother, whose passing was announced this afternoon.

The GOP sent the release at 1:30 pm ET, a few hours before Obama's grandmother's death was announced.

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