COLUMBIA, South Carolina: Senator Barack Obama appeared to sprint to a lopsided victory in the South Carolina primary, the first Southern contest of the presidential campaign. The Associated Press and CNN called the race for Obama immediately after the polls closed at 7:00 p.m., suggesting a large margin of victory. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards were in a close race for second-place as returns began to trickle in from the state's precincts.
More than half of the voters who participated in Saturday's primary in the state were black, according to early exit polls, a higher turnout than the 2004 Democratic primary and a signal that Obama enjoyed strong support from African-American voters. Clinton's campaign had sought to lower expectations about her performance in Saturday's primary, and she was scheduled to be in Tennessee for a rally on Saturday evening.
But Edwards, seeking to revive his flagging campaign, had ratcheted up his efforts in recent days as he hoped to attract support from voters in the state where he was born. Edwards was the winner of the 2004 South Carolina primary. A large majority of Democratic voters in South Carolina said America was ready to elect a black president or a woman president, according to exit polls.
Party officials predicted a record-setting turnout. Throughout the state, party officials said they had early reports of high turnout, in predominantly white and black precincts. Several precincts in York County, on the state's northern edge, had surpassed their complete voting totals from four years ago by early afternoon. Officials said similar turnout patterns were coming in from Aiken County, on the Georgia border.
By Jeff Zeleny and Michael M. Grynbaum
Source: Herald Tribune
Saturday, January 26, 2008
American woman kidnapped in Afghanistan
Gunmen kidnapped a burqa-clad American aid worker and her driver while they were traveling through southern Afghanistan early Saturday, a provincial governor said. The two were stopped by gunmen outside the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, said Gov. Asadullah Khalid. He blamed the kidnapping on the "enemy of Islam and the enemy of Afghanistan." Khalid said the 49-year-old American had been wearing a burqa when she was taken.
She worked for the aid agency Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, he said. The U.S. Embassy said it had no immediate information. Khalid said the gunmen had not contacted the government or the aid organization.
He said police and intelligence officials were trying to track her down. The group runs food-for-work, irrigation rehabilitation, health care and restoration projects around Kandahar, according to its Web site. Several Westerners -- including two German construction workers and two Italian journalists _ have been kidnapped in Afghanistan in the last year, but this was the first kidnapping of an American in recent memory.
Source: Associated Press
She worked for the aid agency Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, he said. The U.S. Embassy said it had no immediate information. Khalid said the gunmen had not contacted the government or the aid organization.
He said police and intelligence officials were trying to track her down. The group runs food-for-work, irrigation rehabilitation, health care and restoration projects around Kandahar, according to its Web site. Several Westerners -- including two German construction workers and two Italian journalists _ have been kidnapped in Afghanistan in the last year, but this was the first kidnapping of an American in recent memory.
Source: Associated Press
Friday, January 25, 2008
Felony Charges Filed Against Lil Wayne
The Yuma County Attorney's Office filed felony drug and weapons charges Friday against Lil Wayne. The 25-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was charged in justice court in Wellton, Ariz., with one count each of possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He is scheduled to appear Feb. 12 at a preliminary hearing.
Carter was in court, where a judge lifted a bail restriction prohibiting him from leaving the state. He was arrested after his tour bus was stopped in southern Arizona late Tuesday and is free on bail. His lawyer wasn't immediately available for comment. Carter's bus was stopped at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Dateland, Ariz., 78 miles east of Yuma. He was traveling with 11 other people. Ramona Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration, said earlier that a Border Patrol canine unit alerted agents to the presence of illegal drugs on the bus. A search of the bus yielded nearly 4 ounces of marijuana, just over an ounce of cocaine, 41 grams of ecstasy and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.
Officials also found a .40-caliber pistol registered to Carter, who has a concealed weapons permit in Florida. In October, Carter and several other rappers were named in a federal lawsuit filed by music publishing companies, accusing them of sampling other artists' songs without paying licensing fees. Birdman and Lil Wayne won a viewers' choice award for their song "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" at Black Entertainment Television's 2007 Hip-Hop Awards.
Source: Google News
Carter was in court, where a judge lifted a bail restriction prohibiting him from leaving the state. He was arrested after his tour bus was stopped in southern Arizona late Tuesday and is free on bail. His lawyer wasn't immediately available for comment. Carter's bus was stopped at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Dateland, Ariz., 78 miles east of Yuma. He was traveling with 11 other people. Ramona Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration, said earlier that a Border Patrol canine unit alerted agents to the presence of illegal drugs on the bus. A search of the bus yielded nearly 4 ounces of marijuana, just over an ounce of cocaine, 41 grams of ecstasy and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.
Officials also found a .40-caliber pistol registered to Carter, who has a concealed weapons permit in Florida. In October, Carter and several other rappers were named in a federal lawsuit filed by music publishing companies, accusing them of sampling other artists' songs without paying licensing fees. Birdman and Lil Wayne won a viewers' choice award for their song "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" at Black Entertainment Television's 2007 Hip-Hop Awards.
Source: Google News
Clinton Says She Must Counterattack
Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she must respond in kind to attacks from rival Barack Obama even though she'd rather keep the race for the Democratic presidential nomination focused on their differences on public policy issues. "I try not to attack first, but I have to defend myself -- I do have to counterpunch," Clinton told NBC's "Today Show."
"I took a lot of incoming fire for many, many months and I was happy to absorb it because obviously, you know, I felt that was part of my responsibility. But toward the end of a campaign you have to set the record straight," the New York senator said. Clinton, Obama and their campaigns have exchanged increasingly hard-hitting jabs in recent days over race, his relationship with a Chicago developer, her vote on the Iraq war, and other issues. Clinton stopped airing a South Carolina radio ad critical of Obama on Thursday and Obama took down his radio response in an attempt to cool the angry public spat.
"I have tried to make it clear that this election has to be about the future," Clinton said. "It is perfectly legitimate to draw comparisons and contrasts. I think both Senator Obama and I have made it clear we do want to focus on what we each would do for our country. It has been obviously an incredibly intense campaign. ... But I do want to make it clear that our campaigns have to stay focused on what you know the legitimate differences are so we can give voters information."
Clinton was asked about the backlash against her husband, former President Clinton, who has repeatedly criticized Obama's campaign. "There's been a lot that's been said on both sides and (some) of it has been kind of generated and certainly stoked. That all needs to just calm down and everybody needs to take a deep breath," Sen. Clinton told CBS' "Early Show."
Her husband, she said, "gets excited, gets really passionate about making the case for me."
Clinton's Republican rivals have also stepped up their criticism of the former first lady, whom they view as the mostly likely Democratic nominee. At a GOP debate in Florida Thursday night, Arizona Sen. John McCain said she wanted to raise "the white flag of surrender" in Iraq and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney derisively referred to her as "General Hillary Clinton."
"I don't worry about that because I think we're putting together a coalition of Democrats, independents, even Republicans who are very much disappointed with the policies of the Bush administration and the approaches taken by the Republican candidates," Clinton told NBC.
"In fact, we know that whomever is nominated by our party will be subjected to the same kind of withering attacks, but what is great is that those attacks are so old. It doesn't reflect what's happening in our country today."
Source: Google News
"I took a lot of incoming fire for many, many months and I was happy to absorb it because obviously, you know, I felt that was part of my responsibility. But toward the end of a campaign you have to set the record straight," the New York senator said. Clinton, Obama and their campaigns have exchanged increasingly hard-hitting jabs in recent days over race, his relationship with a Chicago developer, her vote on the Iraq war, and other issues. Clinton stopped airing a South Carolina radio ad critical of Obama on Thursday and Obama took down his radio response in an attempt to cool the angry public spat.
"I have tried to make it clear that this election has to be about the future," Clinton said. "It is perfectly legitimate to draw comparisons and contrasts. I think both Senator Obama and I have made it clear we do want to focus on what we each would do for our country. It has been obviously an incredibly intense campaign. ... But I do want to make it clear that our campaigns have to stay focused on what you know the legitimate differences are so we can give voters information."
Clinton was asked about the backlash against her husband, former President Clinton, who has repeatedly criticized Obama's campaign. "There's been a lot that's been said on both sides and (some) of it has been kind of generated and certainly stoked. That all needs to just calm down and everybody needs to take a deep breath," Sen. Clinton told CBS' "Early Show."
Her husband, she said, "gets excited, gets really passionate about making the case for me."
Clinton's Republican rivals have also stepped up their criticism of the former first lady, whom they view as the mostly likely Democratic nominee. At a GOP debate in Florida Thursday night, Arizona Sen. John McCain said she wanted to raise "the white flag of surrender" in Iraq and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney derisively referred to her as "General Hillary Clinton."
"I don't worry about that because I think we're putting together a coalition of Democrats, independents, even Republicans who are very much disappointed with the policies of the Bush administration and the approaches taken by the Republican candidates," Clinton told NBC.
"In fact, we know that whomever is nominated by our party will be subjected to the same kind of withering attacks, but what is great is that those attacks are so old. It doesn't reflect what's happening in our country today."
Source: Google News
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Microsoft beats the street on PC growth
Stronger than expected computer sales and lack of Vista delay-related charges push fiscal second-quarter results higher. Microsoft unveils new media partnerships designed to take business from Apple.
Microsoft said Thursday its fiscal second-quarter profit topped analysts' expectations and climbed 79 percent, buoyed by rising sales of Windows-based personal computers. For the quarter ended Dec. 31, profit increased to $4.71 billion, or 50 cents per share, from $2.63 billion, or 26 cents per share in the same period last year. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had forecast a profit of 46 cents per share.
Revenue rose 31 percent to $16.37 billion from $12.5 billion in the year-ago quarter, ahead of the analysts' prediction of $15.95 billion in sales.
The quarter was particularly strong when compared with a year ago, when the software maker deferred more than $1 billion in revenue due to delays in getting Windows Vista, its newest operating system, to consumers.
Microsoft's "client" division, responsible for Vista, posted revenue of $4.34 billion. The company said it has sold 100 million copies of Vista since its January 2007 launch.
Source: CNN News
Microsoft said Thursday its fiscal second-quarter profit topped analysts' expectations and climbed 79 percent, buoyed by rising sales of Windows-based personal computers. For the quarter ended Dec. 31, profit increased to $4.71 billion, or 50 cents per share, from $2.63 billion, or 26 cents per share in the same period last year. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had forecast a profit of 46 cents per share.
Revenue rose 31 percent to $16.37 billion from $12.5 billion in the year-ago quarter, ahead of the analysts' prediction of $15.95 billion in sales.
The quarter was particularly strong when compared with a year ago, when the software maker deferred more than $1 billion in revenue due to delays in getting Windows Vista, its newest operating system, to consumers.
Microsoft's "client" division, responsible for Vista, posted revenue of $4.34 billion. The company said it has sold 100 million copies of Vista since its January 2007 launch.
Source: CNN News
New York Times Backs Clinton, McCain
The New York Times editorial board endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic presidential race, writing that she is capable of "uniting and leading. We saw her going town by town through New York in 2000, including places where Clinton-bashing was a popular sport. She won over skeptical voters and then delivered on her promises..."
In editorials posted Thursday on the newspaper's Web site, the board argued forcefully on Clinton's behalf, while saying that McCain was the best of a flawed field with which the board had "strong disagreements.
"The board said its case for Clinton was based on more than her accomplishments, adding that the senator "sometimes overstates the importance of resume.""Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience," it said.
The board also spoke favorably of Sen. Barack Obama, calling him "incandescent," but concluded that "we need more specifics to go with his amorphous promise of a new governing majority, a clearer sense of how he would govern.""Voters have to judge candidates not just on the promise they hold, but also on the here and now."
The board wrote that it disagreed forcefully with the leading Republican candidates on Iraq, the economy and their support of President Bush.But McCain, the editorial said "is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe."The editorial also excoriated former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, saying that he "first shamelessly turned the horror of 9/11 into a lucrative business, with a secret client list, then exploited his city's and the country's nightmare to promote his presidential campaign."
"The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. Racial polarization was as much a legacy of his tenure as the rebirth of Times Square," the board said.
Source: AOL.com
In editorials posted Thursday on the newspaper's Web site, the board argued forcefully on Clinton's behalf, while saying that McCain was the best of a flawed field with which the board had "strong disagreements.
"The board said its case for Clinton was based on more than her accomplishments, adding that the senator "sometimes overstates the importance of resume.""Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience," it said.
The board also spoke favorably of Sen. Barack Obama, calling him "incandescent," but concluded that "we need more specifics to go with his amorphous promise of a new governing majority, a clearer sense of how he would govern.""Voters have to judge candidates not just on the promise they hold, but also on the here and now."
The board wrote that it disagreed forcefully with the leading Republican candidates on Iraq, the economy and their support of President Bush.But McCain, the editorial said "is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe."The editorial also excoriated former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, saying that he "first shamelessly turned the horror of 9/11 into a lucrative business, with a secret client list, then exploited his city's and the country's nightmare to promote his presidential campaign."
"The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. Racial polarization was as much a legacy of his tenure as the rebirth of Times Square," the board said.
Source: AOL.com
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