Coming Soon...

It's been a long time [70 days] but it's coming back. Not right now, but very soon =)

I'll be Wright with you...

It's been 20 days since I last posted and I am sooo sorry. I'll blame it on my laziness and more laziness. Also, I'm sick of the repetition on the news. Ever since Pennsylvania, which Clinton won by a margin of 10 points, two things have been on the news. The fact that Clinton won and Reverend Wright. Yes, he's back and I'm sick of him! God damn you for making the political process even more boring than it already was! Even though his name is in my title, I'm a sucker puns, I am not talking about this anymore.

Moving on to Austria. There's a huge incest case there where the father kept his daughter in some sort of dungeon in his house for about a quarter of a century. She's in her 40s now and has 6 children, all of them fathered by her father. This is so insanely gross and effed up. There really is not other way to describe this. 3 of the children of the daughter were adopted by the father/grandfather while the other 3, one of whom is 18, was locked up just like the daughter/their mother. Those 3 children have never seen the light of day until now. Apparently there are deformaties mentally as well as physically, which comes with incestuous births. I am truly disgusted that a man can do such a thing and what's even more awful is that the father is pleading insanity! That means he doesn't even have to go to jail and just some sort of mental facility. If hebehaves well and shows improvement mentally, they could set him free! This is bullshit, seriously. Is there a death penalty in Austria?

What else is there? Oh right! There was a cyclone that hit Yangon, Myanmar and it lasted for 10 hours. 4000 people were killed and 3000 have been reported missing, although the death and missing count will go higher as the days progress and the ruins are looked through. Foreign aid should be arriving in copious amounts and even Laura Bush is pushing for more aid. Hopefully, this will be the worst of the cyclones, although this is never the case since it's only May.

EDIT: Just found out that the death toll is over 10,000 people now.

This just in [for me anyway]! Ronaldo was busted recently for "encountering" 3 cross-dressing prostitutes. He tried to hide the story by paying the prostitutes but it didn't work out in the end. Stupid things always happen to people of great fame. It's cruel of me, but I laugh heartidly at all of them. That's their punishment for making so much money.

One thing that disturbed me more than I thought it would was what happened at the Kentucky Derby. The horse that came in second place broke both its ankles while racing and was put down on the spot. I feel the rider/trainer should take some sort of responsibility for what happened, but I wouldn't go as far as PETA would. There should a fine for over-pushing horses to its limits.

Returning to American politics briefly, North Carolina and Indiana have their primaries tomorrow. Obama should be able to win but if he doesn't, the blame will most likely be put on the Wright controversy [not the Wrong one lol] and not because she-Clinton is more electable.

I know that wasn't a sufficient post to make up for 20 days, but that's all I have right now. I shouldn't promise I'll update soon but I really will try. A lot of things are happening in May for me, but enough with excuses, just keep checking back please! Peace out! [Never used that one before]

Shooting the breeze in Pennsylvania

Last time it was two weeks, this time it's 9 days, so I must say I've improved. I'm sure a lot happened in those 9 days, but what exactly? I feel I've been getting more out of watching baseball [3+hours for two days of the week] than watching the news for hours everyday. Stories have been repeated, distorted, and worn out until it is no long interesting. From my point of view, two things are being focused on by the [American] news outlets: the Pennsylvania Primaries and the Polygamists in Texas. I'll touch up on both later in the post. But one thing I've realized is that the boycotting of the Olympics [or just the opening ceremonies] has not been discussed a lot by the American media. Pelosi and Clinton both want Bush to boycott, but what good will that do? I suppose you can count those as teasers to what's to come.

I'm going to start off with a quick baseball update. The Red sox whooped the Yankees twice [on Saturday and Sunday] for which I am very grateful and happy. One thing I was not happy about was that Fox cut off the last couple innings because Nascar started [there was a rain delay so the game was from 12:30 to around 6]. The Mets haven't been fairing all that well, but I'm sure they'll turn it around. Boston Red Sox are now 8-6 whereas the New York Mets are 5-6.

Now diving into the yummy cupcake of politics [I've been obsessed with cupcakes lately?], the Pennsylvania Primaries are next Tuesday, and the candidates [Democratic anyway] are turning up the hot and the cold. I won't get into geography here but let's just say when a warm air mass and cold air mass collides, nothing pretty comes out of it. Obama is in the limelight once again [or still?] for saying something along the lines of Pennsylvanians clinging onto their guns and faith due to frustration. He has admitted that the words came out faulty, but Clinton of course took the opportunity to attack. She says it's offensive and demeaning to say these things about the people of Pennsylvania and even released an advertisement with dissatisfied citizens voicing their contempt. This seems like a perfect move and exactly what Clinton's campaign needs to excel. But knowing Clinton, she does something more ridiculous therefore Obama's story is shunted. She tried to appear as a 'working class' member by 'shooting' it up with a shot of some type of hard liquor [which she sipped and I think it was Crown Royal]. She then 'chased' that with a beer and I assumed she got pretty drunk after that. Oh wait, am I forgetting something? Oh right, she said when she was a young girl her grandfather took her 'shooting' [literally] in her backyard...to which Obama attacked and ridiculed. She also called him an elitist. Yes, everything is out of order and a complete mess because that is exactly how the Clinton campaign is right now. She just can't catch a break can she? Maybe she was reminiscing about the days when she was a young shooter during her landing in Bosnia? It makes sense...If you're using that Clinton campaign, let me know! I have copyrights on that!

Did I say I was going to talk about the FLDS story again? Well all they have now is information about around 20 girls in their teen years who are pregnant. And that many of the younger women want to go back because it's what they're used to. There's a whole brainwashing thing behind this and it's pretty messy. I really don't want to get into it because then I'll go on to define "cult" and I don't want to be O'Reilly now do I? [yes].

I'm actually just going to touch on the Olympics issue because I have a time restraint. I will share my view on it: let it happen! Don't bring negative politics into this traditional event. I'm not saying I don't care about what's happening between China and Tibet [actually I don't] but I really think it's being blown up by the Tibetans and the media. And people are being suckered into being on the side of Tibet because the Dalai Lama is from there. Ok maybe "suckered" isn't the word, but I just wish people would research about exactly what's happening before making a judgement and not just absorb what the media and the monks are saying [it's biased, it always is]. These athletes have been training all their life to be part of this massive event, and I really hate that their dreams are being ruined because of politics. Leave them be [for now!] and don't boycott it!

The Pope is in town [well the States]! Welcome to the land of the free?

That's all from me today! Gotta run! I'll be in Banff this weekend so I may not update, but we shall see!

I've caught the baseball fever

I admit, I have been slacking off. It's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted, and really, I regret it. But I'm here now so don't fret. It's a bit lame that I've been starting all my posts with an apology, but I'm really dedicated to this, I'm just a tad lazy/busy. Also, before all the news starts flowing, I have good news [for once]! A friend of mine, Stefano, is helping me make a website for me to blog and post my articles! I'll keep this blog still, but will link it to my site, and hopefully more people will read what I have to say =) Now on with the news!

Let's get politics out of the way. Obama and Clinton still battling it out before Pennsylvania and McCain is telling stories of his life. Yes, it's been that boring. I don't want to say I've been losing interest in the race, but I'm starting to tune out a bit. Every week there's a new scandal on top of older scandals and whatnot. It's piling up into a large pile of Liberal Trash. I'm inclined to root for McCain because there's a slight chance he'll consider Mitt Romney as his running mate [if he cares about the conservative vote that is; otherwise it's Lieberman]. But breaking news is that Clinton's chief campaign strategist is quitting because he is linked to some Colombian free trade deal. Another slump for the Clinton campaign; it makes me almost feel bad for her. And the Clintons' tax returns have been recently released and they made a combined total of $109 million last year. Whoa! How is her campaign in debt? C'mon, be like Romney and pay for some of it yourself! Critics say this will detach Clinton from the middle and lower class voters because, well, she's bloody rich! If she cares about her campaign at all, she should use her money to trump Obama. It always works, especially in the States. Whoever denies 'money makes the world go around' is an idiot.

Hollywood lost a great actor yesterday. Charlton Heston died in his home last night. He was 84. He was in movies such as "Ben-Hur", "The Ten Commandments", "El Cid", and many more. It really sucks that so many Hollywood people are dying. It just seems they're so immortal yet they're humans just like us. It upsets me that no matter how great you are, you always get brought down by something like death.

Unfortunately, there have been more deaths since the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. This afternoon in Baghdad, 3 soldiers were killed and 31 others were injured in rocket attacks. Along with this most recent attack, there have been 19 more deaths since the 4000 marks was reached. All I can think about after reading such things is, "What for?"

In Eldorado, Texas,  over 200 women and children have been taken away from a ranch in Texas that is the home of polygamists. These people belong to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, where the act of polygamy is heavily practiced [as opposed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints where it is now condemned]. Girls as young as 13 years old are forced into an arranged marriage usually to a man much older. The best known case is of Warren Jeffs [52] who was convicted last year on counts of rape, incest, and sexual conduct with a minor. He was sentenced to 10 years to life. Sometimes religion is taken to the extreme, and that's when things get dangerous [and illegal]. I don't understand how marrying multiple wives is following the word of God. Adam was only allowed Eve, so why do people think they should get more than one?

A scary piece of news. A 3 year old girl found a gun in her home and shot herself in the head. She is in critical condition at this moment. I'm honestly surprised she survived, but I don't know exactly where in the head she shot. Maybe just scraped the side, but still, very scary. What are these parents thinking? "Let's put a gun where my baby can reach! But no, I refuse to buy toys from China because they have lead in them!"

Now onto the good stuff [referring to the title of the post]. Baseball season has started and I have grown quite fond of it. I first watched intently last year when the Boston Red Sox played the Colorado Rockies and owned them in the World Series. This season, I have made a promise to watch as many games of my teams as I can. I have chosen one team from each league: American League will be the Boston Red Sox [obviously because I always cheer for the Boston teams] and the National League will be the New York Mets! Even though both teams are one game behind [3-4 Sox and 2-3 Mets], I have high hopes for both teams and I know they'll do very well. This time if both teams make the World Series, I will NOT place a bet. I don't want another football fiasco to happen again [Patriots vs. Giants and I put money on the Pats -_-"]. So cheer for those two teams even if you don't watch baseball!

Oh I just received news of this. The Juno Awards were tonight [the Canadian music awards]. Feist won the most with 5. Other popular Canadian artists such as Michael Buble and Blue Rodeo picked up a few. Congratulations Canadian music!

I don't know when I'll post again, but I'm hoping sooner than I did last time. If things go well and I get my new phone, I may be able to blog more often because I'll be able to do it anywhere =) See you all next time! Good night, and good luck! [Haven't used that in awhile =) Oh! Congrats to Countdown for making it to its 5th birthday! Many more to come I hope!]

March Madness?

March madness in the news? Not so much -- well, from what I know anyway. I'm currently enjoying my second week of spring break but I decided I need to update or I'll forgot about this altogether. It's difficult to keep up with the intensity of the news world while so relaxed not doing anything.

There's been a lot of talk about the Iraq war recently due to the 5th anniversary of it on March 20th. The news world has actually been saying that coverage on the war has lessened because of the other issues at hand. The presidential election has garnered more attention from more Americans than anything else at the moment. The death count has reached 4000 Americans. What has been accomplished? I'm not about to get into deep discussion about the war because in the end, I will not reach any reasonable conclusion. I'm torn about the war because although I'm not for it [I don't agree with attaining peace by going to war], I don't believe it should be abandoned at the snap of a finger; nor do I think 100 years will do anyone any good. Mission Accomplished? Not any time soon. 97% of the deaths have come after the so-called "Mission Accomplished" statement by President Bush on May 1st, 2003. One thing I truly believe is that these lives should not be lost in vain. Something has to show for these losses.

Onto a lighter issue. Senator Hillary Clinton was busted today for LYING! In a speech she gave on St. Patty's Day, she claimed she landed in Bosnia in 1996 under fire -- oh what a dramatic tale she told. Guess what? That was a lie. There is video footage of her safe landing and the welcoming crowd she claimed wasn't there. Although she has admitted her untruthful words, it doesn't make things better of course. All I can say is, "Liar liar pants on fire!"

So what else has happened lately? Well on Fox & Friends sometime last week, Brown-haired Guy Who's Not Steve Doocy [credited to Stephen T. Colbert] walked off abruptly after Chris Wallace said to them there was too much Obama bashing. They now claim that it was a joke and he did it for fun. I thought the guy had balls for walking off, but now that he's shrinking away from his actions. I take that back. Faux Noise probably threatened to fire him if he didn't put on a smile and do a dance to make up for his walking off the set. One day, someone on that channel will grow a pair [not including Papa Bear and Geraldo because they came with a pair].

In world news, Taiwan elected their new president on March 22 and it was KMT's Ma Ying-Jeou. Congratulations to him. I really don't follow Taiwan news nor China news for that matter, so I don't know if this will help ease tension between the two, but good luck anyhow.

[This piece of news was inserted in a random area] Bill Richardson endorsed Barack Obama last week. [end of story].

Oh! I almost forgot! There was a piece of news that was so news breaking that Countdown dedicated a whole hour to it [then had another hour of other news]. What was it? Hmmm, there was so much information for 2 days and then suddenly no one is talking about it. Barack Obama's passport was breached a few times since January. *insert intense music here* The plot thickens when it was found out that Hillary Clinton's AND John McCain's passport information was also breached. Conclusion? I didn't hear one because they stopped talking about it! I regret having typed all that information [or lack thereof] now because it was a waste of my time and probably yours.

Ok, I've made it. I'm satisfied with my lack of news post. I'll post again when I'm more news savvy. Happy Dyngus Day!

It's been a long 10 days...

Yes indeed it has been. I once again am deeply regretful for the lack of attention I am giving this blog. I don't even know how many people visit this blog but I promised myself that I would do this so I am. That aside, a lot has happened during these past 10 days. Do I want to talk about everything? Not really because it's not really news. But let's start off with some news from the race to the White House [stole that from MSNBC's new show hosted by David Gregory *end plug*].

Mississippi was Tuesday and as expected, Obama won by about a 10[ish] point difference. He is still about 100 or so delegates in the lead of Senator Clinton. The next contest is in April, which will be Pennsylvania.

In the meantime, fire is burning around the two Democratic candidates. They are surrounded by people who want to "help" their campaign, but to steal a catch phrase from the Daily Show, "You're Not Helping!". Geraldine Ferraro has made some comments about Obama hinting [or flat out saying] he's lucky he's black. People are outraged by this "racist" remark, which has forced Ferraro to leave Clinton's campaign. My opinion? She shouldn't have said it in the way she said it, but there's truth to it. The media has been saying for a long time now that this race is exciting because of its unprecedence due to the fact that one candidate is a woman and the other is African-American. One of the reasons why Clinton is popular is because she's a woman. This has never happened before! One of the reasons why Obama is popular is because he's African-American. This has never happened before! You see the similarities and differences? At first glance, what stands out? Their sex and their race. It's the truth [unless one of them has recently tattooed on their forehead, "Free health care for all!"]. While I'm at it, I'm going to throw more truth out there. Many voters are not voting for Clinton because she's a woman and many voters are not voting for Obama because he's black. It's the truth. I don't understand why the media and the people must censor the obvious. I must add that I am not defending Ferraro. I am merely helping the elderly cross the street [and away from Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters].

Is it already time to talk about that story? Do I have to? *sigh* [Former] Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer admitted to be part of a prostitution ring [I think it's octagonal?]. Apparently he's done it multiple times and paid over 4,000 per house for this "Ashley" or "Kirsten" or whatever her name is today from the "Emperor's Club". I've always been a fan of Spitzer's, I think he's a good person and one of the best the Dems have. But biases aside, I think the fault is partially his wife's. At first glance [he's white and male?] he doesn't look like a man who would sacrifice his career for a good lay. So why has he? Maybe because his wife hasn't been attending to his needs. "Experts" may say he has larger amounts of testosterone because of he huge forehead, but I say, he's just a simple man. And a man has his needs. Maybe all he was looking for was companionship instead of a cold shoulder [I am in no way saying Mrs. Spitzer can freeze an ice cream cone on her shoulder but maybe keep the milk fresh?]. I am not a misogynist, but when a married man goes to a prostitute and puts his career on the line, he must be desperate and is obviously not getting any at home. Eliot Spitzer, you will always be remembered [as one of the few not gay Democrats] and I wish you luck [with your millions of dollars].

I'm all news-ed out right now, maybe it's the last day before spring break? I don't know. Ok, I admit, I have nothing else to say and is very lazy. But maybe after I watch some Countdown and some O'Reilly Factor I'll have some more to talk about. You want to read more? Check out this article by Glenn Beck: www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/14/beckfloridamichigan/index/html; it's a great read.

So that's it from me for now. On a personal note, I am now the editor-in-chief [I gave myself the title =)] for my school's newspaper! *cheers* Hmm, I should start working on that, yes? Good day!

Super Tuesday Part II

The primaries/caucuses for Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont were today. It was expected to be a tight race for the Democrats and a runaway for a Republican; these predictions were not wrong.

Senator John McCain won all four states today and passed the 1191 mark, making him the Republican Nominee. I really have nothing else to say, the man won fair and square, but it doesn't mean I have to like or accept it [which I don't and won't].

The race was and still is tight between Clinton and Obama. Vermont finished first and Obama won with 60% to Clinton's 38%. Rhode Island came next and Clinton won this one, 58% to Obama's 40%. Those were the relatively insignificant states so eyes were set on Ohio and Texas where both candidates were almost 50/50. Ohio's results has come out and Clinton won with 56% to 42%. Although the race was tight, in the early polls, Obama was expected to win. Texas' results have not come out yet, but Clinton is currently leading with 50% to 48%. If she wins this one, she will definitely stay around until the convention.

I really expected Obama to win big and Clinton to have dropped out by tomorrow, but things usually don't go my way *sigh*. The only good thing is more coverage from the guys over at MSNBC. Yippie!

That's all I have tonight, good night.

March already?

Even with the extra day, February went by awfully fast. I don't want to say there hasn't been any news, but I haven't been excited by anything specific this past week. Big things probably did happen, but nothing has stuck in my mind. Some headlines I can vaguely remember are:

- Mt. Kahluea erupted in Hawaii causing environmental damage.

- There was an earthquake in Southern Philippines today at a magnitude of 6.5.

See a pattern? Yes, the above relate to geography and the environment. I blame it on my Geography 12 class and my fascination in natural disasters. You must admit, man-made disasters don't boost egos, they just deflate until nothing.

Now in other news:

Fires were deliberately set on houses north of Seattle. Earth Liberation Front were believed to do this. The evidence? They wrote on a white sheet and signed it. This "ELF" group are what officials claim to be "Eco-Terrorists". They purposely destroy to prove a point about how people are destroying the environment? I don't understand them but I have labeled them to be "extreme tree-huggers".

Medyevdev wins election in Russia to become the new president who claims he will work closely with Putin.

Tensions are high between Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. Apparently a rebel leader was killed and everyone is on alert. Chavez is obviously talking big, but nothing big will happen, it will be left alone soon.

The U.N. renewed sanctions on Iran due to their consistent refusal to halt uranium advancements and developments. Iranian President Ahmandinejad had just finished his trip to Iraq and is once again on the offensive. He said, "No one likes them". The 'them' refers to the United States of America. It could be true, but at his moment, Canada still likes them [until they break off NAFTA, then you-know-what will hit the fan]. At this point, Iran probably doesn't even care about uranium. It just wants to piss off the Americans.

Speaking of the Americans, an update on the campaign trail [good transition yes?]. Obama and Clinton are still going at it with no results. More McCain slams by random people, but otherwise, quite tamed for the Republicans.

Primaries tomorrow for both Democrats and Republicans are: Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Texas. This day is believed to be the end for one of the Democratic hopefuls. One of? I mean Hillary Clinton. If she loses either Ohio or Texas, it is believed that she will become Mike Huckabee [no, not a baptist minister, she'll become irrelevant]. For the Republicans, nothing will change.

I promise to update tomorrow about the results from the four states. G'day.

And the Oscar Goes to...

Yes, it's that time of year again. Tonight's post will be entirely dedicated to the Oscars and the winners. Actually, the main reason I'm watching, not only because I have been for many years, it's because Jon Stewart is hosting [again]! I must say, he has done a very good job so far. Lots of liberal-bias in Hollywood jabs, all the good stuff.

Winners tonight [adding as the show progresses]

Costume Design: Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Animated Feature: Ratatouille

Makeup: La Vie en Rose

Visual Effects: The Golden Compass

Art Directions: Sweeney Todd

Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem [No Country for Old Men]

Live Action Short Film: Le Mozart Des Pickpockets

Animated Short Film: Peter and the Wolf

Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton [Michael Clayton]

Adapted Screenplay: No Country for Old Men

Sound Editing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Sound Mixing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Lead Actress: Marion Cotillard [La Vie en Rose]

Film Editing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Foreign Film: Falscher, Die [Austria]

Original Song: Falling Slowly [Once]

Cinematography: There Will Be Blood

Original Score: Atonement

Documentary Short Film: Freeheld

Documentary Feature: Taxi to the Dark Side

Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody [Juno] *side note: yay!*

Lead Actor: The "I've abandoned my child" Guy -- Daniel Day-Lewis

Directing: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen [No Country for Old Men]

Picture: No Country for Old Men

Some highlights [that I can remember]:

- Jon's jokes, all of them

- Troops in Baghdad presenting

- Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen's bit

- Wii Playing

- Baby nomination to Angelina Jolie

- Helen Mirren saying "cojones"

So did you see who so and so was wearing? I mean, hello! What was so and so thinking!? I think I just summed up the after show without watching it. I will give one comment though, Jon Stewart looked mighty fine all dressed up with the bow tie and that jazz. 

----

On a note aside from the Oscars, Fidel Castro has officially stepped down and his little brother, Raul Castro, has stepped up [age difference is 5 years and Fidel is 81 so...he isn't that young?].

So there's more news aside from the Oscars. Ralph Nader has entered the race as an independent! This is preposterous! I very much dislike the man. His campaign slogan should be, "Ralph Nader: Vote Stealer"

Handful of happenings...

It has been a week since I last posted and I know, that's a long time. I bring no excuses but my own laziness, but let's get started.

The main thing I regret not having posted on the day of is that the Writer's Strike is finally over! It's done! I don't know the details about the new contract, but since the WGA had been very persistent, the AMPTP must've given them what they wanted. I'm very glad that all the late night shows got their writers back [Stephen Colbert also getting 'back' Tiki Barber, Kevin Bacon, and Mr. Met]. Welcome back writers, you have been missed! Now bring on the new episodes, I'm ready to watch them!

Valentine's Day has also come and passed, but nothing good has come out of it. There was a school shooting at the Northern Illinois University that left 5 people dead and the shooter as well. There have been many developments, but all the information seems to be the same as the previous school shootings'. But this time, the shooter did not attend the school did at one point. It's really unfortunate that the many school shootings in 2007 has carried over into 2008. A big question: who's fault is all this? I'll be writing a piece on it in the coming days.

Kosovo is now its own country. It declared independence from Serbia yesterday and the U.S. and many other countries have already recognized it as its own. But there are of course, many countries who oppose. Serbia [obviously] opposes as well as Russia, Greece, and Spain. There is also a small fear that many other nations will exercise their rights to self-determination and follow suit in declaring independence. Good thing or bad thing? We'll see as it unfolds.

Yesterday and today saw suicide bombings that left many casualties in Afghanistan. On Sunday, a bomber attacked a market and recent information tells of at least 100 dead. Today, a suicide bomber crashed his car into a Canadian convoy's, killing 35 civilians and at least 25 people injured -- including 2 Canadian soldiers. Sunday's killings have been the deadliest since the "Islamist movement" according to CNN. This event no doubt puts more pressure on the Conservatives and their decision to extend the stay of Canadian peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan. Expect consistent attacks from the Liberals and the NDP, and maybe even an election [I hope not] in the near future.

Now onto the U.S. presidential elections. Republican John McCain is expected to win, and has been for awhile now, the nomination for the GOP. Even Mitt Romney has endorsed him *sigh* Previous president George H.W. Bush has endorsed McCain, so what is Huckabee still doing? I remember him saying something along the lines of it being better than doing nothing at all. I really don't want to put my support behind McCain because for a 'straight-talker', he sure is a 'flip-flopper'. This really shows the doom of the Republican party. All I can do now is quote a person I don't usually quote. "I would vote for the Devil over John McCain, thus my claim that I would vote for Hillary [Clinton] over John McCain." - Ann Coulter.

The Democratic race is tight as ever. The one state that Clinton seems to be putting most her efforts into -- Texas -- is showing the same thing, a tie. Wisconsin and Hawaii are tomorrow and expect Obama to win them. But, once again, will it make a difference? Pundits and typical critics alike are already claiming that these primaries/caucuses won't be the deciding factor in the nominee. It will be up to the superdelegates to decide [read bottom post if you don't know what I'm talking about]. Am I going to root for a Democrat? I don't think I'd expose that information to the public. But I can say, ANYONE BUT John McCain or Hillary Clinton. Hmm, who's left?

I will bookend this post with repeating the fact that the Writer's Strike is OVER! What does that mean? The Oscars will get decent jokes! Who's the host this year? I've known for awhile now, but I haven't informed you all. It's none other then Jon Stewart! *applause* I'm excited for the Oscars every year, but the years that Jon Stewart hosts [this will be his second year], I'm more excited. So don't miss the show, this coming Sunday, February 24. The only down side is that there isn't the Daily Show or the Colbert Report this week because Jon has to write the material. I'm hoping he grabs not only his writers but also Colbert's writers to make the show less aged [have you seen the crowd at the Oscars?].

That's all for me today. I think I should stop making promises of posting, but I really do want to try to post more often. I blame it on school [so I do have an excuse]. But if Anderson Cooper can post almost everyday, I can too! Good night, and good luck!

Superdelegates?

Is it just me, or are the presidential hopefuls and their campaigns starting to get...boring? For the Republicans, the only candidate that can win, and the candidate who will win the nomination, is and will be John McCain. On the Democratic side, Clinton and Obama are in a virtual dead heat. Neither of them will get ahead of the other unless one drops out, but it doesn't appear that either of them are prepared to do so.

So what will decide? The majority of the primaries and caucuses are being won by Barack Obama, but why is he not ahead? The reason: SUPERDELEGATES. They're not just delegates that are won in states, they're the SUPER ones. What does that mean? Well they're the delegates that candidates don't get from the primary/caucus process. They're people from the Democratic National Convention who hold positions such as party officials or others along that line. Who do these people represent? Well, themselves really. They each get one vote and can give it to whichever candidate they want. There are about 796 superdelegates that can go to either candidate. They can even flop from one candidate to another at any given time. Obama has won more states than Clinton, but he is still a few delegates behind because she has more support from these DNC people. The pledged superdelegate count looks like this at this moment:

261 Clinton

176 Obama

359 Undecided

Do the voters feel a bit ripped off? Millions have gone out to vote in hopes that the amount of delegates in their states goes to the candidate they want to win. But since Clinton won the states with the larger amount of delegates on Super Tuesday but Obama won more, these delegates just make them even more tied -- if that makes sense. The tie breaker, as stated before, is now up to these superdelegates. To quote something that is often said, and that I feel relevant at the moment: "All men are created equal, but some are more equal than others." The some in this situation are these people who get a whole vote to themselves.

Have I sold you on the illegitimacy and unfairness of these superdelegates yet? No? Here's something interesting. Superdelegates can be anyone relating to the DNC and can be any age. Did I mention that they don't have to be pre-approved by voters? No offense to the young, but there is a 21 year-old manboy that is in possession of one of these superdelegates. Jason Rae is a college student who has been helping the DNC, directly or indirectly, for a few years now. He hasn't decided who he's going to vote for yet, but has received many phone calls to try to get his vote. Former President Bill Clinton has phoned up this manboy hoping he'd give his vote to his wife. Has Bill Clinton phoned every other American who is able to vote to do so? Why does this manboy get special treatment? He also got a date -- I mean, lunch appointment -- with Chelsea Clinton [if the Clintons read this blog, they may be very angry with me. Un-suspend David Shuster!!] Has Chelsea gone to lunch appointments with the millions of Americans who can vote? I didn't think so.

Do I need to quote that quote again? No, just scroll up. Basically, my point is, superdelegates should not be more important than regular delegates, yet they are. I wouldn't say they should be gotten rid of, but the rules should be revised. Like whichever state the superdelegate is in should be given to the winner of that state. Another thing to think about: Did the DNC purposely make the superdelegates more important? They stripped the delegates of many states completely bare, and many others in half. Does this relate to anything?

Can the Democrats get any more confusing? Maybe that's another reason I like Republicans more, there are no 'hidden fees' on each 'transaction', they are as written. And this has got to be the longest post I've written about the Democrats. Hooray? I need to take a Republican shower...whatever that contains [I know what it won't contain -- Larry Craig *canned laughter*].

So Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. is tomorrow. Who will win for the Democrats? Probably Obama, but apparently Clinton has some edge left in Virginia. Who will win for the Republicans? Will it even make a difference? [The answer is no, by the way].

That's all for me tonight! I want a cool sign-out...something that isn't stolen from Murrow. See ya later? Hasta Luego? [there goes the interview with Lou Dobbs *canned laughter*]. *waves* [now that one, I like].

Sad day...again...

Mitt Romney has 'suspended' his campaign [he pretty much dropped out]. His reasons had to do with being in the way of the Republicans defeating the Democrats or something. If anyone is in the way, it's Huckabee.

I know, I have posted in forever. New semester means I am unorganized, but I will pick it up very soon. It's Chinese New Years today so I wish everyone Gung Hay Fat Choy! Year of the Rat, are you one?

One thing I should've made a post on was Super Tuesday. It's the day that everyone had been counting down, but I was so indifferent about the results that I didn't care to post. Obama won more states than Clinton, but she won the bigger ones such as California and New Jersey. She even won Massachusetts, which means that Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Obama had no effect. So Obama won more delegates, but Clinton got more votes overall. Now, Clinton is still leading Obama because she has more super-delegates.

On the Republican side, Romney won the usual Utah and Massachusetts along with a few others. He didn't do worse than Huckabee, who did manage to win some, but not as much. McCain obviously won the rest of it, which pretty much makes him the Republican nominee.

So what's it going to be? McCain vs. Obama or McCain vs. Clinton? I think he'll lose against Obama but he has a chance against Clinton.

Fox made a mistake today, not surprising, but what is surprising is that I agree with it. When they showed a clip of McCain talking, underneath him it said: Senator John McCain [D-Az]. If you don't see anything wrong with that, it's fine, many wouldn't. But McCain is actually a Republican, not a Democrat. Oh but he sure could fool us [and Fox].

I am going to say, we miss you Mitt!! Come back in a few years and beat those Dems and closet Dems!

I will be back soon, hopefully, so I'll be back then. Good night and good luck [I'm in the process of watching the movie, good so far!].

Status: Crying

The New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl against the New York Giants. Congratulations to Eli and the rest. But the Pats played well too. 18-1 is all I hear *cries*

Good night.

Sad news today...

John Edwards has dropped out of the race for the presidency. It's a sad day for many Democrats because he has been a force even having been the underdog. I never really cared much for Democrats and now I feel I care even less. Who's the eye candy now? Clinton? I don't think so. But besides Edwards' boyish smile, he was a very good candidate and really thought about the 'underdogs' in the society. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination should pick Edwards to be their running mate.

MSNBC talked about Giuliani comparing himself to the NY Giants, coming back at the end. But, as Shuster said, he's more like the Miami Dolphins subtracting their one win. Giuliani is expected to drop out of the race today in California and endorsing John McCain. I never took Giuliani to be a McCain fan, I had hoped him to endorse Romney, but that's that.

Giuliani is dropping out due to his loss in Florida. The one state he put all his resources in and he only managed to get third. Since Florida is an all or nothing state, the winner, McCain, received all 57 delegates. He now has a hefty lead over Romney, but Super Tuesday has not arrived yet. I'm still rooting for Romney, but with McCain ahead of him and is becoming more and more like-able, things aren't looking good for Willard.

It's over for two candidates right before Super Tuesday. The race will now turn up in intensity; who isn't excited? 21 states for the Republicans and 22 states for the Democrats. Even though this day has over a thousands delegates, it may not decide the nominee. The real delegates come from the 'super-delegates' which is support from people such as congressmen and senators. I find that unfair, but apparently those in the government should have more say than the people.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey still will not say if waterboarding is torture or not. He claims instead that, 'waterboarding is not currently a technique used by the CIA.' Is he less competent than previous Attorney General Alberto Gonzales? So far, I think so.

Once again, it's a surprise that I posted. But I am so upset that Edwards has dropped out that I needed to update. My last exam is tomorrow so after that, things should go back to normal. Have a good day.

State of the Union [Remix?]

The 43rd President of the United States, George Walker Bush, gave his last State of the Union address tonight. The first real piece of American politics I digested was the State of the Union speech Bush gave a couple years back. I feel I'm reminiscing...wait, Bush appears to be as well. As I was taking notes about the speech, I felt a sense of deja vu. Many of the items he stated tonight has been mentioned in his previous speeches. It was like a mash up of his seven prior speeches. I was honestly going to go into deep discussion about it here, typing out all my pretty notes. But unfortunately, I'd feel repetitive and redundant. The stances that Bush has always taken? Yes, they're still the same.

I will quote some things I feel are worth quoting:

This is actually quite a good line

- "Republican and Democrats can compete for votes and cooperate at the same time."

Okay, well, how?

- "The IRS accepts both cheques and money orders."

Bush made a funny.

- "Those whose products say Made in the USA."

All I heard him say that to the tune of "Born in the USA"

- "The pursuit of happiness is the path of service."

So, Mr. President, you don't pursue happiness and never have, yes?

- "Nucular."

I couldn't see him, but I felt Obama twitch a little.

Some side notes:

- Vice-President Dick Cheney did not fall asleep! Not even a small shut-eye because I was watching closely

- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi looked as usual...not satisfied

- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice looked as usual...angry over nothing

- Both she-Clinton and Obama looked bored, but clapped anyway

- I believe there is a cue for every clap and every standing ovation; very annoying

- Why are people asking for Bush's autograph? You people work in the government! Have some self-respect and mail him for an autograph! We can see you!

I only managed to catch some of the post-speech analysis on MSNBC, which is still going on now, but it's the usual. Keith is saying the speech is a 'Best Of' and the Chris is not satisfied with the repetition.

One thing I just caught with a random guest [random because I don't know who he is]: He claims Keith and Chris are cynical. Hmm, I wonder why Mr. biased-Bush-lover -- Andy Card [something like that]. He said Chris was down in the weeds...to which Chris replied: "I'm down there with the old Constitution." Owned!

IN OTHER NEWS:

Mosul, Iraq: 5 American soldiers were killed today by a roadside bomber. This is the deadliest attack in months. Mosul is an area that is said to be the last Al Qaeda stronghold.

There was a scare at the White House today. A man voiced threats against the President today and was arrested. The alarming thing was that he left a duffle-bag behind, but later on, it was cleared.

Onto the campaign trail. Poll leaders in Florida, Romney and McCain, are going on the strong attack and not holding back. Romney throws out 'Liberal-Democrat' while McCain goes for the typical 'Flip-Flopper' and 'Liberal Governor of Massachusetts.'

Latest Reuters polls has:

McCain 33 Romney 30 Giuliani 14 Huckabee 11 Paul 2

The Kennedys' announced today at American University that they are endorsing Barack Obama. They feel he will bring 'change' and 'hope' to the country as he will be able to win. Throughout the next few days, I expect more speculations and whatnot around this endorsement. There's always a scandal when a big named family endorses someone.

Chuck Norris somewhat retracted his comments about McCain today. He is regretful for saying that McCain's age will affect his competency [or ability to live] during his presidency. He expects McCain's 95 year old mother to be on his case soon.

I think that's enough news for today. I hope you enjoyed because I skipped studying for my History exam for this. Good night, and good luck [to me].

South Carolina Primaries

Democrat edition. I missed pretty much the whole process and the analysis, but I do know that Barack Obama won with 55%. Clinton came second with 27% followed by Edwards' 18%. it's unfortunate Edwards didn't get that much support even though he's from the state. Obama is now up to 63 delegates.

Florida will be coming up for the Republicans and Giuliani is not looking good. McCain and Romney are fighting for first and Giuliani is not even mentioned anywhere.

Michigan's Kirsten Haglund, a 19-year old, won today's Miss America pageant. The aspiring Broadway star studying at the University of Cincinnati beat out Miss Indiana and Miss Washington by singing "Over the Rainbow." Apparently all you win is $50,000 scholarship and the chance to travel. I want eternal youth, is that too much to ask?

The former dictator of Indonesia, Suharto, died today. His legacy includes killing millions of people and controlling the country with an 'iron fist' -- no, understatement, fist made out of deadly spikes.

Shocking news today. Spider-Man and Mary Jane has broken up! I don't want to go into details, but this is a tragic event for everyone. I hope they somehow work things out.

It's quite a surprise that I updated today, but I had some time.  Franny says night. Good night.

Almost a week...

Yes, it's been almost a week since I last posted and I do apologize [seems I've been doing a lot of that lately]. I still have to get back to studying so I'll make this post quick.

Let's start with some old-ish news:

The one piece of news I can't stop hearing about is the death of Heath Ledger. The 28 year-old actor died in his apartment in Manhattan on Tuesday, January 22 around noon. He was found naked with bottles of pills nearby. An autopsy has been conducted since then but it has turned out no results. It will be another few days before the result from the tox test will show anything. His body has been moved from the funeral home in Manhattan back to Australia where he will be buried.

Onto the campaign trail:

Fred Thompson has dropped out of the race on the 22nd as well as Dennis Kucinich who dropped out just recently.

Let's start off with the Democratic debate on CNN which occurred early last week. The only thing I left with after watching it was a sense of maturity. Obama and Clinton were at each other's throats the whole time while Edwards took over Richardson's post of trying to keep things calm. I was simply disgusted therefore I looked forward to the Republican debate.

This one was not any better. There was NO fighting. It felt like the world flipped around. The left had gone right and the right had taken a swift left. Everyone played it so safe that I can't even use a 'safety pin' as a metaphor. They were like....q-tips! I was disgusted with their calm behavior even when they asked each other questions. I zoned out after awhile but I swear Giuliani was about to ask Romney how he gets his hair so pristine-looking. Needless to say I had a pretty disappointing week watching these weak debates -- even my wit factor has dulled.

The South Carolina Primaries are today for the Democrats and judging by the ever-so fluctuating polls, a clear winner has not been decided. I'm tired of betting on Democrats but I'll take Obama's side because Clinton cannot win anymore and Edwards isn't rising in the polls fast enough -- even in his home state.

An update for the delegate count:

Obama 38

Clinton 36

Edwards 18

Romney 67

McCain 38

Huckabee 26

Next week is full of exams for me so I doubt I'll be posting until late next week. After that, I should fall back into the steady pattern of posting everyday. I shall leave with a quote I enjoyed: "Appoint Mitt Romney Secretary of Lookin' Good" - Obama on Letterman.

And a reminder! The State of the Union Speech [the last one for Bush] is Monday. I'll be doing my exam, but don't miss it if you aren't forced to!

Good day.

Champs all around!

My two teams won tonight! AFC Champs are the New England Patriots and NFC Champs are the New York Giants!! They're going to the Bowl!! Brady v. Manning! I am so excited that this is the only news tonight from me. I had made my avatar awhile ago and it's still relevant! =D The avatar is on my msn, but it's the Pats logo and the Giants logo in one.

The scores:

Patriots 21

over

Chargers 12

Giants 23

over

Packers 20

By the way, the Patriots are still perfect in their season and post season so far so it's 18-0. I love both teams going to the Super Bowl, but I would love to see the Patriots achieve perfection.

Good night and good luck.

Nevada/South Carolina

The Nevada Caucuses occurred today for both the Democrats and the Republicans and the South Carolina Primaries happened for the Republicans.

Mitt Romney won by a mile [51%] in Nevada with Ron Paul coming in at second place [14%], which is quite surprising. Hillary Clinton won Nevada with 51% and Obama came second with 45%. Edwards came in a distant third with a disappointing 4%.

In South Carolina, John McCain won with 33%. Huckabee followed with 30%, then Thompson with 16%, and Romney, the Nevada winner, came fourth with 15%.

The delegate count shows:

Republicans:

Romney 66

McCain 38

Huckabee 26

Thompson 8

Paul 6

Giuliani 1

Hunter 1

Democrats:

Obama 38

Clinton 36

Edwards 18

Gravel 0

Kucinich 0

Remember during all last year, the very clear front runners were Giuliani and Clinton? Who's leading now?

South Carolina Primaries are next for the Democrats which will be on January 26. This state should show a clear winner and widen the tight race between Obama and Clinton [in favour of Obama].

Florida Primaries are next for the Republicans [and Democrats have it on the same day, but no delegates] and this is where Giuliani 'hopes' to win big. January 29th is the date that will make or break the once front runner and may even show a clear winner elsewhere.

'Super Tuesday' is coming up quick. Mark your calendars: February 5th.

That's all for Franny for today [and maybe the next few days]. Good night, and good luck. [By the way, my delayed order for 'Truth and Consequences' came in today =D Should I study or read?]

Apologies once again

Yes, I blame it on school [again]. I just wanted to update so I can keep my new years resolution, which is no longer to post everyday but to post as much as possible =).

Romney and Clinton won Michigan, but it only counts for Romney because the Democrats were stripped of their delegates for moving their date up. The debate in Nevada between Clinton, Obama, and Edwards went well and in my opinion, Brian Williams won because he was so funny.

Nevada is coming up and I'm going for Romney [SC for the Pubs too] and Obama. C'mon boys, lucky snake eye! =P

I promise I will update more often after my exams, but at this moment, I can only do a bit. On a personal note, I have an interview Social Code tomorrow and I'm pretty excited.

I'm Franny, good night.

A bit of this and that

I'm going to start off with some news that's happened in the past couples days that I had forgot to post about. Firstly, Bill Richardson has dropped out of the presidential race the day after the New Hampshire primaries. He did receive 5% of the votes which is a number that either of the front runners, Obama or Clinton, would love to have. But Richardson did not say which candidate he will endorse.

The other day, John Kerry announced that he will endorse, no you'll never guess...Barack Obama. He snubbed his ex-running mate, John Edwards, to completely support Edwards' opponent, Obama. I know what you're thinking, "That's really mean!" No, that's not mean, that's Kerry being a complete ass. I heard that Kerry and Edwards had many problems during and after Kerry's failed candidacy, but to those who don't know about it, it makes Kerry, and linking to Obama, look really bad. I feel for you Edwards, hang in there, you don't need that guy.

For some new news about the race for the White House, Dennis Kucinich is calling for a recount in New Hampshire. He wants to make sure that every vote was accounted for the Democrats. I already know how this is going to go...

Kucinich: "Can we get a recount please?"

Vote counting person: "Can I sleep with your wife?"

Kucinich: "No."

Vote counting person: "Ok, then no."

In Taiwan, the recent election in the parliament showed the KMT winning the majority of positions over the DPP. This is a hard blow to DPP since the presidential elections are coming up in March and this loss may mean that the KMT will assume all power. Chen Shiu-bian has already been president for 8 years so he must step down in March. His hopefuly successor, Frank Hsieh is up against the Nationalist Party's Ma Ying-jeuo. The politics in Taiwan will change drastically if the KMT wins due to their want for closer relations with mainland China. I do believe that Taiwan's politics and economy will stabilize if they reach out to China, but the people of Taiwan may be torn about this.

In sports: The Green Bay Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 42-20. The best part of the game, besides Green Bay whooping the Seahawks' butts, was the heavy snow. It is amazing how the players can play in such harsh weather.

The most exciting part of my day today was watching the New England Patriots beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-20. Tom Brady was amazing! Only two incomplete passes in the whole game. That play with him faking his pass was amazing as well. Still perfect even in the playoffs, and up to the Bowl as well!

That's all for Franny tonight. Good night.

My Apologies

I haven't posted in the last two days and I am very sorry for that. School has been keeping me busy with the deadlines and exam time coming up all too soon. Excuses aside, I may not be able post everyday for this month due to...well, the reasons mentioned above. But let's start the news informing.

I'd like to start with some stuff from yesterday, January 10th. It was the 1 year anniversary of the 'surge', which sent 30,000 more troops to Iraq. Opinions are divided though about whether it's been a success or not. But the new news about the day is that 40,000 lbs. of bombs were dropped South of Baghdad by the American soldiers targeting Al Qaeda. It really doesn't sound appealing to me even though it's an act to suppress the enemy, but 40,000 lbs is A LOT.

Moving on to something much lighter. I actually don't have a lot of heavy news today so I'll have to do some fills. Mr. Bill O'Reilly is doing what he does best. Since the puppet show of him pushing a member of Obama's campaign [courtesy of the lovely Keith Olbermann from Msnbc], he's been expected the act rashly about it. The call has been answered because recently, he targeted not NBC, but its owner, General Electric. He sent one of his goons to harass one of the people who work at GE while he was having a meal with a group of people. I seriously think O'Reilly could get into some deep trouble with this one.

This may not be surprising for many, but O.J. Simpson is back in jail. He had apparently violated terms of his bail and sits in jail now waiting for a court hearing on Wednesday.

I just read this piece of news. Even with the growing attacks by Al Qaeda in Pakistan, President Musharraf is prohibiting U.S. troops from helping. He is not just refusing help, but he is not allowing the troops to set foot on his land at all. It has long been speculated that Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan but it appears that Musharraf has not done much to find him. Much of the billions of dollars that the U.S. had sent to Pakistan to aid in fighting terrorists has been wasted and not used well. It is unfortunate that Musharraf is being stubborn and not accepting aid from a willing ally.

That's all from Franny tonight. Good night.

New Hampshire Primaries

The New Hampshire Primaries were today and I must say, they weren't as exciting as Iowa. I'll just give the results and there is one shocker. Clinton won for the Democrats. In every poll Obama was expected to win, but this just proves that polls aren't as correct as you think. But on the other hand, McCain beat Romney and it was projected very early into counting the ballots. Here are the numerical results:

Democrats:

Clinton 39%

Obama 36%

Edwards 17%

Richardson 5%

Kucinich 1%

Gravel 0%

Republicans:

McCain 37%

Romney 32%

Huckabee 11%

Giuliani 9%

Paul 8%

Thompson 1%

Hunter 0%

Iowa kept me on the edge of my seat but this one really put me to sleep. I predicted Obama and McCain to win [as did many] so Clinton's win really surprised me. But like in Iowa, voter turnout surged from 2004, having about 70% of the population voting. Some more stats:

- New Hampshire has an 'open' vote which means independents can vote either Democrat or Republican

- Independent voters make up 38% of Republican voters; 43% of Democratic voters

- In an exit poll conducted by Msnbc, 93% of Democrats and 49% of Republicans are dissatisfied with President Bush

Although I was half asleep, I heard Tom Brokaw talk about how early polling and all the places that conduct them distort the process. He had a great bit about it but unfortunately I was pretty out of it so I can't remember details. But I remember agreeing with him and that they seem, to me anyway, to be able to influence a regular voter. Due to the possibility of a candidate winning, they may vote him/her so they feel they've voted for the winner.

In other news, two rockets were launched from Lebanon to Israel today. The fighting is still quite brutal and this event comes just a bit before President Bush's visit to Israel.

Since the recent cancellation of the Golden Globes, other award shows are deciding whether or not to continue. The Oscars have recently released a statement about how the show will still go on even without writers. But the writers are confident that without the writers and SAG on the side of the writers, the show won't go on.

That's all for Franny tonight. I'll be back tomorrow, as usual. Good night.

Live Free or Die time

New Hampshire is on our doorsteps! Due to the time difference, voting has already started in two towns [they started right at midnight]. McCain has an early lead for the GOP and Obama has the lead for the Democrats. Although it is still early, New Hampshire will make or break candidates.

In a last minute effort today, she-Clinton spoke to a group of her supporters in a more, shall we say, 'human' manner. She became emotional [albeit slightly] and said that running for president is a personal matter as well as political. But right after she said this, she goes on to attack Obama. She also pulls a trick out of Giuliani's play book. She mentions that when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown took office, the second day there was a terrorist attack. Using threats to win the nomination? Getting Republican are we?

Last bit of political news for tonight and it's a funny. Everyone is voting for Obama because he's the 'change' candidate. But he hasn't actually brought any real change yet. He's just saying he will when he gets to the White House. The REAL change candidate is Willard Mitt Romney. He's the only one who's actually changed. His positions have changed throughout his political career. Even his fellow candidates have noticed and started picking on him about it. Vote Mitt Romney for real change.

In entertainment news, the Golden Globes have been cancelled. The SAG decided to show their support for the WGA by telling all members to not attend the Golden Globes. I don't care too much for the Golden Globes, but the Oscars are coming up. The very lovely Jon Stewart is/was going to host it!

Speaking of Mr. Stewart, his show is back on-air today along with the Colbert Report. I'm really excited for this one and I'm actually staying up to watch them both [screw homework, I have time for it...eventually]. I'll probably add some stuff after the episodes either today or just put it in tomorrow's post. I heard there's going to be a toss =)

That's all for me tonight. There most likely will be a full coverage from yours truly on the New Hampshire primaries tomorrow. That's from Franny this evening, good night.

Football Fever

NY Giants beat Tampa Bay today!! 24-14! I did cheer for them, which I promised I wouldn't, but doesn't matter because they won.

I actually don't have a lot of other news. New Hampshire is in 2 days and Obama has just won the lead over Clinton in the polls. McCain is still beating Romney on the Republican side.

Sorry for not having anything today. It's my last day off before school starts. Franny says good night.

Pubs fight with claws, Dems fight with pillows

The main story today is the New Hampshire Debates on ABC. Charlie Gibson hosted first the Republican debate then the Democratic debate. I'm sure my title tells it all, but I will go through it anyway.

It was pretty obvious throughout the whole debate that it was everyone against Mitt Romney. I totally felt bad for him, but it did make me like him more. I wouldn't say he faired well against them, but he came out alive. There were multiple times where the other candidates would attack Romney on his changing positions. Romney had said to Huckabee, "Don't characterize my position" to which Huckabee replied, "Which one?" Another one was when Romney said he was misquoted and McCain just snipes in, "When you change your position time-to-time, you will get misquoted." The punches were thrown and Romney somehow got in front of every single one, but in the polls, he is still close second to McCain.

On a side note, Romney did win the Wyoming caucuses today, but no one really paid attention to it. Hunter came second, but we missed him at the debates? [he wasn't invited to those who didn't know].

Now onto the Democrats. As expected, Obama was in the spotlight, but wasn't really getting punched. This debate was pretty tame but when things got a little bit out of hand, Richardson would just jump in and call for peace. "I've been in hostage situations that were more civil than this," was what he said when they all spoke at once [which happened multiple times during the Republican debate]. Nothing else really worth mentioning except the last bit of the debate where Gibson asked the four candidates what was one thing they regretted saying during one of their previous debates. Obama and Clinton just talked about what the debates were about, boring stuff. Richardson said he regrets naming White his favorite Supreme Court Justice before researching that he was against Wade vs. Roe. Edwards said he regretted teasing Hillary about her jacket and said she looked beautiful [to which she looked flattered. If Edwards said that to me, I'd melt into a pool of jello; yes, jello].

One thing that caught my attention was that both a Democrat and a Republican quoted the Declaration of Independence. I think it was Richardson for the Dems and Huckabee for the GOP. I just find it amusing that at least they can agree on something. It almost reminded me of how O'Reilly doesn't know the difference between the Declaration and the Constitution.

Speaking of O'Reilly, he apparently "roughed it up" with a member of Obama's campaign. He was trying to Obama's attention but one of his campaign members was in his way, so he pushed him aside. When he finally got to Obama, he bullshitted about how he liked him and blah blah. I honestly love how much of a lie O'Reilly is but he believes that he is giving the truth to the people.

Now onto sports! Redskins lost against Seahawks today 35-14 *cries* Obama was apparently watching the game as well while the Republican debates were going on. It was a good run for the Skins, and I'm sure they'll pick up where they left off next season. The Steelers lost today as well 31-29 against the Jags. I will now stop making predictions, yes, I take partial fault for their losses. Good news in sports though is that Tom Brady of the Patriots won the MVP award! Well deserved!

Some home sports news. The Canadian junior team beat the Swedish junior team today for the gold. The final score was 3-2 in OT; congratulations Juniors! I knew they'd win so I didn't really follow the games, but apparently they had only lost one game during the tournament.

A reminder that the New Hampshire Primaries are in 3 days. This is Franny, good night and good luck.

The Aftermath

Every major news outlet is still talking about the Iowa caucuses that, in case you missed it, happened yesterday. Many are shocked at how well Obama did because 90+% of Iowa is caucasian and the majority that voted were women. He did well amongst all people: women, those under 30, independents. The more shocking news is the increase in Democratic voters, up 90% since 2004. This is a sure sign that people are looking for change and Obama appears to be the candidate for them.

Huckabee, as well as Obama, is riding strong into New Hampshire. Even though polls place him at around 10%, those were taken before his win in Iowa. If what people believe is true, then the win in Iowa will propel him up the polls in New Hampshire. The two enjoying the top spot right now are Mitt Romney and John McCain. Some polls say they're at a tie but others are saying that McCain is sitting as sole leader. Some are saying that if Romney doesn't come out on top in New Hampshire, his campaign will struggle the rest of the way, which will cause him to lose the Republican nomination.

A name that hasn't been mentioned in a long time is that of Rudy Giuliani. He ditched Iowa early since he knew he wouldn't fair well at all, but is New Hampshire treating him well? Nope. He is bottoming out in every poll and isn't expected to do well in any of the caucuses/primaries until Floridy and maybe the February 5th ones. Is it too late for him? The national poll leader should be in panic mode right now and take a page out of Romney's book and change his stance on something so the attention could be turned back to him. Or, he could stop threatening the American people by basically telling them to vote for him or a repeat of 9/11 will happen.

This isn't 'real' news, but it's 'entertainment' news. I, at one point, did wish to pursue that path, but right now, it's way too repetitive. Britney Spears has lost custody of her children and is not allowed to see them for some time. She apparently refused to give her children back to 'K-fed' and even locked herself in a room with the youngest one. She was 'arrested' [and I use the quotes because she's not really in jail, just taken away from home] and will undergo some tests; mental ones I'm assuming.

I apologize for the short post today. I have been fussing over an essay that I waited too long to do. Franny out [yes, I used something from Ryan Seacrest]. Good night, and good luck [to me].

The beginning has begun

The Iowa caucuses are here! The voting is about an hour in and the results are as expected: close. Republicans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are head to head for first place. Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are head to head for first place. Keep in mind that this is only about an hour into voting. My predictions of Romney and Edwards are still in the running [one more so than the other].

UPDATE:

Edwards 30%

Clinton 29%

Obama 38%

From NBC News: Projects Barack Obama as winner of Iowa Democratic Caucus

Huckabee 34%

Romney 25%

Thompson 13%

From NBC News: Projects Mike Huckabee as winner of Iowa Republican Caucus

Some information I have collected so far:

- Iowa has 7 electoral votes

- 130,000 Democrats are expected to vote tonight; 80,000 Republicans are expected to vote tonight

- 2.75 million Iowans are not caucusing tonight

- 737,000 Iowans are independent/undecided

- Ad money in Iowa: Obama 9 mil. Clinton 7.2 mil.; Romney 7 mil. Huckabee 1.4 mil.

- In 2000, Al Gore won in Iowa; In 2004 George W. Bush won in Iowa

Now that NBC has said that Mike Huckabee is the winner for the Republicans, let's look to New Hampshire. Romney had taken obvious damage since he's spent so much more money in Iowa and not winning. Even though McCain placed fourth in Iowa, it doesn't matter in New Hampshire because he has a solid lead. January 8th is the date to look at now that Iowa has passed.

The race is still tight for the Democrats. Obama, Edwards, and Clinton are literally toes ahead and behind each other. But, the end has [almost] arrived. Barack Obama has been projected as the winner for the Democrats. This is a big push for Obama and well deserved. He has spent 9 million in Iowa and, unlike Romney, every dollar was worth it. Edwards and Clinton are still very close for second place with Edwards only a few votes ahead of Clinton.

My predictions did not win, but Romney did place second and Edwards could very well place second.

The Iowa caucuses were very exciting indeed and now my eyes water from watching and reading so much coverage. January 8th will be the next date for the caucuses in New Hampshire. Franny is out [like a light].

UPDATE: The beginning marked the end for two candidates. Joe Biden and Chris Dodd both Democrats have dropped out of the race. Dodd receiving 0% and Biden 1% in Iowa ended their bid for the presidency altogether even though this is the beginning. More candidates are expected to be dropping within the next few caucuses/primaries.

Apologies for the misinformation. Mike Gravel has not dropped out.

All about the Iowa

It's time [almost]. The Iowa caucuses are tomorrow and the polls are still tight. The only real change is that Huckabee is now about 5-6 points ahead of Romney. Giuliani actually made a smart move by leaving Iowa early and moving on to New Hampshire where he may still have a chance [though I doubt it because McCain is looking pretty good there].

Moving on quickly, the late-night shows have returned. Both Letterman and O'Brien are sporting beards [white and flaming red if you were curious =P]. I don't know if that's supposed to symbolize something, but it's funny to look at. All the shows showed support for their striking writers [or in Letterman's case, the striking writers because he has his back]. Huckabee apparently didn't know about the strike and didn't know he wasn't allowed to cross. He did anyway and even played some of his music. I don't know if he gained or lost voters, but either way, his appearance was...something. HIllary Clinton also made an appearance  on Letterman's show by introducing it back on-air. Though it was very obvious that there was a lot of time filling on the NBC shows. O'Brien was spinning his wedding band on the table while Leno asked the audience questions. The shows have definitely changed, but hopefully when the strike ends, everything will be back to normal.

The very good news is that Keith Olbermann is back in his anchoring chair doing a very good job. David Shuster also made an appearance, which I very much enjoyed. Oh, Joe Scarborough appeared on Hardball, which was nice as well. I like all my Msnbc boys to be together. Yes, I'm weird that way. This may be old news, but Joe and David had a disagreement on waterboarding [which I take the side of David by the way] so they  may not like each other so much. Trouble in Msnbc paradise? I blame Tucker because he wasn't there so David had to fill in and this is how it all started. I should write a story about Msnbc drama, how [exciting/boring] would that be?

Nothing else from me today because I am worn out and have to clean my room tomorrow [so weird eh...]. I did watch Charlie Wilson's War today though and it was amazing. Go see it if you haven't.

This is Franny. Good night. [very short, I like it =P]

EDIT: Just an add on. Oil hit $100 per barrel shortly today although it ended slightly lower. everyone expected this to happen but not so soon.

First day of 2008

I don't have much time to blog so I'll get right down to it. Iowa caucuses are in two days and the candidates in both the Republican and the Democratic parties have situated themselves nicely in Iowa. Their task is to appeal to the masses as much as they can and it's been more difficult as the days are ticking. The top three Democratic candidates are all within margin of errors although Obama is currently in the lead over Clinton and Edwards who are pretty much tied at second place. Romney had previously been leading Huckabee but it's really going back and forth. Looking a little bit more into the future, New Hampshire is coming up and of what I know, John McCain is leading for the GOP. I don't know about the Democrats, but I'm assuming a pretty close race between the three.

In other news, much violence has broken out in Kenya due to the recent elections. The Kibaki, the current government, was re-elected with 51.3% over the 48.7% for the Odinga. Close to 200 people have been killed in an area that have not faced such chaos in a long time. A church was burned with refugees inside, killing adults and children in the flames. Even though it's a close election, the victor has been declared and the people must comply. It will take awhile before the opposition can accept the facts, but the police are hoping they'll stop the violence before the enforcement takes it into their own hands to do so.

Much controversy has been surrounding the death of Benazir Bhutto and news reports has not been slowing down. Before her death, she had stated that if anything were to happen to her, it would be Musharraf's fault. Now, another 'before her death' report has her warning the Americans about the elections. She claimed that there was a plot to rig the parliamentary elections, but was killed before she could tell the US representatives.

Another much debated topic is the election itself. talks have been postponed multiple times about whether or not the elections in Pakistan will be postponed. It is speculated that the elections will be moved at least a month due to the death of Bhutto. Many believe it is a ploy by the Musharraf government to gain whatever they are trying to gain.

On a lighter note, the late-night show hosts will be returning tomorrow night. I'm particularly excited because there really is nothing to watch that late in the night and I really need tv at that time. I still support the WGA, but the hosts have to do what they have to do or they'll face consequences as well. I just hope nothing really changes for the hosts or the audiences.

Brian Williams was back today doing his anchor duties, which was very enjoyable for me. I just wish Keith Olbermann will be back soon as well. About the Nightly News tonight, I usually try to catch the eastern one first, then reabsorb everything from my time zone. But tonight, I only caught the sign off from the eastern show, and Brian, maybe due to his many days off, made a stutter on one of his words. He recovered just fine of course, so I didn't do much but let out a tiny laugh. When I watched it again, I was waiting for his mistake so I can get another small chuckle. BUT they changed it! He made no stutter! Either I went crazy, or they re-taped that part of the west coast. I forgive him though, but I doubt many people watch it twice to catch corrected mistakes. Only I am that pathetic =)

I'm too lazy to think of a cool sign off, so I will go with one I've already used. I'm Franny of Franny's News of the Day. Good night, and good luck.