USA HIV travel ban

Andrew Sullivan:

The Bush administration has not yet lifted the regulation barring people with HIV from entering the United States, despite the law lifting the ban overwhelmingly passed by the Congress and signed by president Bush last July. Yesterday, they simply reiterated their previous plans to "streamline" the process, which, in fact, does nothing but make it more bureaucratically cumbersome for temporary visitors with HIV to enter the country as tourists or for conferences. They have done nothing to end the ban as the law clearly asked for. As it currently stands, I will still be required to leave the US for good next March. And many more are in much worse straits. They say they will change the regs. And that it takes time. My guess is that it will take until after the election. But does anyone believe a Palin administration would make life any easier for people with HIV? For people with HIV, the Palin nomination should be terrifying.

I sympathise with their plight!

HIV stigma is as bad as racism and all other forms of prejudice.

I sincerely hope that the next president of the USA will be able to rectify this form of discrimination.

Presidential debate transcript

If you can go through 27 pages (OK, 26) of this, here you are!

Obama named in 'Worst Persons in the World' list

Nico Pitney:

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann named -- gasp -- Sen. Barack Obama one of the "Worst Persons In The World" on Monday's show.

You have to watch the video here to know why!

Good news wrapped in Palin's defence!

Chris Weigant of the Huffington Post:

But because I consider myself a fair (if occasionally unbalanced) reporter, I have to at least try to defend the point she was (so badly) trying to make. Alaska was on the front lines of the Cold War. It's a valid point, especially with a newly-resurgent and newly-belligerent Russia. Being governor in Alaska gives you more foreign policy experience than being governor of Arkansas, for example.

Now, having said all of that, I must admit I'm already mentally popping popcorn, in eager anticipation of this Thursday night's vice presidential debate -- because when it's over, I fully expect Joe Biden to be standing next to tiny pieces of Sarah Palin's credibility, scattered all over the stage.

And he won't even have to attack her himself, it seems. She's going to do it to herself, all on her very own.

She is going to tank! But then, we have been there before!

Watch the polls after the debate!

Double standards?

I cannot see why Niels Tobiasen and Ananias Tumukunde are treated differently in a case where both were found guilty! I can understand that one 'gave' the 'bribe' and the other solicited for it, but the punishment is so unfair and the discripancy unjustifiable!

Rob Evans and Paul Lewis report for the Guardian.

On Monday, Ananias Tumukunde, a 31-year-old adviser to the Ugandan president, was jailed for a year for receiving the payments, dressed up as "local tax".

Southwark crown court in London had heard that Tumukunde demanded the bribes after Tobiasen's firm was given a contract to protect world leaders, including the Queen and Gordon Brown, at a Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Kampala last November. Tobiasen's firm, CBRN Team, received six contracts from the Ugandan government worth a total of £500,000.

The court heard that Tobiasen admitted the payments soon after he was arrested by City of London police and had "fully" cooperated. Tobiasen made five payments between June last year and February this year to Tumukunde and a Ugandan army officer, Rusoke Tagaswire, who is still at large.

I am forced to conclude that race played a big part in this decision! How else can you explain this?

Obama's lead over McCain growing - at a price

Obama's lead in the polls over rival John McCain is growing, as Ewen MacAskill reporting for the Guardian from Washington reports.

Barack Obama is opening a clear lead over John McCain after polls at the weekend showed the public overwhelmingly awarding Friday night's presidential debate to the Democratic candidate.

The polls suggest McCain did not benefit from suspending his campaign and flying to Washington last week to help deal with the financial crisis.

The gap could see an increase in more personal - and ugly - attacks on Obama. An early sign of that came yesterday in a row over a dead soldier's bracelet. Obama was accused of wearing the bracelet against the wishes of the soldier's mother.

With five weeks until the presidential election, Obama appears to have broken the impasse that had seen the two in a dead heat in polls over the past month.

A USA Today poll, published yesterday, showed 45% of those questioned felt Obama had done better in the debate than McCain, who registered 34%. The public view is at odds with the media, which overwhelmingly judged it to be a draw.

Other polls, including the Rasmussen tracking poll, showed voters drifting towards Obama. The Rasmussen poll put Obama on 50% and McCain on 44%, which would give the Democratic candidate a landslide victory.

This lead is expected to increase dramatically if Sarah Palin tanks during the vice presidential debates scheduled to take place on Friday (1:00AM).

I will definitely be watching - with a prayer!

'Bailout ushers in the era of Obama'

This is Howard Fineman's take on the bail out

That party is over.

If Obama does win, it will be because of the economic crisis now upon us, of which the bailout is the capstone and political symbol.

The crisis has had two pro-Obama effects.

For one, it yanked the national consciousness away from security and terrorism, Sen. John McCain’s two strongest areas of expertise and appeal.

Second, the crisis underscored and amplified the yearning in the country for something — and someone — new. Voters have been saying for more than a year that they want change. Now they REALLY want it.

Suddenly, “experience” and purported expertise mean next to nothing. After all, Dick Cheney was “experienced,” and what did that get us? And George W. Bush had a Harvard MBA! And what did that get us?

Cheney and Bush have given credentials a bad name. If that is the case, why not go for a fellow who by virtue of his very being represents change: a new generation, a new demographic, a new outlook?

And Obama does represent something new — or, rather, something old that is new again. He believes it is the role of government to help people and regulate the markets. He is a lawyer by training, and believes in the use of the law (and the courts) for the common good. He doesn’t, frankly, know much about economics or the profits — those were not his specialties in law or life.

He’s a law professor and community organizer! Those are two categories it has been fashionable for conservatives to revile for decades. Well, perhaps the wheel turns.

It’s no coincidence that Obama now has his biggest lead in the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll. Watch and see what happens now.

In fairness, Democrats (the “soft money” hedge-fund crowd of the Clinton 90s and the party hacks who got rich at Fannie and Freddie) are as guilty as the Bush-era Republicans (who argued against ANY regulation of anything).

But, as the Kennedys liked to say, life isn’t fair — and neither is politics.

Uganda Cranes back in the race!

I had thought that we are out of 2010 Nations Cup and the World Cup contention! How Wrong I was!

According to the NewVision, we are still in the game!

This is the best news ever, and all that the boys have to do is beat lowly Benin!

Uganda are second in Group 3 , and will be among the teams considered as best runners-up after next week’s final round, if they beat Benin.

The standings for Group 3 and Group 7 on the FIFA website www.fifa.com imply that head-to-head results are being considered.

With FIFA not giving FUFA an immediate explanation, it looks like the 2nd round of the qualifiers are being considered as a Nations Cup qualifier while the 3rd and final round will be considered as the World Cup qualifier.

Bring it on!

For those of you with time on their hands....!

The Red Cross has launched an internet game 'Traces of Hope' that is aimed at raising awareness about victims of war, reports the BBC.

Traces of Hope aims to engage players in treasure-hunt style game-play as they use detective skills to compete.

The game is set in northern Uganda, where a 20-year rebellion has forced two million people to flee their homes.

Having just arrived in a camp for displaced people called "Hopetown", Joseph, 16, has 24 hours to track down a Red Cross messenger who might have news from his mother.

The Red Cross works to reconnect families separated by conflict.

After signing up for the game, players will have to wait for Joseph to contact them with news of his situation.

The game's designers say they have placed clues and solutions around the internet in order to blur the boundaries between the game and the real world.

Players go to real websites as they try to help Joseph.

A good use of your time - I say!

Interested in the details of the 'bailout'?

Here is a summary of the 'rejected' bailout legislation.

More to come!

'The worst may be yet to come' reports Ben Smith of Political.com, as a source with CBS reports that the news Network has two more tapes of interviews that may prove embarrassing!

A source familiar with CBS News’ plans clarified that this is part of the "Vice Presidential Questions" series with Biden and Palin. The recorded segments are scheduled to air Wednesday and Thursday before the vice presidential debate. (The series is based on the Presidential Questions series, in which Couric asks the candidates the same set of questions on wide range of topics from policy to character to leadership.) No word on the content.

This is proving to be very entertaining by the day!

Now, YOU can interview Sarah Palin! Honestly!

If you, have been following the Sarah Palin phenomenon that John McCain unleashed on the American electorate as his 'unvetted' running mate, then you will be aware that she has not been giving as many interviews to the media as you would expect of a running mate in such a tight race for the presidency of the USA - a superpower!

This has obviously not gone down well with the media! However, a few 'lucky' networks managed to get an audience with Mrs Palin and the result has not only evidenced why she is hiding from the media but has also been hilarious and cringe inducing to say the least!

Now, some lovely people have come up with a website that puts you in the driving seat! You can generate Palin answers!

Interview Sarah Palin!