What a disgusting weasel, kissing ass while he was the spoke person for the White House, now he wants to make money and act like an honest man!

Ex-Bush spokesman: President used 'propaganda' to push war

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The spokesman who defended President Bush's policies through Hurricane Katrina and the early years of the Iraq war is now blasting his former employers, saying the Bush administration became mired in propaganda and political spin and at times played loose with the truth.

In excerpts from a 341-page book to be released Monday, Scott McClellan writes on Iraq that Bush "and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war."

"[I]n this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security," McClellan wrote.

McClellan also sharply criticizes the administration on its handling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

"One of the worst disasters in our nation's history became one of the biggest disasters in Bush's presidency," he wrote. "Katrina and the botched federal response to it would largely come to define Bush's second term."

Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said the White House would not comment Tuesday because they haven't seen the book.

Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser to Bush, said advisers to the president should speak up when they have policy concerns.

"Scott never did that on any of these issues as best I can remember or as best as I know from any of my White House colleagues," said Townsend, now a CNN contributor. "For him to do this now strikes me as self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional."

Fox News contributor and former White House adviser Karl Rove said on that network Tuesday that the excerpts from the book he's read sound more like they were written by a "left-wing blogger" than his former colleague.

In a brief phone conversation with CNN Tuesday evening, McClellan made clear that he stands behind the accuracy of his book. McClellan said he cannot give on-the-record quotes yet because of an agreement with his publisher. Watch further details emerge from McClellan's book »

Early in the book, which CNN obtained late Tuesday, McClellan wrote that he believes he told untruths on Bush's behalf in the case of CIA agent Valerie Plame, whose identity was leaked to the media.

Rove and fellow White House advisers Elliot Abrams and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby were accused of leaking the name of Plame -- whose husband, former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson, had gone public with charges the Bush administration had "twisted" facts to justify the war in Iraq.

Libby was convicted last year of lying to a grand jury and federal agents investigating the leak. Bush commuted his 30-month prison term, calling it excessive. At the time, McClellan called the three "good individuals" and said he spoke to them before telling reporters they were not involved.

"I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood," he wrote. "It would ultimately prove fatal to my ability to serve the president effectively."

McClellan wrote he didn't realize what he said was untrue until reporters began digging up details of the case almost two years later.

A former spokesman for Bush when he was governor of Texas, McClellan was named White House press secretary in 2003, replacing Ari Fleischer. McClellan had previously been a deputy press secretary and was the traveling spokesman for the Bush campaign during the 2000 election.

He announced he was resigning in April 2006 at a news conference with Bush.

"One of these days, he and I are going to be rocking in chairs in Texas talking about the good old days of his time as the press secretary," Bush said at that conference. "And I can assure you, I will feel the same way then that I feel now, that I can say to Scott, job well done."

 

Analysis: Is Nokia under pressure?

This is an interesting article at eetimes, I thought some of you maybe interested in it.

Best Regards

/Farhad

 

Analysis: Is Nokia under pressure?
  Junko Yoshida (05/23/2008 5:06 PM EDT)
URL: http://www.eetimes.eu/wireless/208200353  

Nokia, under pressure from Apple's iPhone, Google's Android platform and a host of new devices based on open source operating systems, needs to demonstrate its S60 platform will offer advantages like compatibility.   MANHASSET, New York — In business or politics, it's tough for an incumbent to win against up-and-comers advocating "change" customers can believe in.

In the mobile world, that's Nokia challenge today. Lately, things are a little rough for the Finnish giant, because its fresh competitors happen to be red-hot brand names like Apple and Google. Even though these competitors' smart-phone market share tends to be either small (in the case of Apple's iPhone) or non-existent (Google's Android platform) yet, the problem for Nokia is the buzz. In a fast-moving consumer world, hot and new trumps tried and true. (see: Users' love affair with iPhone stumps Mobile World panel)

Nokia's antidote to all that buzz is its S60 mobile platform, based on Symbian OS. The S60 mobile software platform isn't exactly new. It's been around long enough to be licensed to a number of mobile device manufacturers, including LG, Panasonic and Samsung.

Next week in Barcelona, Nokia is holding an "S60 Summit," featuring its S60 partners, software developers, handset manufacturers and mobile operators. Nokia will run a host of seminars and showcase new capabilities of the S60 platform. Although Nokia is not disclosing anything, the summit's highlights seem certain to include several cool new mobile handset announcements.

The two day event will surely be a love fest for the S60 "eco-system" community. The 500 participants range from application software developers to semiconductor and handset vendors, according to Matti Vanska, vice president, mobile software sales & marketing at Nokia.

With the ability to flash big numbers — like 150 million S60 mobile devices shipped thus far by licensees, and 75 S60-based device models on the market today — Nokia would seem to be sitting on top of the world.

Well, are they?

Frank Dickson, co-founder and chief research officer, at MultiMedia Intelligence, among others, is dubious. He said, "Nokia's position in smart phones is absolutely under pressure."

He said the pressure is coming from two directions: "a head-on attack" from a wave of new devices based on open platforms; and "an attack from behind" by feature phones increasingly loaded with PDA-like functionality.

Indeed, the lines between feature phones, often known as multimedia handsets, and smart phones have been blurring.

Nokia recognizes this. Noting that the price of future S60-based mobile handsets could range from well below to far above 200 euros, Vanska acknowledged, "We are stretching our S60 product category [from smart phones to feature phones]." But the bigger issue for Nokia is the attack from newcomers.

"The iPhone initiated a new handset market dynamic," said Dickson. "Google's Android and LiMo Foundation's OS are the next elements of a developing trend." These devices are internet browsers, music players, text messengers, and e-mail devices first. But they still make voice calls, he explained.

Meanwhile, Web-based applications are already proliferating on handsets. Widgets — small applications that don't need to launch a browser — are also everywhere. In parallel, bringing full web-browsing to handsets has become the latest mission among most handset vendors.

Many vendors, including Nokia, are coming to realize that the most popular future handset application may be developed not by mobile software developers, but by web application designers.

The race is already on among handset vendors to court millions of web-based software developers. Vanska said, "You never know who will come up with the big innovation of tomorrow." Nokia is reaching out to those millions with limited mobile experience by offering web runtime tools. "If they want to leverage our device capabilities deeper, they can do so in the native environment later," he added.

That sounds good. But in essence, the trend for an open-source community and more web-based applications is leveling the playing field for everyone. So what advantages are left to those S60 developers? There are plenty, says Vanska.

Context-aware Internet

The buzzword around Nokia these days is "context-aware" Internet.

Adding location information to Internet services makes the Internet more relevant and powerful. It offers "mash-up information from the Web with information on your mobile device," said Vanska. It enables new communication means through mobile messaging. It can create user generated online images (shot by camera phones) and enrich the service. Those are a few examples touted by Nokia as new features enabled by adding GPS and sensors to mobile devices. Nokia's S60, presumably, provides a support for framework to add such new sensors.

Still, the biggest leverage S60 has is its large installed base. One should never underestimate "a promise of compatibility," said Vanska. Once a feature or an application is developed, it can run in every smart phone based on S60.

But that may not be enough. Analyst Dickson suggested three things Nokia should execute to defend its S60 platform:

First, aggressively integrate multimedia features into its smart phones. "The pressure from feature phones on smart phones is coming faster than most expected," he said.

Second, focus on the User Interface — the OS is only part of the smart phone equation. "The usability of the handset is the new basis of competition," he said.

Dickson observed: "It seems that every handset vendor is scheduled to launch their version of the 'iPhone killer' this year." If Sony Ericsson's Xperia, based on Microsoft's Windows CE, is indicative of the competition that Nokia will face, cautioned Dickson, "Nokia needs to make sure that the S60 delivers a series of elegant designs to match multiple usage scenarios."

Third, improve U.S. penetration—Nokia is dominant in the global smart phone market, but it's just a rounding error in the United States, according to Dickson. With the US growth rates for smart phones growing faster than the worldwide average, Nokia's position could be weakened if it does not improve its US penetration, he added.

Nokia claims that S60 has been holding approximately a 50 percent market share.

As for its competitors, Multimedia Intelligence estimated that RIM had 11% of the market for the last year.

Motorola is 6%. There is a sizable group of others with 5% or less, Dickson added. Meanwhile, Apple shipped close to 4 million units in the last half of the year.

 

Fwd: Emergency Update: Myanmar Cyclone

Dear Friend, Just this morning I received notice that 3 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) cargo planes carrying 110 tons of relief supplies had arrived in Myanmar. They contain tents, food, water and sanitation supplies, and medical materials critically needed to reinforce the ongoing relief activities our teams in Myanmar are carrying out in the aftermath of the devastating May 2nd cyclone. Tens of thousands are estimated dead or missing throughout the southwestern Irrawaddy Delta. Villages in the region have been razed and many survivors have lost their family and all of their possessions. Water sources have been contaminated, food is scarce, and there is a risk of disease outbreaks. People are in urgent need of help. Independent, unrestricted funding from donors like you has allowed our medical teams to be present in Myanmar for over 15 years, and to mobilize immediately to respond to this crisis. In many locations throughout the delta we are the only aid group present. As Juli Niebuhr, Deputy Country Manager for Myanmar told us today, "At the moment our main concern is to get the essentials to people through the most effective means possible." Led by highly experienced local field staff, the teams started our emergency response with the supplies we had in stock, including rice, canned fish, shelter material, and medicines. The infusion of relief supplies flown in by Doctors Without Borders over the past two days will help the 22 medical teams now doing consultations, distributing food, and shelter materials. The teams now have 8 boats to facilitate distribution of supplies to those most in need. But we are frustrated by the limitations Myanmar's government has placed on international staff. International aid workers already in the country are so far being prevented from reaching some of the most affected areas. International staff, particularly those with expertise in water and sanitation, are desperately needed but visa approvals have been exceedingly slow. While the challenges are great, we are determined to do more to help the people affected by the cyclone. We have a fourth and fifth cargo plane on the way to Myanmar and will continue to press for permission to send in the dozens of international staff on stand by. The longstanding support of donors like you has been critical to our quick response to disasters such as the Myanmar cyclone, the South Asian Tsunami, and the Pakistani earthquake. Please consider helping us provide medical assistance in Myanmar and in nearly 60 other countries around the world. Sincerely, Nicolas de Torrenté Executive Director Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in nearly 60 countries. New York Office: 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001

Rove refuses call to testify under oath

Stupid SOB!--A House Judiciary Committee deadline passed Monday with former White House adviser Karl Rove standing by his refusal to testify about allegations that he pushed the Justice Department to prosecute former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

read more | digg story

Anarchy in the USA

Don't agree with it, but it is kind of funny to check it out.--------------------------------------It is widely recognized that these are exciting times for anarchist theory. Uri Gordon’s book is one of many by the young veterans of the varied anarchist practices of the last ten years (at least) and can only add to this excitement.

read more | digg story

ONLY IN AMERICA: Substitute Teacher Says Wizardry Accusation Cost Him Job

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24470824/

Substitute Teacher Says Wizardry Accusation Cost Him Job

Tampa Bay Online

The telephone call that spelled the end of Jim Piculas' career as a substitute teacher in Pasco came on a January day about a week after he performed the disappearing-toothpick trick for a group of rapt middle school students.

Pat Sinclair, who oversees substitute teachers in the Pasco County School District, was on the phone. She told Piculas there had been a complaint about his performance at Rushe Middle School in Land O' Lakes.

He asked what she meant.

"She said, 'You've been accused of wizardry,' " Piculas said.

He said the statement seemed bizarre to him, like something out of Harry Potter.

Piculas said he replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He said he also told Sinclair, "It's not black magic. It's a toothpick."

The school district puts a somewhat different spin on the disappearing-toothpick incident.

Performing a magic trick at Rushe Middle is just one of the reasons the school district gives for dumping Piculas from the substitute-teacher list. The others are: Piculas did not follow the lesson plans, he allowed students on computers even though another teacher said not to, and he told the fifth-period student peer that she was in charge.

Piculas said those other reasons are just window dressing. He said he believes it all comes down to the disappearing-toothpick trick and a student who may have interpreted the trick as wizardry.

The trick requires a toothpick and transparent tape. A sleight-of-hand maneuver causes the toothpick to disappear then reappear. At least, so it seems. In reality, the toothpick hides behind the performer's thumb, held in place by the tape.

"The whole thing lasted 45 seconds," Piculas said.

He said the students liked the trick. He showed them how to do it so they could perform it at home.
One student in the Rushe Middle class apparently took the trick the wrong way, Piculas said. He said he was told the student became so traumatized that the student's father complained.

Sinclair wrote Piculas a letter, date Jan. 28, to say the district would "no longer be using your services." The letter mentioned magic tricks at the end of the list of other classroom offenses he is accused of committing.

The word "wizardry" does not appear in the letter.

"I think she was trying to downplay it because it sounded so goofy," Piculas said.

Piculas said he has tried to get a hearing before Superintendent Heather Fiorentino with no luck.

He tried to enlist the assistance of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, whose office forwarded his complaint to Fiorentino, but that effort reached a dead-end because the federal government has no say over who the school district hires as a substitute teacher.

He said he also sought assistance from United School Employees of Pasco, only to learn that substitute teachers aren't covered by the union contract.

Piculas had worked as a substitute teacher for eight or nine months, spending time at 15 schools. He said he also was working toward teacher certification with the dream of being hired full time.

That appears unlikely now. Piculas said he tried to apply for a job as a GED instructor and wasn't allowed to interview.

"My whole career is in limbo," he said.