Ovi today

Filling the gap by Thanos Kalamidas
And his name is... Joe Biden and it was like hell for all of us who don't live in the States, not very familiar with the name and the background to find out who Biden, Mr. Joe Biden is.

Just Four Years to Go by Clint Wayne
As the immensely encapsulating Beijing Olympics draw to a close there is a real sense of anticipation and feelgood factor presently sweeping Great Britain as the 2012 London Games become a step nearer.

Humanitarian boats to Gaza in trouble by Gush Shalom
Gush Shalom calls upon the government to let peace boats reach Gaza - Message from the ships mentions electronic jamming hurting vital systems.

"Some Bodies", "I Had A Heat Attack" & "Green Tea" by G. David Schwartz
"The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth." - Jean Cocteau

Clinton and Obama rally in Unity

Hillary Clinton is to join Barack Obama at a rally - their first public event since she pulled out of the race to be the Democratic presidential candidate.

The rally in Unity, New Hampshire, is seen as an opportunity for party supporters to come together after the divisive primary battle. The event follows a joint dinner in Washington where Mr. Obama offered help to clear Mrs. Clinton's campaign debts. Mrs. Clinton is expected to back Mr. Obama's White House bid at the rally.

At least!!!

Obama helps Clinton with debt

Sen. Barack Obama has asked top contributors to help his former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton, retire her debt, an Obama campaign source said Tuesday.

Obama did not direct members of his National Finance Committee to contribute to Clinton's campaign, the source said, but asked them to do so if they were so inclined. Clinton suspended her campaign and endorsed Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination this month.

She has amassed a campaign debt of about $22 million, but about $12 million of that is money the New York senator loaned to the campaign herself. Individual donors can contribute $2,300 to individual candidates. Clinton and Obama have scheduled a joint campaign appearance Friday in Unity, New Hampshire.

Obama said Tuesday that he had spoken with Clinton by phone earlier in the day as well as on Sunday. "We had a good conversation," he said. "We're looking forward to seeing each other tomorrow and campaigning on Friday."

Nothing worse than an opponent who feels sorry for you!!!

Clinton will quit?

Hillary Clinton will withdraw from the race to become the Democratic candidate for the US presidency, and back her rival Barack Obama, her campaign says.

On Tuesday, Mr. Obama gained enough delegates to win the nomination, after the final votes of the primary season. Mrs. Clinton has still not admitted in public that she lost the contest, but on Saturday she will do so "and express her support for Senator Obama".

Mr. Obama has already announced a team to help select his running mate. Reports that Mrs. Clinton was ready to concede came after she made a conference call to senior Democrats in Congress.

At a Democratic Party event in Washington, Mrs. Clinton will also "express her support... for party unity", her communications director Howard Wolfson said. Earlier, it had been announced that the event would be held on Friday, but Mr. Wolfson said it had been delayed a day "to accommodate more of Senator Clinton's supporters who want to attend".

Hillary had the ability to have a multi-collective voters and supporters often from all sides of the American political life; the big question now is if these people are going to support Obama.

Obama declares victory

Barack Obama has declared himself "the Democratic nominee for president of the United States".

He was speaking to a cheering crowd on the last day of the primary season, as projections showed he had earned enough delegates to clinch the nomination. Of the states that voted, Montana was won by Mr Obama and South Dakota by his rival Hillary Clinton, US media say. In her own speech to supporters, Mrs Clinton refused to concede and said she would make a final decision later.

Barack might declares victory but the question remains, what Hillary will declare?

US Democrats hold key poll talks

The US Democratic Party is meeting to decide the fate of two states left out of the dramatic race to find its candidate for president.

Both Florida and Michigan were stripped of representation for holding their candidate contests in January, in violation of party rules. Hillary Clinton hopes the party will reverse its decision in the two states, where she has enjoyed strong support.

She is lagging behind Barack Obama in the closing days of the race. The 30 members of the Democratic Party's rules and bylaws committee are meeting in the ballroom of a Washington hotel.

Outside, about 200 protesters holding placards gathered, chanting: "Count our vote." The Democratic Party chairman, Howard Dean, opened the meeting, saying the compromises under discussion would probably not satisfy everyone.

Hillary take a decision before it is too late!

US Democrats to hold talks

The US Democratic Party is meeting to decide the fate of two states left out of the dramatic race to find its candidate for president.

Both Florida and Michigan were stripped of representation for holding their candidate contests in January, in violation of party rules. Hillary Clinton hopes the party will reverse its decision in the two states, where she has enjoyed strong support.

She is lagging behind Barack Obama in the closing days of the race. Whatever the outcome of the committee's meeting, Barack Obama is still almost certain to cross the finishing-line in first place.

Let’s hope that they meet and come to a compromise, one of them has to be the vice president!

Sorry for Kennedy remark

US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has apologized for remarks about Robert Kennedy's 1968 assassination as she defended her continuing nomination bid.

Senator Clinton said she had been attempting to point out that previous campaigns had also continued into June. Democrat Robert Kennedy was running for his party's presidential nomination when he was shot dead in June 1968.

A spokesman for rival Democrat hopeful Barack Obama, whose safety has been an unspoken issue, criticized the remark. Spokesman Bill Burton called the comments "unfortunate" and said they had "no place in this campaign".

You have to admit that the woman doesn’t matter how good she is or how good president she will make; she’s a ...bitch!!!

Fundraisers Falling Together

Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama may be locked in a state-by-state battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, but with no end in sight, the party's fundraisers aren't wasting any time.

Fundraisers for the two candidates are discussing how to merge their war chests into a single campaign focused on taking on Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona in November. Each party eventually unifies its donor base, but what makes this move unusual is that the campaign is still hard-fought and relations are strained.

The Clinton campaign confirmed the move, saying, "We believe Hillary Clinton will be that nominee." Talk of a joint war chest comes as the two candidates prepare for an expected split decision in the primaries being held Tuesday.

About time for somebody do something about this divide and …not rule!!!

McCain adviser leaves over Myanmar

Doug Goodyear, McCain’s Convention chief executive officer, and Doug Davenport, one of his regional campaign managers, both resigned after a report that GOP firm DCI — where Goodyear had served as CEO and Davenport had headed the lobbying effort — had represented Myanmar’s ruling military junta.

“Today I offered my resignation so as not to become a distraction in this campaign,” Goodyear wrote in a statement released by the McCain campaign Sunday. “I continue to strongly support John McCain for president, and wish him the best of luck in this campaign.”

At least we know where we are standing, George W. Bush had a soft point for Pakistan’s Musharraf, McCain has it for Myanmar’s dictators

Obama takes the super-delegates

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has overtaken his rival Hillary Clinton for the first time in endorsements from super-delegates.

Four super-delegates - party and elected officials - pledged to support Mr. Obama, including two who previously supported Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Obama also has a strong lead in delegates won in state primary and caucus votes.

The Democratic super-delegates look set to decide who wins the nomination. Added to the nine who came out in support of Barack Obama on Friday, he now has 275 super-delegates to Mrs. Clinton's 271.

I’m going to say it again, time to think a united front Hillary!!!

Feminists divided between Hillary Obama

No constituency is more eager to see a woman win the presidency than America's feminists, yet — despite Hillary Rodham Clinton's historic candidacy — the women's movement finds itself wrenchingly divided over the Democratic race as it heads toward the finish.

At breakfast forums, in op-ed columns, across the blogosphere, the debate has been heartfelt and sometimes bitter. Are the activist women supporting front-runner Barack Obama betraying their gender? Are Clinton's feminist backers mired in an outdated, women's-liberation mind-set?

I think the white house needs both of them, their power combines can give better results than any other!

Poll shows Hillary’s big lead in West Virginia

Hillary Clinton holds a commanding lead in West Virginia, according to a new poll. Clinton has a 43-point advantage over Obama, 66 percent to 23 percent, according to a new survey from the American Research Group.

The poll was conducted entirely after Tuesday's primary results, and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The poll suggests Clinton’s white, working class base seems to be holding firm for her — at least in West Virginia, where that demographic makes up a substantial portion of the Democratic electorate.

I keep saying and I will keep repeating myself, it is time for Hillary and Obama to find the half way and go after the common enemy!

Hillary to continue campaign

Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton has vowed to continue her campaign despite losing ground in the latest primary contests and her financial problems.

Mrs. Clinton beat rival Barack Obama by just two points in Indiana's primary, while he won by 14 in North Carolina. The votes were the final major Democratic primaries which help decide the party's White House candidate. Mrs. Clinton is also facing a funding crisis - she was forced to loan her campaign $6.4m last month.

It’s over and it is time for her to accept it and join Obama hopefully as the vice president for the democrats’ victory!

Obama wins N Carolina

Barack Obama has scored a clear win in the Democratic presidential primary in North Carolina, while Hillary Clinton has narrowly won the Indiana primary.

Senator Obama won 56% of the vote in North Carolina, while Senator Clinton won 51% of the vote in Indiana. Both votes were the final major Democratic primaries which help decide the party's White House candidate.

Neither scored a knock-out blow, but analysts say Mr. Obama's lead looks increasingly unassailable. A win in Indiana was seen as critical for Mrs. Clinton if she was to stay in the race to stand against Republican John McCain in November's presidential vote.

About time for those two to find the middle ground and go for McCain instead of each other!

Tehran protests for Hillary

The Iranian government is protesting remarks from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who said the United States could "totally obliterate" Iran if it made a nuclear attack on Israel.

The mullah’s run Islamic Republic News Agency said Iran sent a letter of protest, dated Wednesday, to the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council over remarks it calls "provocative, unwarranted and irresponsible." Clinton told ABC's "Good Morning America" that "I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran (if it attacked Israel)."

"In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them," Clinton said. "That's a terrible thing to say, but those people who run Iran need to understand that, because that perhaps will deter them from doing something that would be reckless, foolish and tragic."

At least she didn’t lie! By the way, do the cleric dictators of Iran and their puppet president think that Obama will do any different?

Clinton to take on McCain

Hillary Clinton says she is the best placed candidate for the Democrats to beat Republican John McCain when it comes to the US presidential elections.

She says her win over Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania primary showed she could gather a broad base of support. She cannot match him in popular votes, but the party's super-delegates could give her the nomination if they think she is more likely to beat Mr. McCain.

Mrs. Clinton says an appeal launched after Tuesday's win raised $3m (£1.5m). The internet fundraising is a much-needed boost to her debt-laden campaign - in Pennsylvania; Mr. Obama outspent her three-to-one. She has said securing more donations was the only way she could continue to compete with a rival who was outspending her "massively".

Why it all ends on how much money they got? Is something that should make us worry about it?

Final push in Pennsylvania

US presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have spent a final day of campaigning ahead of the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania.

The state is a crucial test in what has become an increasingly bitter battle for the Democratic nomination. While Mrs. Clinton is expected to win, analysts say she needs a convincing victory to keep her campaign alive.

The last-minute campaigning has been marked by a row about Mrs. Clinton's latest campaign advert. There are four million registered Democrats in Pennsylvania, the last of the big states to hold a primary. Although Mrs. Clinton is behind in the delegate count and in the total votes cast, she has won all the other big state contests.

Let’s see, will they decide after this to united and fight the common enemy instead of each other?

The Ovi magazine today

Democratic Debate -- Consolidate? by Christopher Wilkinson

I watched Clinton and Obama debate on TV. Each had to prove better than the other -- while both had to avoid giving the Republicans too much fodder for the run off.

How many? by Thanos Kalamidas
Nowadays it is tens or dozens without specifying how many tens or dozens and they are always innocent and it is people, women and many, too many, kids. I'm talking about the victims in Iraq.

An Appointment with Death by The Finn-Brit Players
First, there's a play reading of Tom Stoppard's 'Arcadia' this Friday at 7pm and, second, our good friends at Thespians Anonymous are putting on a show soon: Agatha Christie's 'An Appointment with Death', performances at Narri starting April 26th.

Lift Spirits #01 by Thanos K & Asa B
Lift doors slide open, you enter, press the button and then face that awkward proximity to a stranger... perhaps this will lift your spirit.

Gaffes dominate Democratic debate!