Gwen ifill pbs’s mccain palin press

When political junkies flip through television stations on Sunday
morning, they’ll find policy-driven interviews with three of the four
candidates on the presidential tickets — John McCain, Barack
Obama and Joe Biden. They won’t, though, see Sarah Palin. Less
than two months before voters hit the polls, Palin has yet to sit down
for or even schedule an issues-oriented interview with any newspaper,
magazine or television network. Meanwhile, the McCain campaign has
significantly scaled back the access of the national press he used to
jokingly refer to as his “base,” and several speakers,
including Palin, took shots at the media in their speeches at last
week’s Republican convention. Since her debut in Dayton, Ohio, the
McCain campaign has been receiving about 80-100 requests a day from
news organizations around the world, according to spokesman Ben
Porritt, who said interest in an interview was “through the roof” and
that the campaign was going through them now. “There’s no doubt in
my mind that the McCain campaign would like to run out on the clock on
this,” said David Chalian, political director for ABC News. He
expects the campaign will tightly manage access to Palin, but give
some national interviews shortly before the Oct. 2 vice presidential
debate with Biden, moderated by PBS’ Gwen Ifill. “They know they’re
not going to get through the next 60 days without doing interviews and
being tested and prodded,” Chalian said.

But even if Palin does submit to a few carefully selected interviews
around the October debate, that means another month before the 37
-million-plus viewers who tuned into Palin’s speech and others get
their first look at how the newcomer to the national stage performs
outside of a campaign-controlled setting. In the meantime, Fox News
is rolling out a special (as are other networks): “Gov. Sarah Palin:
An American Woman,” a one-hour biography hosted by Greta Van Susteren
that includes “exclusive video and photos” and “interviews with her
family, friends and colleagues” — but not Palin herself. Palin
has already become a ubiquitous presence on newsstands. Presently, her
face adorns the cover of traditional newsweeklies Time and Newsweek,
Beltway favorites The New Republic and The Weekly Standard, and even
celebrity glossies Us Weekly and Ok!. While everyone from the New
Yorker to CNBC has rushed to republish their older interviews with the
Alaska governor, it’s People magazine that has the only actual
interview she’s done since joining to the ticket. Larry
Hackett, managing editor of People, said the McCain campaign offered
the magazine an opportunity to photograph McCain and “Nominee TK” at
the Aug. 29 event in Dayton.

In addition to a brief Q&A with both Republicans (as well as their
spouses and McCain’s daughter Meghan) and an that was mostly
based on months-old reporting, the magazine also ran a lifestyle
feature on Palin’s life as a working mother running a statehouse
and her own house. People has a long history of reporting on the
personal side of candidates and their families, but Hackett
acknowledges that “we have a different job” than overtly political
titles. “Are we going to ask about Pakistan?” Hackett said
rhetorically, adding that it’s not a focus for their readers. That
said, journalists are pushing hard to ask Palin about Pakistan —
and Iraq, Iran, Russia, North Korea and Al Qaeda, not to mention a
host of domestic issues, from the economy to health care. Jay
Carney, Time’s Washington bureau chief, questioned McCain spokesperson
Nicole Wallace about the lack of access on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” last
Thursday, resulting in a heated exchange that quickly got passed
around via .

I was wondering how long it was going to be before the so-called but
anything but mainstream press started in on the whole “she hasn’t met
the press yet” garbage. There isn’t any reason why Gov Palin needs to
sit still for their garbage. These idiots that are our political press
in this country are so shallow and predictable …. when will Obama
ever sit still for a press conference? Perhaps AFTER he meets McCain
for those 10 town hall meetings he said would be a good idea and now
can’t find the time to attend.

Where was her war hero when it was time to support the GI Bill?????
AWOL!! For someone who trumpets his accomplishments I cannot for the
life of me understand his opposition to that bill. McCain (sadly) =
BushSupport the troops. Vote Obama/Biden

Palin is like a paper tiger. Once they let her face real people with
real questions, she’ll self-destruct like the useless fraud she is.
She’s got more skeletons flying out of the closet than they can keep
track of. The republicans can’t keep her locked up forever, and once
she faces the slightest scrutiny, it will be hilarious to watch.

Politico does it again with its false accusations on Palin. Just
because Palin dissed you wannabe journalists doesn’t mean she isn’t
doing media interviews. This is Palin’s schedule for today:

10:30am Satellite into AARP Convention; 11:30am Media Interview
12:30pm MT “The Road to Victory Rally”, Colorado Springs, CO 1:45pm MT
Depart Colorado 2:50pm MT Arrive NM 3:30pm MT Media Interviews 7:00pm
MT “The Road to Victory Rally”, Albuquerque Convention Center

I guess Palin thinks she’s too good to answer the concerns of the
American people. Nope, all she can do is whine about the media and
insult community organizers across the county who’ve done more for
working families than she ever has. But don’t even suggest that she
should have to go on tv and back up her nonsense with facts. Why, the
very idea is sexist.

The last thing the corrupt, liberal media wants is for Mrs. Palin to
“meet the press.” The more exposure she gets… the more people like
her.

sammy101: Sep. 6, 2008 – 5:41 PM EST
Wow, let’s get a cross and some sheets. Thank god your kind are dying
out.

She can’t handle the press. Ben Stein (a fellow Republican has some
funny things to say about her)

No doubt…..where was Obama when McCain challenged him to those town
hall debates? Nowhere. At Saddleback, he (Obama) was stu-stu-
studdering all over himself. If an interview or debate isn’t planned
and prepared for by his advisers, he spits and studders all over
himself! Ransack: Do some research as to why McCain didn’t support
that GI Bill I challenge you and report back, or would that be to
difficult for you?

Because it’s a pathetic media, digging like scavengers through her
life but ignoring Obama’s because they want that foreign liberal hack
to win since after all most of the national news rooms are filled with
people from all over the world, ah…. let’s get Obama elected and
give the “bird” to middle ‘ fly over country’ America.

THE MEDIA ARE LIBERAL SCUM SUCKING SOCIALISTS IN THE TANK FOR THE EAST
AND WEST COAST MEDIA. I WOULD GIVE THEM ALL THE BIG FINGER. LET THEM
VOTE FOR THIRD WORLD BARRY- THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZER WITH THE WORLDS
THINNEST RESUME. OK- HE WALKS, HE TALKS, AND KEEPS WRITING BOOKS ABOUT
HIMSELF.

Democratic motto: I got mine,now I am going to take yours and give it
to people who vote for me. Politico: the official Obama robe rub and
tingle site.

First the ramblings were, “Palin will never be able to pull off the
speech in St. Paul”, which she did even with teleprompter problems.
Now it’s, “She won’t go on the talk shows because she can’t.”
Meanwhile Barrack Obama finally goes on Fox for an interview with Bill
Orielly that he put off for 9 months. Why? Because he didn’t have to.
It was a good political move to put it off until a few days ago. He’s
a great politician with good timing. Smart move. Timing is everything.
Palin will go on the talking head circuit soon, and you’d be taking a
loosing bet if you don’t think she’ll do fine. Right now 51% of the
nation thinks the MSM have treated her poorly with thier sexist
questions(Rasmussen poll),not to mention leftist groups with ties to
Obama, like Daily Kos. With higher approval ratings than Obama,
McCain, and Biden, why should she? (also Rasmussen) When Gov. Palin
finally does do the MSM curcuit they will try to tear her apart
because they can’t help themselves, and they’ll do even more damage to
thier shrinking brands. How many people do you think will be watching?
More importantly how many women? Sounds like pretty good politics to
me.

The media should show up at 8 am Monday morning at the Alaska
Governor’s office (the one in Juneau, 3rd floor Capitol Bldg) and
request copies of all press conferences Palin has given since becoming
governor. I have a feeling the McCain campaign is going to try to
destroy them very soon if they haven’t already. Once you see how she
performs at press conferences she has called about issues she is
pushing, you’ll understand why her handlers won’t let her out alone.
And as for Sedona’s comment, Obama, Biden and McCain have already
faced tough interviews and will continue to do so. If Palin can’t face
the press, how could she face hostile foreign leaders? I’ve heard how
formidable she is, so what is she afraid of?I’ve seen them.

I heard they said she’s preparing for her son’s deployment to Iraq –
but she’s appearing on stump speeches reading prepared lies and
introducing grandpa.

I’d like to ask if she is still in favor of no sex education and
abstinence only, when it’s worked so well in her own family.

I’d like to ask her how she feels – with a BA in journalism – that she
knows more about global warming than scientists.

I’d like to ask her is AlQaeda is Sunni or Shia, and whether Iran is
Sunni or Shia (without Lieberman wispering the right answers).

I’m sure they are giving her a crash course right now with prepared
answers to expected questions. Trying to fill the hologram.

McCain got into Annapolis because his father and grandfather were
admirals. He graduated FIFTH FROM THE BOTTOM out of 899. No more dumb
presidents.

What is the McCain camp scared of? Biden has no problem going before
the press, Obama even went on ORiley. Seems to me they don’t want
their precious religious nut to speak and prove not only what a fool
she is but what a fool McStain is for picking her. Maverick? Give me a
break. Her pick was just another way to pander to his base. He
continually demonstrates how he would sell his soul to the devil to
win this campaign and get his turn in the oval office. McCain and his
party is a disgrace. McCain and his party have ruined this country. A
vote for McSnore is a vote for fascism.Why do Republican hate
Americans?

What is the McCain camp scared of? Biden has no problem going before
the press, Obama even went on ORiley. Seems to me they don’t want
their precious religious nut to speak and prove not only what a fool
she is but what a fool McStain is for picking her. Maverick? Give me a
break. Her pick was just another way to pander to his base. He
continually demonstrates how he would sell his soul to the devil to
win this campaign and get his turn in the oval office. McCain and his
party is a disgrace. McCain and his party have ruined this country. A
vote for McSnore is a vote for fascism.Why do Republican hate
Americans?

givingjane: Sep. 6, 2008 – 5:46 PM EST
No teleprompters in front of the press. The speech was the easy part.

Have you actually seen Sarah Palin’s governor race debates? There are
22 of them, available with a quick Google search. She comes off as a
very articulate and thoughtful individual. She doesn’t need
teleprompters. Your Messiah on the other hand, is this without the
teleprompter: “um, uh, ugh, ah, you know, um, uh, well, you know,
right, um.” Here’s Sarah Palin’s last governor seat debate in 2006:

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The phish reunion phish strange night

With all the talk about a possible Phish reunion—a possibility
that, thankfully, grows ever more certain (Phish reunited briefly for
Brad Sand’s wedding reception this past weekend) — there
are no doubt thousands of phans, myself included, jonesing for some
live Phish. And we can only plunder the tapes so many times before the
itch for the real thing becomes unbearable. Unfortunately, even as the
rumor mill heats up, it’s unlikely that a reunion tour will
happen before Summer 2009, and that’s a wishful projection. With
the dissolution of Phix—until now the go-to Phish cover (or re-
creation) band—there’s a dearth of live Phish to be found
in the clubs and arenas across the country. Enter Strange
Design.Created following the dissolution of Phish in 2004, Strange
Design sets a purpose similar to that of Grateful Dead re-creationists
Dark Star Orchestra. The members—guitarist Matthew Chase,
bassist Ben Markowitz, drummer Adam Chase and keyboardist Aaron
Levy—don’t just play Phish tunes; they inhabit them. Also
like DSO, they play entire shows exactly as they were played
originally, fine-tuning each detail to ensure faithful
reproduction.The Friday and Saturday night shows at Sullivan Hall were
billed as a “Weekend at the Hamptons,” featuring a pair of
shows (11/21/97 and 11/22/97) from a venue that Phish nearly
obliterated every time they visited. Sadly, I was only able to attend
the Friday night show, but my buddy was nice enough to text me a song-
by-song setlist on Saturday night, which, as most phans know, was a
monster—any show that opens with “Mike’s -> I Am
Hydrogen -> Weekapaug, Harry Hood” is sure to be memorable.But
Friday night was special in its own right, and Strange Design paid
excellent tribute to an interesting show, launched by the debut of
“Emotional Rescue.” Never one of my (or anyone’s)
favorite Stones songs, it was nonetheless a perfect cover for Phish,
with its in-the-pocket groove and quirky lyrical delivery. After
dispatching with it in due time, Strange Design dropped seamlessly
into “Split Open and Melt,” whose jam proved to be one of
the most intriguing of the night. The rest of the first set was fairly
standard, but Chase, Markowitz and company were spot-on throughout,
demonstrating both the chops and enthusiasm to deliver a striking
facsimile of Phish—even down to the digital delay loop jam that
trailed out of “Prince Caspian” into the set break.A four-
song second set explored the depths of the ’97 groove, the deep
funk that often churned across large portions of that year’s
shows. The full setlist is below—most of us know it by heart and
can chart the subterranean jams that emerged from “Ghost”
and the always-transcendent heights reached in “Slave.”
Suffice it to say that Strange Design nailed each song, nearly note-
perfect, including the “Guyute” encore—definitely no
small feat.As the Phish machine hopefully gears up for another
triumphant run across America, Strange Design offers a fantastic
release for much of the energy that has piled up since Coventry. Quite
simply, if you love Phish, you’ll love Strange Design.Full
setlist:1: Emotional Rescue*-> Split Open and Melt, Beauty of My
Dreams, Dogs Stole Things, Punch You in the Eye-> Lawn Boy, Chalk Dust
Torture, Prince Caspian^2: Ghost-> AC/DC Bag-> Slave to the Traffic
Light, Loving Cup E: Guyute *Rolling Stones cover (first time played).
^With digital delay loop jam.

Touch pro smartphone in tytn htc

The Touch Pro is bigger and heavier than the Touch Diamond as a
result, but not by much – it’s 55g heavier and 7mm
thicker, though it feels far chunkier than this in the hand. Extra
bulk aside, the Touch Pro has essentially the same design as the
Touch Diamond and the two are pretty much indistinguishable looking
at their front panels alone.

The Touch Pro has done away with the Touch Diamond’s gloss
finish for its battery cover though, and instead has a far more
tasteful matte black plastic with slightly rubberised finish. The
battery cover still has the same multi-faceted design no doubt
intended to evoke the appearance of a cut diamond and this creates a
problem. With the keyboard slid open, the uneven battery cover means
that the Touch Pro won’t lie flat on a level surface and instead
tilts back to rock on one edge of the case. This makes it awkward to
type with the Touch Pro sat on a desk, so you’ll have to hold it
in both hands for two-thumbed typing instead.

HTC has paid some attention to the mechanism that the two halves of
the case are attached to and the keyboard slides open with a pleasing,
well-sprung snap. It’s also difficult to foul the mechanism by
pushing just one side of the open keyboard to close it (unlike on the
HTC TyTN and ) – a small point, but a useful one that makes one-
handed use of the Touch Pro a mite easier.

The maker of the Touch Pro and T-Mobile G1, HTC, has announced it will
ship an estimated 13 to 15 million smartphones this year – not bad for
a make…

Two weeks after it was unveiled in the States, Sony has said the Blu-
Ray ready Vaio NS1 will be coming to our shores. Announced today
the 15….

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email, contacts and calendar? Think again – the first Android-
based smartp…

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enough of that ‘marked by a hot coffee mug’ look, then you’ll love
Plan On’s new…

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rushing to follow …

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series, which we reported on last month. However, up until now
we’…

Not the sort to have a dongle dangling from your netbook? Asus has
your back. It’s bringing out an Eee PC 901 with built-in HSDPA from
nex…

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last week and, while most of the details remain under heavy non-
disclosure ag…

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sent fans into a flurry with an availablity status on the Palm Treo
Pro of &q…;

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Sony has the antidote. The Vaio TT is a fully loaded machine yet only
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yesterday, along with a short video showing the N20 Centrino 2 model.
To recap, thi…

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range of low cost laptops, here’s some bad news –
there’s mo…

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displays indistinguishable from the printed page have long been a pipe
dream, bu…

We rather liked the MSI Wind U100 when we reviewed it, and so did a
few other people, judging by the number of rebadged models that are
now…

A fair few manufacturers have dabbled with dedicated ebook readers
over the years, but no one has really cracked it. Sony is the latest
to try &nd…;

Given that it practically invented the smartphone, Palm really
hasn’t done that much to impress of late. Shipping two million
Centro devices …

We’ve had the Palm Treo Pro in the Mobile Computer office for a
couple of days now and to tide you over until we publish our full
review, we…

HTC may not have named it as such, but its new Touch Pro smartphone is
really nothing more than a Touch Diamond with a keyboard. Well, we say
&ldqu…;

We have the HTC Touch Pro in the office at the moment, but we thought
we’d give you taster of this new Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone
before …

BlackBerry devices may be the de facto standard in the world of
corporate messaging, but RIM’s share of the smartphone market is
actually on …

Although we haven’t had much of an opportunity to put it through
its paces, iTunes 8 has made a pretty positive first impression so
far. The…

Not so long ago, the simple way to ensure that private data stored on
your laptop stayed that way was to encrypt it. Not any more. Now that
that U…

If you own an Eee PC with a Celeron-M processor, here’s a useful
tip. The Super-Hybrid Engine utility that’s designed for
Asus’ I…

As explained in our review, a problem with the way in which some MSI
Wind U100 retail units respond to a fully depleted battery means that
they nee…

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of digital snaps is one way to end a holiday on a low note, but it
do…

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x 600 can still be a little cramped for web browsing – and the
800 x…

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company in existence has its own web site. Creating a mere website
is…

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of people are trying – and failing – to get their Xbox 360
games …

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the wide range of mobile broadband deals that are available. If you
just wa…

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that its iTunes synchronisation options are pretty inadequate. The
problem is th…

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based on Google’s Android operating system, is set to ship in the UK
in early No…

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from your laptop computer. As you’re reading this sentence, in fact, a
snarly b…

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week, but the device’s true raison d’être is a source of
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to the 3G networks that mobile operators paid so much for back …

A few weeks ago I was handed Nokia’s new N810 to review.
“Great,” I thought, “I quite liked the N800 –
the previous v…

I’m hatton going in truculent means

“Lennox Lewis, I’m coming for you man. My style is impetuous. My
defence is impregnable, and I’m just ferocious. I want your heart. I
want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!”

Boxing is no longer the Sport of Kings. It is now the Sport of Blings
– and if you don’t speak the lingo, you’re going to get left behind.
Left behind like a bum.

Pre-fight smack-talk has become an obligatory feature in these days of
ten-city ‘press conference tours,’ hype and tension building at an
exponential rate until the fighters’ disliking for each other quickly
turns from publicity phoney to genuine I-want-to-rip-your-head-off-
and-spit-down-your-throat hatred.

There is no doubt: employed properly, smack-talk can become a potent
psychological weapon, a pre-emptive and unsettling low-blow fired off
long before the first bell rings.

But in the wrong hands, it just sounds lame. There is a fine line to
tread through this cuss-littered minefield.

So, the next time a fighter starts beating his chops, make sure you
know what’s going down with Eurosport.Yahoo.com’s Six Golden Rules of
Smack-Talk…

1. Family is fine: Apart from race or sexuality, there is no topic
that should be considered off limits. Some people think families
should be out of bounds, especially mothers. Those people are chumps.
Believe me, yo momma is fair-game – and that’s exactly what it says on
the toilet wall…

Example: Joe Frazier: “What’ve you been up to?” Ken Norton: “My wife
just had a baby.” Frazier: “Congratulations! Whose baby is it?”

2. They’ve ALL got it comin’: Why limit your range by restricting your
trash-talking to just your opponent? The whole freakin’ world is
against you, so let rip, brother, let rip! Reporters, promoters,
referees, your opponent’s homies – spray them all with your smokin’
verbal volleys. Those punks all deserve it.

Example: Reporter: “How is your conditioning?” James Toney: “****
you!” Second reporter: “Who are you sparring with and how is it
going?” Toney: “Keep asking stupid questions, it’ll be you. Now ****
off!”

3. Physical threats are expected: You’re a boxer; it is your job to
inflict physical pain. People aren’t going to be shocked if before the
fight you scream with foaming mouth about wanting to rip your
opponent’s head off. Far from it, my friend; the more vicious and
sadistic your abuse, the better.

Example: Trainer Roger Mayweather: “When Hatton knocks at that door,
somebody’s going to answer that door with a baseball bat, beat him
across his ******* head.”

4. Stay in your comfort zone: Boxers aren’t the smartest breed; you
only have to watch Rocky to see that. But they should not be judged
for their cultural ignorance: you try running head-first in to a brick
wall for a decade and see how many F.Scott Fitzgerald books you can
name. That’s why trash-talk should be kept simple – for there is
nothing more cringe-worthy than a boxer drawn outside his comfort
zone…

Example: “Two ton” Tony Galento, one-time heavyweight contender, when
asked if he knew who Shakespeare was: “I ain’t never heard of him. I
suppose he’s one of them foreign heavyweights. They’re all lousy. Sure
as hell, I’ll moider de bum.”

5. Highlight physical abnormalities: The strong have picked on the
weak since time began; feel proud that you are continuing that legacy.
Show no mercy. Never forget that mocking the afflicted is FUNNY. If it
wasn’t then why did they make so many series of You’ve Been Framed?
Like a Rottweiler ravaging a terrified puppy, locate the jugular,
pounce – and don’t stop shaking until all signs of life have been
extinguished…

Example: Tyson to Razor Ruddock: “You’re sweet. I’m going to make sure
you kiss me good with those big lips of yours. I’m gonna make you my
girlfriend.”

6. Never lose your cool: At one point or another, every boxer has been
called a “be-atch” by his opponent. The point of trash-talking is to
try to get you real mad – show your class and don’t indulge. Because
when your opponent gets in your face and says he wants to eat your
children, he doesn’t really mean it. And if he does, good luck – it’s
gonna take more than a bit of trash-talk to get out of this one.

Example: Muhammad Ali, to American Journalist Howard Cosell: “‘I’m
gonna whoop him, Howard. You just watch!” Cosell: “You’re feeling very
truculent today, Muhammad.” Ali: “Truculent? If that’s good, I’m it!”

Hatton, during his press conference in Manchester. “Thank you all for
coming. It’s good to be back in Manchester. We’ve had a long tour, a
very tiring tour, but it’s great to come back and see my friends, see
my family… [turning to Mayweather, sat next to him] Floyd, will you
stop touching my ****, you poof.”

Later, at the same press conference: “I’ve missed my son, my six-year-
old son, for a week, but I probably haven’t missed him quite as much
as you would probably think because I’ve had the good fortune to spend
the full week with another ******* six-year-old.”

Mayweather: “Am I worried about Ricky Hatton? That little midget? He’s
a kid trying to become a superstar. I’m a mega superstar. Please.”

Hatton, when asked about Mayweather’s defensive style: “We all know he
likes to run, so I’ve got two special sparring partners in Carl Lewis
and Forest Gump.”

Hatton, as the pair square-up at a photo-call: “You’re not going to
kiss me, are you, Floyd?”

Mayweather, at an LA press conference: “I wish I was in prison with
you, I’d make you my bitch.”

“My power is discombobulatingly devastating I could feel his muscle
tissues collapse under my force. It’s ludicrous these mortals even
attempt to enter my realm.”

“All praise is to Allah, I’ll fight any man, any animal, if Jesus were
here I’d fight him too.”

“I try to catch him right on the tip of the nose, because I try to
push the bone into the brain.”

“I paid a worker at New York’s zoo to re-open it just for me and Robin
[his wife]. When we got to the gorilla cage there was one big
silverback gorilla there just bullying all the other gorillas. They
were so powerful but their eyes were like an innocent infant. I
offered the attendant $10,000 to open the cage and let me smash that
silverback’s snotbox. He declined.”

so hatton was taught a boxing lesson by a “poof”???doesn’t say much
about hatton then does it Robert.

tyson’s quotes take me back to the days when he was the “baddest man
on the planet” and heavyweight boxing was a quality division not the
poor joke it is today. by the way… who ARE the twenty heavyweight
champions???

True greats rise above the hype and perform where it counts, in the
ring. Are you listening Audley??!!

…and Mayweather. I re-watched and saw him grab Ricky’s bum, what a
poof! You are right Ricky – rock on!

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Operation repo matt’s setork cars afc

In a sign of the times, nearly 100 cars were towed from a used-car lot
at Cross Lander of Montgomery Inc. Most of cars were taken in the
middle of the night.

Cross Lander owner Mathew Setork said he was behind on payments to one
of three automotive financing companies he works with, Manheim
Financial Services, but that he owed nothing to the other two firms,
Automotive Financing Corporation and Dealer Services Corporation, both
of whom repossessed cars anyway.

Setork said a representative of AFC told him that AFC was within their
rights to repossess their cars because it is written in his contract
that they can do just that if AFC has reason to believe Setork would
have difficulty making the next payment.

Still, Setork accused AFC of towing away about two dozen cars that
didn’t belong to their firm. An AFC representative declined to comment
Wednesday.

“We came in this morning (Wednesday) and they were all gone,” said
Setork. “They took cars on consignment, our customers’ cars. Tell me
that isn’t theft.”

Setork called Montgomery police, who told Setork it was a civil matter
and refused to write up a report on the accusation.

“We don’t write police reports on repos,” said Montgomery Deputy Chief
Daniel Meyers. “This is not a police matter. It is a civil matter. The
vehicles were repossessed because he owed money.”

Meyers added that the situation is no doubt “tough on Matthew” and
said Setork is not alone in his financial struggles.

Setork said his financial woes began several weeks ago, after a
lengthy slump in car sales left him unable to sell a number of cars
within the 90 days allotted by MAFS. Although Setork asked for an
extension, MAFS declined, according to Setork, choosing instead to
arrange a midday pick up of the MAFS cars, supervised by Setork.

Despite the loss of the used-car business, Setork said his South Lake
Street shop is still open for sales of Kawasaki motorcycles.

“It’s just the cars that are gone,” Setork said. “It’s because the
economy is so slow. I couldn’t sell the cars.”

The pimples obama favreau favs

When you know how to say what you have to say, it often does not
matter when you have to say it. What matters is saying it as it ought
to be said. Of course, it is always not very easy saying it exactly as
it should be. Those who are able to string profound ideas together in
very good and memorable sentences are usually great men and women who
have perfected the art of public speaking and public relations. Often,
they are communication specialists who have lived through time and
experienced events as they unfolded. So when you hear that a 26 year
old writes speeches for a presidential candidate, you are tempted to
believe that he is a gem. And when that candidate happens to be Mr.
Barack Obama, a phenomenon of on orator and a writer of two
bestselling books, then you have every reason to believe that the 26
year old is a gem through and through. Jon Favreau is his name. Obama
and others simply call the lad Favs. Whatever the outcome of the
November presidential elections in America, history has been made. It
would either be a black man in the White House as president, or a
white woman as vice president, lending a helping hand to a
septuagenarian white president. History does just not happen; events
make history, and there is a reason behind every event. Among several
other things, what has catapulted Barack Obama to the very heights of
American politics is his ability to deliver inspirational speeches.
What brought him to the limelight was the 2004 speech he gave to
introduce then Democrat presidential nominee, John Kerry. He penned
that speech himself, the amazing writer that he is. After that, it has
been one brilliant speech after another, making him the toast of a
nation that is crying for answers. People cry when they hear him
speak. Others only manage with a few goose pimples. Even very great
journalists are awed by his words. There is something about him that
you can’t easily digest, pundits have long established. He is a great
orator, no doubt. But the people behind the oratory are the greatest.
At 26, Jon Favreau hasn’t walked the walk that great writers have
done. He may not have read much. He may not even have a library. He
reads Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King for inspiration. Indeed,
when Obama asked him: “What is your theory of speech
writing?” Favreau was honest: “ I have no theory.”
Probably he didn’t even know that speechwriters need to have a certain
theory on which their ideas are planked, in much the same way that a
broadcasting house would have a broadcasting philosophy. He has
basically learnt the art of speechwriting from the sidelines. He tells
Obama: “When I saw you at the convention, you basically told a
story about your life from beginning to end, and it was a story that
fit with the larger American narrative. People applauded not because
you wrote an applause line but because you touched something in the
party and the country that people had not touched before. Democrats
haven’t had that in a long time.” That got Obama thinking about
the lad. He got onboard the Obama train after that. “The trick
of speech writing, if you will, is making the client say your
brilliant words while somehow managing to make it sound as though they
issued from their own soul”, Christopher Buckley, a former
speechwriter for President Bush Snr, has said. That means you would
have to be in the thinking of your client on almost all issues, and
complete his thoughts. That is how the Obama-Favreau relationship
works. Favreau puts it even more poignantly: “What I do is to
sit with him for an hour. He talks and I type everything he says. I
reshape it, I write. He writes, he reshapes it. That is how we get a
finished product.” The youngster has mastered the way Obama
speaks. He knows his favourite ideas and sentences. So when Obama
wants to say anything, he calls Favs. “What would Obama
say?” the New York Times asks. And I would add “without
Jon Favreau.”In fact, Favreau is so important that Google is
quick is distinguish him from another Jon Favreau, a more popular
actor and film director. The search engine giant puts the word
‘speechwriter’ after young Favreau. He had started writing for the
John Kerry campaign four years ago. That means he was 22 or 23, a
fresh graduate of the College of Holy Cross, a Catholic institution in
Massachusetts. But he had guts, and above all he had some ‘audacity’.
And he lived that audacity when he interrupted a speech that Obama was
rehearsing during the 2004 convention. He pointed out a line that
wasn’t captured properly in Obama’s speech and ordered that the
senator rewrite that thought. Favreau says “He kind of looked at
me, kind of confused- like ‘who is this kid?’” That audacity has
today made him the chief speechwriter for a man who is chief in
everything letters. So, perhaps, it is only fitting that Obama duly
acknowledges Jon Favreau in his bestseller The Audacity of Hope, for
“literally going beyond the call of duty.” Now, let’s get
back home. What could I do at 22? Well, I had completed university of
Ghana at 23 years. Apart from the English degree that had been thrust
upon me, I had nothing I could count on. Not that I was very proud of
the degree; in fact, I couldn’t help thinking that I had merely been
passed through the degree mill like a piece of sausage. I had left no
memorable impression at the department of English, where I did my
major. Professor Martin Owusu had penned his famous The Story Ananse
Told when he was 23. Ama Atta Aidoo had written The Dilemma of a Ghost
in her early twenties. She probably didn’t have the usual dilemmas
that today’s female university graduates have to deal with. I had a
lot of dilemmas at 23 – dilemmas born out of the sheer inability
to do nothing. Three of us- Cephas Arthur, Maxwell Kotoka and me – had
come together to write a play, but we couldn’t agree on a workable
theme. We abandoned the idea and went our separate ways after the
first scene of the first act. Who would have read our play anyway, we
would later ask ourselves. Well, not many people do very well at 23,
especially in Africa. Apart from Uganda-born John Sentamu, Archbishop
of York in Britain, who was 24 years when Idi Amin appointed him a
judge, and Idi Amin’s son, who had some military titles at an age that
he couldn’t hold a gun, we don’t have many stories of young gems on
that continent. John Agyekum Kufour had served the Busia government as
deputy foreign minister at 29 or thereabouts. And Jerry John Rawllings
had become Chairman of the PNDC in his early thirties, after a bloody
coup. There may be a few others in Africa who made their mark quite
early in life but their successes may not have made the record books.
I was still a fresh face when I was 26. Well, not as fresh as Jon
Favreau’s; he could pass for 19 because he has a baby face. But he is
no baby; he heads a small team of speechwriters made up of Adam
Frankel, another 26 year old, who had worked with John F. Kennedy’s
speechwriter, Theodore Sorensen, and Ben Rhodes, 30, who helped Lee
Hamilton to write the Iraq Study Group report. These are young brains
behind big things in America. So, when Barack Obama delivered the
first line of a powerful speech after his historic victory over
Hillary Clinton in Iowa, a white neighbourhood, “They said this
day will never come”, the crowd cheered at the candidate, and
roared along with the inspirational rendition of that opening
sentence. But behind the scenes Favreau and his team knew they had
succeeded. Those words had come from Favs, but they were familiar
words in the Obama dictionary. In the art of speechwriting, that is a
big plus for Favs. He knows his master’s words; and he makes the words
sound like his master. America is a big place, and people believe in
big things. So Favs has a big task measuring up and meeting the
expectations of men. Can a small lad be the reason behind Obamamania,
a phenomenon that is taking America by storm? Favreau admits:
“There’s been a few times when people have said ‘I don’t believe
you, that you’re Barack Obama’s speechwriter.’” To which I
reply, ‘If I really wanted to hit on you, don’t you think I’d make up
something outlandish?” So you know there is no make-belief here;
Favs runs the show, and he gives it his all. He is too busy he would
not have time for a girlfriend. He doesn’t need one. I guess that
would wait until Obama becomes president. Jon Fvreau appears a
focused, decent-looking lad, who detected earlier in life what he was
about. He didn’t waste time after completing college; he joined
politics, writing speeches with no previous speechwriting experience
at all. He had gone through the usual ‘vegetation’ that most young
graduates endure. After the Kerry campaign ended with his failed bid
for the presidency, Favs was effectively unemployed, “broke,
taking advantage of all the happy-hour specials I could find in
Washington.” But he did something unusual: he didn’t sleep too
much. He lives the Shakespearean truism, that people who make it big
are those who stay up and toil deep into the night when their
compatriots are asleep. Favs goes to bed at 3am and wakes up at 5. Two
hours must be enough for any serious man who wants to succeed. Bill
Clinton has also said that watching too much TV is not good for any
young person who wants to be great. He didn’t watch much TV as a young
man, but he read much, even as governor and president. I was the
direct antithesis to Favs when I was 26. I had completed a graduate
programme in communication studies, and had taken a copywriting job in
advertising. I didn’t excel very much, perhaps because I slept too
much and read nothing for a year. I had learnt the art of professional
writing but had failed to write and speak the language of the
consumer. I wasn’t surprised at that because at the communication
school, our professor had asked us what each of us would like to do
after graduation, and the entire class, made up of some mums and dads
who were on study leave, had looked at the Prof’s grey beard and said
nothing. “You don’t know what you want to do after a
postgraduate programme? Why did you come here then?” the noble
academic yelled, perusing his beard. Well, a few of us have found
something to do eight years from then. Cephas Arthur is deputy Public
Relations Director for the Ghana Police service while Maxwell Kotoka
is up north, working for the Volta River Authority, instead of
critiquing films and novels on television. The tallest person in the
class at the time owns a newspaper. Me? Can I write for a president at
34? If Obama becomes president, I would be happy for Jon Favreau.
Benjamin TawiahEmail: btawiah@hotmail.com, quesiquesi@hotmail.co.uk

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The second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing but the habits
he has acquired during the first half. – By: roylexi.com

Tim brown racing’s martin kiloton race

The Sydney Morning Herald: national, world, business, entertainment,
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directly to: , , . .

TIM MARTIN has no doubt the unbeaten Kiloton is good enough to win
today’s Bill Ritchie Handicap at Randwick and cement a start in next
week’s Epsom Handicap. But yesterday he sounded a warning to punters
when declaring: “He’s under the odds.”

TAB Sportsbet installed Kiloton as a $2.60 favourite for the Bill
Ritchie, a race in which Kiloton is out to extend his winning streak
to five. Research Stakes winner Judged and the talented All Silent
loom as his biggest dangers.

“I fully expect Kiloton to run a big race. He is good enough to win
the Bill Ritchie,” Martin said. “But he is up in grade and taking on
some seasoned horses. His price should be closer to $3.50, though. If
you were a punter, you wouldn’t be taking the early odds on offer.”

Martin is the fourth trainer to prepare Kiloton, which started his
career with Gai Waterhouse. A debut winner over Rose Of Sharon at
Canterbury, Kiloton was badly stripped from behind in that run and
endured a lengthy stint on the sidelines.

He resumed from the lay-off with master trainer Bart Cummings and
scored again at Canterbury before going for another break. Bob Pearse
took charge of the horse but did not have it run in a race.

And that’s when Martin stepped in. “I was only too happy to take the
horse on,” he said. “Obviously, he has plenty of ability. His record
shows that. And I have no doubt the best is yet to come from the
horse. He is pretty exciting.”

Kiloton resumed for Martin with a strong victory at Rosehill then came
out to score again at that track last time out.

“He keeps answering every challenge we ask him to,” Martin said. “If
he gets through with a win in the Bill Ritchie, then we will push on
to the Epsom. After that, Melbourne is a possibility. But we are just
taking things one race at a time.”

“He has the makings of being a top-class horse,” Bowman enthused. “I
think he will win on Saturday. I know it is a tougher race than what
he has been racing in, but he just gives the feel that he could be
something special.

“He gets a nice drop in weight and I expect him to race himself right
into Epsom calculations by winning the Bill Ritchie.”

Martin said Kiloton had thrived since joining his stable, adding: “He
is fit and well, very sound. Nothing is a problem for him.”

A big spring carnival is looming for Martin, who will send around his
dual group 1 winner Typhoon Zed in next Saturday’s The Shorts at
Randwick, as well as Murtajill in the Gilgai Stakes down the straight
at Flemington.

“Typhoon Zed has done fantastic since he won the Manikato [Stakes] and
Corey Brown will be back on him in The Shorts,” Martin said. “And
Murtajill is coming along great as well. Damien Oliver will be on him
next weekend and it wouldn’t surprise me if he won a group 1 race this
spring. That is the plan with him, anyway.”

David Jones has released a new credit card – with the help of the
model Megan Gale.

The tim brown football whites brown we’re

Vice-captain Tim Brown knows there’s still a huge mountain to climb to
get to the 2010 football World Cup finals, but says the All Whites are
up for the challenge.

New Zealand play New Caledonia in Auckland on Wednesday night in a
return match that has become a dead rubber in the Oceania qualifying
process.

The All Whites opened out an unassailable lead at the top of the
Oceania points table when they beat the same opponents 3-1 in Noumea
at the weekend.

They now face one more phase of qualifying to gain one of the 32
places in the World Cup finals in South Africa – a home-and-away tie
late next year against the fifth-ranked Asian nation.

While that means just two matches stand between the All Whites and the
game’s biggest tournament, Brown and his teammates weren’t
underestimating the difficulty of the task before them.

“Whoever we play, we go into the situation as massive underdogs,
there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“But the fact is, we’re there and we have a chance. However small that
chance is, we have a chance.”

“I know from the nature and the character of this group that we’re
going it embrace it whole-heartedly,” he said.

The present round of Asian qualifying – where 10 teams in two groups
are battling for four automatic places – began at the weekend and is
set to continue until June.

While the result of the upcoming match against New Caledonia was
largely academic, there had been no drop-off in intensity within the
squad.

“We’re moving towards two important games, essentially 180 minutes of
football that will put us in the World Cup,” he said.

“Every time we’re together, every training session, every match we
play is important. The entire focus of the players and the management
is to prepare in the best manner possible for that 180 minutes.”

Brown is set to make his comeback for the All Whites tomorrow night,
having sat out the 3-1 win in Noumea because of suspension.

That match featured the return of Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelsen to
international duty after a four-year break, and he was handed the
captain’s armband that Brown wore during a four-match unbeaten run.

Brown said the All Whites would look for better cohesion at North
Harbour Stadium than they showed at the weekend in their first
international in 10 months.

“It was a high pressure situation and it was pretty hot, and island
teams are difficult to play against because they’re unpredictable,” he
said.

“You can’t change that, but what you can do is improve some of the
combinations and the overall performance a wee bit.”

Both teams will wear armbands in honour of New Zealander Charlie
Dempsey, a former Oceania Football Confederation president, who died
in June, aged 87.

The tim brown stats why tebow gainesville

The only thing stranger, perhaps, than what happened in Gainesville,
Fla., on Saturday, when unranked Mississippi rolled into town and
rolled the No. 4 , is what happened on Sunday and Monday in
Gainesville.

On Sunday, Gators’ Coach Urban Meyer put his players through a rare,
under the lights, no doubt a signal that home losses to inferior
opponents will no longer tolerated.

On Monday, Eric Brown, the 31-year-old minister at Gainesville’s ,
unveiled this message on his church’s signage board: “Why I Pray for
Tebow.”

To read why Brown prays for Tebow, take a look at the story chronicled
by the .

Gator fans might wonder: Why did God stop Tebow on a fourth-and-one at
the Ole Miss 32 in the final minute to preserve Mississippi’s upset
win?

Florida plays this week at lowly Arkansas, which has allowed 101
points in its last two losses, which might prompt a sign from the :
“Why I pray for Bobby Petrino.”

Photo: Tim Tebow (15) is stopped short of a first down in the closing
moments against the Ole Miss Rebels at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on
Sept. 27, 2008 in Gainesville, Fla. Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Reference’s radio station wales

WITH reference to the recent article “Islamic radio station
launched”, I would like to say what a great job I think the
people at Radio Ramadan are doing.

They have many interesting shows and discussions which help to further
people’s knowledge of Islam and the radio station accommodates
Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

It has obviously taken a lot of time and preparation by the organisers
to set up such a wonderful radio station and I hope that the radio
station can continue all year round.

* WHILE I appreciate it is upsetting for the family of James Cummins,
do we really need articles entitled “Loveable rogue car thief
missed by all his family”?

Let us not forget that this habitual thief chose to commit house
burglary (while the owner slept) and then stole the victim’s car
either for pleasure or financial gain and ultimately killed himself.

Also, quotes from friends and family calling him a “well-
mannered and polite young man” seem to be entirely contradictory
when you consider his past and what caused his eventual death.

* THE image of Messrs Jones and Toshack was bad enough without you
leaving your readers in no doubt relating to the foul reply from Jones
during their screeching session recently.

* I FIND the highly-energised musings of Dr Wood (Echo, September 9)
are not only unique but positively medicinal.

Now if one could only ascertain as to what he is actually a doctor of,
possibly a greater insight could be gained into his patterns of logic.

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