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Americans in France for Obama--Home of Bridges for Obama

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Expanded Obama Bridge Video now posted

By Meredith - Dec 15th, 2008 at 1:36 pm EST

Also listed in: 10 groups

Hi friends,

A re-edited LONGER version of the Obama Bridge video, including 29 MORE bridges is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kndtPZHITYU&feature=channel

Be sure to click on "watch in high quality" (just below volume control).

The new expanded video is being put on a digital picture frame as an inaugural gift
for Barack Obama on the occasion of his inauguration.

You'll see that this new version also includes the bridges done in the STATES by our counterparts
back home, inspired by the global effort. (This includes the fantastic Sarasota bridge where over 7000 people showed up.)

Take a look, leave a comment and tell your friends.

Cheers,
Meredith (who will be going to D.C. to witness the inauguration!)

Bridges newly included:

Angkor Wat
Phnom Phen
Manila
Melbourne
Bavaria
Frankfurt
Marseille
Toulouse
Guatemala
Peru
Argentina

In Canada:
Calgary
Yellowknife
Windsor
Toronto
Victoria Park
Hamilton
Ottawa

In the USA:
Hawaii (2) (Kauai)
Ojai, CA
Evergreen, Colorado
MinoWisconsin
Ohio--Colombusl Eastmore, North Worthington, Licking County, Bexley
Sarasota & Sebastian FL

Meredith Wheeler
Obama Bridge Project Co-ordinator
France
__._,_.___

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Spread the word to Florida Obama supporters--Rally in Sarasota Sunday, Oct. 19th

By Meredith - Oct 9th, 2008 at 10:53 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Two women are organizing a huge Obama rally on the Ringling bridge in Sarasota, Florida this Sunday, Oct. 19th. Assemble at 11.45am.

Contact Janet Guttridge for full details at
heartwithwings1@comcast.com or sign up on their Obama webpage:

Link

It’s a 2.5 mile walk and Sarasota’s first political event to span the Ringling Bridge. One woman who lives in a condo near the bridge has invited friends to a brunch before they walk downstairs to wave signs.

The Vets for Obama and a group of Hillary Women for Obama also plan to participate.

A photo will be taken from a Helicopter and the event is being filmed by a German TV crew reporting on the American election.

Please come and spread the word!

A bus from Orlando may be chartered to take participants from Central Florida. Ask for details.

Wear red, white & blue and bring posters & banners.

This is part of the Bridges for Obama in Swing States (BOSS), part of a worldwide grassroots initiative of Americans around the world showing their enthusiasm for Obama as a uniter.

A video of the bridge project was presented to Barack Obama in Boston at his 47th birthday
by Democrats Abroad.

The video is now posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBzEkXyu4o.

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Obama Bridge Shoots in the USA--especially SWING STATES

By Meredith - Oct 7th, 2008 at 7:02 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

The Obama Bridge Project is spreading to America--with a special target of the SWING STATES.

We need your help!

For about 6 months we have been organizing a worldwide project to get Americans to rally for Obama on BRIDGES--the bridge being a good symbol of his candidacy. (see the links below to our photos & media)

We are urgently looking for a Democratic activist/organizers to do a bridge shoot in the USA--particularly in the Swing States (Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire etc.).

We have a NEW committee in the USA doing "Bridges for Obama in Swing States" (BOSS) headed by a Democratic organizer in Ohio and an activist in Florida.

Democrats in Sarasota, Florida are trying to organized the biggest bridge shoot to date on Sunday, Oct. 19th in Sarasota (expecting 500+ people!!).

Ohio is doing a bridge shoot too in Columbus.

The two women organizing those shoots are holding a press conference this Sunday, Oct. 12th in Sarasota and we'd love to announce that other states are on board too.

You grassroots organizers know who you are! Will you step up and volunteer?

I have a detailed TIPS sheet on how to do it plus a template for a press release.

The project requires a good photographer with a digital camera, a scenic bridge (you don't have to be ON it--you could be under it or use it as the backdrop) and a group of Obama supporters with banners.

We already have over 80 bridge photos around the world on 5 continents. You can view them on our Flikr site or in a YouTube video (Paul Simon's company gave permission for free to use his song, Bridge Over Troubled Waters.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBzEkXyu4o

PHOTOS in this series:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/

So come on, Obama activists!
Step up and help us make this a reality.

It generates a great buzz and gets good media coverage.

Email me directly for further details.

Meredith Wheeler
meredith.wheeler@free.fr

New York Times Political Blog on this project:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/democrats-abroad-say-yes-we-span/

The Washington Post Political Blog on this project:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/14/obams_international_following.html

Obama Campaign Official Blog, by Amy Hamblin:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amyhamblin/gGxymS/commentary#

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Overseas vote may be CRUCIAL!

By Meredith - Sep 25th, 2008 at 7:37 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

The overseas vote could be crucial in this election.

(See the article below from Huffington Post.)

Time is running short to register!

The misapprehension that absentee ballots aren't counted
is STILL alive, like Dracula. We can't seem to plant the stake
in its heart! Like the vampire, it drains the blood from voter
registration if Americans think their absentee ballots won't be counted--so
why bother?

Please look at this letter below so you feel prepared to address this
should it ever arise in discussion with fellow Americans:

Letter from General Registrar, Arlington, Virginia concerning worries that absentee ballots are not counted:

Absentee Votes Absolutely Count in Arlington

(Created: Monday, September 22, 2008 )

Editor: I am concerned that voters may read Mary Wuest's recent letter [“There Are Downsides to Using Absentee Ballots in Big Elections,” Letters Sept. 18] and believe their votes do not count if they vote by absentee ballot, and I want to strongly emphasize that this is not correct.

In Virginia, absentee ballots are counted on Election Day and included in the total vote tally.

It is also incorrect that “many” states don't count absentee ballots if the race isn't close. This may have been true for some states in 2000, but since then all have amended laws to assure absentee votes count. Virginia has been counting absentee ballots for many decades.

What is true is that absentee ballot totals often are not included in the unoffical vote tallies reported on election night.

In Virginia, where every absentee ballot received by 7 p.m. on Election Day is counted, this is often because absentee ballots take longer to count than those cast at the polls. Some other states accept and count absentee ballo ts as late as 10 days after the election, but in all cases, absentee ballot totals are included in the final, official vote totals.

Absentee voting in Virginia does require a valid reason, with either absence from the voter's city or county or inability to go to the polls because of illness or disability being the key reasons. I strongly encourage anyone who may be eligible to vote by absentee ballot to do so, especially any voters who may have difficulty standing in long lines, which are sure to occur on Nov. 4.

In-person absentee voting is now available in the lobby of 2100 Clarendon Blvd; please visit the Web site at www.arlingtonva.us/vote or call (703) 228-3456 for more information.

Linda Lindberg

General Registrar

Arlington

AND

Overseas Voters Could Be a Factor
By Kelly Nuxoll

September 18, 2008

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-nuxoll/overseas-voters-could-be_b_127379.html

If the election is as close at it seems like it might be, the more-than 6 million American voters who live overseas could be a factor this year. They're not only spread out in countries around the world, but also cast votes in states across the U.S., which means they could impact Congressional races, as well as be a tie-breaker in presidential battleground states.

The question, of course, is how many of those overseas Americans are going to actually cast ballots. Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, the CEO of the non-partisan Overseas Vote Foundation, says simply, "More."

The likely increase in overseas voting in 2008 stems from a few factors--the Internet has made it both easier to vote and easier to mobilize Americans, and according to Democrats Abroad, Americans overseas are particularly intent on making this the change election pundits have promised.

On the technical front, Dzieduszycka-Suinat and the Overseas Vote Foundation have developed an application that allows a voter to go online, generate a list of candidates using her home zip code, make her selections, print the ballot, and put it in the mail. For around $22, she can even have FedEx pick it up and deliver it directly to election officials in the States.

As this is the first year that such a comprehensive online application has been available, Dzieduszycka-Suinat anticipates that more Americans are going to cast ballots.

The Internet has also allowed politically motivated Americans to find one another. Although many voter mobilization efforts still rely on fliers at American institutions, paid announcements in newspapers, and visibility events at conferences, concerts, and coffee shops where Americans are likely to gather (in London, Democrats Abroad distributes leaflets outside the Whole Foods), social networking sites can attract voters outside traditional ex-pat channels.

In Thailand, Jonathan Fox created a "Bangkok for Barack Obama" page to help connect younger Americans like himself living abroad for a short time. What started with five friends has now grown to a network of almost 100 people, who not only are motivated to vote, but come together to watch debates and speeches, phone bank, and "build the base" for the Obama campaign.

The increased use of the Internet and demographics of overseas voters would seem to suggest two trends. One, that more young overseas voters, including study abroad students and travelers, will participate in the election this year. The Overseas Vote Foundation reports that over one-third of its registrants this year are under 30.

Second, that overseas voters will skew toward Obama. Although there is no data on voter affiliation abroad, Christine Marques, the president of Democrats Abroad, believes there are simply more Democrats overseas, an assertion that would seem to be supported both by the robust organization Democrats Abroad has created and by the fact that the Obama campaign has hired field directors to organize overseas--a first for a presidential campaign.

Diana Shaw Clark, who blogs from the UK on the Obama site, says, "We have regular campaign field offices. It's just that the fields are a bit bigger."

Obama's popularity overseas is no secret, and according to Marques and Shaw, Americans abroad are desperate for a president who will restore the country's image.

"It's difficult to do business when people hold your country in contempt, or are really worried about what you're going to do next," Shaw said.

Although predicting what any group of voters will do is a bad idea, it's worth noting that Israel--the only country that has leaned toward McCain in this election--has remained in the top five countries from which users have registered on the Overseas Vote Foundation site. The other top four are Canada, the UK, Germany, and Australia.

And, for those of you watching the ground game, states with the highest percentage of overseas voters are, in order, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Meredith Wheeler
Chair, Democrats Abroad Toulouse
.

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Americans abroad: Verify your voter registration

By Meredith - Sep 22nd, 2008 at 11:10 am EDT

Also listed in: 9 groups

Americans Abroad:

If you have the slightest doubt whether you are registered for your absentee ballot,
TELEPHONE your town clerk or local board of elections and ASK.

I just did it today for Manhattan (from FRANCE) and it's simple.

If they have you registered, ensure that they have your correct overseas address and ask WHEN they will be sending out the absentee ballots.

(Every state is different and some U.S. citizens abroad have already received their ballots!).

To find the correct telephone number for your enquiry
go here: http://www.overseasvotefoundation.org

Click on the box marked "Overseas Vote Foundation" on the far left.

On the next page click on "Election Official Directory".

A box will come up asking for your voting STATE & region.

Once you choose, you'll get all the info for your town clerk or board of elections, including phone number and email.

NEW YORKERS NOTE: I learned today that the NYC's Manhattan Borough isn't expecting to receive the absentee ballots until the first or second week of October!

Then they have to post them--so our ballots will be arriving fairly late.

If you do not receive your ballot in time, you can vote an EMERGENCY ballot.

So don't GIVE UP if you don't receive the normal ballot.

This election is TOO important to waste ONE vote!

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Obama Bridge shoot--Ottawa, CANADA

By Meredith - Sep 19th, 2008 at 7:15 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

If you happen to have friends in Ottawa, Canada, please
forward this to them:

Americans in Ottawa to Span Corktown Pedestrian Bridge for Obama

Americans from Ottawa and Gatineau will be lining the Corktown
Pedestrian Bridge over the Rideau Canal in Ottawa at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday
Sept. 23 to show their support for Barack Obama. The event - titled "Yes
We Span" - is being organized by Democrats Abroad Ottawa-Gatineau.

"Barack Obama as U.S. President would pursue a foreign policy of
negotiation that is good news for Canada and the world," said Carolyn
Farquhar, co-chair of the group.

Democrats Abroad Ottawa-Gatineau has set a goal of contacting all
Americans and dual citizens here because most U.S. election authorities
send ballots by mail and want them returned by mail, which can sometimes
take as long as 10 days each way. Ballots usually need to be received in
the U.S. by election day, Nov. 4.

"We need to reach every American in the National Capital Region to urge
them to register and vote from abroad now," said Farquhar.

American citizens or dual citizens living abroad and their children are
able to vote. To register, Americans can click on www.votefromabroad.org
to contact their local election authorities.

The activities of Democrats Abroad Ottawa-Gatineau are posted on
www.democratsabroad.org/group/Canada.

Carolyn Farquhar 613.562.5800 ext. 3245 or Carl Stieren
613.563.7209

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Bridge shoot tomorrow in Toulouse, France

By Meredith - Sep 13th, 2008 at 10:20 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

We're doing an Obama Bridge shoot tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 14th in

Touloulse, France at the Pont Neuf.

Meet at 5.45pm on the riverside, Quais de Tounis (rive droite).

If you have friends in Toulouse or the surrounding area of southwestern France,

ALERT THEM! Everyone welcome!

Thanks!

Yes, we SPAN!

See our video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBzEkXyu4o

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Phone Bank Volunteers in France Sought

By Meredith - Sep 8th, 2008 at 7:22 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Our Regional Field Director with Americans Abroad for Obama, Christine Houben is looking for volunteers to help out at the DAF Phone Bank.

Can you commit to helping us win this election?
Reaching out to voters is the keystone to our success in November.

Although much of our campaign efforts are directed at finding and registering new voters, this shouldn't distract us from the importance of securing 100% confirmation of registration all our members – those Americans who are most easily within our reach.

A Phone Banking session will take place at the home of Lois Grjebine in Paris VIeme arrondissement this Thursday, September 11th from 7PM to 10PM.

Please email Christine at houbenc@dnc.org to volunteer.

- What is Phone Banking?
It is reaching out to each and every DAF member to make sure they have registered to vote.

- What are the goals of Phone Banking?
·       To secure 100% confirmed voter registration for all our members.
·       To confirm that they will be voting for Barack Obama.
·       To sign up new volunteers for the campaign from within our membership.
·       To confirm contact details for all our members.
·       To answer any other questions they may have about Democrats Abroad or about this election.

Email Christine at houbenc@dnc.org for more information on our Phone Banking Campaign.

--
Where in the world will you vote?
http://votefromabroad.org/5
Absentee Ballots for American Citizens
http://votefromabroad.org/5

--

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Obama Bridge Project--Cambodia, Philippines, Calgary

By Meredith - Sep 7th, 2008 at 6:19 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Wonderful new bridge photos have been posted from Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Manilla in the Philippines;
and Calgary, Canada!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/

We're doing a bridge shoot in Toulouse on Sept. 14th--so the beat goes on. If you happen to have friends in Toulouse, France, be sure to tell them about it!

We're encouraging Obama supporters in the States to take part too. Hawaii, California and Minnesota have already done Obama Bridge photos. Why not your home town??

You can download a high quality version of the Obama Bridge slideshow (it takes some time) here:

https://www.yousendit.com/download/bVlBdFdRNDQ3N0IzZUE9PQ

(This link will only be good for one week or 100 downloads.)

Once downloaded you can burn a DVD and show it to your fellow Obama supporters.

There are two versions of the video available on YouTube (though the picture compression doesn't do the photos justice). It will show you what it's all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBzEkXyu4o

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=EReWYQrtnkc

You can also look through ALL the bridge photos on our Flikr site: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/ .
(Some arrived too late for inclusion in the videos, though we're trying to
update the video.)

Over 40 nations are represented and some, like France, Austria, Germany and Canada have done multiple bridges--so over 75 bridges are pictured on 5 continents.

Know anyone in Antarctica near a bridge?
(That would take care of that last continent....)

Yes, we SPAN ;-)

Meredith Wheeler
Obama Bridge Project
France

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Obama Bridge shoots coming up in Cambodia & France

By Meredith - Aug 31st, 2008 at 11:25 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Two more Obama Bridge shoots are coming up: One on Sunday, Sept. 7th in Phnom Penh, organized by Democrats Abroad in Cambodia; the other is in Toulouse on Sunday Sept. 14th organized by the Toulouse chapter of Democrats Abroad France.

If you have friends in those cities, alert them so they can join in!

To see the fabulous video of Obama bridge shoots so far (there are over 75 on 5 continents) visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBzEkXyu4o.

This video was presented to Barack Obama in Boston at his 47th birthday by Democrats Abroad. According to Obama's sister, Maya, who met with the Democrats Abroad delegation at the convention in Denver, Barack loved it.

So far over 77 bridges have been photographed in 40 countries, on five continents!!

They include, the Pont Neuf in Paris, the Millennium Bridge in London, the Charles Bridge in Prague, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Nelson Mandela bridge in Johannesburg and many other bridges, from Istanbul to Tokyo, Buenos Aires to Vancouver.

(To see them all: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/)

Bridges seem the ideal symbol of Barack Obama's candidacy: They unite two banks, span chasms, gaps and troubled water--bring together opposing sides--as we hope Obama will do!

If you have a bridge in your community, do a bridge photo!

For tips on getting a good shot, visit our yahoo site:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/.

The project was originally envisioned as a grassroots initiative for Democrats Abroad--but now it's catching on in the States, with Hawaii, California and Minnesota all doing bridge shoots. Why not every state in the union? Given McCain's choice of VP, how about ALASKA?!

For more info on doing a shoot, contact me!

Meredith Wheeler

Obama Bridge Shoot Coordinator

Meredith.wheeler@free.fr

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Obama Bridge videos available on YouTube

By Meredith - Aug 27th, 2008 at 6:20 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

The Obama Bridge videos are NOT being shown at the convention,
although we hear that Obama himself has seen & enjoyed them.

There are two versions. One is on YouTube here: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=EReWYQrtnkc
The other is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBzEkXyu4o

You can download the second version here--and burn a copy to show at your convention watch party, if you wish:

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&send_id=599707597&email=50fd9343924f8f981b3b00ae52e69e85

Obama's sister, Maya, met with the Democrats Abroad delegation in Denver and told them how much she loved the video and according to her Barack has viewed them and loved them too

Thanks to all who took part in this project!

It's not over yet!

The bridge project is catching on in the States too--with Hawaii, California and Minnesota doing their own Obama Bridge shoots.

Americans abroad continue to do NEW bridge photos too--and we'll keep posting them on our Flikr site:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/

Please send the links to your friends and family in the States and encourage them to do a bridge photo in their home towns.

We're preparing a book with all the photos too, as a gift for Barack & Michelle Obama.
So long as photo credits don't trip us up, the book will be available for participants to buy too.

Cheers,

Meredith Wheeler

Obama/Biden '08

Yes We Can, Yes We Span!

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Kauai Bridge shoot success

By Meredith - Aug 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm EDT

Also listed in: 9 groups

The Obama Bridge Project arrived in Hawaii, just as Barack returned to his home-state for a holiday.

While he was resting on Oahu, on Kauai over 100 Americans--residents and tourists--gathered at one of the island's most historic bridges, Hanalei, for a giant photo op.

To see the final pix, visit our Flikr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/

[Somebody tell me how to embed photos on this blog !!] :-/

The Hawaii group has posted over 50 pix of their event on Bridges for Obama Yahoo site in the Kauai Photo Album:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

Local radio & TV covered the story--plus an article with color photo made the front page of the newspaper, which reportedly was handed to Barack Obama with his breakfast the next day.

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?s=8829758

Aloha, Barack--happy birthday from Hawaii!

Hawaii isn't the first state to do their own Obama Bridge Shoot--Minnesota and California also have done photos but none approaching the scale of Kauai.

Bravo Kauai for Obama OBAMA committee!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/KauaiforObama

One of the organizers wrote:

We're very pleased with many things about our event. We attracted many media persons, got a radio interview and a TV photo. We had over 100 attendees which is great considering our tiny population here on Kauai....We hung out for about an hour, got lots of attention from honking cars, and walkers and river kayakers. It was really, really fun.

Please join the grassroots initiative--wherever you live!

Lets see Obama Bridge shoots from the Golden Gate to the Brooklyn Bridge!

It's a great way to energize Obama groups, attract new members, create media buzz.

Yes, we span!

BTW, Hamilton, Canada has a bridge shoot set for tomorrow! This will be Canada's 4th bridge shoot.If you have friends in Hamilton, tell them to contact Ken Sherman: k_e_sherman@yahoo.ca.

Still no news from the convention team about whether they will use the photos in Denver or not.

Meredith Wheeler

Obama Bridge Project
Yes, we SPAN!

Now on 5 continents, 37 nations, 76 bridges.

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Obama Bridge Project catches on in the USA

By Meredith - Aug 16th, 2008 at 1:42 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

The Obama Bridge Project arrived in Hawaii, just as Barack returned to his home-state for a holiday.

While he was resting on Oahu, on Kauai over 100 Americans--residents and tourists--gathered at one of the island's most historic bridges, Hanalei, for a giant photo op.

To see the final pix, visit our Flikr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/

[Somebody tell me how to embed photos on this blog !!] :-/

The Hawaii group has posted over 50 pix of their event on Bridges for Obama Yahoo site in the Kauai Photo Album:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

Local radio & TV covered the story--plus an article with color photo made the front page of the newspaper, which reportedly was handed to Barack Obama with his breakfast the next day.

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?s=8829758

Aloha, Barack--happy birthday from Hawaii!

Hawaii isn't the first state to do their own Obama Bridge Shoot--Minnesota and California also have done photos but none approaching the scale of Kauai.

Bravo Kauai for Obama OBAMA committee!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/KauaiforObama

One of the organizers wrote:

Please join the grassroots initiative--wherever you live!

Lets see Obama Bridge shoots from the Golden Gate to the Brooklyn Bridge!

It's a great way to energize Obama groups, attract new members, create media buzz.

Yes, we span!

BTW, Hamilton, Canada has a bridge shoot set for tomorrow! This will be Canada's 4th bridge shoot.If you have friends in Hamilton, tell them to contact Ken Sherman: k_e_sherman@yahoo.ca.

Still no news from the convention team about whether they will use the photos in Denver or not.

Meredith Wheeler

Obama Bridge Project
Yes, we SPAN!

Now on 5 continents, 37 nations, 76 bridges.

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View new Dems Abroad video (with Gwyneth Paltrow)

By Meredith - Aug 8th, 2008 at 12:26 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Please pass the word about this new DA video aimed at persuading U.S. citizens abroad--especially the younger contingent--to register to vote.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=amukRM9SSoo

Academy-award-winning actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, (based in London) is one of the many Americans in the clip encouraging American abroad to register for their absentee ballot.

DA is asking ALL Democrats everywhere to pass on this video (viral marketing) and to BLOG about it.

On the first day, over 150,000 people viewed it.

More importantly, in 24 hours we registered voters in 87 different countries, voting in 45 different states.

Please FORWARD this to your friends and family.

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Barack receives the DVD of the Bridge Project

By Meredith - Aug 4th, 2008 at 6:25 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Barack Obama was handed a DVD of the Obama Bridge Project today at his birthday party in Boston.

Connie Borde, Executive Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad in France put the DVD into his hands.

She phoned me from the party immediately afterwards (it was almost midnight in France) to say

he GOT it!

Hurrah! Yes We Span!

MORE cities are doing Obama Bridge shoots.

Why not in your neighborhood?

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Celebrate Barack Obama's Birthday today

By Meredith - Aug 4th, 2008 at 9:45 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Today is Barack Obama's 47th birthday.

I just donated $25 to his campaign as a "birthday present".
Will you join me and do the same?

(Roughly the cost of one meal out....)

Meanwhile Connie Borde, Executive Vice-Chair of DA France,
is attending a birthday party for Barack Obama today
where he will be present
and she has a special GIFT for him from Democrats Abroad:
the DVD of the video showing the Obama Bridge photos.

She's planning to put it directly into Barack Obama's hands with a letter explaining how
Democrats abroad in 37 countries rallied on bridges to show support. (It's still going on
too--Mexico did a bridge shoot yesterday and Hawaii is doing one this Sunday!)

(Originally conceived as a project for American citizens living abroad, now Obama groups

in the States are doing Bridge photos too. Hurrah! Yes, WE SPAN!)

To see the photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/)

ALSO: Democrats Abroad today launched a new video featuring our own members (oh, and Gwyneth
Paltrow is among them) urging Americans abroad to register to vote by absentee ballot
via www.VoteFromAbroad.org.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amukRM9SSoo

Screen it, leave a message if you want and PASS IT ON to all your contacts abroad.

Help get out the word! Too many Americans abroad don't bother to vote.

For more on the video:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/04/gwyneth-paltrows-newest-f_n_116657.html

-----------

DONATING

There is a new Obama website for Americans abroad who would like to donate:
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/abroadhp?source=mainnav

You will need your passport number.
When it asks for STATE as part of the address fields, choose "n/a" and do not input a phone number (it isn't required and the system doesn't like foreign numbers).

Even if you maxed out in the primaries, you can still donate now for the general election.

At the moment, the national polls show the race is close.
McShame's attack ads have had an effect--hopefully transitory.
We cannot be complacent.

Please act now.

Sincerely,

Meredith

Meredith Wheeler
Chair, Toulouse Chapter
Democrats Abroad France

Obama Bridge Project Coordinator

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Race & Hecklers

By Meredith - Aug 3rd, 2008 at 12:30 pm EDT

Also listed in: 4 groups

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/how-dare-he-play-winning-card#new

Further discussion of the issue of race in the Presidential campaign AND the handling of dissent & protest.

There are two YouTubes videos embedded in this discussion:
The first shows Obama being heckled by a small group of young Afro-American men at a town hall meeting
in St. Petersburg, Florida.

It's heartening to see how he handles it (shown in the second video).

Imagine the result if the same thing happening with Bush or McShame!

Indeed, remember the lone, white journalism undergrad who was tasered last autumn at the University of Florida.
He was taking part in a Q & A session with Senator John Kerry, not interrupting a speech (though he was asking awkward questions in a challenging way--and we certainly don't want our journalism students to do that!)

(If you never saw that video, watch now to see how freedom of speech was trampled under the nose of a former Democratic Presidential candidate--who failed to intervene to stop it, claiming he didn't realize what was happening. Judge for yourself:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SaiWCS10C5s

Then compare it to the Obama event at St. Petersburg.

Things didn't careen out of hand under Obama's management of a delicate situation.

The blogger, Al Giordano, writes:

"The scene in St. Pete also provided a lesson in community organizing: Obama didn't send the cops in to tase those protesters. He included them.... He told them, "You'll have a chance to make a statement."

"As the crowd in St. Pete became raucous...Obama urged them to respect the dissent, Alinsky* style: 'This is democracy in action.' True to his word, he went back to those protesters and offered them the microphone...."

Obama's response displays some of the outstanding qualities we need in the next President of the United States:
Intelligence, wisdom, mastery, tolerance, strength, grace under pressure--values once thought essential in our best leaders, too long absent from our executive branch.

*Saul David Alinsky (1909, Chicago, Illinois - 1972) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Alinsky
Alinsky is often credited with laying the foundation for the grassroots political organizing that dominated the 1960s.

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Meet Lebanese-American Obama delegate, David Munir Nabti

By Meredith - Aug 2nd, 2008 at 10:38 am EDT

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Just came across this impressive interview with David Munir Nabti, whom Democrats Abroad elected as one of our Obama delegates at the March caucus in Brussels for the Europe, Middle-East and Africa region.

David is one of 22 voting delegates that Democrats Abroad will be sending to the Democratic Convention later this month in Denver.

We made a good choice!

Although David is one of our youngest delegates (he's 29), he gives excellent responses
in this interview with the Los Angeles Times.

I was particularly interested in what he said about their wonderful Obama Bridge Photo shoot.

You can see the photo on our Flikr site, along with a pix of David: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/page3/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2008/07/lebanon-intervi.html

EXCERPT:

David Munir Nabti says he realizes he's just a small link in a big chain. Nonetheless, the Lebanese American political activist says he believes that his alternative voice as a U.S. citizen living overseas will eventually reach policymakers back home.

Despite moving to Lebanon in 2004 to bond with his roots and work in the development field, Nabti never really lost his connection with the U.S. It is in California, where he grew up and later studied political science.

So last year, with a small group of like-minded people, he decided to start the Lebanon chapter of Democrats Abroad, which is the official overseas branch of the U.S. Democratic Party with members in 164 countries.

A big supporter of Sen. Barack Obama for president, Nabti wanted to encourage Lebanese Americans and U.S. nationals residing in Lebanon to vote in the upcoming presidential race.

His group has begun to carry out voter registration drives in to engage Lebanese who hold U.S. citizenship but do not feel particularly connected with their second country.

But Nabti thinks that he has a bigger role to play. He hopes to bring a “new perspective, and a crucial voice” to the U.S. political process during this tumultuous time in the Middle East.

In March, he was the first American from the Arab world to become a delegate to the committee for the Democrats Abroad Europe-Middle East-Africa region. He will participate at the end of August in the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where he will get the chance to interact with fellow Democratic activists.

Nabti recently sat down with the Los Angeles Times to talk about his organization and his hopes for a better U.S. foreign policy in the region.

LAT: What was one interesting activity that the Lebanon Chapter of Democrats Abroad conducted?

DMN: We participated in the “Yes, We Span” event, which recalls Obama’s “Yes We Can” slogan. The idea was to take pictures of supporters of Obama in front of famous bridges around the world. Dozens of countries participated. We decided to take photos in front of the Sowfar bridge [close to the eastern Lebanese border with Syria] because ironically that bridge was destroyed by Israeli fighter planes, which were largely subsidized by the U.S., and the bridge is being built with U.S. tax-paid dollars.... So American citizens paid to destroy the bridge and are paying to rebuild it.

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Mexican Obama Bridge shoot Sunday Aug 3, 3pm in Chapala

By Meredith - Aug 2nd, 2008 at 3:35 am EDT

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Dems Abroad in Chapala, Mexico will be doing an Obama Bridge shoot at 3pm this Sunday, August 3rd.

If you have friends or family in that area who might be interested, please tell them to contact

Sandra Loridans at sotouch@prodigy.net.mx.

Si, se puede !

This project got going in April 2008. Since then, over 75 bridges with Obama supporters have been photographed in 37 countries around the world.

Keep it going! Spread the word.

PHOTOS in this series:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/

New York Times Political Blog on this project:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/democrats-abroad-say-yes-we-span/

The Washington Post Political Blog on this project:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/14/obams_international_following.html

Obama Campaign Official Blog, by Amy Hamblin:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amyhamblin/gGxymS/commentary#

MAP with participating bridges plotted:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/map?&fLat=13.5819&fLon=52.7343&zl=16

LIST of bridges taking part:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pvmab7tp2AwW8csp8_uASQA

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Kauai Bridges for Obama shoot Aug. 10th

By Meredith - Aug 1st, 2008 at 5:54 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Do you have friends on the Hawaiian island of Kauai?

If so, please alert them to the Bridges for Obama photo shoot taking place Sunday, August 10th at 4pm

at the historic Hanalei Bridge.

The Bridges for Obama project initially began life last March as a way for Americans living abroad to show their support for the Obama campaign.

Over 75 bridges around the planet have been photographed with Obama supporters on 5 continents and 36 nations.

I am THRILLED that Americans back home in the United States are picking up on the concept!

A group in Minnesota were the first; then Obama supporters in Ojai, California did a bridge photo.

Now a group in Hawaii (the state where Barack Obama was BORN) are organizing a shoot.

Please SUPPORT them by telling any friends or relatives in Hawaii about it!

When can we expect to see the Golden Gate and Brooklyn Bridge?

So COME ON grassroots organizers!

Make it happen!

We have a TIPS sheet with guidance on how to get a good photo.

We have a sample press release.

Here's how the Democrat in Hawaii are advertising their Obama Bridge shoot:

SUNDAY AUGUST 10, 2008 4:00 P.M.

Bridges for OBAMA –A PHOTO EVENT

Hanalei Bridge Project

Bridges signify change or the desire for change, they bring community together, span the gap, bringing hope and two sides into one conversation.

This Photo Opportunity will feature BARACK OBAMA supporters and the historic Hanalei Bridge. Our Kauai photo will be part of a montage of more than 75 worldwide photographs of OBAMA Bridge events at the Denver Democratic Convention in August.

What to Bring: Aloha Wear-LEIS, Kayaks, step ladders, step stools, inner-tubes, kids, bikes, Trucks, Hawaiian & American flags, friends, family, neighbors, hand-made OBAMA signs! We’ll provide one large Banner and the rally signs! Photo must be completed no later than 4:30 pm. Come early to sign photo release form & register to VOTE! Car pool please! Limited parking!

Read More- Go on-line to Yahoo Groups and search for the discussion group for OBAMA Bridges, BarackObama.com, www.kauaidemocrats.org, www.hawaiidemocrats.org, www.hawaiiforobama.org, youtubeObama Bridges.

A donation of $3.00 per family and/or canned goods for the Food Bank of Kauai is requested

-----

The organizer, Bevin Parker-Evans, sent me this message, which really delighted me:

Not only are the photos circulating in the USA, but those of us here in Hawaii and other small towns across the USA have begun to be inspired by your project. We'll send you a photo when we get it after August 10th.

Thank you for the grass roots inspiration!

Bevin Parker-Evans

songaid2@yahoo.com
Hanalei, Kauai Hawaii
Home of West meets East-International Portal
Home to Native son Barack Obama

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