After stops in Japan, Singapore and China, and a final stop in South Korea today, President Obama is nearing the end of his first official trip to Asia.
Yesterday, President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao announced a far-reaching package of measures to strengthen cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy. The White House blog posted a good round up of the six new clean energy measures:
The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center will facilitate joint research and development of clean energy technologies by teams of scientists and engineers from the United States and China, as well as serve as a clearinghouse to help researchers in each country. The U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative will include joint standards development, demonstration projects in more than a dozen cities, technical roadmapping and public education projects, all aimed at eventual deployment of electric vehicles to reduce oil dependence.The U.S. China Energy Efficiency Action Plan will allow the two countries to work together to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial facilities, and consumer appliances, culminating with an annual U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Forum, rotating between the two countries.The U.S. China Renewable Energy Partnership will facilitate development of roadmaps for wide-spread renewable energy deployment. A new Advanced Grid Working Group made up of American and Chinese developers and strategists will help plan for grid modernization in both countries, and a new U.S.-China Renewable Energy Forum will be held annually, rotating between the two countries.A 21st Century Coal Initiative, for which the two Presidents pledged to promote cooperation on cleaner uses of coal, will include large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects. A Shale Gas Initiative, will allow the U.S. and China to use experience gained in the United States to assess China’s shale gas potential, promote environmentally-sustainable development of shale gas resources, conduct joint technical studies to accelerate development of shale gas resources in China, and promote shale gas investment in China through the U.S.-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum, study tours, and workshops.The U.S. China Energy Cooperation Program will leverage private sector resources for project development work in China across a broad array of clean energy projects, to the benefit of both nations.
The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center will facilitate joint research and development of clean energy technologies by teams of scientists and engineers from the United States and China, as well as serve as a clearinghouse to help researchers in each country.
The U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative will include joint standards development, demonstration projects in more than a dozen cities, technical roadmapping and public education projects, all aimed at eventual deployment of electric vehicles to reduce oil dependence.
The U.S. China Energy Efficiency Action Plan will allow the two countries to work together to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial facilities, and consumer appliances, culminating with an annual U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Forum, rotating between the two countries.
The U.S. China Renewable Energy Partnership will facilitate development of roadmaps for wide-spread renewable energy deployment. A new Advanced Grid Working Group made up of American and Chinese developers and strategists will help plan for grid modernization in both countries, and a new U.S.-China Renewable Energy Forum will be held annually, rotating between the two countries.
A 21st Century Coal Initiative, for which the two Presidents pledged to promote cooperation on cleaner uses of coal, will include large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects.
A Shale Gas Initiative, will allow the U.S. and China to use experience gained in the United States to assess China’s shale gas potential, promote environmentally-sustainable development of shale gas resources, conduct joint technical studies to accelerate development of shale gas resources in China, and promote shale gas investment in China through the U.S.-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum, study tours, and workshops.
The U.S. China Energy Cooperation Program will leverage private sector resources for project development work in China across a broad array of clean energy projects, to the benefit of both nations.
In reacting to the news this morning that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize, the President struck a note of humility and recognized that the award was a nod to a vision of what is to come:
I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nationsTo be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.
From Vice President Joe Biden:
A few weeks ago, President Obama asked you to share your personal story about how the health care crisis has affected you and the ones you love. Hundreds of thousands of stories poured in from every corner of the country. The President and I have read through many of them ourselves -- and now I'm encouraging you to do so as well. Read these powerful, personal stories from people in your area and around the country.And after you do, please forward this note on to as many people as you can. For folks who don't yet understand why health care reform is such an urgent priority, these stories make the case far better than any statistics ever could. For those who support health care reform but haven't yet found the time to join our campaign, these stories provide more motivation than any speech any politician could ever give. So please read these stories, pass this note on to everyone in your address book, and help us show everyone in America why fixing our broken health care system is a necessity that just can't wait: http://healthcare.barackobama.com/stories Thank you, Vice President Joe Biden
A few weeks ago, President Obama asked you to share your personal story about how the health care crisis has affected you and the ones you love. Hundreds of thousands of stories poured in from every corner of the country. The President and I have read through many of them ourselves -- and now I'm encouraging you to do so as well. Read these powerful, personal stories from people in your area and around the country.
And after you do, please forward this note on to as many people as you can. For folks who don't yet understand why health care reform is such an urgent priority, these stories make the case far better than any statistics ever could. For those who support health care reform but haven't yet found the time to join our campaign, these stories provide more motivation than any speech any politician could ever give. So please read these stories, pass this note on to everyone in your address book, and help us show everyone in America why fixing our broken health care system is a necessity that just can't wait: http://healthcare.barackobama.com/stories Thank you, Vice President Joe Biden
Diebold subsidiary Premier Election Solutions admitted in a California state hearing on Tuesday that its voting machine software can lose votes and fail to log the fact that the votes were lost.
The admission, reported on Wired's Threat Level blog, is significant. For years, the company has touted the quality of its electronic voting machines amidst mounting criticism that they were prone to errors and tampering.
Prediction: 10,000 apps for Google Android Market by Oct. 2009?
The hearing related to last November's election in Humboldt County, California. Nearly 200 votes disappeared from a tally handled by Premier's Global Election Management System (GEMS) software.
Mitch Trachtenberg was one of the volunteer auditors who discovered that the GEMS system had eliminated the votes. Writing as a guest blogger in The Brad Blog, Trachtenberg said that Premier's voting systems, which are used in 34 states, could not effectively handle audits. "An election system's audit logs are meant to record all activity during the system's actual counting of ballots," he wrote. "Diebold's software fails to do that."
According to Threat Level, "the company acknowledged that the problem exists with every version of its tabulation software." California officials examined Humbolt's GEMS-created audit logs and could find no record of when 197 absentee ballots were removed from the system, which apparently prompted California's secretary of state to call the audit logs "useless."
Trachtenberg also mentioned the "disturbing revelation that Diebold had been aware of the problem for years." According to an earlier Brad Blog post, dated December 8, 2008, the tendency to delete ballots "was part of a bug [Diebold had] known about for at least four years." The blog reproduced an internal Diebold email about the problem dated 2004.
Reported problems with Diebold products are nothing new. The company was sued by Ohio last year for voting machines that allegedly dropped votes. Earlier this week, the company was forced to admit that criminals have successfully hacked Diebold ATMs.
Diebold Machines are rigged, and it is time for America to rid us of these cheating raging machines.
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/03/18/diebold-admits-voting-machine-flaw-had-been-aware-problem-years
Even though President Obama and His Presidential Team have strategically targeted the automobile industry, are you aware that the Obama Administration is buying 17600 cars from GM to help the industry, economy, People of Mich. and America as a whole. The homelessness in Detroit (and all of America) has been rampant for years if not decades and no one took it upon themselves to change it, but this is Our Opportunity to do so Now. Now is the time for every community in America and the Whole Wide World to start appropriating, living, teaching, and applying the Principles of Change/Faith to ourselves . There has been always been talk about the Rich the Middle Class but we have forgotten the poor, the down trodden class. Poverty and lack must become the enemy of all of the people of the World!!!!! More Millionaires were created in America During the Great Depression of 1929. Questions: 1. How?. 2. When?. 3. Where?.
Ten More Days until the Inauguration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Short and Simple!!!!!!!!!!!
Enough Said!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 20, 2009.
Like so many other Americans, I will be out of work come December. Laid off. Shluffed aside. Kicked to the curb. All it what you will. However, that still cannot dim my spirits.
I'm healthy. My family is healthy. And Barack Obama is our president elect. Usually, I get through hard times by taking solace in the small joys of life, no matter how momentary.
This joy, knowing we worked so hard and put into office a president who is destined to be great, destined to be remembered for all time by Americans and foreign nationals, is a major joy that will last throughout my lifetime.
We are the champions! And no loss of job, loss of income, loss of home, loss of anything can take that way from me.
Cheers to the New Year, 09
Skye
We watched Senator Obama speak tonight on the loss of his grandmother,Madelyn Dunham(1922-2008), and offer our condolences. On the eve of this election, we send our deepest respects. As Senator Obams said;
".. it's hard to talk about."
Grandmothers in America are often overlooked in the contributions they make everyday. Some are the only parents children know. His comments invoked memories of my grandmother. During the Civil Rights era, we often watched the news together. Dr. King's marches, and arrests, George Wallace's defiant speech on segregation..."now and forever."
I wish that she, and my late father had lived to see the movement, and political tsunami of Senator Obama.
...to see America at the dawn of a new attitude.
I researched Senator Obama's state website, and as a member of Congress, to read his positions on issues from Civil Rights to Darfur, to Education. I read both books, and made a decision millions now have, that Barack Obama is a leader for our time.
Hope has arisen in this campaign, and they are not just youngsters. Americans of all hues, ages, and backgrounds are inspired by Obama's story. The transformation of ideas into action, and the inspiration to make dreams realized. Change we need after the direction this clueless administration took us-- war, and economic chaos. Fighting low by using race as a fear factor.
No matter what happens tomorrow, Barack Obama made history in fund raising, in grassroots organizing, in changing the politics of fear, and his supporters recognized this as a movement for change.
Tomorrow we shall see, and make sure, they don't steal this one!
America must choose between a past scarred by the memory of Emmett Till, to a time when we are judged;
"...by the content of one's character".
Many of us over 30 who worked for this day know America was a very different place during the 50's and 60's, and the 21st century smear attacks against Senator Obama have been sowed with a page from that legacy.
Tomorrow, we have a choice. Pray this nation gets it right.
I will be at the polls at 6:00 A.M tomorrow.
VOTE!
We have the duty and honor to get up tomorrow and exercise our Constitutional right to vote for the best candidate to lead our country through, not only our Nation’s current and seemingly systemic crises, but also through the better days that are sure to lie ahead if Senator Obama is elected to the Presidency of the United States of America.
God Speed and God Bless everyone who has worked so hard for this moment in history - Christopher W.
