China and India growth to fuel oil price for next decade

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=acriLlCR3gbw&refer=home

David Cohen, director of Asian forecasting at Action Economics in Singapore, said the rise in the crude oil price ``was a recognition'' of the growing demand of emerging economies like China and India. 

``Those countries will continue with their development process and continue to outpace global growth,'' he said.

joe biden or yo! bye then

Yo! Bye Then 

loves 

Indian accent

Joe Biden hilarious

Microsoft vs. Google

November 21, 2005 (Computerworld) -- Are Office Live and Windows Live Microsoft's response to Google? 
Microsoft's announcement of these new online services was interesting, and there are implications for IT folks. 
The speculation about these services being a reaction to Google isn't totally off the mark, given the fact that Google is making use of Microsoft's own Windows platform and applications to extend its reach. For example, Google's toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop (which works well with all of Microsoft's desktop applications), Google Earth (Windows only) and Blogger for Word all leverage Microsoft's stuff. 
Office and Windows Live are Microsoft's acknowledgement of these attempts to co-opt the traditional Microsoft space with new offerings built around Web 2.0 technologies. There's been a lot of buzz about using Ajax for rich Web development, and Microsoft wants to be part of that buzz. At the same time, Microsoft knows that a rich-applications-and-operating-system model still has a lot of life left in it. It's not about one vs. the other for Microsoft; it's about both working together. The new services recognize the importance of connectivity and the near-ubiquitous nature of high-speed access but also combine those with the richness that you get from a traditional model. 
These aren't replacements for Office or Windows but extensions of them. If you're looking to replace Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook with these offerings, you're looking in the wrong place. Likewise, this isn't about a retreat from Windows as the core operating system platform. 
Overall, this strategy makes sense to me. It's a way for Microsoft to participate in the next generation of Web applications while furthering the reach of its core business for Windows and Office. Look for this extension to continue as we get closer to a real beta of Windows Vista. This move also repositions MSN as a content portal and allows the MSN technologies to tie directly into the Windows brand, which may give them more allure for both business and consumer end users. 

The bottom line is that the new Live strategy is about the fact that Microsoft faces very different challenges today in both the business and consumer markets than it did in the '80s and '90s. A skirmish with Google may seem similar to battles Microsoft fought against the likes of Netscape or Novell, but it's not the same at all. Google is also a very different company than Netscape was; there are far more business users and consumers using Google than ever used Netscape, and most of them see no need to switch to anything else. Google has evolved into a verb. When was the last time someone said they were going to "MSN Search" you? 
Live is a critical strategy to leverage the traditional power of the desktop operating system and applications model and extend it to the next generation of Web technologies. This is only the first phase. Look for more offerings for small and midsize businesses when Office Live is launched in 2006 and the next version of Office ships. Microsoft's news was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of Web-based service offerings. It's time to take a closer look at what Microsoft has done to get a glimpse of where it's going.

Joe Biden acknowledges Indian accent

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=OIT3jUrNTX0&e

Biden raised eyebrows as a presidential candidate running in 2008, telling an Indian-American, "In Delaware the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans, you cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent."

Joe Biden : Good for Obama? analysis

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama's choice of Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate raises the question of whether Obama can carry off his message of change with a seasoned Washington politician by his side.

Sen. Joe Biden was chosen Saturday as Barack Obama's running mate.

Biden brings to the table his ability to speak knowledgeably about issues ranging from foreign policy to to the country's domestic agenda.

The Delaware senator has held two of the most important jobs in Washington -- chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That could be reassuring to voters who worry about Obama's inexperience in national and world affairs.

Biden also has been an early and vociferous critic of President Bush's foreign policies -- most notably regarding the war in Iraq. 

He voted for the authorization to invade Iraq, but conceded afterward it was a mistake. Obama voted against authorization -- and that gap might give Republicans something to highlight. Watch a former White House official weigh in on the Biden decision »

But Biden has personal ties to the war. His son Joseph "Beau" Biden -- Delaware's attorney general -- is a captain in the National Reserves and will soon return to Iraq. 

Nonetheless, his political experience spans 36 years, and some say that will create a problem for Obama's key talking point of change. Watch more on what Biden brings to the ticket »

Obama has routinely criticized his GOP rival, Sen. John McCain, for being a Washington insider. McCain has charged that Obama is too inexperienced to run the country -- especially its international affairs. 

Biden himself touched on this when he was in the running as a presidential candidate. During a Democratic primary debate, moderator George Stephanopoulos, of ABC News, referred to Biden's criticism of Obama's experience.

"You were asked, 'Is he ready?' You said, 'I think he can be ready, but right now, I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training,'" Stephanopoulos said.

"I think I stand by that statement," Biden replied.

But in a July interview, Biden said he would choose Obama's judgment over McCain's war record and foreign policy experience.

"Twenty years of experience that has not been very solid in terms of projecting what was going to happen just doesn't make you a better commander-in-chief," Biden said, referring to McCain. "We don't need as a commander-in-chief a war hero. John's a war hero. We need someone with some wisdom."

So how does Biden help Obama politically? Biden is Roman Catholic. There are nearly 70 million Roman Catholics in the United States, about 20 percent of the electorate, and they can tip the balance in a close contest. 

Biden also has roots in Pennsylvania, a swing state. Obama lost the state to Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Biden's support could help the campaign win the state in November. Watch Democrats react to Obama's choice »

"You're getting national security experience, you're getting enthusiasm and you hope you're getting some help in those white, working-class blue-collar towns where Barack Obama needs help," said CNN Senior National Correspondent John King.

"The rap on him is that he talks too long, his speeches don't end and occasionally he goes off the reservation," King added.

CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley says that Biden is a "very one-on-one person" and he "has a personal story as well -- triumph over tragedy. ... He brings depth to this ticket."

Biden, now 65, was first elected to the Senate at age 29 in 1972. Shortly after, his first wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. He weighed resigning, but eventually decided to continue with his political career.

Biden's career has dogged by what some consider to be gaffes. Most notably, a comment he made about Obama received widespread criticism. Watch an iReporter weigh in on Biden »

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook," he has said in an interview with the New York Observer newspaper, When faced with criticism, he defended the comment as a compliment taken out of context.

So, can Biden control his tendency to say too much? He is certainly trying.

In an April 27 primary debate, moderator Brian Williams of NBC News, asked Biden: "An editorial in the Los Angeles Times said, 'In addition to his uncontrolled verbosity, Biden is a gaffe machine.' Can you reassure voters in this country that you would have the discipline you would need on the world stage, senator?"

Biden simply replied, "Yes," eliciting much laughter. 

Biden, known for his sharp wit, must now assume the traditional attack-dog role of the vice presidential candidate.

Democratic strategist and CNN contributor, Paul Begala, said Saturday morning that he doesn't think Biden should be a "snarling" attack dog, however.

"Biden can help a lot by first reassuring and even more important, putting Bush and McCain on trial and showing that Barack Obama is change. That's what I think we'll see Joe Biden doing over the next couple of months," he said. Watch a former White House official weigh in on the Biden decision »

Shortly after the Obama-Biden ticket was announced early Saturday morning, Republican Sen. Dick Lugar, of Indiana, offered praise for his Senate colleague.



"I have enjoyed for many years the opportunity to work with Joe Biden to bring strong bipartisan support to United States foreign policy." Lugar said.
Lugar's comments on Biden's bipartisan appeal may hint at a theme the Obama-Biden campaign will highlight in the months to come: We can reach out to GOP and independent voters

Bolt credits 'hard work,' fast track for 3 records

BEIJING (AP) — Hard work. Having fun. A fast track.

No doping.

Simple as could be, that's Usain Bolt explanation for his unprecedented, breakout performance at the Beijing Olympics.

"I've been tested four times (in China), before I even started running. These guys took urine tests and blood tests. After every event final, I've been tested," the Jamaican said Saturday, one of his three gold medals dangling from a red ribbon around his neck. "I've been tested out of competition so many times I lost track."

Bolt broke world records in winning the 100 meters (9.69 seconds), 200 meters (19.30) and 400-meter relay (37.10), something no man had done at an Olympics. None of the finals was even close, and Bolt began his celebration in the dash before it was done, stretching out his arms with palms up, then slapping his chest.

"I came out here prepared," he said. "I worked hard — that's all I can say. ... I worked hard to get here. It wasn't easy at all. It may look easy, but it was hard."

Bolt wasn't merely good — he was stunning. Too good to be true?

Don Anderson, head of Jamaica's Beijing delegation, said about half the country's athletes had been drug-tested since arriving in China.

"Therefore, all the records that have been broken by Usain Bolt and all the gold medals that have been won by (other Jamaicans) have come after extensive testing" by the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Association of Athletics Federations, Anderson said. "That, as far as I am concerned, is more than adequate proof."

Overall, Jamaica won five of the six golds, along with two silvers and a bronze, in the sprinting events.

"What I think almost amuses us is why some people in the world don't feel that others can be that good. We have been good for a very long time," said Mike Fennell, president of the Jamaica Olympic Association. "We have some marvelous talent here and wouldn't want anybody to suggest at all that this is not pure, raw talent that has been properly trained and properly coached and properly presented and reaping the rewards of all that hard work."

The head of track and field's governing body said Saturday that Bolt's flashy personality and outsize performances make him exactly the right man to help the sport recover from a spate of doping scandals that have resulted in medals being stripped, records being revoked and a decrease in popularity.

"He is good and great for our sport," IAAF president Lamine Diack said. "He can help to build up our sport."

Diack also disagreed with IOC president Jacques Rogge, who said Thursday that Bolt should have cut out the "look at me" hotdogging at the end of the 100 final. Rogge also chastised Bolt for not shaking hands with the men he beat.

"I did not mind," Diack said.

Asked about Rogge's comments, Bolt said he spoke to opponents about his showboating, "and most of them were OK with it."

"I won't change that. And I don't see any problem with it, because people enjoy watching me," Bolt said. "I'll stay the way I am. That's my personality."

Now it's off to less-important meets for Bolt, who said he'll run in Zurich and Lausanne, Switzerland, and Brussels, Belgium, before calling it a season. European meet organizers have offered more than $100,000 should Bolt win his races in new record times.

Other athletes can take some solace in this: Bolt said he definitely won't add the long jump to his repertoire, a la Carl Lewis, and might only occasionally run the 400 meters, the race his coach tried to steer him to instead of the 100.

Diack said he ranks Bolt's Olympics above Lewis' four golds at the 1984 Los Angeles Games — the 100, 200, 400 relay and long jump — because Lewis only broke one world record, in the relay.

"I'll still train hard and just work hard to stay on top," Bolt said, "because I'm on top now and I want to try to stay there as long as I can."

Windows Mobile?

What's with Windows Mobile?: Ask the Editors
Posted by Bonnie Cha 
14 comments


Q: I need to replace my Palm Treo 650. Here's what I need. I need the organizing/calendar as well as contacts features. It needs to be a quad-band phone; have a screen similar in size to the Palm 650; a camera so it can record video clips and photos. It also needs to send text messages with photos attached and a QWERTY keyboard. 

I'd buy another Treo, but I hear that Windows Mobile 6 works really slowly and is unreliable (at least on the Palms). I've also heard that Treo keyboards tend to die (like mine has). I've definitely ruled out the BlackBerry Pearls. Have I heard wrong about the Treos and/or Windows Mobile? What else is out there that fits my demanding feature list? Thanks greatly! -- thracker11 via e-mail

(Credit: Microsoft)

A: I'll be honest (and I don't think I'm in the minority here), the Windows Mobile operating system has its fair share of problems. It's not the most intuitive OS in the world, and it has a checkered past of stability issues and slow performance. So thracker11, you have reason for concern. That said, I feel like Microsoft has made strides in improving the OS. 

Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Mobile 6.1 brought a number of enhancements, such as a Getting Started menu for quicker device configuration, a more robust Microsoft Office Mobile Suite, and new app shortcuts, that improved overall usability. In my opinion, performance has been more stable, but there's still some of that sluggishness that plagues the WinMo devices. The delays aren't so crippling that it prevents you from working, but it can be frustrating. Still, no operating system is perfect, and Windows Mobile offers plenty of good points as well, particularly for the business user, so don't discount it. 

As for a Treo 650 replacement, I've listed some of my recommendations below based on your requirements. And a quick note on the Treo's keyboard. I haven't really heard that the Treos' QWERTY keyboards die quickly; I'm not sure how long you've had your Treo 650 but the model is at least three years old so it just may be a normal wear and tear. I'd also like to invite my readers to share any of their recommendations or Windows Mobile success/horror stories. After all, you're the ones using these devices day in and day out.

Windows Mobile?

What's with Windows Mobile?: Ask the Editors
Posted by Bonnie Cha 
14 comments


Q: I need to replace my Palm Treo 650. Here's what I need. I need the organizing/calendar as well as contacts features. It needs to be a quad-band phone; have a screen similar in size to the Palm 650; a camera so it can record video clips and photos. It also needs to send text messages with photos attached and a QWERTY keyboard. 

I'd buy another Treo, but I hear that Windows Mobile 6 works really slowly and is unreliable (at least on the Palms). I've also heard that Treo keyboards tend to die (like mine has). I've definitely ruled out the BlackBerry Pearls. Have I heard wrong about the Treos and/or Windows Mobile? What else is out there that fits my demanding feature list? Thanks greatly! -- thracker11 via e-mail

(Credit: Microsoft)

A: I'll be honest (and I don't think I'm in the minority here), the Windows Mobile operating system has its fair share of problems. It's not the most intuitive OS in the world, and it has a checkered past of stability issues and slow performance. So thracker11, you have reason for concern. That said, I feel like Microsoft has made strides in improving the OS. 

Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Mobile 6.1 brought a number of enhancements, such as a Getting Started menu for quicker device configuration, a more robust Microsoft Office Mobile Suite, and new app shortcuts, that improved overall usability. In my opinion, performance has been more stable, but there's still some of that sluggishness that plagues the WinMo devices. The delays aren't so crippling that it prevents you from working, but it can be frustrating. Still, no operating system is perfect, and Windows Mobile offers plenty of good points as well, particularly for the business user, so don't discount it. 

As for a Treo 650 replacement, I've listed some of my recommendations below based on your requirements. And a quick note on the Treo's keyboard. I haven't really heard that the Treos' QWERTY keyboards die quickly; I'm not sure how long you've had your Treo 650 but the model is at least three years old so it just may be a normal wear and tear. I'd also like to invite my readers to share any of their recommendations or Windows Mobile success/horror stories. After all, you're the ones using these devices day in and day out.

Obama-Biden ticket has a slight 'Indian accent'

WASHINGTON: A prospective Democratic White House could have a slight Indian accent after Presidential candidate Barack Obama on Saturday chose experienced Delaware Senator and foreign policy maven Joseph Biden as his vice-presidential running mate. 

Biden, who is also chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, helped pilot the US-India nuclear deal through Congress and initiated the recent eclipse of military rule in Pakistan. He is generally intimate with Indians and the Indian sub-continent - an association even Obama claims. 

The Obama campaign broke the week-long suspense over the vice-presidential nominee with a 3 a.m text message to supporters that said, ''Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee.'' 

''Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois - the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago,'' Obama said in an e-mail sent a little later. ''I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.'' 

By then, a breathless media had cottoned on to Biden being the frontrunner through a process of elimination of other contenders. A Secret Service detail that made its way to Biden’s place past midnight gave the game away. 

Biden, who is 65 and a six-term Senator, is thought to bring enormous foreign policy experience and heft to the Obama ticket. He is especially intimate with the Indian sub-continent. Experts surmise that the region - especially Pakistan/Afghanistan - will get greater attention, with better clarity, than at any time. 

India won’t be neglected either given Biden’s leading role in pushing the nuclear deal, and his close ties with Indian-Americans. In fact, such is Biden’s familiarity with the Indian community that he once made a faux pas of Macaca proportions, but with a happier ending. 

In a 2006 campaign appearance, when he was still in contention for the presidential ticket, Biden, boasting about his strong relationship with Indian-Americans in his state, said ''You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.'' 

The remark was misconstrued as being politically incorrect, but Biden quickly put it in perspective saying it was meant to demonstrate his ''incredibly strong'' relationship with Indian-American. 

''I was making the point that up until now in my state, we've had a strong Indian community made up of leading scientists and researchers and engineers,'' Biden explained later. ''We're having middle-class people move to Delaware, take over Dunkin' Donuts, take over businesses, just like other immigrant groups have, and I was saying that ... they're growing, it's moving.'' 

''I could have said that 40 years ago about walking into a delicatessen and hearing an Italian accent in my state,'' he added. 

Most Indian-Americans in Delaware, where indeed there has been a boom in small business growth by the community, did not take Biden’s remark amiss. Many of them, especially those involved in businesses relating to motels, liquor stores, and gas stations, are Biden supporters and contributors who have held fund-raisers for him and reeled him into events like the local Navratri garba hosted by the Gujarati community. 

''He’s a great guy, very experienced. We love him,'' Pravin Patel, president of the Delaware Asian-American Business Association, said on Saturday after news broke of Biden's selection. ''He will be good for U.S-India relations.'' Patel said he and his associates celebrated the e-mail announcement at 3 a.m. 

(A Republican Senator, George Allen, wasn’t as lucky as Biden in such off-the-cuff remarks). Although he too has close ties to the Indian community in Virginia, Allen lost his Senate seat in 2006 after calling an Indian-American Democrat activist a ''Macaca'' - shorthand for ape) 

While on accents, Obama too has been subject of much positive scrutiny in the ''desi'' community for being able to pronounce ''Pakistan'' correctly. Obama also joked recently about being a ''desi'' himself and his ability to make ''daal.'' The Presidential candidate's sub-continental connection goes back to the 1980s when he had college-mates from the region and he went on a three-week visit to Pakistan during the Zia years. 

Biden also has another key South Asia connection. One of his foreign policy staffers is Jonah Blank, a Yale and Harvard alumnus, whose books include Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God: Retracing the Ramayana through India, and Mullahs on the Mainframe, a study of India’s Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community. 

Pakistan is also certain to get extra attention under a Obama-Biden dispensation. Blank and others, under Biden’s scrutiny, have put together legislation that will result in an annual $ 1.5 billion aid package to Pakistan for 10 years, directed mostly at the social sectors at the expense of the largely military relationship pursued by the Bush administration. 

While agreeing that such aid is fungible and could enable Pakistan to divert its domestic resources to military purposes, Biden aides say such a big package will at least give Washington some leverage over Pakistan, which both Obama and Biden believe to be the most dangerous country in the world that needs to be brought back into the democratic mainstream. 

In fact, Obama’s choice of Biden locks in with their mutual view that the Pakistan-Afghanistan region, and not Iraq, is the central front in the war on terror.

US withdrawl from Iraq would be 2011

U.S. combat troops would leave Iraq by 2011 under draft agreement

BAGHDAD: The United States has agreed to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by next June and from the rest of the country by the end of 2011 if conditions in Iraq remain relatively stable, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials involved in negotiating a security accord governing American forces here.

The withdrawal timetable, which Bush administration officials called "aspirational goals" rather than fixed dates, are contained in the draft of an agreement that still must be approved by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders before it goes before the fractious Parliament. It has the support of the Bush administration, American and Iraqi officials said.

American officials stressed repeatedly that meeting the timetables depended on the security situation in Iraq, where sectarian killings and attacks on American troops have declined sharply over the past year from the peak levels of 2006 and 2007. Iraqi officials, who have pushed for an even tighter target date for the United States to end its military operations, could also end up rejecting the draft agreement.

Even so, the accord indicates that the Bush administration is prepared to commit the United States to ending most combat operations in Iraq in less than a year, a much shorter time frame than seemed possible, politically or militarily, even a few months ago. President George W. Bush and many leading Republicans, including the party's presumptive nominee for president, Senator John McCain, had repeatedly dismissed timetables for pulling out of Iraq as an admission of defeat that would empower America's enemies.

But Iraq's Shiite-dominated government demanded a withdrawal timetable as the price of legalizing the U.S. military presence after the expiration of the United Nations mandate at the end of this year. Security gains in recent months also made the prospect of a winding down of military operations more palatable to the White House and top military officials, said people involved in the talks.
Today in Africa & Middle East

Rice meets with Maliki to discuss security agreement

Shiite-led government in Iraq driving out Sunnis helping U.S.

Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Algeria attacks

 

If approved in its current form, the accord seems likely to take center stage in the presidential race. McCain has vowed to stay in Iraq until the war is won but has suggested that he would have the troops out by 2013, two years later than the Bush administration has agreed to withdraw them if conditions in the accord are met.

Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has argued that the United States should withdraw its troops 16 months after he took office, or by mid-2010, a faster pace for full withdrawal than envisioned in the draft accord. But the draft's interim goal of ending combat operations in Iraqi cities by next summer is faster than any commitment made by Obama.

The draft appears to contain one significant concession on the Iraqi side. A senior Bush administration official said that Maliki had allowed the timeline for ending combat operations to slip to 2011. Previously, he and other Iraqi officials had said they wanted American troops out by 2010.

A deal between American and Iraqi officials was given fresh impetus by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's surprise visit to Baghdad on Thursday. Rice met with Maliki and other Iraqi leaders and confirmed that both sides saw the value in "aspirational timetables" to govern the continuing role, mission and size of American forces in Iraq.

She declined to discuss the timing, saying that "would be inappropriate at this time" and that decisions must be based on events, not timetables.

"We have always said that the roles, missions and size of the American forces here, the coalition forces, was based on the conditions on the ground and what is needed," Rice said at a news conference in Baghdad with the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari.

Iraqi officials were more forthcoming with their interpretation of the draft agreement. In an interview by telephone in Baghdad, Mohammad Hammoud, the chief Iraqi negotiator, said that the draft contained two dates: June 30, 2009, for the withdrawal of American forces from "cities and villages," and Dec. 31, 2011, for combat troops to leave the country altogether.

Hamoud said the draft specified that meeting the timetable, particularly the goal of full withdrawal by 2011, depended on the security situation. He said that at the end of 2011 the Iraqi government "will review the security situation in the country and if necessary will ask the American side for certain forces for training or supporting the Iraqi Security Forces."

Even if the goal of withdrawing combat troops by 2011 is realized, the accord does leave open the possibility that American military trainers and support forces could remain in Iraq after that time. It is unclear whether the accord provides for semipermanent military bases in the country, and what role the United States would play in providing air and naval support for Iraq.

Reporting was contributed by Helene Cooper, Suadad al-Salhy and Riyadh Mohammed from Baghdad, and Michael R. Gordon and Thom Shanker from Washington.