. . . a long day coming . . .

President-Elect Obama

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."



WoW

:o)



Last night, there was an impromptu march/rally on State Street in Madison. I was walking back from Williamson Street--where I watched the election results with some friends. Around 11:30 p.m. I rounded the capitol to see a crowd of 3,000-5,000 people making there way up State Street. The target was the Capitol steps and I joined the crowd in some chanting and friendly traffic blockage. Then, most of the crowd began to march to the other end of State Street, through Library Mall, and up Bascom Hill--a storied gathering place on campus at UW-Madison. Shortly after midnight, close to 2,000 people gathered around a statue of Abraham Lincoln seated outside Bascom Hall for some more chanting, a hopeful chorus of the Star Spangled Banner, and a spirited rendition of Varsity.

(the audio on this video is worth listening too . . . unfortunately, I couldn't pick out my own voice in the chorus)



It was a very cool experience to be a part of . . . and it is a reminder that change is within sight and the American people (not just hippie UW students :-P) are ready for something NEW!

I wish you well on this historic day. Enjoy it, but know the good fight has only begun--change will not be easy and each of us will need to continue to long for a brighter future.

"This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

"Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."

Peace, Love, Wisconsin
~b

See this article by The Badger Herald for more on the impromptu march.

"Don't Vote"

REGISTER and VOTE!

In Wisconsin you have until October 15, 2008 to register by mail. Visit Vote for Change to fill out a printable registration form.

In Wisconsin you can also register to vote on election day!

Are you interested in voting absentee in Wisconsin?

Obama-Biden 2008!

GO BREW CREW!

First time in the playoffs in my lifetime! GO BREWERS!

It'll be nice to have a team to cheer for this October--we all know the Packers are not gonna be that team.

:-)

NEW JOB . . . Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment

I know it has been a long time since I've posted--and my posting will probably remain sparse . . . :-P

But I just wanted to let you know that I have a new j-o-b working for a student organization on campus that does GREAT work--PAVE. PAVE, which stands for Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment, was founded at UW-Madison in 2001. This organization set out to raise awareness and educate people about issues that surround sexual and dating violence. Since 2001, the organization on campus has continued to grow, and a national PAVE organization has been founded in Chicago.

The UW PAVE group also writes a blog, so I might be contributing some thoughts there at times.

Hope all is well in the lives of my readers.

~b

I Agree--President Bush and the Olympics

From an interview with a Thai reporter, Suthichai Sae Yoon (The Nation), at the White House (emphasis added).

Suthichai: You are going to Beijing Olympics.

President Bush: Yes, sir.

S: What is the signal? Because some people say that you are going there as a sports fan, but are you going as a sports fan or as President of the United States?

P: I'm going as the President who happens to be a sports fan. (Laughter)

S: Right.

P: No, the signal -- look, there's a couple of signals, and it's very important to understand. One is I don't think the Olympics should be politicized. I mean, it is a sporting event of the greatest caliber. Secondly, I am going out of respect for the people of China. This is a big deal for the Chinese people and I'm -- and that's why I'm going. Thirdly, I will have, and always have had, very frank and candid discussions with the Chinese government on a variety of issues.

And I'm confident that by showing respect to the people, to the Olympics, it will give me -- put me in a position to continue to having frank and candid discussions. It's -- when you show respect to a group of people, it gives you credibility when it comes time to discuss difficult issues. And we will discuss difficult issues in a very cordial and respectful way.

I am excited for the Olympics--which begin on Friday. :-0

U-S-A, U-S-A!

:)

How do you all feel about the upcoming Olympics?

WEEKLY DIGEST--July 28, 2008 to August 3, 2008

• Posts from Compassionate Badger:
  
  "350.org Calls on You to Take Action" posted on July 30, 2008 (Environmental Awareness, Sufficiency & Sustainability)
  
  "Global Studies at the UW-Madison Awards Eight Graduate" posted on July 30, 2008 (Education, Globalization)
  
  "Lewis Lancaster--the first to complete a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies at UW-Madison--Lectures on Buddhism in a Global Age of Technology" posted on July 31, 2008 (Globalization, Religion)
  
  "President Bush to Set Another Record Budget Deficit--Senator Feingold Responds to the News" posted on August 1, 2008 (Economics, Government & Politics)
  
  "Matt Harding Makes It Big . . . NPR Called for an Interview" posted on August 1, 2008
  
  "Indecision 2008 Gets Real This Week--Obama, McCain, Stevens, Wattenberg; Love Affairs, Corruption, Starbucks, Neo-Conservatism--They Got It All!" posted on August 1, 2008 (Economics, Government & Politics, Media, War)

• Posts of Interest from Other Blogs and News Sources:
  
  ~Media~
  
  "More News, But Less 'News'" an artilce by Dick Meyer posted by NPR
  
  "The benefits of a pinch of O'Reilly in a diet of Olbermann" an Op-Ed by Timothy J. McNulty posted by The Chicago Tribune
  
  ~Environmental Awareness~
  
  No Articles in this Digest
  
  ~Community Empowerment~
  
  No Articles in this Digest
  
  ~Sustainability & Sufficiency~
  
  "World Bank Struggles to Prioritize Sustainability" posted by the Worldwatch Institute
  
  "City of San Francisco Takes Integrated Approach to Sustainability" posted by triplepundit
  
  ~Agriculture~
  
  "Crop progress in state called good" posted by The Capital Times
  
  "New UW-Madison dairy complex now open for business" posted by The Capital Times
  
  "Grow Your Own" an Op-Ed by Allison Arieff posted by The New York Times
  
  ~Globalization~
  
  "Developing nations still playing catch-up with rich countries – UN trade agency" posted by the United Nations
  
  "Doha Round Crumbles to Dust" posted by Inter Press Service News Agency
  
  "Trade talks: The Doha round...and round...and round" posted by The Economist
  
  "Doha's Demise" an Editorial by The Washington Post
  
  "Who wins and who loses from Doha's downfall?" posted by Foreign Policy Passport
  
  ~Economics~
  
  "Podcast on Capitalism and the Family" posted by The Austrian Economists
  
  ~Education~
  
  "The Biggest Issue" an Op-Ed by David Brooks posted by The New York Times
  
  ~History~
  
  No Articles in this Digest
  
  ~Government & Politics~
  
  "Rep. Tammy Baldwin Comes Out for Impeachment" a statement by Representative Baldwin posted by The Progressive
  
  "Feingold, Whitehouse introduce bill to help curb 'secret law'" a Press Release by Senator Feingold posted by WisPolitics.com
  
  "Senate approves Great Lakes compact" posted by The Capital Times
  
  "Bush Signs Sweeping Housing Bill" posted by The New York Times
  
  ~War~
  
  "Iraq, Bush and the 'time horizon'" an Op-Ed by Selig S. Harrison posted by the International Herald Tribune
  
  "Continued improvement in Iraq’s security situation, Ban reports" posted by the United Nations
  
  "What if Iraq works?" an Op-Ed by Victor Davis Hanson posted by the San Francisco Chronicle
  
  "Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy" posted by Middle East Strategy at Harvard
  
  "Regime change, Iranian-style" posted by Middle East Strategy at Harvard
  
  "Afghanistan’s army: Good news from Arghandab" posted by The Economist
  
  "As the Fighting Swells in Afghanistan, So Does a Refugee Camp in Its Capital" posted by The New York Times
  
  "Pakistan to Send Special Ops into Tribal Areas" a post by Juan Cole on Informed Comment
  
  ~Peace~
  
  No Articles in this Digest
  
  ~Religion~
  
  No Articles in this Digest
  
  ~Sports~
  
  "Local heroes" posted by The Economist

President Bush to Set Another Record Budget Deficit--Senator Feingold Responds to the News

PBS gives us the story on the latest federal budget numbers:

Whoever wins the presidency in November will be saddled with a record budget deficit of $482 billion, according to a Bush administration estimate released Monday.

. . .

But the deficit could soar even higher if the economy does worse than the White House expects.

. . .

A $482 billion deficit, however, would easily surpass the record deficit of $413 billion set in 2004.

Additionally, the new figure underestimates the deficit because it leaves out about $80 billion in war costs. In a break from tradition - and in violation of new mandates from Congress - the White House did not include its full estimate of war costs, the AP reported.

. . .

[White House spokeswoman Dana Perino] said the administration still stood by its goal of achieving a balanced budget by 2012.

"We hope to pull out of this economic downturn over the next few months because of the stimulus package," she added.

If we actually included our full war costs, our budget deficit would be $562 billion?!?!? I'm not so sure that "the stimulus package" is going to turn around a floundering housing market, lower gas prices, AND generate a half-trillion dollars in revenue for the federal government, Ms. Perino.

Senator Feingold had this to say about the new record in deficit spending:

The Bush administration will now have presided over the five biggest budget deficits in the history of our country. To say their budget policies have been fiscally reckless is an understatement . . . The new president and Congress will face enormous challenges, all of which are made more difficult by the fiscal mess left by the Bush administration.

Senator Feingold, I think "fiscal mess" is an understatement.

Global Studies at the UW-Madison Awards Eight Graduate

Last week, University of Wisconsin-Madison News released a statement containing the following:

Global Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has awarded the Scott Kloeck-Jenson Award to eight outstanding graduate students whose work will deepen international understanding and global social justice concerns.

Congratulations to the following 8 UW-Madison graduates:

• Catherine Sikubwabo Honeyman, Educational Policy Studies

• Erika Robb, Anthropology

• Huai-Hsuan Chen, Cultural Anthropology

• Joseph Harris, Sociology

• Karin Butterworth, Cultural Anthropology

• Kristen Molyneaux, Educational Policy Studies

• Ozlem Altiok, Sociology and Rural Sociology

• Sarbani Chakraborty, Curriculum and Instruction

Best of luck as you travel and study on a global level!

Miss Teen USA 2007 Question for South Carolina . . . Are You For Real?!?!?

Take 1:



Take 2:



hmmmmmpppp . . . I'm not sure how to respond.