Oct 10, 2012
Your Old Pictures on the Internet Are Going to Be Deleted [Internet]
Your Old Pictures on the Internet Are Going to Be Deleted [Internet]:
If you've spent any time on the Internet back in the early 2000's, you definitely ran into Webshots. It was the photo sharing service everyone used before Photobucket, before Flickr or Picasa, and before Facebook and Instagram. Hell, you still might have pictures on Webshots! Well, you better go get them because they're about to get deleted. More »
What Siri Thinks of Your Favorite Movies [Humor]
What Siri Thinks of Your Favorite Movies [Humor]:
Siri sometimes says crazy things that don't quite match up with what you've asked. But the Verge has discovered that she has some pretty strong opinions when it comes to movies. More »
Google Play Just Gave Google TV a Reason to Exist [Google]
Google Play Just Gave Google TV a Reason to Exist [Google]:
Google TV just became a thing you might actually want to use. According to a post on the Google TV blog, starting today, you can watch and listen to Google Play Movies, Music, and TV shows from your Google TV. More »
Facebook's Gross Pinterest-Like Feature Is Here to Take Your Dollars [Facebook]
Facebook's Gross Pinterest-Like Feature Is Here to Take Your Dollars [Facebook]:
Facebook is testing its own version of Pinterest. It's called "Facebook Collections." It adds clickable buttons to posts about products from retailers, which then adds it to a personalized page that reminds you to buy it later. Ugh. More »
Twitter Might Host Its Own User-Uploaded Videos [Video]
Twitter Might Host Its Own User-Uploaded Videos [Video]:
A couple of years ago, Twitter began giving users the option of using its own servers to store photos as an alterative to the likes of TwitPic and Lockerz. Now it has become the de facto standard. According to AllThingsD, Twitter is interested in doing the same thing for video. More »
Google's Cultural Institute Is Now a Massive Online Museum [Google]
Google's Cultural Institute Is Now a Massive Online Museum [Google]:
Google's Cultural Institute has had a shot in the arm, and is now host to a massive set of 42 online collections, which cover all manner of 20th and 21st century history. More »
Oct 9, 2012
Israeli PM Netanyahu calls early election
Israeli PM Netanyahu calls early election: Polls due to take place in October 2013 may be advanced to January or February following Netanyahu's speech.
Pakistan court probes bartering of girls
Pakistan court probes bartering of girls: Supreme court takes notice of barter of at least seven young girls under tribal custom in Balochistan province.
Shadow blocks Modi's road to power
Shadow blocks Modi's road to power: Progress in Gujarat under Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the last 11 years has seen the state welcome big-ticket investments and achieve higher than average income and literacy rates, leading to speculation he'll be given the chance to replicate the success nationwide. Doubts over Modi's involvement in a 2002 pogrom could deny him the Muslim support needed to become premier. - Siddharth Srivastava (Oct 9, '12)
China splits Philippine politics
China splits Philippine politics: Rising diplomatic tensions between Manila and Beijing, notably over Beijing's perceived provocations in the South China Sea, have sown divisions inside the Philippine ruling establishment. As President Benigno Aquino attempts to strike a balance between national security concerns and economic imperatives, the risk of more infighting and policy incoherence is high. - Richard Javad Heydarian (Oct 9, '12)
Naughty numbers: power in Southeast Asia
Naughty numbers: power in Southeast Asia:
Numbers have played an important role in Southeast Asia. States’ use of numbers in particular has had a significant impact on politics and society. It is important to recognize that numbers can have political utility, especially when presented in manner that creates a dichotomous division. In this piece we will explore a range of issues in which numbers are used by government to exercise their control over their citizens.
The classification of the population into two distinct segments, or ‘binaries’, for example the educated vs. the uneducated or indigenous vs. migrant. Governments can effectively influence the ways in which citizens view themselves and others as well as the way in which policy is constructed and implemented.
State-owned transport companies may classify three classes of passenger seating, with first class being the most expensive. This form of classification decides who should enjoy what commodities and services, and may encourage those who cannot afford first class to work harder. The numbers actually reflects social stratification, the division of citizens into two groups of people within the society, such as the tertiary- educated or the academic elites and the non-tertiary educated or non-academic elites, stressing the group which wields power.
These binaries are used by states to legitimize their power over people, in effect they allow for a subjective definitions of good and bad depending on the agenda of individual regimes. Binaries fail to provide a nuanced view of the issue at hand. Their use dichotomises respondents into the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, providing a distinct black-and-white distinction, when many issues are in fact coloured grey. This ambiguity can lead to political chaos. Thailand’s political conflict has been a prime example of a binary between red and yellow shirts.A historical yet still very relevant example of binary in Southeast Asia is the concept of Zomia addressed by James Scott, in which Upland and Lowland populations are socially, politically and economically organized in very different ways.Official government data collection reduces issues of identity to a group of binaries, through creating silence as a means of social control. As an example, the choice between male and female in official data can silence the voices of those who identify outside of the gender binary. In turn, this can lead to a silencing of gender queer issues in political (and social) discourse.
Government statistics are also used during elections to bring the public’s attention to key issues (e.g. government debt). As we can understand from a government’s use of census and official statistics, numbers provide great access to the lives and thoughts of its citizens, which can subsequently be used to consolidate and expand the government’s own power.
Numbers have played an important role in Southeast Asia. States’ use of numbers in particular has had a significant impact on politics and society. It is important to recognize that numbers can have political utility, especially when presented in manner that creates a dichotomous division. In this piece we will explore a range of issues in which numbers are used by government to exercise their control over their citizens.
The classification of the population into two distinct segments, or ‘binaries’, for example the educated vs. the uneducated or indigenous vs. migrant. Governments can effectively influence the ways in which citizens view themselves and others as well as the way in which policy is constructed and implemented.
State-owned transport companies may classify three classes of passenger seating, with first class being the most expensive. This form of classification decides who should enjoy what commodities and services, and may encourage those who cannot afford first class to work harder. The numbers actually reflects social stratification, the division of citizens into two groups of people within the society, such as the tertiary- educated or the academic elites and the non-tertiary educated or non-academic elites, stressing the group which wields power.
These binaries are used by states to legitimize their power over people, in effect they allow for a subjective definitions of good and bad depending on the agenda of individual regimes. Binaries fail to provide a nuanced view of the issue at hand. Their use dichotomises respondents into the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, providing a distinct black-and-white distinction, when many issues are in fact coloured grey. This ambiguity can lead to political chaos. Thailand’s political conflict has been a prime example of a binary between red and yellow shirts.A historical yet still very relevant example of binary in Southeast Asia is the concept of Zomia addressed by James Scott, in which Upland and Lowland populations are socially, politically and economically organized in very different ways.Official government data collection reduces issues of identity to a group of binaries, through creating silence as a means of social control. As an example, the choice between male and female in official data can silence the voices of those who identify outside of the gender binary. In turn, this can lead to a silencing of gender queer issues in political (and social) discourse.
Similar to use of the binaries, censuses and government statistics are important tools of the government in consolidating and exercising power. Censuses are used by governments to categorize, report on and reflect their populations. The resulting statistics – whether they reflect taxation, candidates for military service, religion or gender binaries – can be analyzed or manipulated by governments to consolidate their power and monopolize their agenda setting capabilities. A Southeast Asian example of this use of census can be seen in the omission of Animism as a religious category in the Burmese government census. This not only excludes those who practice such beliefs but also reduces the significance and legitimacy of Animism as a belief system.
Government statistics are used to assist the regime in determining what aspects of the state are faring badly or well. For instance, governments may try to identify what aspects of rural life are not doing so well and attempt to fix them. On the other hand, a government may try to manipulate statistics to keep itself in power. An important example is the Suharto government’s use of economic statistics to attract foreign direct investment and attract greater trust from the public.Government statistics are also used during elections to bring the public’s attention to key issues (e.g. government debt). As we can understand from a government’s use of census and official statistics, numbers provide great access to the lives and thoughts of its citizens, which can subsequently be used to consolidate and expand the government’s own power.
There are other ways in which numbers are used. In Southeast Asia, dates represent a variety of powerful social constructs, in particular, those surrounding religious practice. The widespread nature of superstitious beliefs means that both the population and the state draw on auspicious dates to time significant political activity. For the Burmese military junta, the timing of the shift the capital from Yangon to Napyidaw was made at 6:37am on Novermber 6 2005, a date that was considered astrologically auspicious.
Another example of political activity centred on auspicious dates can be seen in Thailand. Thailand has a history marred by political coups, both failed and successful. This has radically altered the Thai political landscape by creating conditions for rebellion. In particular, this has been seen in the successful coups of 1991 and 2006 ). The assumption of auspicious dates in relation to political rebellion imbues resistant forces with the confidence to execute a coup. Along with confidence within the rebellion, the auspicious dates also lead to confidence from the population. Thereby, the wide acceptance of auspicious dates allowed for successful coups where many had been previously attempted.
Auspicious dates are of significance within Southeast Asia because of their use in political activity. Such dates are utilised not only by ruling powers but also by resistant forces.
This is a collectively written post prepared in class today by a group of nine students in the Southeast Asian Landscapes of Power course at the ANU.
This is a collectively written post prepared in class today by a group of nine students in the Southeast Asian Landscapes of Power course at the ANU.
Peace in Mindanao
Peace in Mindanao:
The peace agreement between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed on Sunday has, it seems, brought to an end four decades of a bloody and destructive war in the southern Philippines that has cost an estimated 150,000 lives. Assuming the peace agreement holds, it will create an autonomous Islamic homeland for the Philippines’ ‘Bangsamoro’ people and bring much needed stability to an historically deeply troubled region. The peace agreement recognises the long-standing military stalemate between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MILF. A compromise arrangement has long been recognised by the MILF and at least some in the government as the only practical means to ending the conflict.
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The peace agreement between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed on Sunday has, it seems, brought to an end four decades of a bloody and destructive war in the southern Philippines that has cost an estimated 150,000 lives. Assuming the peace agreement holds, it will create an autonomous Islamic homeland for the Philippines’ ‘Bangsamoro’ people and bring much needed stability to an historically deeply troubled region. The peace agreement recognises the long-standing military stalemate between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MILF. A compromise arrangement has long been recognised by the MILF and at least some in the government as the only practical means to ending the conflict.
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UNHCR issues guidelines on protection of male rape victims
UNHCR issues guidelines on protection of male rape victims: The guidelines will help UNHCR and other aid agencies to identify and support male victims of sexual violence in displacement situations.
60,000 Congolese in North Kivu spontaneous IDP site wait for better tomorrows
60,000 Congolese in North Kivu spontaneous IDP site wait for better tomorrows: UNHCR and partners look at ways to help some 60,000 internally displaced refugees at spontaneous settlement in eastern Congo's North Kivu province.
Sudanese villagers face tough choices before fleeing to relative safety in Yida
Sudanese villagers face tough choices before fleeing to relative safety in Yida: Fighting and food shortages have forced thousands to flee to Yida settlement in South Sudan. The number of arrivals is likely to rise when the rains end.
Boat tragedy off Mayotte - confirmed deaths, missing
Boat tragedy off Mayotte - confirmed deaths, missing: Six people are confirmed drowned and ten are still missing after a small vessel carrying 24 people capsized in the early hours of Monday off the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. This is...
New Delhi police teach refugee woman how to take care of themselves
New Delhi police teach refugee woman how to take care of themselves: Self-defence classes organized by the New Delhi police and UNHCR for refugee women raise confidence and instil strength.
CLIMATE CHANGE: Watch out for the roads
CLIMATE CHANGE: Watch out for the roads:
 | JOHANNESBURG, 5 October 2012 (IRIN) - Disaster reduction experts have been calling on countries to “climate-proof” infrastructure like roads, but until now, there have been no studies showing the scale or importance of these interventions. |
PHILIPPINES: Peace pact brings hope for Mindanao
PHILIPPINES: Peace pact brings hope for Mindanao:
 | MANILA, 8 October 2012 (IRIN) - A recently announced agreement between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels waging a decades-old insurgency in the southern island of Mindanao paves the way for the establishment of a new autonomous region, more access for humanitarians to conflict-affected areas and an end to the cycle of failed peace deals and displacements. |
EASTERN AFRICA: Floods affect tens of thousands
EASTERN AFRICA: Floods affect tens of thousands:
 | NAIROBI, 8 October 2012 (IRIN) - Above-average seasonal rains in parts of the East and Horn of Africa have affected tens of thousands of people, displacing families and restricting access to many in need, say humanitarian officials. The rains, coming ahead of a possible El Niño event, have prompted fears of further flooding. |
SOUTH AFRICA: Shack living goes green
SOUTH AFRICA: Shack living goes green:
 | ENKANINI, 8 October 2012 (IRIN) - The Plaatjie family - like more than a million households in South Africa - lives in an informal settlement. But unlike most such households, the Plaatjies' shack is warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and it has an independent electricity supply as well as an alarm system. |
HIV/AIDS: Free ARVs for all in England
HIV/AIDS: Free ARVs for all in England:
 | LONDON, 8 October 2012 (IRIN) - On the first day of October, a law change enabled everyone in England, regardless of their immigration status, to obtain free treatment for HIV and AIDS. This marks a victory for advocacy groups that have long argued that the health system restricted access to HIV treatment for some of the country's most vulnerable people. |
MALI: Children take up guns
MALI: Children take up guns:
 | SEVARÉ, 8 October 2012 (IRIN) - Children as young as 14 are joining military training camps run by militias in southern Mali preparing to fight Islamist groups in the north. At the same time, Islamist groups in the north are recruiting children as young as 11 to man checkpoints, gather intelligence, search vehicles and patrol the streets in Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal, according to aid agencies and human rights groups. |
In Brief: Southeast Asia wasting too much food
In Brief: Southeast Asia wasting too much food:
 | BANGKOK, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - Food losses in Asia due to disasters or poor storage, packing and delivery are set to worsen, and governments are ill-prepared to stem the wastage, according experts recently convened by the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies in Singapore. |
ZAMBIA: Government clamps down on 'illegal' housing
ZAMBIA: Government clamps down on 'illegal' housing:
 | LUSAKA, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - It was early when police arrived at the home of Emmeldah Mutale, a widowed mother of five, in the capital, Lusaka, to demolish her two-bedroom house. |
LEBANON-OPT: Hidden health crisis facing Palestinian refugees
LEBANON-OPT: Hidden health crisis facing Palestinian refugees:
 | JOHANNESBURG, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - New research has uncovered the hidden health toll that refugee life in Lebanon has taken on more than 400,000 Palestinians. |
UGANDA: DRC refugee influx stretching relief supplies
UGANDA: DRC refugee influx stretching relief supplies:
 | KAMPALA, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - An increasing caseload of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is stretching food and non-food resources in western Uganda, say humanitarian officials. |
SOUTH AFRICA: Revamped AIDS council makes its debut
SOUTH AFRICA: Revamped AIDS council makes its debut:
 | JOHANNESBURG, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - After a troubled past, a revamped South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) was recently unveiled, coinciding with the announcement that the country has achieved universal access to HIV treatment. South Africa must now ramp-up prevention, new SANAC CEO Fareed Abdullah said. |
CLIMATE CHANGE: Tackling the information void
CLIMATE CHANGE: Tackling the information void:
 | BANGKOK, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - Services to inform communities about the climate are available in higher-income countries, but are not reaching the people most in need of them in developing countries due to lack of government investment and a disconnect between experts and communities facing extreme weather. |
SIERRA LEONE: Bracing for a “watershed election”
SIERRA LEONE: Bracing for a “watershed election”:
 | FREETOWN, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - Sierra Leone's international partners and citizens are paying close attention to possible threats to peace ahead of presidential, parliamentary and local elections scheduled for 17 November, which it is hoped will consolidate stability a decade after the end of a civil war and lead to improved living standards. |
CLIMATE CHANGE: Human Rights Watch’s Jan Egeland calls for faster progress
CLIMATE CHANGE: Human Rights Watch’s Jan Egeland calls for faster progress:
 | BANGKOK, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - On the sidelines of a recent presentation he made in Bangkok on disaster prevention and preparedness, IRIN spoke to Jan Egeland, deputy director of Human Rights Watch, about progress on the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). |
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Boost for peace as rebel group disbands
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Boost for peace as rebel group disbands:
 | BANGUI, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - Preparations for the repatriation of 3,000 followers of a Chadian former rebel leader have started in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR). If successful, the month-long operation will be an important step towards the return of peace and security in northern and north-central CAR. |
PAKISTAN: Quality education still a long way off
PAKISTAN: Quality education still a long way off:
 | ISLAMABAD, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - As evening approaches in the centre of Pakistan's capital Islamabad, children gather at a small playground, chatting and laughing. It is a scene played out in countless parks across the country, but the children are not here to play after school - they are here to attend one. |
SOMALIA: Grappling with road-accidents toll
SOMALIA: Grappling with road-accidents toll:
 | HARGEISA, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - The self-declared republic of Somaliland is grappling with an upsurge in traffic accidents, and officials say the trend will likely continue unless the government puts in place measures to curtail them. |
SUDAN: SPLM-N in retaliatory attack on South Kordofan
SUDAN: SPLM-N in retaliatory attack on South Kordofan:
 | KHARTOUM, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - Mortar shelling in Kadugli, capital of Sudan's South Kordofan State, on 8 October left at least six dead and several injured; the attacks coincided with an ongoing peace forum in the city intended to bring together rival political parties. |
ICG Report - Afghanistan’s Transition Meltdown
Afghanistan’s Transition Meltdown: Afghanistan is hurtling toward a devastating political crisis as the government prepares to take full control of security in 2014.
ICG Report - Assessing Turkey’s Role in Somalia
Assessing Turkey’s Role in Somalia: As a new Somali government is established, Turkey’s engagement in the war-ravaged country must be thoughtful and carefully coordinated so as not to lead to yet another failed international intervention.
ICG Report - Pakistan: No End to Humanitarian Crises
Pakistan: No End to Humanitarian Crises: Three successive years of devastating floods threatening the lives of millions, coupled with the displacement of hundreds of thousands due to military operations and militancy, gives Pakistan’s radical Islamist groups opportunities to recruit and increases the potential for conflict.
Serbia: Revoke Ban on Belgrade Pride Parade
Serbia: Revoke Ban on Belgrade Pride Parade:
(Berlin) – Serbia’s ban on the Belgrade Pride Parade, scheduled for October 6, 2012, violates the country’s international legal obligations and should be immediately repealed. On October 3, the Interior Ministry announced that based on an assessment of security risks, it was blocking the peaceful demonstration and all other public gatherings on the same date.
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Serbia’s ban on the Belgrade Pride Parade, scheduled for October 6, 2012, violates the country’s international legal obligations and should be immediately repealed. On October 3, the Interior Ministry announced that based on an assessment of security risks, it was blocking the peaceful demonstration and all other public gatherings on the same date.
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Nepal: Promotion of War Crimes Suspect Affront to Justice
Nepal: Promotion of War Crimes Suspect Affront to Justice:
(New York) – The Nepali cabinet’s decision on October 4, 2012, to promote a colonel suspected of involvement in war crimes to the rank of brigadier general is a slap in the face for the victims of Nepal’s protracted civil war, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists said today.
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The Nepali cabinet’s decision on October 4, 2012, to promote a colonel suspected of involvement in war crimes to the rank of brigadier general is a slap in the face for the victims of Nepal’s protracted civil war.
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Switzerland: Urge Turkmen Leader to End Persecution
Switzerland: Urge Turkmen Leader to End Persecution:
(Geneva) – President Eveline Widmer Schlumpf of Switzerland should use the upcoming visit by her Turkmen counterpart to speak out about Turkmenistan's
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President Eveline Widmer Schlumpf of Switzerland should use the upcoming visit by her Turkmen counterpart to speak out about Turkmenistan's abysmal human rights record and to press for concrete improvements.
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Bahrain: King Should Quash Convictions
Bahrain: King Should Quash Convictions:
(Beirut) –Bahrain’s ruler should order the release of doctors and medical personnel jailed on October 2, 2012 following an appeals court failure to reverse their 2011 convictions by a special military court, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to expunge the convi
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Human Rights Watch called on King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to expunge the convictions and criminal records of nine medical personnel whose sentences were upheld by the appeals court because the convictions were based in part on confessions obtained by torture and in proceedings that were fundamentally unfair.
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Egypt: Fix Draft Constitution to Protect Key Rights
Egypt: Fix Draft Constitution to Protect Key Rights:
(New York) – The Egyptian Constituent Assembly should amend articles in the draft constitution that undermine human rights in post-Mubarak Egypt, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to members of the Constituent Assembly.
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The Egyptian Constituent Assembly should amend articles in the draft constitution that undermine human rights in post-Mubarak Egypt, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to members of the Constituent Assembly.
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Kazakhstan: Opposition Leader Jailed
Kazakhstan: Opposition Leader Jailed:
The seven and a half year prison sentence handed to opposition leader Vladimir Kozlov strikes a blow to freedom of expression and pluralism of political voices in Kazakhstan.
The seven and a half year prison sentence handed to opposition leader Vladimir Kozlov strikes a blow to freedom of expression and pluralism of political voices in Kazakhstan, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Bangladesh: Tanneries Harm Workers, Poison Communities
Bangladesh: Tanneries Harm Workers, Poison Communities:
Workers in many leather tanneries in the Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, including children as young as 11, become ill because of exposure to hazardous chemicals and are injured in horrific workplace accidents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
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Workers in many leather tanneries in the Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, including children as young as 11, become ill because of exposure to hazardous chemicals and are injured in horrific workplace accidents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The tanneries, which export hundreds of millions of dollars in leather for luxury goods throughout the world, spew pollutants into surrounding communities.
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Oct 8, 2012
Malian Militias Train to Retake the North
Malian Militias Train to Retake the North: Northern Malian militias are uniting and training young men and women how to fight as they prepare for an offensive to the North. The militias reflect a growing eagerness among Malians to retake the territory seized by Al-Qaida-linked militants in April.
There's a new generation of the Ganda Koy. Its leaders revived the militia in April shortly after armed groups seized Mali’s three northern regions. Volunteers are getting a crash course in being soldiers.
Commander Djibril Moussa ...
There's a new generation of the Ganda Koy. Its leaders revived the militia in April shortly after armed groups seized Mali’s three northern regions. Volunteers are getting a crash course in being soldiers.
Commander Djibril Moussa ...
Al-Shabab Bans Islamic Aid Organization
Al-Shabab Bans Islamic Aid Organization: Somali militant group al-Shabab has banned an aid group from the shrinking, but still significant, area under its control.
The militants said in a series of Twitter messages Monday that it has revoked permits for London-based Islamic Relief. Al-Shabab said the aid group was covertly working with other organizations it has banned, especially the United Nations World Food Program.
After losing the port city of Kismayo last week, al-Shabab no longer controls any major towns in Somalia, but ...
The militants said in a series of Twitter messages Monday that it has revoked permits for London-based Islamic Relief. Al-Shabab said the aid group was covertly working with other organizations it has banned, especially the United Nations World Food Program.
After losing the port city of Kismayo last week, al-Shabab no longer controls any major towns in Somalia, but ...
Virginia Voters Warm To Romney After Debate, But Race Hardly Changes
Virginia Voters Warm To Romney After Debate, But Race Hardly Changes: 
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney drastically improved his standing with Virginia voters after a strong performance in the first presidential debate, according to a survey released Sunday from Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling (PPP). But Romney's improvement hardly affected the race for the state's 13 electoral votes.
President Obama leads 50 percent to Romney's 47 percent, and more voters continue to trust Obama on the economy. That represents little change from PPP's last poll of the state, when Obama held a 51 percent to 46 percent advantage over Romney in mid-September.
"We've been calling Virginia Obama's firewall state the entire cycle and this is just more evidence for it," Dean Debnam, president of PPP, said in a statement. "Even after one of his worst weeks of the campaign Obama continues to hold the lead there."
Romney's favorability rating was underwater in PPP's September poll — 47 percent of Virginia voters had a favorable view of him against 49 percent who had an unfavorable one. That division flipped in Sunday's numbers, with 52 percent of Virginians having a favorable view and 44 percent unfavorable. Sixty-one percent said Romney won the debate, while 28 percent said the same about Obama.
President Obama continues to lead the PollTracker Average of the Virginia race by 2.4 percent.
While Romney's rating in the state has improved, Obama has stayed the same. Fifty percent of Virginia voters approved of the president's job performance both in September and in the latest survey. Forty-eight percent disapproved in both cases. Obama also continues to lead on the economy, and even improved slightly after the debate — 49 percent of Virginians trusted Obama more on the issue to Romney's 47 percent in mid-September, while 50 percent broke to Obama and 47 percent to Romney in Sunday's numbers. Partisan divisions on the question hardly changed at all between the two polls.
"The problem for Romney is that most of that gain [on favorability] has come with Democrats," according to PPP's analysis. "But still only 8% of those Democrats are actually voting for Romney. Much of the improvement in Romney's image is people going from hating Romney and voting for Obama to respecting Romney but still voting for Obama."
The PPP poll used 725 automated interviews with likely voters via landline (automated surveys are prohibited from calling cell phones) and was conducted Oct. 4-7. It had a sampling error of 3.7 percent.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney drastically improved his standing with Virginia voters after a strong performance in the first presidential debate, according to a survey released Sunday from Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling (PPP). But Romney's improvement hardly affected the race for the state's 13 electoral votes.
President Obama leads 50 percent to Romney's 47 percent, and more voters continue to trust Obama on the economy. That represents little change from PPP's last poll of the state, when Obama held a 51 percent to 46 percent advantage over Romney in mid-September.
"We've been calling Virginia Obama's firewall state the entire cycle and this is just more evidence for it," Dean Debnam, president of PPP, said in a statement. "Even after one of his worst weeks of the campaign Obama continues to hold the lead there."
Romney's favorability rating was underwater in PPP's September poll — 47 percent of Virginia voters had a favorable view of him against 49 percent who had an unfavorable one. That division flipped in Sunday's numbers, with 52 percent of Virginians having a favorable view and 44 percent unfavorable. Sixty-one percent said Romney won the debate, while 28 percent said the same about Obama.
President Obama continues to lead the PollTracker Average of the Virginia race by 2.4 percent.
While Romney's rating in the state has improved, Obama has stayed the same. Fifty percent of Virginia voters approved of the president's job performance both in September and in the latest survey. Forty-eight percent disapproved in both cases. Obama also continues to lead on the economy, and even improved slightly after the debate — 49 percent of Virginians trusted Obama more on the issue to Romney's 47 percent in mid-September, while 50 percent broke to Obama and 47 percent to Romney in Sunday's numbers. Partisan divisions on the question hardly changed at all between the two polls.
"The problem for Romney is that most of that gain [on favorability] has come with Democrats," according to PPP's analysis. "But still only 8% of those Democrats are actually voting for Romney. Much of the improvement in Romney's image is people going from hating Romney and voting for Obama to respecting Romney but still voting for Obama."
The PPP poll used 725 automated interviews with likely voters via landline (automated surveys are prohibited from calling cell phones) and was conducted Oct. 4-7. It had a sampling error of 3.7 percent.
Saudis line up against Syria’s Assad
Saudis line up against Syria’s Assad:
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia — When King Abdullah announced a national fundraising drive to aid Syrian refugees in late July, Saudis quickly donated nearly $150 million.
Saudi national television hosted a telethon, with banks of men in traditional robes manning phone lines and computers. Donations came by text, by direct deposit into special bank accounts, or from families stuffing crumpled Riyal notes into collection boxes or donating their cars and even their watches.
Read full article >>
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia — When King Abdullah announced a national fundraising drive to aid Syrian refugees in late July, Saudis quickly donated nearly $150 million.
Saudi national television hosted a telethon, with banks of men in traditional robes manning phone lines and computers. Donations came by text, by direct deposit into special bank accounts, or from families stuffing crumpled Riyal notes into collection boxes or donating their cars and even their watches.
Read full article >>
U.S. runs out of funds to battle wildfires
U.S. runs out of funds to battle wildfires:
In the worst wildfire season on record, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service ran out of money to pay for firefighters, fire trucks and aircraft that dump retardant on monstrous flames.
So officials did about the only thing they could: take money from other forest management programs. But many of the programs were aimed at preventing giant fires in the first place, and raiding their budgets meant putting off the removal of dried brush and dead wood over vast stretches of land — the things that fuel eye-popping blazes, threatening property and lives.
Read full article >>
In the worst wildfire season on record, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service ran out of money to pay for firefighters, fire trucks and aircraft that dump retardant on monstrous flames.
So officials did about the only thing they could: take money from other forest management programs. But many of the programs were aimed at preventing giant fires in the first place, and raiding their budgets meant putting off the removal of dried brush and dead wood over vast stretches of land — the things that fuel eye-popping blazes, threatening property and lives.
Read full article >>
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