I made my donation today. What about you? The man is living history. We can change the face of this nation. "Yes We Can."

Republicans have had their way for far too long. The DNC has been suffering from the battle for the nomination and our future President made the right decision. He cannot rely on 'the system' and RISK the future of our country.

We are taking back our country our own way !

Denver short $11.6M in raising funds for DNC (click here)

Denver Business Journal - by Noelle Leavitt

The Denver 2008 Host Committee revealed Monday that it's short $11.6 million in its fund-raising efforts for the Democratic National Convention that's slated to hit Denver in roughly 10 weeks.
The host committee is under contract with the Democratic National Party to raise $40.6 million by June 16. The committee said that it currently has $29 million in the bank.
"We don't want to make excuses," said Chris Lopez, spokesman for the host committee. "We have another couple of months to finish our fund-raising efforts."
Lopez said that Colorado congressmen, senators, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and various organizations are pulling together -- now more than ever -- to raise the $11.6 million that's needed to meet the fund-raising benchmark before the convention in August.
"I don't know that we see it as a shortfall," Lopez said, adding that when the fund-raising deadlines were set, no one could have predicted a hot primary race. The slumping economy also doesn't help, he said.
"We are asking leaders across Denver in securing donations of $52.80," Lopez said.

Obama says no to public financing; McCain throws hissy fit (click here)

Given Barack Obama's astronomical fundraising numbers, it was only a matter of time before he decided to eschew public funds to finance his campaign. From today's Times:
Democrat Barack Obama today rejected public financing for his presidential campaign, changing an earlier stand and becoming the first major party candidate to drop out of the system since it began after the Watergate scandal....Early in the primary season, Obama had said he would use public financing if his Republican opponent did. But that was before the presumptive Democratic nominee harnessed the Internet and became a fund-raising powerhouse.
This move not only makes Obama the first major candidate in more than 30 years to reject public funding (which forbids candidates from raising private funds), but also goes back on his very public indications he would agree to public funding....

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is cold, but, not nearly as cold as it should be. Not in complete darkness.

The shortest day of the year in Antarctica occurs tonight at 7:59 PM EDT. From here out for another year the days get longer in the Southern Hemisphere and light will return to the Ice Continent.


Climate change threat to whales: study (click here)
June 19, 2008 - 4:51PM
The effect of climate change on the ecology of krill and whales in the Southern Ocean urgently needs monitoring, a group of Australian scientists warn.
The Australian Antarctic Division scientists say the effects of climate change on the sea ice that breeds krill which feeds whales can no longer be ignored.
"It is a matter of urgency that long-term studies are initiated to examine variability and change at all trophic levels in the Southern Ocean ecosystem to reduce uncertainty and to improve predictive power," Stephen Nicol, Anthony Worby and Rebecca Leaper say in their paper published on Thursday in the journal Marine and Freshwater Research.
Dr Worby on Thursday told AAP that, basically, less sea ice means less krill and less krill could also mean fewer whales.
The massive declines in Arctic sea ice has not been repeated in Antarctica but the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming areas on the globe, he said.
"The concern is that if we have a significant decline in the amount of sea ice around Antarctica what does that mean for the krill habitat and what does that mean for whale populations," he said.
The study was particularly concerned with the ecological effects of climate change on baleen whales and the reproduction of krill, the Southern Ocean staple which feeds and breeds under the sea ice.
Sea ice is projected to shrink in the Arctic and Antarctic under all future emissions scenarios, the study says.
If the sea ice environment changes and if this is associated with changes in oceanic circulation, then it will undoubtedly affect the ecosystems on which predators such as baleen whales depend, the study says.
There is now unequivocal evidence of long-term changes in the physical environment of the Antarctic region that are thought to have a dominant effect on biological productivity in the sea ice zone, it says.
"Understanding the changes occurring in Southern Ocean ecosystems will require concerted integrated studies in the future, and not a little ingenuity," it says.