#from blog

[eddy-di]

To that only girl

Look into abyss in my eyes, What you can see? Just a trembling soul of mice And that’s just me Who’s afraid to speak out, What’s inside of his chest Who’s afraid to accept That life is a never ending quest. Chill is in arms, feet and heart Grey sky is over me falling apart Always deemed this tide inside That it became a part of my insight I’m tired of this entire whirl I want to go to a place of serenity pearl Where my soul will rest in peace Where the tide is just a breeze I don’t want to be nice anymore I don’t want to smile like before I regret being conforming till now But it’s part of me, it’s who I am. How, Such state of delusional, sickened mind Came to be the reasoning, until this time? Hate the whole existence of mine Hate that she is my life’s sublime I am lost in the road of life I’ll be alone, will go through all strife Like eternity, deep down my heart I’ll love you, even if you are not my part…

[itsaugust-owen-blog-blog]

[FROM BLOG] Been a long time~

Hello~ 안녕하세요.. Olá!

Long time no write~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

What should I write now?

Well.. My mind is not pretty organized right now. I have too many things yet too little passion to write. Haha. Even though I still write very few published articles in a secret place, lately I prefer decorating my tumblr page, Siwonlover's site, photoshop-ing, and just reading online without writing the personal review about what I read. It's like I am having a writer block at the moment. You are not even a writer, Ca. ::bricked::

But most of the times, an idea will come to my big round head and I start writing... then... 5 minutes later... *stop typing* *staring at the monitor for another 5 minutes* *click Save* *click Exit* 

  So.. yeah~

You will find like more than 20 failed attempts of mine to write in my laptop's harddrive. Poems, proses, short stories, and even fanfictions! orz.

And lately, I have been enjoying myself reading fanfictions. Hahahaha. It's like another new side of the world I found. Lol. And I found quite many good writers! They are really good. I mean, their story plots are great, their words choice is amazing, they build the characters really well, they put good moral of the story, and the best ones can even involve the readers' emotion along with their stories. I think some of the best ones should have been a real writer and published her own book(s) already.

  Finding those fans with outstanding writing ability made me realize one thing though: We cannot judge fans as "low and unintellectual stupid young girls who are filled with hormones, never read books, and who only know how to blabber about their admiration for someone who doesn't even know them". Haha. Because what I have been finding is much much much more than that. Maybe there are some of immature fans, yes. I won't even try denying that. But, still, each fan is human who has many precious talents and unique sides as a person.

  Maybe it's a new phenomenon for me. Haha. But, I enjoy exploring it so much. So much that I sometimes think that I would choose this fans phenomenon as my thesis topic if I ever take a social major for my post-graduate. But, well, sadly I am still in love with my geotechnical engineering life.

So, yeah.. Sometimes I think fandom life is quite complicated. Haha. It's not that simple and not that shallow as someone out of fandom life may think. Lol. *What am I talking about?* ::bricked again:: Well, yeah, since I said that my mind is not pretty organized at the moment, don't be surprised if I end my writing at this paragraph. Moral of the writing: "My mind is not pretty organized?" 멍~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 미안해.. XOXO

    Original post here.

[tani-shige]

Speech is the best ever movie that will go down in history. Charles Chaplin and this "comedy king" has served as the name of the once in a lifetime to show off a speech written and starred in the last scene, production director of: "The Great Dictator" movie.

歴史に残るであろう映画史上最高の演説です。

映画「チャップリンの独裁者 (原題：The Great Dictator)」のラストシーンで監督・製作・脚本・主演を務めた《喜劇王》ことチャールズ・チャップリンが一世一代の名演説を披露しています。

[thecommongoodusa-blog]

Court Blocks Texas Voter ID Law, Citing Racial Impact

Charlie Savage and Manny Fernandez, New York Times — A federal court on Thursday struck down a Texas law that would have required voters to show government-issued photo identification before casting their ballots in November, ruling that the law would hurt turnout among minority voters and impose “strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor” by charging those voters who lack proper documentation fees to obtain election ID cards.

The three-judge panel in United States District Court for the District of Columbia called Texas’ voter-identification law the most stringent of its kind in the country. Gov. Rick Perry and the state’s attorney general, Greg Abbott, vowed to appeal the decision to the United States Supreme Court.

The judges’ ruling came two days after another three-judge panel in the same court found that the Texas Legislature had intentionally discriminated against minority voters in drawing up electoral district maps, citing the same section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Known as Senate Bill 14, the state’s voter-identification law requires voters who show up at the polls to identify themselves with one of five forms of ID, including a driver’s license or a United States passport. Those lacking one of the five types of identification must obtain an election identification certificate, a government-issued card similar to a driver’s license. Prospective voters would need to travel to a state Department of Public Safety office to get an election ID card, and, although it is free, they would have to verify their identity to obtain one, in some cases paying $22 for a certified copy of their birth certificate.

Read the rest of this article at The New York Times.

Also, read the op-ed Justice for Voters in Texas and Florida

And for more information about voter rights and the Voting Rights Act, read: Voting Rights Act: the State of Section 5 at Pro Publica.

[thecommongoodusa-blog]

Flood of Secret Campaign Cash: It’s Not All Citizens United

Stephen Engelberg and Kim Barker, Pro Publica - The emergence of nonprofits as the leading conduit for anonymous spending in this year's presidential campaign is often attributed to the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling, which opened the money spigot, allowing corporations and unions to buy ads urging people to vote for or against specific candidates.

But a closer look shows that there are several reasons that tens of millions of dollars of secret money are flooding this year's campaign. Actions — and inaction — by both the Federal Election Commission and the Internal Revenue Service have contributed just as much to the flood of tens of millions of dollars of secret money into the 2012 campaign. Congress did not act on a bill that would have required disclosure after Citizens United and other court rulings opened the door to secret political spending.

To understand how all this happened, it's worth returning to Justice Anthony Kennedy's opinion in Citizens United, and the political system the court envisioned. In the decision's key finding, Kennedy and four other justices said the First Amendment entitled corporations and unions to the same unlimited rights of political speech and spending as any citizen.

But in a less-noticed portion of the ruling, Kennedy and seven of his colleagues upheld disclosure rules and emphasized the role of transparency. Undue corporate or union influence on elections, he wrote, could be addressed by informed voters and shareholders who would instantly access campaign finance facts from their laptops or smart phones.

Read the rest of this article at Pro Publica

[thecommongoodusa-blog]

TOP NEWS: Nat'l Security / Foreign Affairs: August 31st, 2012

Report on Iran Nuclear Work Puts Israel in a Box

China and Germany Promise to Strengthen Ties

In Police Shooting of Miners, S. Africa Charges Miners

Threat to Syrian Civilians Is Growing

Clinton eyes South Pacific influence

Excerpts and more top stories

IRAN/ISRAEL: Report on Iran Nuclear Work Puts Israel in a Box  - NYT An International Atomic Energy Agency report detailing Iran’s ramped up nuclear capabilities may force Israel to strike Iran or concede it cannot act on its own, according to experts.

IRAN: Inspectors Confirm New Work by Iran at Secure Nuclear Site - NYT Iran has installed most of the centrifuges it needs to complete an underground site for the production of nuclear fuel, a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

IRAN/SYRIA: Summit Meeting in Iran Disrupted by Rebukes of Syria - NYT At a meeting of world leaders in Iran, President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt denounced the repression of the armed uprising in Syria, a close Iranian ally.

CHINA/GERMANY: China and Germany Promise to Strengthen Ties - NYT Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany agreed with Chinese leaders to strengthen ties between the two countries. China also promised to invest more money in a struggling Europe.

CHINA: China’s coming leadership change met with a shrug - WP As Party Congress approaches, swaths of Beijing teeter between utter apathy and intense concern.

CHINA: Chinese Dissident in Yahoo Case Is Freed After 10 Years Wang Xiaoning had been convicted of state subversion based on evidence provided by the Internet company.

CHINA: Chinese tourists boost Taiwan economy - FT Big rise in visitors from mainland is helping job creation and fuelling hope of a better relationship.

SOUTH AFRICA: In Police Shooting of Miners, South Africa Charges Miners - NYT Two weeks after the police fired on workers engaged in a wildcat strike at a platinum mine, killing 34 people, prosecutors are charging the workers themselves.

SOUTH AFRICA: Miner Violence  weighs on Zuma re-election hopes - FT The violence at the South African mine puts into question the president’s leadership as his ruling party ANC heads to a conference in December

SYRIA: Threat to Syrian Civilians Is Growing, Officials Say - NYT Top United Nations officials attending a special Security Council session reported alarming new data on the severity of the crisis, including a doubling in the number of civilians who need emergency aid.

SYRIA: Fresh Syria clashes swell refugee numbers  - FT Host countries that are already suffering from spillover effects of the Syrian conflict are wondering how they will sustain the growing number of Syrians

SYRIA/TURKEY: Turkey Asks UN For Syria Safe Zone - AP Turkey asked the UN Security Council for a safe haven for Syrians fleeing the ongoing civil war, but any council agreement is unlikely (AP). Syria allies Russia and China have already vetoed three Western-backed resolutions seeking to increase sanctions on President Bashar Assad's government.

ASIA: Clinton eyes South Pacific influence - FT US secretary of state’s presence at island governments forum indicates region is becoming part of the geopolitical contest between the US and China

EUROZONE: GERMANY: Merkel faces EU clash over China - FT German chancellor calls for talks to avoid an anti-dumping action by European solar-panel makers against their Chinese rivals.

EUROZONE: Crisis sharpens divisions over EU budget - FT For some states the crisis is a reminder of a need to rein in EU spending while for others it is has reinforced the need to invest resources to fuel growth

EUROZONE: The Central Bank can’t save the Euro - ECONOMIST, OP-ED Don’t expect the European Central Bank single-handedly to save the euro.

EUROZONE: FRANCE: Hollande seeks to win over business - FT France’s company leaders have been alarmed by tax-and-spend measures announced by the government, including a big rise in wealth taxes

EUROZONE: BELGIUM: Brussels pushes for wide ECB powers - FT Plan puts Brussels on a collision course with Germany and the ECB itself, which want a more decentralised first step towards ‘banking union’

WORLD BANK: World Bank Reports Rising Food Prices - BLOOMBERG The World Bank reported a 10 percent gain in its food price index in July, due to the record U.S. drought. Corn and soybean prices last month exceeded 2008 records, when food riots erupted in Africa and the Middle East, but the bank said current supplies might be able to forestall unrest.

JAPAN: In Japan, a Setback for Apple in Patent Fight - NYT A Tokyo court ruled Friday that Samsung’s mobile products did not infringe on Apple’s patents.

RUSSIA: Russian Tycoon Loses $5.8 Billion Case Against Ex-Partner - NYT A London judge declared Boris Berezovsky an “inherently unreliable” witness Friday, drawing to a close his epic legal battle against a former associate, Roman Abramovich.

INDIA: India's Economy Continues to Be Weak - NYT Manufacturing and mining showed almost no growth at all in the latest financial quarter.

DIGITAL SECURITY: Software Meant to Fight Crime Is Used to Spy on Dissidents - NYT Two researchers say an off-the-shelf computer program has been used to monitor and spy on dissidents in countries around the world.

DIGITAL SECURITY/QATAR: Qatar group falls victim to virus attack - FT One of the world’s largest producers of natural gas has become the second major Middle East energy company to be hit by computer hackers

ENERGY/OIL: Shell to start work on Arctic wells - FT Europe’s largest oil company received permission to start work on Arctic exploration wells, which may allow for drilling before the arrival of winter sea ice.

BRAZIL: Amazon forest threat is greater outside Brazil - WP A relentless push in an arc of forest from Bolivia to Colombia and east to French Guiana should be a wake-up call, environmentalists say.

BRAZIL/VENEZUELA: Venezuela to Investigate If Brazilian Miners Massacred Indian Village - NYT An account presented to prosecutors in southern Venezuela by a Yanomami Indian group claims that illegal Brazilian gold miners killed most of the approximately 80 people living in a remote village.

MEXICO: Mexican Presidential Election Loser's Challenge Rejected  - RTT via CFR The country's top electoral court upheld the vote in the July 1 presidential election (RTT), rejecting a challenge by leftist runner-up Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and paving the way for centrist Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party to take office.

AUSTRALIA: Australia Ends Search in Boat Sinking With Scores Presumed Dead - NYT Nearly 100 passengers are thought to have died when a boat packed with refugees sank south of Indonesia this week, Australian officials said on Friday.

ANGOLA: Change Unlikely From Angola Election, but Discontent Simmers - NYT The governing Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, which has been in power for more than three decades, was expected to win the legislative elections on Friday handily.

GERMANY: Shmuley Boteach: Germany's Circumcision PoliceA13 - WSJ Here's an idea: Send an international delegation of rabbis and imams to seek arrest in protest.

ARGENTINA: YPF seeks partner for shale oil reserves - FT New chief of Argentine group unveils five-year $37bn investment plan including about $4.5bn sought from a partner in its shale development

ARGENTINA: Argentine Tax Agents to Track all Credit Card Buys  - AP Argentina is tightening its grip on credit card purchases in an effort to stem capital flight and tax evasion....

The Common Good publishes an international news digest every weekday, available here.

[thecommongoodusa-blog]

Jodi Kantor on her new book "The Obamas" - August 20th

Jodi Kantor, award-winning New York Times correspondent and author of the bestselling book The Obamas will speak about the President and First Lady’s years in the White House.

Thanks to Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century (DL21C), The Common Good is pleased to invite you to a unique event with Jodi Kantor, award-winning New York Times correspondent and author of the bestselling book The Obamas, about the President and First Lady’s years in the White House.

On Monday, August 20, 2012 at 7pm, Jodi Kantor will discuss her latest book The Obamas and share her insights on the president’s first term and give a more personal picture of the powerful couple. In her work, she tries to reveal the human beings behind the political figures-- their ambitions, biographies, challenges and successes

Jodi joined The New York Times in 2003 becoming the youngest person in memory to edit a section of the Times. In 2007, she began covering the world of Barack and Michelle Obama, from their roots to their faith to their marriage, and she has also written about Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Elizabeth Warren, and many others along the way. The recipient of a Columbia Young Alumni Achievement Award, Jodi has been named by Crain’s New York Business as one of “40 Under 40" and appears regularly on television.

Warm Regards,

The Common Good Team

The event will be on Monday, August 20 at 7pm.

The location is Suite 55 Lounge located at

Go to www.dl21c.org  for more details