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World News Once a Week |
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| Published Thursday, October 30, 3008 |
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| Reuters/Darrin Zammit Lupi: Passing a student art installation in Valletta, Malta. |
Issue 123
Friends, do you see that faint glimmer of light in the distance? Is it... could it be... the finish line?? Twenty months tweaked
on the endless sugar rush of presidential politicking hasn't given rise to hallucinations; the election really is this Tuesday.
But one mental hurdle remains before you can break your poll addiction for a couple of years: where to watch the returns?
For those of you in New York City, there's no better place to be than downtown watering hole Tom and Jerry's, where your Activate
editors play host to a democratically debacherous election party. The neighborhood-y bar boasts a big screen, election-themed drink specials, and a friendly crowd that (probably) won't riot
when the winner is declared.
To understand how we got all the way here (politically speaking), check out this week's fascinating Q&A with Christopher Hayes, the Washington, DC editor at The Nation. Hayes is as comfortable quoting HL Mencken as he is explaining the connection between farming and voting on Tuesdays. Lastly,
whether you're dressing up as sexy Sarah Palin or sexy Bob Barr, Activate wishes you a truly spooktacular Halloween. By this
time next week, one party will have a very sweet treat — although charges of trickery can't be far behind.
- Benjamin Hart |
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 A Note on Our Sources |
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| The Activate Q&A |
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Insights from the campaign trail
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| Christopher Hayes, Photo: David Shankbone |
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The idea that this presidential election is a historic one has been drummed into our skulls so thoroughly that the groundbreaking-ness
of it all may sound like white noise at this point. But other than the obvious — a black man on the verge of winning the presidency
— what makes Obama's campaign different from his predecessors, and how has he been able to drum up such unprecedented enthusiasm?
We go inside the numbers with political uber-junkie Christopher Hayes, the Washington, DC editor for The Nation, who offers insights on Obama's sophisticated ground game, where a broken-down Republican party might head come November
5, and the long-forgotten reasoning behind voting on a Tuesday. Check out Hayes' thoughts online, and look for The Nation's new blog, State of Change, which debuts November 6 with coverage of the next administration. (Remember, there's a country
to run once the election is finally over.)
Activate: At this late date, do you see any realistic hope for a McCain comeback?
Christopher Hayes: Well, the world is unpredictable, and so are elections. I would hesitate to be definite in any prediction; our expectations
have been deeply subverted before, most notably in New Hampshire last year. Having said that, every single data point we have
— public polling that's been aggregated, early voting numbers, Obama's fundraising advantage — plus what I know from my reporting
in terms of internal numbers, all that put together suggests an overwhelming probability that he will win.
Keep reading the The Activate Q&A »
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| Top Stories |
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US launches strike in Syria
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US Special Operations forces staged an attack across the Iraq border into Syria on Sunday, reportedly killing eight people and capturing at least
two others. The daylight raid, which echoes a similar strike last month in Pakistan, marks by far the most open incursion into Syrian territory since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Officials
in Damascus condemned the US government's "cowboy politics" and warned that any future territorial breaches will result in
a military confrontation.
Although the US has refused to publicly acknowledge the strike, anonymous reports confirm that American forces entered Syria
to target an alleged Iraqi insurgent, Abu Ghadiya, who is accused of smuggling militants across the border. Ghadiya is believed to have died in the attack.
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Croatia facing organized-crime wave
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Croatia is reeling from an apparent mafia hit on two journalists in its capital city of Zagreb. Ivo Pukanić (pictured), publisher
and editor of the weekly newspaper Nacional, was killed by a car bomb, alongside Niko Franjić, the publication's marketing director. Pukanić was known for reportage
on the country's corruption, and had survived what he claimed was an assassination attempt in April.
Such attacks are not new; in October, the killing of a prominent lawyer's daughter resulted in Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's
dismissal of two government ministers. Although Croatia has been economically ascendant in recent years — following a late-'90s
swoon — its hopes of EU admission by 2011 may be derailed by the surge of violence.
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| Newswire |
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| Politics |
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Alaskan senator found guilty
A federal jury convicted Alaskan senator Ted Stevens on corruption charges, prompting widespread calls for the seven-term politician to ditch his re-election bid. Polls found his Democratic opponent — Anchorage mayor Mark Begich — running even with the popular incumbent even before this week's conviction.
| Anchorage Daily News | ABC News |
Court issues landmark anti-slavery decision
A West African court ruled against the government of Niger for failing to protect a woman who had been sold into slavery at age 12. Although the country's 1999 constitution bans the practice, human-rights advocates estimate that Niger's ruling classes hold more than 43,000 slaves.
| BBC | Independent |
In runoff, Maldives reject longtime dictator
In their first-ever democratic election, the Maldive Islands elected challenger Mohamed Nasheed over incumbent Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had been the longest-serving leader in Asia.
Nasheed has been periodically imprisoned and tortured by Gayoom's regime for promoting democratic reforms.
| TIME | BBC |
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| Science & Technology |
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Dutch dancers get down to power up
A group of eco-friendly Dutch inventors and investors has opened what may be the world's first sustainable nightclub. Rainwater flows through the bathrooms, heat from the amplifiers warms the air, and the light show is powered by the energy
of dancing feet.
| New York Times | MarketWatch |
Microsoft enters 21st century
In an attempt to remain relevant in the brave new cyberworld, Microsoft has unveiled Windows Azure, a cloud-based operating system that integrates Windows services, data servers, and the Web. However, it's executives' heads that may be
in the clouds: Microsoft forgot to trademark the name.
| Times, UK | BusinessWeek |
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| Blogosphere |
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Eight is (not) great?
California's Proposition 8, which proposes a ban on same-sex marriage, is generating big buzz in the Golden State. While many bloggers oppose the bill's
passage, one commentator writes that the meaning of traditional marriage should be part of the debate.
| Fire Dog Lake | Gay Patriot |
Anti-Obama hoax unravels online
A young woman who lied about being mutilated by an Obama supporter has stoked fears of 11th-hour race baiting and raised hackles
over the McCain campaign's alleged involvement. While bloggers investigated the hoax, Talking Points Memo expressed outrage over accusations of bias.
| Michelle Malkin | Political Animal (Washington Monthly) |
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| The Week in Pictures |
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Click to see the full-size image and caption.
 Reuters/Beawiharta Beawiharta
 Reuters/Rupak de Chowdhuri
 Reuters/Cheryl Ravelo
 Reuters/Stringer
 Reuters/Konstantin Chernichkin
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*Unless otherwise noted, all photos are courtesy of Reuters.
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| Below the Fold |
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UN, rebels, and civilians clash in Congo
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| Reuters/Stringer |
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Congolese civilians attacked UN peacekeeping forces for failing to stem the tide of rebel advances against their land. Ethnic-based
violence between Congo's government and rebel factions has been a constant in the country since war broke out in 1998.
| New York Times | Guardian |
'Godless' buses will soon hit the road
A donor-funded British advertising campaign to promote agnosticism through posters on London buses beat its fundraising target by thousands of pounds. The extra cash will allow the organizers to spread their "stop worrying" message cross-country, although
the reception may be cooler outside London.
| Guardian | Telegraph |
Mexico losing ground to drug war
Mexican law enforcement is under intense pressure to curb gang violence, following the recent acknowledgement that drug cartels
have infiltrated high-level police operations. This year has marked a dramatic increase in drug-related crime in the country, with the 2008 death toll nearing 4,000.
| Independent | Newsweek |
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| Masthead |
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Managing Editor
Benjamin Hart
Deputy Editor
Eli Dvorkin
Contributing Editors
Jennifer Chen
Natalya Krimgold
Doug Levy
Jessica Loudis
Production
Axel Anderson
Adda Birnir
Tom Starkweather
Publishers
Mark Mangan
Sascha Lewis
Design
Groundwave Design Corp.
Production Design
Jonathan Rahmani
Cultural Partner
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A Note on Our Sources
A login may be required to view some of the news stories we link to. We try to keep this to a minimum, but it's impossible
to avoid entirely as we strive to link to the most authoritative sources.
It should also be noted that we don't expressly endorse the views of any of the publications or websites that we link to.
We try to provide as many varied and quality sources as we can in order to present you with the full story.
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About Us
Activate is an independent-thinking weekly news round-up produced by Flavorpill, a digital publishing company that filters cultural stimuli of all kinds.
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In addition to this weekly roundup of world news, Flavorpill publishes a series of online magazines, covering ART, BOOKS, MUSIC, and cultural events in NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, and LONDON. Coming soon: STYLE/DESIGN and FILM. Subscribe now.
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