| New carnivore found in Madagascar Scientists discover a new species of carnivore in Madagascar, which they say could be one of the world's most threatened mammals. news.bbc.co.uk |
Eurostar faces strike disruption Eurostar says there will be no services between the UK and Brussels on Monday because of industrial action set to hit Belgium's rail network. bbc.co.uk |
Democrats target black vote as Tea Party collects converts Majority of African-Americans still back Obama, which could be crucial in midterms, but in Kentucky some are switching sidesThe enormity of the task facing the Democrats in the midterm elections is all too evident at the Midwest church of Christ, which lies in a predominantly black neighbourhood in Louisville. Its pastor, the Reverend Jerry Stephenson, is a registered Democrat but he will be voting in the US Senate race for the Republican candidate and Tea Party favourite, Rand Paul.Stephenson, 61, is furious over the school drop-out rate among African-American children in his neighbourhood – which has one of the highest crime rates in the city, especially among teenagers – and across the nation.He felt pride when Barack Obama became the first black US president, but that pride has been tempered by a growing belief that he is not up to the job. "There has to be change that we can not only believe in," he said, echoing an Obama campaign slogan, "but that we can see."The pastor is so angry that he has embraced the Tea Party movement, in spite of it being overwhelmingly white and repeatedly accused of racism. He speaks at their rallies across Kentucky, delivering fiery speeches in the cadences and rhythms common among southern black preachers.Stephenson is in a minority of African-Americans likely to back the Republicans, estimated at little more than 10%. African-Americans traditionally back the Democrats and Obama won 95% of their vote in 2008. That loyalty appears to be holding: a Pew Research Centre survey in September found he had an 88% approval rating among black people, more than double that of the white population.The question for Obama is whether they will turn out in record numbers again to vote Democrat or whether they will stay at home, either out of apathy or disillusionment with the slow economic recovery.With less than a fortnight to the midterm elections, the Democrats are targeting African-Americans across the country, spending $3m (£1.9m) on adverts aimed at black radio and television stations, hoping that they might make the decisive difference in key contests. The Republican party, in an attempt to woo the African-American vote, is fielding 14 black candidates.Some political analysts, such as David Bositis, senior political analyst at the Joint Centre for Political and Economic Studies, said in a report last week that there could be a high turnout which could rescue the Democrats in some contests.But others are sceptical. Merle Black, one of the leading academics on the politics of the south, who is based at Emory University in Atlanta, said there was always a big drop-off between presidential and midterm elections and he did not expect this year to be any different.Polls in Kentucky close early on 2 November and it will be one of the first results in. If the Republicans fail to hold the state, their chances of securing a majority in the Senate are remote.It is a surprisingly close contest, given that polls suggest massive Republican gains elsewhere, and is being bitterly fought, one of the ugliest campaigns in America.A debate at the University of Louisville on Sunday night between Paul, 47, an opthalmologist, and his Democratic rival, Jack Conway, 41, the state's attorney-general, was a nasty affair. Paul took offence at a Conway advert that questioned his Christianity and suggested that as a student Paul was part of a group that had tied up a woman and had her bow in front of a false idol, the Aqua Buddha. Paul left the stage without shaking hands.African-Americans attending the debate mostly favoured Conway, but there were Paul sympathisers too. One of them, Martina Kunnecke, 57, a researcher and freelance writer from Louisville, said: "I am a lifelong Democrat but I am leaning towards Rand Paul. The Democratic party has become so corrupt. I am disenchanted with the Democratic party machine. Real people can't aspire to office. You have to have money and be connected."Kunnecke has attended Tea Party meetings – "my friends thought I was bananas" – and is disappointed in Obama. "It is very sad. He was not up to he job," she said. She would have preferred Hillary Clinton.Paul was one of the first Tea Party candidates to achieve national fame and favours abolition of federal departments such as education – handing control back to local communities – and the removal of many social security benefits.He argued in an interview with the cable news channel MSNBC in May that the federal government should not be telling businesses who they could serve or not serve, saying he opposed the civil rights legislation that ended segregation in the south in the 1960s.This created a firestorm across the US, particularly among African-Americans, forcing Paul to backtrack, saying the civil rights act was necessary because of "an overriding problem in the south so big that it did require intervention".His remarks angered a lot of black voters, although it did him little harm in the predominantly white rural districts of Kentucky that are likely to deliver for him on election day. In a poll conducted by Louisville's Courier-Examiner in May, 32% agreed with Paul that businesses should be allowed to consider ethnicity when deciding who they serve.Milton Seymore, pastor at the Energised Baptist church, on a desolate stretch of road surrounded by strip clubs on the outskirts of Louisville, is not persuaded by Paul's public reversal on the issue. He insisted it was no slip of the tongue and that Paul had expressed similar views in the past.The organiser of a boycott of businesses in Louisville seven years ago in a civil rights dispute, Seymore, 64, described Paul as an embarrassment to Kentucky for his views on the civil rights act. "That he wants to take the state of Kentucky back to the era of Reconstruction and Jim Crow is unthinkable," he said. "You would think a lot of people of his age and experience would understand the fight of African-Americans in this country."He characterised Obama as a victim of the economic recession inherited from George Bush. But he understood people's impatience: "There are jobs trickling in. It is a slow process. African-Americans were the last to be hired and the first to be fired." Nonetheless, he urged them to vote in a show of solidarity with Obama.Four miles away, at the Midwest church, Stephenson is unrepentant about his support for the Republicans. "I have been persecuted for what I have said. People say I have lost my mind, that I am a turncoat," he said.He is adamant that Paul is no racist and that the country needs independent thinkers. "This country needs a revolution."US midterm elections 2010Tea Party movementRepublicansDemocratsKentuckyUnited StatesUS politicsEwen MacAskillguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Ecuadorean wins Spain's first siesta contest Pedro Soria Lopez wins €1,000 after sleeping – and snoring – for 17 minutes in busy Madrid shopping mallA 62-year-old Ecuadorean man managed to ignore the uproar of a crowded Madrid shopping centre and snore loudly enough to win what was billed as Spain's first siesta championship.Organisers yesterday proclaimed unemployed security worker Pedro Soria Lopez the champion after he slept for 17 minutes.They said his snoring on Tuesday registered 70 decibels – the equivalent of the noise of someone talking loudly. That earned him extra points and enough to defeat the runner-up who had slept for 18 minutes."Oh I am so happy to be the first champion," said Soria Lopez before collecting the €1,000 winning cheque. "My wife made me do this, but then they couldn't wake me up. Naturally, the lunch I had before with the €7 (£6) they had given me helped."The somewhat tongue-in-cheek nine-day contest, which ended yesterday , was organised by the recently formed National Association of Friends of the Siesta and sponsored by a shopping mall in Madrid's working class Carabanchel district.The aim was to promote a revival of a custom that some believe is in danger of vanishing because of modern life."People are so stressed out they can't take siestas any more," said a spokesman, Andres Lemes. "Studies show it's a healthy practice that recharges your batteries."Each of the 360 sleepers that took part in the contest got just one shot. There were individual prizes for snoring, odd sleeping positions and wearing striking pyjamas.Contestants in groups of five were given 20 minutes to lie down on blue couches and timed by a doctor with a pulse-measuring device to determine how long they spent snoozing. A judge perched on an umpire's seat awarded points for position, snoring ability and apparel."It's not a scientific study, obviously," said Dr Lila Chuecas, who monitored the contestants. "The idea is to encourage people to practice a healthy habit."She said less than 30% of contestants managed to nod off, given the surrounding noise of giggling youths and parents screaming at their kids. Loud, thumping pop music pounded continuously from the numerous stores all around.The sofas were lined up in parallel numbered lanes like those of an athletics race, and eight rounds were held per day.On Saturday, one young girl showed up in pink, heart-striped pyjamas and snuggled up to a brown furry bunny. An older man wore a Santa hat and had a cushion stuffed under his T-shirt.Two Americans studying in Madrid read about the contest on the internet and won second and third place in their individual round. "I think I fell asleep, but someone kept kicking my couch," said Asya Kislyuk, 21, of Indianapolis. "We will now go forth to be the ambassadors for the siesta," she joked.Organisers said they planned a bigger championship next year, and may even take it abroad.SpainEcuadorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Let's Win the Oddball Events, Too The Vancouver Games will show whether a U.S. plan hatched more than 20 years ago, to compete in offbeat events like Nordic combined, has borne fruit. online.wsj.com |