Obama launches online campaign against ‘smears’

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama launched a new website Thursday devoted to dousing “smears” against the first African-American with a serious shot at the presidency.

The site at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/ debunks false rumors doing the rounds of the Internet and right-wing media outlets — including one recent assertion that Obama’s wife Michelle has been caught on tape slurring white people.

Obama’s main campaign website already had a fact-check section to refute rumors such as the Christian candidate is a secret Muslim. But aides said the new site went further in inviting supporters to spread the word.

“We created an interactive tool to allow our supporters to fight back against these smears in the same way that they received them — on the Internet,” campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

“People can upload their address books and easily send fact-based emails to their friends and family,” he said.

“Just knowing the truth isn’t enough — you have to proactively tell people the truth to fight back.”

The new initiative was launched after reports, by conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh among others, that a videotape existed showing Michelle Obama using the derogatory term “whitey” in the couple’s former church.

No such tape has surfaced despite frenzied speculation by right-wing pundits and blogs, and Obama last week decried the mainstream media’s attention to “dirt and lies.”

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Data Backup Question

A couple of years ago I bought an external hard drive to store my pictures, music, docs, and other precious files in the unlikely event that my PC crashed.  Unfortunately, it was the external drive that crashed, so now I’m left paranoid on what to do regarding backing up my files.  I’m not interested in burning a plethora of CD’s, so I decided if there were any online options.  I found two companies that look promising and fairly the same, and was wondering if y’all had any thoughts or experience with them.

  • Carbonite – $49.95 / year – 1 Computer – Free 15 Day Trial and it has a cool name
    Carbonite installs a small application on your computer that works quietly in the background looking for new and changed files that need to be backed up. It looks and feels just like part of your computer, and is integrated with your desktop — there’s no new interface for you to learn.
    When your computer is idle, Carbonite automatically backs up your new and changed files. You don’t have to do anything! When you’re using your computer, Carbonite goes to sleep so it will never slow you down or interfere with your Internet connection.
    f you accidentally delete or otherwise lose files, it takes just a few clicks on your desktop to get them back. If your computer is damaged, stolen or “just dies” and you lose all your files, just visit Carbonite’s website from a new computer. Within minutes you’ll be able to begin restoring all your files.
  • ElephantDrive – $49.95 / year – 1 Computer
    ElephantDrive Home Edition plans provide unlimited online storage for your photos, music, video, documents, and all other valuable files you have!  Pre-made categories and our simple wizard make sure that all your important data gets automatically backed up!
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Regional revival tackles community standards

About 30 people gathered for a regional revival Friday night that included a book burning as a statement to reach out to local residents.

“It is allowed for Harry Potter to be taught in our schools, but not the Bible,” International House of Prayer pastor James Crawford said during the Shreveport Regional Unity of Faith Revival.

That is one reason pastors from several denominations and races ripped pages from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Those and pages from a pornographic magazine were put into a burn pit and set afire as praises bellowed from the congregation.

“As I tore the pages, I felt a generational curse of immorality and perversion breaking off my family,” Adriane Banks said. “I felt it.”

The book burning was a statement to reach out to people in Shreveport-Bossier City against sin, Crawford said.

“This is powerful. God looks down and sees humble hearts. That is the reality of what we’re doing.”

Crawford said recent natural disasters are a wake-up call.

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