Obama's commitments

From an email from Avaaz:

... here's a list of 10 of Obama's campaign promises that concern the world – you can find his full platform here http://www.barackobama.com/issues/:

* Reduce the US's carbon emissions 80% by 2050 and play a strong positive role in negotiating a binding global treaty to replace the expiring Kyoto Protocol
* Withdraw all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months and keep no permanent bases in the country
* Establish a clear goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons across the globe
* Close the Guantanamo Bay detention center
* Double US aid to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015 and accelerate the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculoses and Malaria
* Open diplomatic talks with countries like Iran and Syria, to pursue peaceful resolution of tensions
* De-politicize military intelligence to avoid ever repeating the kind of manipulation that led the US into Iraq
* Launch a major diplomatic effort to stop the killings in Darfur
* Only negotiate new trade agreements that contain labor and environmental protections
* Invest $150 billion over ten years to support renewable energy and get 1 million plug-in electric cars on the road by 2015

There'll be plenty of pressure to prevent him delivering on these. Organisations like Avaaz will be encouraging him to deliver. I'm doing my (tiny, tiny, tiny...) bit by supporting Avaaz!

Tranmere home 1st November

We managed to keep 11 men this time, and finished 1 - 0 up.

Close game and I think many of our players were tired after lots of matches recently.

Tranmere include two recent ex-Dons, Gareth Edds and Ben Chorley, both popular players here in their time. The Cowshed gave them a decent welcome, which is nice.

Poor Edds shot over the bar from a few yards out - one of those easier-to-score-than-miss chances - right in front of the Cowshed, who struck up with 'Eddsy, Eddsy, your a Don'!

Leyton Orient away 28th Oct (Tuesday evening)

V and I went by train. It was snowing when we set off to the station, raining during most of the match and snowing by the end.

We started well on top and got two earlyish goals. But, again we went down to 10 men. Early in the second half Cummings was the last defender when he brought their man down in the penalty box. Though it was argued - including by some of the Orient fans in their forum - he got the ball so it wasn't really a foul, still a penalty was awarded and Cummings was off. Kindly they missed the penalty - well wide - but it was hard work for holding on for the rest of the match and they got a goal back at the end of injury time. Still, 2-1 to us.

Back home by midnight, but it is half term so OK for V to sleep in tomorrow.

Mixed feelings about our fans. Good attendance and we (well, I didn't contibute a lot) sang non-stop, in contrast to silence from the Orient for most of the match. But some of the 'banter' was arguably OTT, targetting one of their supporters - calling him a 'paedo' because, I think, of his clothes! Apparently after the match this guy threatened a few Dons supporters who, with their kids, were late leaving. Someone got the police before anything happened.

There was then some discussion of this in the MooCamp. One contributor objected to calling someone a paedophile, saying what next, homophobic or racist chants? Of course ironically it is because there is nothing wrong with being gay or a different race, whereas being a paedophile is obviously bad, that homophobic or racist chants are wrong in a way insulting someone by calling them a paedophile is not (though it might be wrong in other ways). Though the contributor obviously 'meant well', making the link arguably itself reveals subconscious homophobia and racism.