Republican caught plagiarising Barack Obama speech

Washington, May 26 (ANI): A Republican candidate in rural Idaho has been accused of plagiarizing one of President Barack Obama’s famous speeches.

Vaughn Ward, a former US Marine Corps officer and CIA operative who served in Iraq, is seeking the GOP Congressional nomination.

According to The Telegraph, his campaign biography states that he “spent most of his years on the family farm in Shoshone, Idaho” and had “developed his strong work ethic and learned the value of dependability” from that time.

But Lucas Baumbach, a local party activist, produced a YouTube video that suggested Ward derived greater influence from Obama, the Harvard-educated Democrat currently occupying the White House.

The video shows Obama addressing the 2004 Democratic National Convention with the words: “We stand on the crossroads of history. We can make the right choices and meet the challenges that face us.”

It then cuts to Ward speaking in January and saying: “As we stand on the crossroads of history, I know we can make the right choices and meet the challenges that lay before us.”

There were several other close similarities between the two speeches.

A spokesman for Ward said the furore over the video was much ado about nothing. (ANI)

US politician caught plagiarising Obama speech

London, May 26 (IANS) A Republican congressional candidate has been accused of plagiarising US President Barack Obama’s speech on ‘the crossroads of history’.

Vaughn Ward, a former US Marine Corps officer and CIA operative, was running for the Republican congressional nomination in an election held Tuesday in Idaho.

The Telegraph reported Wednesday that Lucas Baumbach, a local party activist, tracked down a YouTube video that showed a strong similarity between Ward’s speech in January and Obama’s address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Obama said: ‘We stand on the crossroads of history. We can make the right choices and meet the challenges that face us.’

Ward said: ‘As we stand on the crossroads of history, I know we can make the right choices and meet the challenges that lay before us.’

There were a few more striking similarities between the two speeches.

Ward’s spokesperson, however, said: ‘Folks are getting desperate-they’re saying anything to get Vaughn to go after him. If anyone thinks he’s anything like Obama, they’re dead wrong.’

USD/JPY Daily Commentary for 4.14.09

The USD/JPY is still stuck around 100 as the highly-psychological level is proving to be as difficult to overcome as investors could have anticipated.

The surprisingly positive Core Machinery Orders coupled with Aso’s aggressive stimulus package is countering the recent strength in America’s economy.

Therefore, the USD/JPY finds itself at an important crossroads as our uptrend line reaches an inflection point with our 3rd tier downtrend line.

The importance of the moment is difficult to express since all of this year’s progress made by the USD/JPY to tackle 100 is reaching a climactic point. Will the uptrend prevail or fall under the sword of the monstrous downtrend?

The continuation of the uptrend largely depends on a recovery in the U. S. economy since the carry trade is unwound. Investors will be taking a close look at corporate earnings from the U. S. while anxiously awaiting to see if the recent improvement in economic data continues.

Fundamentally, we maintain our resistances of 100.28, 100.71, 101.44, 101.98, and 102.50. To the downside, we hold our supports of 99.79, 99.06, 98.16, 97.59, and 97.11. The USD/JPY is currently exchanging at 99.79.

USD/JPY Daily Commentary for 4.14.09

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Lanka troops claim capture of part of strategic Elephant Pass

Colombo, Jan.5 (ANI): Sri Lankan troops on Monday claimed that they had captured a part of the highly strategic Elephant Pass, a causeway that links northern Jaffna to the mainland.

Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara was quoted as saying that the southern part of the causeway fell to government troops advancing northwards from Kilinochchi, the political headquarters of the Tamil Tigers, which was captured by the army on Friday.

Meanwhile, the LTTE said they have killed 53 soldiers in the north of the island where the army is trying to capture rebel strongholds.

“At least 53 Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed, more than 80 sustained injuries and the Tamil Tigers recovered two bodies of the soldiers in heavy fighting,” the pro-Tamil website TamilNet reported.

Sri Lankan military officials denied the rebel casualty claims and said troops had recovered the bodies of 12 Tamil Tigers.

They also confirmed the capture of the strategic town of Oddusuddan at the weekend, which sits at an important crossroads to Mullaitivu. (ANI)