Hi, Sorry about the first premature post - there's a hair trigger keyboard here. Just interrupting some marking for a quick response to the above issues. 1. In Australia the US election continues to be a high ranking news item in all media, and a topic of discussion amongst people with an interest in politics - including numerous opinion pieces. The difference might be that the perspective often adopted is what each candidate is likley to mean for US-Australian relations. Throughout the US election ( if the pattern of the past is repeated)it will continue to be a constant news item, often pushing domestic issues into the background. I would have to say that the Dean Scream incident has been regarded here as a bit of non-event, the man shouted at an election rally, so what? is the general reaction. The Australian media has therefore focused on why the US media has made such a big deal about it, and more generally - if you will forgive me - a sense of disbelief that a candidate could be so easily dismissed. 2. Media and Dean Scream and technology. I found this letter from a Dean supporter on www.tompaine.com which gives an interesting perspective about the issue and it reminded me to think about the role of technology in contributing to media perception about events (recalling picture cropping, editing, studio lights, and so on). ( NB I have no favoured democrat candidate myself, as I don't know enough about them, so I am not promoting HD!) Dean's Demeanor Re: Doug Ireland's "Iowa's Lessons " From: Larry Jordan I took my 13-year-old daughter to the post-caucus Dean rally in Des Moines Monday night. It was her first such political event. We are both mystified by the pundits like Mr. Ireland who claim that Dean came off like a crazy man. The ballroom was filled with a frenzied crowd that had been chanting, waving flags and streamers and making so much noise that a hoarse Mr. Dean had to shout in an attempt to be heard above them. As close as we were, we still had trouble hearing him. I noticed he used a hand-held microphone which, due to its directional qualities, probably wasn't picking up and conveying to the TV viewing audience just how much noise there was in the ballroom. Trust me. It was ear-splitting. I also thought Dean's energized performance on a par with a pep rally before a football game. He was feeding off the electricity in the room. Moments after he left the stage, Governor Dean walked over to me and clasped both my hands in his after we high-fived. He was calm and gracious when talking with my daughter, who was so impressed by him. This man was not out of control in the least. He was pugnacious, to be sure, and determined. You would be, too, after seeing Mr. Kerry co-opting your campaign slogans and supporters, plus waging a war of dirty tricks in Iowa that was little noted by the national media. Little noticed, too, was that the born-again Kerry voted FOR the war, FOR the Patriot Act and FOR the $87 billion Bush asked for to extend the war. Dean's fault may be that he is TOO candid, and his words are parsed for any political advantage an opponent may gain by twisting and distorting his meaning. Regards, Collette Snowden __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/