Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. 

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.

Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they’ve achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the new White House.

And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who’s been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.

There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Well produced, hope it works out for both sides.

A very good speech.  One point that the GF (a teacher) and I agree upon.

I try to avoid politics.  It generally causes conflict.  Hah!  First.  History lesson.

Conservative = staying the course, reticent to change, stable

Liberal = embraces change, risky, fast paced

Historically, it’s been in many people’s best interests to be conservative.  This has allowed people to grow within confines, reduce environmental variables and generally assist in the growth of population.  ie: make more people, grow stronger.

Liberal movements come into play when you have a sound foundation.  You have surpluses of food and money.  Lots of people.  Lots of ideas.  Liberal thoughts allow a culture to grow.  ie: allows innovation, grow smarter.

The first web browser was made available in 1991.  So if you think about it, people born from 1980+ are initimitely familiar with the internet.  Younger you get, the more so.  The speed and information on the net is inherently liberal.  Everything has to be new.  It gives everyone a soap box.  People born before 1980 or people who can’t afford a computer and internet access are traditionally conservative.  They were brought up during recessions, hard times, wars.  They require stability.  These are simply generalizations, there are definitely exceptions.

What am I getting at you ask?  Simple.  Where tradition states the older you get the more conservative you become, this is become less and less so with the advent of mass communication.  40 year olds are adapting to new ideas and structures at a pace never seen before.  People are getting used to constant change and flux.  The Canadian election is proof of this.  The same old same old pushed away 40% of all voters.  There’s no change, therefore, no interest.  The US elections are similar.  Obama’s line is all about change and he’s pulling out people left right and center to vote for it.  This, in the middle of the worst economic recession in 80 years, the perfect time to BE conservative.

I find this all very fascinating.

I’ll start off by saying, I’m not an investor.  I don’t pretend to know the complexities but I have read enough and taken courses to have some slight idea in the matter.

Over the past 12 months, the Dow Jones index fell from a high of 14,000 to less than 8,000.  More specifically, in the last month alone, 3,000 points were lost.  People who are selling now are losing their shirts.

Quick backstory, the US economy has been in an upswing for 15 years.  This is unnatural, especially after the IT bubble burst in 2000.  The economy should have corrected itself but the government propped it up to avoid a mini-recession.  It’s like supporting a house with a crumbling foundation with sand.  Holds for a bit but if it gets wet, everything goes.  Well, I’ve been saying for 2 years now that the housing/mortgage issue is going to destroy the US, here we are…

The silver lining in all of this is such.  When it finishes tanking (6 months or so) there will be huge opportunities for long term investments in sound businesses.  Renewable fuels?  Yessir.  Grains?  You betcha.  Bio research?  Nothing but the best.  Intangible, insoluable items?  Hell’s no!

When everything is scraping the bottom, that’s the time to find the diamonds in the rough.

Link

Since I used to work for HP (through Sitel), I have some familiarity with outsourcing.  First off, no one wants to talk to someone with an accent so thick you can’t tell the difference between on and off.  Be it Indian or someone from Newfounland.   Clear communication is key in any client service centre.  Fine, out of the way.

Back when outsourcing was the “in” thing, companies just shut down local business and shipped it out overseas (or to Canada for a while).  Made sense, it cost 50-80% less to host it elsewhere.  Of course, the main problem is that you’re now “exporting” money into another country, reducing the amount of cash available in yours, which is where your product is sold.  Moving on…

Outsourcing is bad for a few reasons.  First, technical expertise != client skills.  You have your engineers working for the company and you have to hire people off the street with no knowledge of your products or client needs.  All of the people with those skill sets are in another country, working for another company.  You’re fine for about 5 years but when people start retiring or finding another job, you have no one to replace them and become “top heavy” due to the sheer amount of managers you have compared to regular workers.

Second, there are haves and have-nots.  Think of it this way, every country is a cup.  The americas are a full cup, India (for example) is 10% full.  India will do a lot of work in order to fill their cup.  Eventually however, their cup fills up and the benefits diminish.  People have higher education, more expesive lifestyles and therefore require more money.  As long as the money out is less than the money in, you win.  This range is shrinking daily.

Third, expectations.  We live a life of first world luxury.  I mean it, even the poorest Canadian is 1000x richer than most other people on the planet.  A panhandler makes more money than a doctor in Africa.  As we outsoruce money, we are in fact increasing the third world expectation to live in first world luxury.  Plain and simple, the world cannot handle that.  We don’t have enough resources.  I’m not saying we need to keep other countries down, what I am saying is that it took us 400 years to reach this point.  You can’t expect an entire country of near billion people to do that 400 years in 15 and NOT have huge consequences.

What I’m really trying to get at is that it’s a very complicated system.  Companies do not excel at quality, they excel at quantity.  If their products were more reliable and intuitive (Apple support is local for example) they would need 50-75% less staff for support and be able to keep the local economy strong.  Outsourcing is at best, a temporary solution and one that in the long run, hurts everyone in a company.

This story is amazing.

To the left, a burger preserved since 1996, to the right a burger from 2008.  Spot the difference: