OK guys…we all know that this is the Election Year in USA…Like it or dont like it but it may effect all of us one way or other…And we are about to enter into the final phase of Election 2004…The 2004 Democratic National Convention is only few days away and this time, it will take place in Sexy Boston from July 26-29 and will bring together 4,353 delegates and 611 alternates representing each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and Democrats Abroad.
Here is a link for 2004 democratic convention…You can find all sorts of info. about this upcoming convention here…
Maria Teresa Thierstein Simões-Ferreira (more simply, Teresa Simões-Ferreira) was born to Portuguese parents in Mozambique, which was a colony of Portugal at the time. Her father was José Simões-Ferreira, and her mother was Irene Thierstein.
She grew up in Mozambique’s capital, Lourenço Marques (now called Maputo). Her father was a doctor, and “Terezinha” (the diminutive of Teresa in Portuguese) led what some may call a pampered lifestyle and privileged existence. Her father would, however, often bring her along on his calls into the African bush, where she witnessed how those of lesser means lived.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Romance Languages and literature from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She graduated from the Interpreters School of the University of Geneva (Switzerland) before moving to the United States to work at the United Nations as a translator. She is fluent in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, and her native Portuguese.
Marriages
Simões-Ferreira was married to Senator John Heinz of the ketchup Heinzes in 1966. They had three sons: John, André and Christopher.
She met John Kerry in 1990 at an Earth Day rally, after being introduced by Senator Heinz. This was the only known time that Teresa and John Kerry met while she was married to Heinz. After John Heinz died in an airplane accident in 1991, the Mrs. Heinz inherited his vast fortune. She and John Kerry ran into each other again at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 at a United Nations sponsored environmental summit. Their courtship began in 1993. They were married in 1995.
Philanthropy
Heinz Kerry is the chair of The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies (collectively, the Heinz foundations), disbursing money to various social and environmental causes. She laudably assists the community of Pittsburgh, where the Heinz family has had so many financial and family connections.
In recognition of her philanthropy and activism, Ms. Heinz Kerry has received ten honorary doctorate degrees from the following institutions:
Bank Street College of Education
Beloit College
Carlow College
Carnegie Mellon University
Clark University
Drexel University
Medical College of Pennsylvania
Pine Manor College
University of Massachusetts
Washington and Jefferson College
She was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Gold Medal for Humanitarianism in 2003. She has been elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
She was also a trustee of New England Prep School, St. Paul’s School, where her husband John Kerry attended.
Wealth
Heinz Kerry is the life estate beneficiary or outright beneficiary of her husband’s trusts, making her either extremely wealthy in her own name, or powerful as a trustee of Heinz family wealth. Sen. Kerry is wealthy in his own name, though not to the same degree, since he became a trust fund beneficiary of his mother’s and Forbes family trusts.
To date, she has refused to disclose her personal tax returns citing family trusts and privacy, though the spouse of 1984 Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro ultimately had been convinced to release his returns before. The criticism stems from questions about the sources of Sen. Kerry’s spending, his first wife, second wife, or mother’s trusts.
Teresa and John Kerry on the campaign trailIt is believed that she became a United States citizen after her marriage to Sen. Heinz, presumably after she retired from her United Nations translator job, since she claims to have voted for the first time for President in the 1972 election between Richard Nixon and George McGovern.
Presumably because Sen. Heinz was a Republican, his widow was a registered Republican for most of her voting career. In the past year or so, she changed her registration to Democrat. It is unknown what registration her sons hold, or if and when they also changed registrations.
Should Senator Kerry be elected President, Mrs. Heinz Kerry will be the first foreign-born First Lady of the United States since the British-born Louisa Adams, wife of President John Quincy Adams, in the 1820’s. Mrs. Adams was the first and (so far) only first lady born outside the U.S.
Friends and Colleagues
Teresa Heinz Kerry and her husband are good friends with Arizona Representative Ed Pastor. It is said that she was a colleague of Madeleine Albright, the former United States Secretary of State.
Ok, I’ll just go ahead and say it, I think it was a master-piece. The man sure knows how to connect to people and give a great speech.
Kerry should thank the organizers of DNC that they kept Clinton on the first day and Kerry on the last day. Else, everyone would have forgotten about Kerry’s speech. Kerry is so boring. Clinton is the exact opposite. They don’t call him “Elvis” for no reason.
The full text of the speech is here, but really you need to see the video to get the full impact.
Although to be honest, I think Clinton is more like Michael Moore. He will make a point, regardless of whether he is bending the truth, exagerrating or just making up stuff to make that point. He will make it. Though he will do it in a very stylish manner, so you will never be bored, and despite knowing that he is probably not saying the complete truth, you will stand up and clap, anyway.
Hillary was a bore. I just don’t like her all that much. Plus she has done something funky with her cheekbones and jaw line, and looks almost like an alien.
Clinton knows how to use his charm and make people believe in his lies. Afterall he practised for 8 years. Having said that, I admit the man knows how to deliver a speech. The most important part of connecting to your audience (TV) is (in my opinion) that you should not be able to tell if the presenter is reading from the teleprompter. If you can do that you already have half the sheeple believeing that what you are saying is "sincere".
God Help us if Kerry wins this election. Pls. Allah I am not ready for social republic of America. :)
Yeah.. well, I dunno why Dems go so ga-ga over Hillary as well. I repeat, she looks like a fake and an alien. Bill is in a different league altogether.
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*Originally posted by Stu: *
I'll give him this, he's a first rate public speaker. Beyond that, there's very little to admire.
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Yeah, those 8 years of unparalleled peace and prosperity were just awful. We need another 4 years of historic deficits, preemptive strikes, nation building, global isolation, restrictions of freedom, incoherent babbling and a total lack of domestic policy progress. Go Bush!
Right or wrong, he built a pretty impressive case by identifying the differences between Reps and Dems. I don't think hard core right wingers would disagree much with what he presented as Republican values and policies.
I saw it twice yesterday once live and then repeat telecast on CSpan. He is simply awsome . Nobody mobilizes Democrats like Bill. He makes average peole understand complicated matters so easily. Guy has gift of gab. You can love him or hate him ,Cant Ignore him. Comapre him to all the other 4 guys running for top office ,they all sound so boring.
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
Al Gore just tried to tone it down. He is much more fun when he is yelling and cursing. Then you can actually laugh openly.
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he tried to tone down? Damn - i must have not listened correctly - who took a cheap shot against Nadar?
Bill Clinton is able to bring people together and that is one of the reasons some Republicans have a burning wrath of hatred for him. His communication and leadership skills are currently without match and his record shows just that. Clintons love for politics, America, and the general welfare of others throughout the world is such a positive thing for Kerry and Edwards as they have the luxury of gaining his insight on matters across the spectrum anytime, a weapon that the Bush administration has no match for.