Zimbabwe observers point to runoff vote, suspect possible rigging

(CNN)

Zimbabwe's government Monday began releasing the results of the weekend parliamentary vote, but offered no data on the hotly contested presidential race.

President Robert Mugabe is facing the most formidable challenge to his 28-year rule from two opponents, including his former finance minister, Simba Makoni, who is running as an independent.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by presidential contender Morgan Tsvangirai, announced Sunday that it had won enough votes in Saturday's presidential and parliamentary election to end the 84-year-old incumbent's reign.

But a group of non-governmental organizations monitoring the election released exit polling data Monday that indicated the race possibly headed for a runoff vote.

Noel Kututwa, chairman of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, said that his group's polling data gave Tsvangirai 49.4 percent of the vote -- short of the 51 percent needed to win. Mugabe was second with 41.8 percent, and Makoni third with 8.2 percent.

Election authorities have released no data on the presidential race. Government officials said it takes time to verify and "harmonize" the counts.

The United States, which has raised concerns about election fraud in the southern African country, called on Zimbabwe's government to make sure "the counting of the votes ... ensures the will of the people is heard," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Monday.

While election observers have urged prompt reporting of the results to avoid political unrest, government officials said it would take time to verify and "harmonize" the counts.

It is unlikely that Mugabe will receive any congratulations from the U.S. if he emerges as the victor.

Speaking to reporters during her trip to the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the long-time president and his government "a disgrace to the people of Zimbabwe and a disgrace to southern Africa and to the continent of Africa as a whole."

Kututwa said the delay in announcing all the results was "fueling speculation" that Mugabe's government was tampering with the ballot count. His group was monitoring the election.

"This is very worrying," Kututwa said.

Despite the lack of official results, the MDC insisted it had won enough votes to end Mugabe's rule, which has seen the nation slide into economic meltdown.

Defying a government order, the Movement for Democratic Change said it tallied the results posted outside each polling station -- and based on one-third of the returns, that count shows Tsvangirai won 67 percent of the votes, journalists inside Zimbabwe told CNN.

The Zimbabwean government has denied CNN and other international news organizations permission to enter the country to report on the elections.

MDC also claimed it had won the majority of parliamentary seats in Zimbabwe's urban centers, including Harare and Bulawayo. It enjoys widespread support in the cities, while Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has its base in Zimbabwe's rural areas, where white farmers have been driven out.

By Monday evening, just 67 of 210 parliamentary races were released -- ZANU-PF won 31; MDC won 30; and six won by a party that split from the MDC.

Two members of President Robert Mugabe's cabinet -- Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Interactive Affairs Minister Chen Chimutengwende -- lost their seats to the MDC. But Mugabe's nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, won a seat in his uncle's home district.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa held onto his seat in a district of Harare.

Kututwa said some MDC members had been arrested for celebrating in the streets.

MDC leaders began declaring victory just hours into Saturday's vote. But there are concerns that if each side claims victory, tensions could ignite and violence could erupt -- as happened this year in Kenya.

Observers from the South African Democratic Alliance opposition party also said its sources had said the opposition had won a majority in most areas.

"If this is not reflected in the results, this will be yet another indication that the election was rigged," they added.

Critics of the government had predicted voting would be rigged. The United States warned of a possible unfair election, and New York-based Human Rights Watch said the elections were likely to be "deeply flawed."

Makoni, who was expelled from the Zanu-PF after announcing his own bid to unseat Mugabe, said it was "premature to judge that the environment before the balloting has had some impediment."

Makoni said: "We know our people are clear about what they want... We will wait and see the results."

The announcement of results appeared to have been delayed despite election observers saying some results were known on Saturday night, four hours after polls closed. In previous elections, partial results were announced hours after voting ended.

Criticism of Mugabe has grown across Zimbabwe, with unemployment running at 80 percent. Most Zimbabweans survive on less than $1 a day and inflation is the highest in the world at more than 100,000 percent.

People also suffer from chronic shortages of food, water, electricity, fuel and medicine, and thousands of Zimbabweans flood into neighboring countries looking for jobs.

Part of the economic freefall is traced to Mugabe's land redistribution policies, including his controversial seizure of commercially white-owned farms in 2000.

Mugabe gave the land to black Zimbabweans he said were cheated under colonialist rule, and white farmers who resisted were jailed.

In 2005, Mugabe launched Operation Clean Out the Trash, in which he razed slum areas across the country. Mugabe denies mismanagement and blames his country's woes on the West, saying sanctions have harmed the economy.

Holiday Tipping - Who to Tip & How Much

A little holiday green can spread cheer for the rest of the year. Here’s a guide to tipping the right people the right amount.

By Liz Pulliam Weston

If you've made your holiday list and checked it twice, chances are you've still forgotten some folks: the service providers who are expecting holiday tips.

End-of-the-year gratuities can show these folks that you appreciate the work they do for you and thank them for helping your life run more smoothly. This extra cash may help foster loyalty and, in a few instances, prevent future problems (like a building superintendent who might become sulky).

If you want to get to the meat of whom you tip and how much, skip down a bit. The next section is for those of you still balking at the whole idea. I've learned a lot about holiday tipping since first writing a column about it a couple of years ago, including:

Some of you think I invented it. "Wow, what on earth are you doing??" one outraged reader wrote. "Get real and try to relate to the public, not just your own little rich community. I expect at least $20 to $50 please for giving you a much-needed service -- a wake-up call!!"

So I consulted etiquette expert Peter Post, who assured me that holiday tipping has been around a lot longer than I have and isn't an isolated phenomenon. The amounts and even who is tipped can vary from place to place, but holiday tipping is ingrained in American life.

"It's not a regional custom," said Post, author of "Essential Manners for Couples." "It's everywhere."

Many of you don't like it.

Like several others, one reader -- who called himself "Scrooge," no less -- opined against the whole idea of tipping, at holidays or otherwise.

"Classic one is a bartender expects a $1 tip on $6 bottle of beer," Scrooge wrote. "Why should he get a tip ... he didn't do anything special? He opened a fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer and opened it. Boy, he really worked hard for that one."

Yes, indeed, why shouldn't that bartender work for the pleasure of Scrooge's company? There's a head-scratcher.

But the anti-tipping crowd has good company. Judith Martin, author of "Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, Freshly Updated" agrees that tipping in general is a "silly system" that "grew up haphazardly" so that some workers -- like the bartender, the waiter, the taxi driver -- expect tips while others performing similar functions -- psychoanalyst, airline attendant, bus driver -- get their compensation from their paychecks. She finds it puts too much power in the hands of not-always-fair clients.

That doesn't let you off the hook, though. The system's the system, Martin says; we tip because it's expected: "It would be Scrooge-like, not to mention wrong," she writes, "to deny these workers their expected income merely because one doesn't like the method by which this is provided."

Some of you want in on it.

I fielded a fleet of e-mails from readers who want some holiday generosity spread their way. Many mail carriers take offense at U.S. postal regulations that discourage tips, and one newspaper carrier thought the amount recommended by etiquette experts -- $10 to $30 -- was "an insult … (unless) the customer also tips during the course of the year."

Given that holiday tips are customarily given only to people who provide regular, repeated service, the most puzzling letter came from an appliance-repair person who wanted a customer-supplied bonus. Sir, if you're showing up regularly enough to be tipped, doesn't that say something rather negative about the quality of the service you provide?

But by far the biggest roadblock to holiday tipping is that:

Many of you think you can't afford it.

Post empathizes, and hastens to add that holiday tipping, and gift-giving in general, "isn't about going into debt." If your budget won't stretch, it won't stretch.

But that doesn't release you from your obligation. Post recommends that in situations where a holiday tip would be expected, the financially challenged compose a handwritten thank you note and include with it some kind of seasonal gesture, like a plate of holiday cookies. Superb service might prompt a praise-filled letter to the worker's supervisor.

Personally, I think there may be more room in people's budgets than they think. The average American consumer is expected to spend $90 on gifts for him- or herself this season, according to the National Retail Federation. A little self-restraint could help you express your appreciation for at least some of the people who help you during the year.

Who shouldn't expect a tip

Now that the debate portion of this column is finished, we can run through the shortlist of people you don't tip.

You'll be relieved to know that there are people who aren't expecting cash from you. That doesn't mean you can ignore them, though; it just means your gift shouldn't be green. These people include:

• Teachers: Professionals in general shouldn't be tipped, and teachers typically include themselves in this category. Ask what classroom supplies they need, and supply them. Gifts of food or a well-deserved day at the spa (perhaps purchased jointly with other parents) can be thoughtful, as well.
• Friends: Whatever the service they provided for you, a gift is a more appropriate thank-you than a check.
• U.S. Postal Service employees: The Postal Service discourages tips, but your mail carrier is allowed to accept gifts worth less than $20.
• Anyone who would be insulted: You'll have to feel your way on this one a bit, since some of the people you traditionally didn't tip -- a beauty salon owner, for example -- now often have no problem accepting your money.
  

  If you offer the cash and it's returned to you promptly, you'll know you've found one of these elusive folks.

  The ground rules for tipping

  How much you give, Emily Post and other etiquette authorities tell us, can depend on a number of factors, such as:
  
  • The quality of the service
  • The frequency of the service
  • How long you've used the service
  • Regional custom, and of course
  • Your budget

  Use your own judgment, but be guided by the spirit of generosity. The better you take care of the people who care for you, the better off everybody will be.

  Now that we've got that settled, let's move on to who, and how much.

  The "who's" break down into four basic categories:

  People who provide you service regularly but briefly

  These folks typically get $10 to $30. The list here can include:
• Newspaper deliverers
• Parking or garage attendants
• Trash collectors
• Any regular delivery person (for food, laundry, overnight packages, whatever)
  

  Several readers asked how they should handle holiday tipping when they get regular service from a company, but people actually providing the service change constantly. Post handles this by simply tipping whoever happens to show up on the day he's handing out the cash, and hoping that others do the same so that the holiday generosity gets spread around.

  People you see less often but for longer periods

  These are usually the ones who are working hard to tend you and yours. The holiday tip normally equals the cost of one visit, although you can reduce that to $20 or so if your patronage is sporadic.
  
• Hairdresser or barber
• Manicurist
• Facialist
• Personal trainer
• Massage therapist
• Regular after-hours baby-sitter (not your nanny or day care worker)
• House cleaner (unless he or she is full time, then see below)
• The lawn-care crew
• Pool cleaner
• Pet groomer
  

  If you use a day-care center, ask the director about appropriate tips for the child's primary caregiver. The accepted amounts can range from $10 to $70, plus a small gift from the child.

  Your employees

  Anyone you employ more than a couple of days a week gets a bigger check, typically at least equal to one week's pay. Exceptional or long service might boost the amount to two weeks' pay or more. A small gift is often appropriate as well. This list includes:
  
  
  • Nannies
  • Full-time housekeepers
  • Home-care attendants
  • Caretakers

  If you're not planning to tip your full-time employees, you need to ask yourself why. If you're genuinely not happy with their services, you should have long ago detailed your concerns and given them a chance to improve. Otherwise, withholding a holiday tip is sandbagging. You wouldn't like it if your boss surprised you with a negative evaluation out of the blue, so don't do it to others.

  People who can be strategically tipped

  All tips can have an element of strategy in them, but these gratuities can make a real difference in the quality of your life. Here the range varies enormously:
  
• Building superintendent: Ask around your building. The going rate can vary from as little as $20 to $200 or more.
• Doorman: Ditto. Usually the range is $10 to $100.
• The bartender, wait staff or maitre d' at a place you frequent regularly: Try $20 to $50 and see if your typical table location doesn't improve.

Talk back: Are you tipping this holiday? How much?

World War II Hiroshima A-bomb Pilot Dies

By JULIE CARR SMYTH, Associated Press Writer

Paul Tibbets, who piloted the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died Thursday. He was 92 and insisted for six decades after the war that he had no regrets about the mission and slept just fine at night.

Tibbets died at his Columbus home. He suffered from a variety of health problems and had been in decline for two months.

Tibbets had requested no funeral and no headstone, fearing it would provide his detractors with a place to protest, said Gerry Newhouse, a longtime friend.

Tibbets' historic mission in the plane named for his mother marked the beginning of the end of World War II and eliminated the need for what military planners feared would have been an extraordinarily bloody invasion of Japan. It was the first use of a nuclear weapon in wartime.

The plane and its crew of 14 dropped the five-ton "Little Boy" bomb on the morning of Aug. 6, 1945. The blast killed 70,000 to 100,000 people and injured countless others.

Three days later, the United States dropped a second nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Tibbets did not fly in that mission. The Japanese surrendered a few days later, ending the war.

"I knew when I got the assignment it was going to be an emotional thing," Tibbets told The Columbus Dispatch for a story published on the 60th anniversary of the bombing. "We had feelings, but we had to put them in the background. We knew it was going to kill people right and left. But my one driving interest was to do the best job I could so that we could end the killing as quickly as possible."

Morris Jeppson, the officer who armed the bomb during the Hiroshima flight, said Tibbets was energetic, well-respected and "hard-nosed."

"Ending the war saved a lot of U.S. armed forces and Japanese civilians and military," Jeppson said. "History has shown there was no need to criticize him."

Tibbets, then a 30-year-old colonel, never expressed regret over his role. He said it was his patriotic duty and the right thing to do.

"I'm not proud that I killed 80,000 people, but I'm proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it and have it work as perfectly as it did," he said in a 1975 interview.

"You've got to take stock and assess the situation at that time. We were at war. ... You use anything at your disposal."

He added: "I sleep clearly every night."

Tibbets took quiet pride in the job he had done, said journalist Bob Greene, who wrote the Tibbets biography, "Duty: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War."

"He said, 'What they needed was someone who could do this and not flinch — and that was me,'" Greene said.

Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. was born Feb. 23, 1915, in Quincy, Ill., and spent most of his boyhood in Miami.

He was a student at the University of Cincinnati's medical school when he decided to withdraw in 1937 to enlist in the Army Air Corps.

After the war, Tibbets said in 2005, he was dogged by rumors claiming he was in prison or had committed suicide.

"They said I was crazy, said I was a drunkard, in and out of institutions," he said. "At the time, I was running the National Crisis Center at the Pentagon."

Tibbets retired from the Air Force as a brigadier general in 1966. He later moved to Columbus, where he ran an air taxi service until he retired in 1985.

The National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton plans a photographic tribute to Tibbets, who was inducted in 1996.

"There are few in the history of mankind that have been called to figuratively carry as much weight on their shoulders as Paul Tibbets," director Ron Kaplan said in a statement. "Even fewer were able to do so with a sense of honor and duty to their countrymen as did Paul."

Tibbets' role in the bombing brought him fame — and infamy — throughout his life.

In 1976, he was criticized for re-enacting the bombing during an appearance at a Harlingen, Texas, air show. As he flew a B-29 Superfortress over the show, a bomb set off on the runway below created a mushroom cloud.

He said the display "was not intended to insult anybody," but the Japanese were outraged. The U.S. government later issued a formal apology.

Tibbets again defended the bombing in 1995, when an outcry erupted over a planned 50th anniversary exhibit of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian Institution.

The museum had planned to mount an exhibit that would have examined the context of the bombing, including the discussion within the Truman administration of whether to use the bomb, the rejection of a demonstration bombing and the selection of the target.

Veterans groups objected, saying the proposed display paid too much attention to Japan's suffering and too little to Japan's brutality during and before World War II, and that it underestimated the number of Americans who would have perished in an invasion.

They said the bombing of Japan was an unmitigated blessing for the United States and the exhibit should say so.

Tibbets denounced it as "a damn big insult."

The museum changed its plan and agreed to display the fuselage of the Enola Gay without commentary, context or analysis.

He told the Dispatch in 2005 that he wanted his ashes scattered over the English Channel, where he loved to fly during the war.

Newhouse confirmed that Tibbets wanted to be cremated, but he said relatives had not yet determined how he would be laid to rest.

Tibbets is survived by his wife, Andrea, and three sons — Paul, Gene and James — as well as a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A grandson named after Tibbets followed his grandfather into the military as a B-2 bomber pilot currently stationed in Belgium.

Profitable Jobs You Can Do From Home

Ysolt Usigan, ClassesUSA

In today's world of high connectivity, anyone can do virtually anything from home. In fact, the International Telework Association and Council reports that approximately 23 million people work at home at least part time, a number expected to increase as workplace technology becomes more and more seamless. If clocking in from your kitchen is the right choice for you, read on for telecommuting tips from successful home-office professionals.

Computer Software Production

Scott Testa knew that the competition for landing a convenient telecommuting job was tough, so he used education to distinguish himself.

After earning a Ph.D. in education through Drexel University's online program, Testa founded numerous software companies. He currently works from home as the chief operating officer of Mindbridge Software.

His biggest driver of success? The mindset that working from home must reflect the same initiative and motivation you would have if you were physically in the office. "Dress for work and keep the same hours you typically would in the office," he advises.

Marketing and Public Relations

Shannon Cherry, a marketing and public relations firm owner who does much of her work via e-mail, is accustomed to using the Internet for advancement -- she even earned her master's degree in communications administration from the University of Memphis online.

If you wish to secure an in-demand telecommuting position, Cherry stresses the power of effective communication. "It's important that you learn to brand yourself early on," she asserts. "That means you need to market your uniqueness."

Along with her master's degree, what distinguishes Cherry is her trustworthiness and reliability. "I suggest taking that a step further," she adds. "Market yourself by using stories or testimonials to clients or prospective employers. And network like crazy."

Financial Consulting and Sales

Anthony Shafer, a commercial finance consultant for LoanFight, Inc., usually works in his home office from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., or even as late as 1 a.m. "With time differences, I have to get a hold of people at all hours of the day," he explains.

Shafer admits that TV can be a distraction, although it's actually a requirement for his job. "I keep CNBC on so I can follow the financial world," he says. Understanding the line between work and play is key to staying focused.

Also important are desire and devotion, says Shafer, who is currently working on his business information systems degree from DeVry Online. "You've got to be a salesman, and do it with a serious desire to please people," he says.

Graphic Design

Most graphic design work available to telecommuters is on a freelance basis, which means missing out on benefits like health insurance, steady salary, and job stability.

Jill Sabato, a recent graduate of the School of Visual Arts, tried freelance design projects when she was in between jobs. "When you've got bills to pay, it's not a good idea to count on the money you'll make from a project," she says. "Who knows when you'll get another assignment?"

If you do find a company with which you're comfortable, be sure to give your best. "If you freelance for a company that knows your work and is happy with it, stick with them," says Sabato. "Keep in contact so they know they can always count on you for projects."