Barack Obama "Yes We Can" Will-I-Am Video A Hit!

Will-I-Am of the Black Eyed Peas has created a beautiful video around Senator Barack Obama's words "Yes We Can". I don't yet know how the video came to be reality -- in other words, when Will-I-Am decided to pull the trigger and make it -- but it's out now and deserves a look. I can't remember when a group of artists have gotten together in this way before.

Here's the video:

7 Crazy Superbowl Predictions that could happen

7 Crazy Super bowl Predictions that could happen
By Dr. Bill Chachkes-NFL Draft Bible.com

7- Patriots WR Randy Moss will be assaulted by a group from the women's anti-defamation league as he leaves a party Saturday Night. He will need a restraining order and a police escort in order to play the game Sunday.

6- Coach Bill Belichick will have his entire coaching wardrobe of 27 Hoodies and two pullover hats stolen by a group of 12 year olds from the Ravenswood Housing Projects In Astoria NY called the "little Giants Mafia".

5- Dallas owner Jerry Jones, still distraught over the Cowboys early exit from the Playoffs, will try to get a new playoff system passed that eliminates the wild card round of the playoffs. He will then take a 4 day skiing trip to Utah with Jeff Lurie, and Dan Snyder. He will break his hand on a fall on the slopes, and Snyder will have him airlifted out by a Fedex copter. Lurie will then try to Rush release a movie epic based on the trip ahead of Steve Tisch's release of the same movie.

4- Jessicia Simpson will break up with Tony Romo and Profess her love for Eli Manning. Her father Joe will throw himself at Archie and Olivia Manning, begging them for a chance at their son. Archie will offer Joe a case of Double Stuff Oreos and a case of Hershey's Chocolate milk and tell him to go home.

3- Tom Petty's Tour Bus will burn down at a Roadside diner in Black Canyon City Arizona the day before the game. No one will be hurt, but Petty will have to borrow Prince's purple guitar to play the halftime show. Gene Simmons from Kiss will tell everyone he could have played a better show. By himself.

2- Tom Brady will throw 7 interceptions in the game, and retire from football in the post game press conference. He will break up with the pinup girlfriend and join a religious cult, giving all his net worth to them.

And the #1 Wacky Super Bowl Prediction is:
The Giants will win 24-21 on a last second Field Goal by Tynes again. Both Scotland and Milton Fl. will claim Tynes a Native son, causing a Lawsuit over both's use of his name on a welcome sign. Tynes will accept a free agent offer to play for the new NFL expansion team in Fairbanks Alaska….

Phil The Groundhog's Day Groundhog Says "Six More Weeks Of Summer"

Well, at least I thought it was funny. The annual tradition of Phil The Groundhog coming out of his hole and telling us how long winter's going to last is upon us once again. This year, Phil says it's six more weeks of winter!

Heath Ledger | Ledger Video Claims To Show Drug Use

I'm not sure what the purpose of making and releasing this video is, but it's out there and claims to show Heath Ledger using and talking about using drugs. Again, I don't know what the reason for this video is, but I also think it's not a good idea to have made it. But that written, it's news..

Kofi Bonner | Candlestick Point Plan For Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco

Kofi Bonner | Candlestick Point Plan For Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco

Kofi Bonner Shows New Homes, Open Space and Jobs Are Part of Transit-Oriented Project to Open Up Southeast S.F. Waterfront

SAN FRANCISCO -- Plans were unveiled by Kofi Bonner of Lennar Corporation at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for an innovative new Candlestick Point neighborhood that would feature as its centerpiece a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers and include an 8,000-10,000 seat arena, new market rate and affordable housing, retail and entertainment uses, public parks and open space, and improved access to the San Francisco Bay shoreline.

The presentation was the first public viewing of the mixed-use/stadium development that was created as part of the 49ers stadium project. "We strongly believe that our proposed plan for Candlestick Point serves both the 49ers and the community of Bayview Hunters Point and we look forward to making refinements to the plan that inevitably occur as a result of the public review process," said Kofi Bonner, president of Lennar Communities Bay Area Urban Division, the company selected by the 49ers and The City to create a new home for the NFL team as well as bring new housing and job opportunities to San Francisco.

On Nov. 8, 49ers co-owner John York surprised the City of San Francisco, Lennar, football fans and the public when he announced that the York family was making Santa Clara their first choice for a new football stadium after almost a decade of team efforts to build a stadium in San Francisco and almost a year of meetings on this specific plan. Mayor Gavin Newsom requested the Board of Supervisors call today's hearing to view and evaluate the various elements of the plan.

The Candlestick Point plan will create a new transit-oriented neighborhood within the existing Bayview Hunters Point community that provides football fans, current and future residents with improved connections to Caltrain, Light Rail Transit, and bus service and provides improved traffic flow, parking and day-of-game experience for 49ers fans traveling to and from the new stadium.

The proposed plan will create 6,500 new homes, a new 8,000-10,000 seat arena, approximately 400,000 sq. ft of retail and entertainment uses, 150,000 sq. ft. of office space, a new 200 room hotel, and over 150 acres of parks and open space. In addition, the new development is expected to provide approximately 3,000 new permanent jobs and preserve the 2,000 day-of-game jobs.

"We created this development with three objectives," said Bonner. "To create a memorable and exciting fan experience for the 49ers faithful, to transform Candlestick Point into a vibrant and viable mixed-use sustainable community that will appeal to our home buyers, and at the same time provide much needed jobs and housing."

At the heart of the game day experience are the new "urban tailgating


" opportunities provided by the various sports bars, restaurants and live music venues clustered along the retail street leading to the stadium plaza. For the traditional tailgaters, the plan includes approximately 3,500 spaces to tailgate -- ranging from the roof of the new parking structure to one of the most beautiful tailgating venues in the world, a revitalized State Park along the San Francisco shoreline.

The plan includes new recreational opportunities for the public through improvements to the Candlestick Point State Park, the creation of walking paths, the expansion of the Bay Trail, new bike paths and water-oriented activities. In addition, the plan also meets one of the City's key objectives for the project - the provision of a significant number of affordable housing units and the replacement of the Alice Griffith Housing Project - also known as "Double Rock".

In preparing the plan, Lennar worked closely with the 49ers to create a phasing plan that would allow the 49ers to play continuously at Candlestick Point and to provide the necessary fan parking. At the opening of the new stadium, Lennar expects to have a significant portion of the development complete, including the main retail and entertainment uses that allow for the "urban tailgate" experience.

"Although the new 49ers stadium is a significant component of a new Candlestick Point neighborhood, it's important to note that even if the stadium is not built, the development stands on its own," Bonner said. "With or without a new stadium, the creation of new homes, parks and transportation will benefit the existing neighborhood and future residents." Lennar is expected to provide the entire infrastructure necessary to support development at Candlestick Point and the revenues from the project are expected to provide a portion of the funding for the construction of the new stadium.

Lennar said the company will work closely with the Mayor's office, Board of Supervisors and other community leaders to help make the project a reality.

Barack Obama Endorsed By MoveOn.Org | Obama Wins In Landslide!

Senator Barack Obama won the endorsement of the liberal activist group MoveOn.org and by a landslide. And in the process became the standard bearer of John Edwards' agenda. Eli Pariser, the Executive Director of MoveOn.org, wrote this email that I just received:

Dear MoveOn member,

With hundreds of thousands of ballots cast across the country, for the first time in MoveOn's history, we've voted together to endorse a presidential candidate in the primary. That candidate is Barack Obama.

Something big is clearly happening. A few weeks ago, MoveOn members we surveyed were split. But with John Edwards bowing out, progressives are coming together. Obama won over 70% of the vote yesterday, and he's moving up in polls nationwide.1 As comments poured in from MoveOn members across the country, the sense of hope was inspiring. Here's how Christine Y. in New Jersey put it:

"I've never felt so strongly about any one candidate in my entire life. He's truly an inspiration to all of us—especially the younger generation. I will stand by him 100% for as long as he's willing to stand up and fight for this country!"

What does MoveOn's endorsement mean? People-power. Together, we are 3.2 million Americans who care about our country and want change. Half of us live in states with primaries or caucuses this coming "Super Tuesday."

We know how to roll up our sleeves and win elections, and if we all pitch in together between now and Tuesday, we can help Sen. Obama win the biggest primary day in American history. Think about it: volunteering during the next four days could mean four years of a progressive president. Can you sign up right now to volunteer for Obama's campaign? Click here:

http://pol.moveon.org/volunteerforobama/?id=12015-8429903-L.Zt9K&t=535

There are lots of ways to help. You can call voters from home, go door-to-door with others in your community, travel to "Super Tuesday" states, donate, put up a yard sign, volunteer in a campaign office, or join a local meetup. Senator Obama is running a grassroots campaign, and there's a role for everyone.

Many of us feel like change is within reach for the first time in years. Here's some more of what MoveOn members see in Obama:

"This country needs real, progressive transformation. Barack Obama is the candidate who gives us the best hope of uniting and inspiring the nation to move in that direction, while also restoring America's dignity and standing as a member of the global community."—James M., Connecticut

"While I'm impressed with Clinton and believe she would make a very good president, I'm actually MOVED by Obama. In the end, I believe if Obama is elected he has the potential to bring the country together behind him."—Patricia S., Wisconsin

"He was right on the biggest question of the era—opposing the war from the start."—Jacob S., Washington, D.C.

"I support Barack Obama for the same reasons I support MoveOn.org: the more people are inspired to get involved, the better the outcome for our country. Senator Obama has demonstrated a unique capacity to inspire participation and to make public service 'cool' again. He is also sound on all the issues that matter to me and my family."—Liz B., New York

"I live in a red state, and I see my conservative neighbors and friends showing a positive interest in Barack. They like him. They are ready to be swayed. And I see my Democratic friends and family members getting excited like never before...With Barack as our candidate, I am convinced that we can win in a landslide in 2008 and usher in a new era of progressive politics."—Desirina B., Georgia

To be clear, we won't always agree with all of Obama's positions. And MoveOn members said overwhelmingly that, regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination, we'll work hard to win the White House in 2008. Whatever happens in the primary, we'll push the Democratic nominee to campaign progressively and then we'll push them to fulfill their promises after they win.

The building of a progressive consensus around Senator Obama is tangible. Earlier this week, John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline Kennedy said Obama is the first presidential candidate to be as inspirational as her father.2 Yesterday, progressive magazine The Nation said that electing Obama is "a chance we can't pass up."3 And then DailyKos.com, the most widely read progressive blog, announced Obama won 76% in a reader poll this week.4

It's time to get to work electing a president who is inspiring a nation and is talking about big, progressive change. Click here to volunteer in these next crucial days:

http://pol.moveon.org/volunteerforobama/?id=12015-8429903-L.Zt9K&t=536

This is just the beginning of a long road to victory in November. Thanks for all you do, and will do to change our country for the better in 2008.

–Eli, Wes, Joan, Justin, Adam G., Adam R., Ilyse, Karin, Nita, Noah, Marika, Laura, Peter, Anna, Matt, Daniel, Carrie, Tanya, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Friday, February 1st, 2008

P.S. As we were about to click "send" we received the following response from Senator Obama. We wanted to share it with you: "In just a few years, the members of MoveOn have once again demonstrated that real change comes not from the top-down, but from the bottom-up. From their principled opposition to the Iraq war—a war I also opposed from the start—to their strong support for a number of progressive causes, MoveOn shows what Americans can achieve when we come together in a grassroots movement for change. I thank them for their support and look forward to working with their members in the weeks and months ahead."

MoveOn.Org To Endorse Barack Obama

MoveOn.org, the premier liberal website and political action committee, has officially endorsed Democratic candidate Barack Obama for president.

In an innovative way to determine who to support, the website sent out ballots to more than three million of its members. Whichever candidate received the majority of votes would be the individual the website endorses.

According to the website,''MoveOn is already working hard to build the biggest, most sophisticated progressive-voter turnout effort ever. Starting early is the key to winning—but it means we need resources right now.''

Unquestionably, their overpowering voice will be heard on television and the internet as the race to the White House heats up.

Additionally, the California Service Employees, that boasts a membership of over 600,000, has officially endorsed Obama as well.

The Well-Established Fundraiser- Barack Obama

The momentum and fervor continues to escalate for Barack Obama's Presidential bid as he raised an awe-inspiring $32 million in the 31 days of January.

Propelled by a monumental victory in the Iowa caucus and rapid success in primary states such as South Carolina and New Hampshire, the Democratic hopeful added 177,000new donors during the first month of 2008.

Obama's strong financial position will enable him to increase ads in many Super Tuesday states and ensure he has the much needed monetary support as the race for the White House heats up.

Paul Volcker, Former Fed Chairman, Endorses Obama

This is an amazing development given the respect former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker still commands in financial markets. Here's part of the rest of the story...

Jan. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama won the endorsement of former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

``It is only Barack Obama, in his person, in his ideas, in his ability to understand and to articulate both our needs and our hopes that provide the potential for strong and fresh leadership,'' Volcker said in an e-mailed statement today.

Obama, 46, an Illinois senator, is locked in a tight race with New York Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. The two will meet head-to-head in more than 20 state primaries and caucuses on Feb. 5 after yesterday's withdrawal of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards from the race. More...

Barack Obama And Hillary Clinton Have Peaceful, Historic Debate

I'm in Phoenix for Super Bowl XLII, but that did not stop me from paying attention to this historic debate. I'll give more detail later, but it was a great American moment to see both of them on stage together. In my view, Obama looks read to be President of The United States and the campaign has $32 million from January alone to help him get there, an amazing earnings statistic.

NFL Draft Bible Football Friday Podcast

The NFL Draft Bible's Football Friday Podcast crew Welcome in Zennie Abraham and Mike Ingram Live from Arizona with our Superbowl XLII(42) Preview Show. We will get you up to speed on all the Football news this week plus other special guests. Besides podcasting LIVE on Blog Talk Radio, the show is now available on iTunes as well.
We air Live at 6:30 EST every Friday...

Bill Clinton Sells Out American Human Rights Interests For A Buck - Big Scandal In NYT

Bill Clinton Sells Out American Human Rights Interest For A Buck - Big Scandal In NYT

It seems that in 2007 former President Bill Clinton was so interested in scoring a big donation for The Clinton Foundation that he overlooked human right violations in the home country of the donor, Kazakhstan, just to score $31 million. What's the take away? Simple. It seems former President Clinton use the White House and the taxpayer to forge deals that run counter to American human rights interests; this is the most recent example and he may do it again. And does a person who falls asleep during a Martin Luther King day speech by none other than MLK III really care about human rights, anyway? Read the whole New York Times story below:

An Ex-President, a Mining Deal and a Big Donor

By JO BECKER and DON VAN NATTA Jr. - New York Times

Late on Sept. 6, 2005, a private plane carrying the Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra touched down in Almaty, a ruggedly picturesque city in southeast Kazakhstan. Several hundred miles to the west a fortune awaited: highly coveted deposits of uranium that could fuel nuclear reactors around the world. And Mr. Giustra was in hot pursuit of an exclusive deal to tap them.

Unlike more established competitors, Mr. Giustra was a newcomer to uranium mining in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. But what his fledgling company lacked in experience, it made up for in connections. Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.

Upon landing on the first stop of a three-country philanthropic tour, the two men were whisked off to share a sumptuous midnight banquet with Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, whose 19-year stranglehold on the country has all but quashed political dissent.

Mr. Nazarbayev walked away from the table with a propaganda coup, after Mr. Clinton expressed enthusiastic support for the Kazakh leader’s bid to head an international organization that monitors elections and supports democracy. Mr. Clinton’s public declaration undercut both American foreign policy and sharp criticism of Kazakhstan’s poor human rights record by, among others, Mr. Clinton’s wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

Within two days, corporate records show that Mr. Giustra also came up a winner when his company signed preliminary agreements giving it the right to buy into three uranium projects controlled by Kazakhstan’s state-owned uranium agency, Kazatomprom.

The monster deal stunned the mining industry, turning an unknown shell company into one of the world’s largest uranium producers in a transaction ultimately worth tens of millions of dollars to Mr. Giustra, analysts said.

Just months after the Kazakh pact was finalized, Mr. Clinton’s charitable foundation received its own windfall: a $31.3 million donation from Mr. Giustra that had remained a secret until he acknowledged it last month. The gift, combined with Mr. Giustra’s more recent and public pledge to give the William J. Clinton Foundation an additional $100 million, secured Mr. Giustra a place in Mr. Clinton’s inner circle, an exclusive club of wealthy entrepreneurs in which friendship with the former president has its privileges.

Mr. Giustra was invited to accompany the former president to Almaty just as the financier was trying to seal a deal he had been negotiating for months.

In separate written responses, both men said Mr. Giustra traveled with Mr. Clinton to Kazakhstan, India and China to see first-hand the philanthropic work done by his foundation.

A spokesman for Mr. Clinton said the former president knew that Mr. Giustra had mining interests in Kazakhstan but was unaware of “any particular efforts” and did nothing to help. Mr. Giustra said he was there as an “observer only” and there was “no discussion” of the deal with Mr. Nazarbayev or Mr. Clinton.

But Moukhtar Dzhakishev, president of Kazatomprom, said in an interview that Mr. Giustra did discuss it, directly with the Kazakh president, and that his friendship with Mr. Clinton “of course made an impression.” Mr. Dzhakishev added that Kazatomprom chose to form a partnership with Mr. Giustra’s company based solely on the merits of its offer.

After The Times told Mr. Giustra that others said he had discussed the deal with Mr. Nazarbayev, Mr. Giustra responded that he “may well have mentioned my general interest in the Kazakhstan mining business to him, but I did not discuss the ongoing” efforts.

As Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign has intensified, Mr. Clinton has begun severing financial ties with Ronald W. Burkle, the supermarket magnate, and Vinod Gupta, the chairman of InfoUSA, to avoid any conflicts of interest. Those two men have harnessed the former president’s clout to expand their businesses while making the Clintons rich through partnership and consulting arrangements.

Mr. Clinton has vowed to continue raising money for his foundation if Mrs. Clinton is elected president, maintaining his connections with a wide network of philanthropic partners.

Mr. Giustra said that while his friendship with the former president “may have elevated my profile in the news media, it has not directly affected any of my business transactions.”

Mining colleagues and analysts agree it has not hurt. Neil MacDonald, the chief executive of a Canadian merchant bank that specializes in mining deals, said Mr. Giustra’s financial success was partly due to a “fantastic network” crowned by Mr. Clinton. “That’s a very solid relationship for him,” Mr. MacDonald said. “I’m sure it’s very much a two-way relationship because that’s the way Frank operates.”

Foreseeing Opportunities

Mr. Giustra made his fortune in mining ventures as a broker on the Vancouver Stock Exchange, raising billions of dollars and developing a loyal following of investors. Just as the mining sector collapsed, Mr. Giustra, a lifelong film buff, founded the Lion’s Gate Entertainment Corporation in 1997. But he sold the studio in 2003 and returned to mining.

Mr. Giustra foresaw a bull market in gold and began investing in mines in Argentina, Australia and Mexico. He turned a $20 million shell company into a powerhouse that, after a $2.4 billion merger with Goldcorp Inc., became Canada’s second-largest gold company.

With a net worth estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Mr. Giustra began looking for ways to put his wealth to good use. Meeting Mr. Clinton, and learning about the work his foundation was doing on issues like AIDS treatment in poor countries, “changed my life,” Mr. Giustra told The Vancouver Sun.

The two men were introduced in June 2005 at a fund-raiser for tsunami victims at Mr. Giustra’s Vancouver home and hit it off right away. They share a love of history, geopolitics and music — Mr. Giustra plays the trumpet to Mr. Clinton’s saxophone. Soon the dapper Canadian was a regular at Mr. Clinton’s side, as they flew around the world aboard Mr. Giustra’s plane.

Philanthropy may have become his passion, but Mr. Giustra, now 50, was still hunting for ways to make money.

Exploding demand for energy had helped revitalize the nuclear power industry, and uranium, the raw material for reactor fuel, was about to become a hot commodity. In late 2004, Mr. Giustra began talking to investors, and put together a company that would eventually be called UrAsia Energy Ltd.

Kazakhstan, which has about one-fifth of the world’s uranium reserves, was the place to be. But with plenty of suitors, Kazatomprom could be picky about its partners.

“Everyone was asking Kazatomprom to the dance,” said Fadi Shadid, a senior stock analyst covering the uranium industry for Friedman Billings Ramsey, an investment bank. “A second-tier junior player like UrAsia — you’d need all the help you could get.”

The Cameco Corporation, the world’s largest uranium producer, was already a partner of Kazatomprom. But when Cameco expressed interest in the properties Mr. Giustra was already eying, the government’s response was lukewarm. “The signals we were getting was, you’ve got your hands full,” said Gerald W. Grandey, Cameco president.

For Cameco, it took five years to “build the right connections” in Kazakhstan, Mr. Grandey said. UrAsia did not have that luxury. Profitability depended on striking before the price of uranium soared.

“Timing was everything,” said Sergey Kurzin, a Russian-born businessman whose London-based company was brought into the deal by UrAsia because of his connections in Kazakhstan. Even with those connections, Mr. Kurzin said, it took four months to arrange a meeting with Kazatomprom.

In August 2005, records show, the company sent an engineering consultant to Kazakhstan to assess the uranium properties. Less than four weeks later, Mr. Giustra arrived with Mr. Clinton.

Mr. Dzhakishev, the Kazatomprom chief, said an aide to Mr. Nazarbayev informed him that Mr. Giustra talked with Mr. Nazarbayev about the deal during the visit. “And when our president asked Giustra, ‘What do you do?’ he said, ‘I’m trying to do business with Kazatomprom,’ ” Mr. Dzhakishev said. He added that Mr. Nazarbayev replied, “Very good, go to it.”

Mr. Clinton’s Kazakhstan visit, the only one of his post-presidency, appears to have been arranged hastily. The United States Embassy got last-minute notice that the president would be making “a private visit,” said a State Department official, who said he was not authorized to speak on the record.

The publicly stated reason for the visit was to announce a Clinton Foundation agreement that enabled the government to buy discounted AIDS drugs. But during a news conference, Mr. Clinton wandered into delicate territory by commending Mr. Nazarbayev for “opening up the social and political life of your country.”

In a statement Kazakhstan would highlight in news releases, Mr. Clinton declared that he hoped it would achieve a top objective: leading the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which would confer legitimacy on Mr. Nazarbayev’s government.

“I think it’s time for that to happen, it’s an important step, and I’m glad you’re willing to undertake it,” Mr. Clinton said.

A Speedy Process

Mr. Clinton’s praise was odd, given that the United States did not support Mr. Nazarbayev’s bid. (Late last year, Kazakhstan finally won the chance to lead the security organization for one year, despite concerns raised by the Bush administration.) Moreover, Mr. Clinton’s wife, who sits on a Congressional commission with oversight of such matters, had also voiced skepticism.

Eleven months before Mr. Clinton’s statement, Mrs. Clinton co-signed a commission letter to the State Department that sounded “alarm bells” about the prospect that Kazakhstan might head the group. The letter stated that Kazakhstan’s bid “would not be acceptable,” citing “serious corruption,” canceled elections and government control of the news media.

In a written statement to The Times, Mr. Clinton’s spokesman said the former president saw “no contradiction” between his statements in Kazakhstan and the position of Mrs. Clinton, who said through a spokeswoman, “Senator Clinton’s position on Kazakhstan remains unchanged.”

Noting that the former president also met with opposition leaders in Almaty, Mr. Clinton’s spokesman said he was only “seeking to suggest that a commitment to political openness and to fair elections would reflect well on Kazakhstan’s efforts to chair the O.S.C.E.”

But Robert Herman, who worked for the State Department in the Clinton administration and is now at Freedom House, a human rights group, said the former president’s statement amounted to an endorsement of Kazakhstan’s readiness to lead the group, a position he called “patently absurd.”

“He was either going off his brief or he was sadly mistaken,” Mr. Herman said. “There was nothing in the record to suggest that they really wanted to move forward on democratic reform.”

Indeed, in December 2005, Mr. Nazarbayev won another election, which the security organization itself said was marred by an “atmosphere of intimidation” and “ballot-box stuffing.”

After Mr. Nazarbayev won with 91 percent of the vote, Mr. Clinton sent his congratulations. “Recognizing that your work has received an excellent grade is one of the most important rewards in life,” Mr. Clinton wrote in a letter released by the Kazakh embassy. Last September, just weeks after Kazakhstan held an election that once again failed to meet international standards, Mr. Clinton honored Mr. Nazarbayev by inviting him to his annual philanthropic conference.

Within 48 hours of Mr. Clinton’s departure from Almaty on Sept. 7, Mr. Giustra got his deal. UrAsia signed two memorandums of understanding that paved the way for the company to become partners with Kazatomprom in three mines.

The cost to UrAsia was more than $450 million, money the company did not have in hand and had only weeks to come up with. The transaction was finalized in November, after UrAsia raised the money through the largest initial public offering in the history of Canada’s Venture Exchange.

Mr. Giustra challenged the notion that UrAsia needed to court Kazatomprom’s favor to seal the deal, contending that the government agency’s approval was not required.

But Mr. Dzhakishev, analysts and Mr. Kurzin, one of Mr. Giustra’s own investors, said that approval was necessary. Mr. Dzhakishev, who said that the deal was almost done when Mr. Clinton arrived, said that Kazatomprom was impressed with the sum Mr. Giustra was willing to pay and his record of attracting investors. He said Mr. Nazarbayev himself ultimately signed off on the transaction.

Longtime market watchers were confounded. Kazatomprom’s choice of UrAsia was a “mystery,” said Gene Clark, the chief executive of Trade Tech, a uranium industry newsletter.

“UrAsia was able to jump-start the whole process somehow,” Mr. Clark said. The company became a “major uranium producer when it didn’t even exist before.”

A Profitable Sale

Records show that Mr. Giustra donated the $31.3 million to the Clinton Foundation in the months that followed in 2006, but neither he nor a spokesman for Mr. Clinton would say exactly when.

In September 2006, Mr. Giustra co-produced a gala 60th birthday for Mr. Clinton that featured stars like Jon Bon Jovi and raised about $21 million for the Clinton Foundation.

In February 2007, a company called Uranium One agreed to pay $3.1 billion to acquire UrAsia. Mr. Giustra, a director and major shareholder in UrAsia, would be paid $7.05 per share for a company that just two years earlier was trading at 10 cents per share.

That same month, Mr. Dzhakishev, the Kazatomprom chief, said he traveled to Chappaqua, N.Y., to meet with Mr. Clinton at his home. Mr. Dzhakishev said Mr. Giustra arranged the three-hour meeting. Mr. Dzhakishev said he wanted to discuss Kazakhstan’s intention — not publicly known at the time — to buy a 10 percent stake in Westinghouse, a United States supplier of nuclear technology.

Nearly a year earlier, Mr. Clinton had advised Dubai on how to handle the political furor after one of that nation’s companies attempted to take over several American ports. Mrs. Clinton was among those on Capitol Hill who raised the national security concerns that helped kill the deal.

Mr. Dzhakishev said he was worried the proposed Westinghouse investment could face similar objections. Mr. Clinton told him that he would not lobby for him, but Mr. Dzhakishev came away pleased by the chance to promote his nation’s proposal to a former president.

Mr. Clinton “said this was very important for America,” said Mr. Dzhakishev, who added that Mr. Giustra was present at Mr. Clinton’s home.

Both Mr. Clinton and Mr. Giustra at first denied that any such meeting occurred. Mr. Giustra also denied ever arranging for Kazakh officials to meet with Mr. Clinton. Wednesday, after The Times told them that others said a meeting, in Mr. Clinton’s home, had in fact taken place, both men acknowledged it.

“You are correct that I asked the president to meet with the head of Kazatomprom,” Mr. Giustra said. “Mr. Dzhakishev asked me in February 2007 to set up a meeting with former President Clinton to discuss the future of the nuclear energy industry.” Mr. Giustra said the meeting “escaped my memory until you raised it.”

Wednesday, Mr. Clinton’s spokesman, Ben Yarrow, issued what he called a “correction,” saying: “Today, Mr. Giustra told our office that in February 2007, he brought Mr. Dzhakishev from Kazatomprom to meet with President Clinton to discuss the future of nuclear energy.”

Mr. Yarrow said his earlier denial was based on the former president’s records, which he said “show a Feb. 27 meeting with Mr. Giustra; no other attendees are listed.”

Mr. Dzhakishev said he had a vivid memory of his Chappaqua visit, and a souvenir to prove it: a photograph of himself with the former president.

“I hung up the photograph of us and people ask me if I met with Clinton and I say, Yes, I met with Clinton,” he said, smiling proudly.

David L. Stern and Margot Williams contributed reporting.