Steve

I went back 2 pages to see if someone commented on it and didn't see it. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" I liked it. I liked the premise of how Caesar got his intelligence. the remake of the Planet of the Apes stunk. I was disappointed. The orginal was basically an allegory for the civil rights movment. At least that's what the professor in my film class said. lol.

There is a LOT of hurting out there. Some are finding jobs but the employers know they have the upper hand and are asking things. Technically illegal things some of it and employees have to do it because there are tons of people lining up for those jobs. 'Mandatory' OT hours, weekend hours, unpaid hours. Projects that require doing work at home unpaid. A position not filled and other employees have to do that persons job. Employers have the upper hand and know it. Employees know it. Benefits cut and no one complains as they would before. There is that new vacation, flex thingy that employers are doing which basically cheats you out of vacation. The American employee will regress back a 100 years. And there are some who were conservative. Who see the CEO and senior management making big bucks but saying because of the economy there can't be bonuses or cost of living pay increases, etc. and they are not as happy about the proposed cut in taxes for the wealthy and the Republican mantra they've repeated. I've seen more friends 'converted' to either Dems or centrists or whatever who were former Republicans than I have ever seen in my whole life. As I said in a previous post. Banks, airlines and a host of other companies and industries can't say they were regulated and taxed into bankruptcy. They did it all on their own and they were nickel and diming us as they did it and got bailed out. I saw the Republican debate and Newt surprised me. Not sure if he's sincere but I got the impression here's a guy who was part of the problem and has gotten fed up with it all and wants to do some real work. I already know Ron Paul will. Santorum strikes me in a similar way to some extent. A friend thinks Huntsman is the real deal. Huntsmann speaks fluent mandarin and that's a plus. Still, I've been fooled by Republicans lately so I'm inclined to write off the whole bunch...save Paul.

Am I disappointed in Obama? Yes. Has he been terrible? No. My guess is the economy would have been just as bad for worse if McCain/Palin had won. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would not have been reduced by as much as it has and possible increased and that would have put a lot of pressure on an already fragile economy. I have lost total faith in the Republican party and lost a lot of faith in the Democratic party which sums up my view of both parties. I am also soooo over the conquer and divide tactics of the Republican party. Some Dems do it too. But it seems all the major Republicans seem to pit some Americans against another. Some of us are either not American enough, not patriotic enough, too lazy, etc. I don't get the impression they want to be President for ALL Americans only some. Now, some Dems want to coddle all Americans and some have a hard on against corporations, etc. but by and large not for their fellow citizens. The social conservatism stuff scares the living daylights out of me. Again, I'm a Christian. A saved one. I still go to church when I can. I don't like religion in my politics. A few issues aren't based on anything but religion. Gay marriage when you cut out everything is really a religious issue. Don't get me wrong, I'm uncomfortable with it but its from a cultural/religious base that my discomfort comes from. I try to be honest about my issues. Just so much BS nowadays. When a conservative can't get a job, its the government's fault for not creating jobs. When the poor can't, they're lazy. I have tons of conservative friends who can't find gainful employment and are on long term unemployment checks. What is the difference between being on unemployment for over a year and being on welfare over a year? Don't get me wrong, I have serious problems with social welfare, always have. But corporate welfare is accepted and social isn't and its hypocritical. Oh, see you all got me started. I need to stay off here while I'm holidaying here in LOS. I have to go book my flight to Chiang Mai to see a friend. Say good bye to Pattaya for a day or so and maybe stop by BKK for a day or so on the way back. Stop watching the debates and reading this stuff while I'm here. Arghhhh!

HH ole buddy. Sorry, but I have NO faith in the Republican party. I do not think if they controlled the Congress by a fillibuster proof majority and the white house and had 2 consecutive 2 term presidents that the country would be better off. Not saying the Dems would have the problems solved as well but frankly, the Republicans scare me more. I never thought I'd say that. For the most part, I've supported Republicans over Dems for the presidency (when I wasnt supporting some 3rd party candidate as a protest). Its also exasperated by the social conservatives. They scare the living hell out of me. This is coming from a Christian. Whoremongering one but technically a saved Christian. The chritianity I was taught and read in the bible is vastly different than the ones the religious right do. I've often spoken of my parents being very loving, inviting folks, and all of us kids would invite one and all, all faiths or even no faith to xmas or thanksgiving because we knew that they'd get a loving reception. Its the reason why I can befriend anyone that doesn't look like me, think like me or bang the same gender as me. However, these guys though are a hate filled bunch. A judgmental one. Its divisive and they control the party or at least have a strong say in it. As far as ideology, I can't accept that they are arguing ideology because BOTH parties are owned by special interest. I can't see how the Republicans pure unless the ones that are contributing (big oil, defense, etc.) share the same ideology. Doubt it. The Dems aren't much better but they scare me less. The fringe of both parties scare the hell out of me, but the Republicans scare me the most. Too many sat idly by as Dubya led as a theocracy for 8 years. 911 got us a lot of sympathy. We weren't liked before (not entirely our own fault) but the world felt badly for us after. We had a great opportunity to change our rep and we made it worse!! I totally agree with cutting waste and its my main beef with the Dems. To answer your question of who is gonna create jobs. Its not always the rich, Bill Gates wasn't rich when he began, neither were most of the enrepreneurs who created new ways of doing things, new ideas, etc. Its been that way in our whole history. We have a country where we've always fostered thinking out of the box, new ides, etc. While I agree about trade agreements hurting some companies it doesn't explain it all. We had bad trade agreements in the '90s during a great ecoomic cycle. The auto companies didn't help themselves going back to the '70s. Sure, Japan did some dirty pool but the car makers were lazy and took us all for granted. The banks had all the freedom in the world. The airlines as well. Bad trade agreements didn't get us into this mess. It didn't help but we could have been doing well despite them. If you have a good idea and go about it right, you can make a lot of money. Its always been that way. I'm not buying the tax angle. The tax code has been easily overcome by the big boys. Many of these corporations pay way less than the stated rate. They have the money to hire the best tax attorneys to skirt the laws and half of the new laws they have lobbyists who write it or write in loopholes. I see NO WAY out of this mess. Its endemic and pervasive throughout the whole structure. I want enough to slink off to somewhere, rural and quiet away from it all one day to live out my days when it all goes to hell. Be it Issan, some quiet central or south ameerican village. Somewhere nice and quiet. Damn, I sound like a downer of a guy. You know I'm not, you've met me, but the rest have got to be thinking I'm sour puss faced, negative guy. lol.

I've went from a conservative, socially moderate-ish Libertarian to a practically out and out Liberal. I do have some Libertarian ideals still. Why? I saw a Republican on TV saying the way out of this mess is to cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy. I used to buy that. I used to buy the 'they create the jobs' thing. Haven't thought that in a while. The corporations that were failing, the banks, airlines, etc. weren't failing from onerous regs and high taxes. Yes, there are some bad regulations, especially in certain industries. No, they failed because they f*ked up. Pure and simple. These same corporations were nickel and diming the common man. Airlines charging for using what they built anyway. Cargo space on planes. Banks raking in tons of fees for anything they could think of. A lot of these companies moved production overseas and jobs overseas. They made money and got greedy. Normal economic cycles where you had to have a downturn after a climb. Econ 101. We all learned that economies are not linear. They go up and down while trending up. Every freshman can tell you that. However, they use those downturns to say they are over regulated out of profits. Ford and others making SUVs and thinking short term and then when gas prices go against them its some how the fault of too much regulations and high taxes. Pure and utter bullsh*t. Bankruptcy laws changed to make it harder for the common man to declare bankruptcies but corporations can do it willy nilly and get empathy when they have to but for you and I, a social stigma? WTF? How does Paris Hilton create jobs? She's worth tens of millions. She's gonna hire an extra publicist if we cut her taxes? The reason for the hatred of Obama is because he's not their man. Simple as that. The reasons we were given on why he would not be a good president didn't come to fruition. He was too young and inexperienced. He's a flaming liberal. He hasn't done some things well but it has NOTHING to do with him being over awed by the job or too far left. He's establishment now. Got that way during the election when he could buy and sell McCain's campaign war chest. He's centrist. He's smart as hell too. Gotta give him his due. He went down the wrong road with health care and didn't go far enough left on a few issues. The left is upset with him because he's a centrist. To be fair, the same goes for Bush. The reasons we were warned about wasn't what happenened. He wasn't too dumb. He was just too religious for one and starting equating his faith with what is best for all of us and putting his faith above the constitution. Hypocritically the same constitution he swore on a bible to uphold. Nah, his problem was he was far in the pocket of big oil and the defense industry. NOTHING will get done because the parties aren't arguing ideology. They're arguing for the special interest. The passion and harsh rhetoric is about keeping the money going. Some of them have lied to themself so much they actually believe the bullsh*t.

When phone books were prevalent, phone companies charged you to include your name address and phone number in it. Then people started worryng about their privacy and didn't list their names. Then the phone companies charged you for NOT putting your name in the phone book. They basically threatened to list your name and you had to pay them not to do it. Some banks were charging a fee if you came into the branches too many times and didn't use the internet banking or ATMs for your banking business. Some have said the world will be 'corpocracy'. The largest corporations will indirectly run everything. I am starting to believe it. They already own the government. They really do. Eventually we might see 'contractors' do the fighting in wars with corporations hiring and training their own military and the government selling it as more cost effective than housing, training, feeding and paying soldiers themselves.

Baseball manager Ozzie Guillen on Sean Penn and a couple other hot button topics. Interesting and even funny. http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/news/Graham_Bensinger_InDepth/26116817#news/Graham_Bensinger_InDepth/26116817

Shoulda put this in sports but... Amazing this kid is 14 and 6'10". I had a friend in my neighborhood who was about 6'4 in middle school and he topped out at 7' after HS. One of those sad stories of a guy who never developed his talent. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1246973 It's pretty hard not to notice Stephen Zimmerman in any setting. He's 6-foot-10, wears a size 19 shoe and towers above everyone in any room he enters. But here's the most astounding part of Zimmerman's story: He's only 14 years old and just finished the eighth grade. Zimmerman had already reached the 4-foot mark by the time he turned 4. At 11, he became a 6-footer and was dunking a basketball two years later. Now at 14, he's 6-10 and - get this - supposedly not done growing yet (doctors predict he'll stop between 7-1 and 7-2). So, no, Zimmerman certainly won't be a typical freshman walking the halls this fall at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. But Bishop Gorman isn't the typical high school, either. Gorman could be the top-ranked basketball team in the nation with four elite D-I prospects, including the No. 1 player in the 2012 class, Shabazz Muhammad. And the newest addition to this roster of stars already is emerging as one of the most intriguing. UNLV, UCLA, Kansas and national champion Connecticut already offered scholarships, Zimmerman says, and the NBA is certainly not out of the question The amazing thing is....no, that he's a good white player...haha...sorry, I had to, it was too inviting but this part of the article. was this: he is also attempting to buck a trend that has been increasing in recent years. The United States doesn't generate big guys as much these days. The proof was in this past draft as five of the top seven players selected were 6-9 or taller, yet none of them hailed from this country. Those picks were Enes Kanter (Turkey), Tristan Thompson (Canada), Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), Jan Vesely (Czech Republic) and Bismack Biyombo (Congo). When the hell did we stop growing tall basketball players? Have you seen the size of the average teenager nowadays? I'm talking the girls!

To be fair to the right. They do believe in high sppeed internet and high speed rail lines and infrastructure and such. I think the main difference is how they want it done, which is primarly by the free market. I think there is room for the free market with respect to bidding and innovation but not to be relied on to initiate and do the projects. The fact is that a lot of government projects are badly run and its not usual for them to have massive over expenditures above the predicted cost. The problem is the money grab when these projects are done by the government. We need infrastructure and I do agree its best from a planned, government way for the most part. It must be done right. Too many no bid contracts (as in the case of the Iraq war) and union interference for some things such as who can do what, etc.

Re-addressing the infrastructure part. Maybe the pols don't think its a 'sexy' enough sell to the American people. It can be told and sold to the American voter as us re-investing in ourselves. The jobs, materials, benfit would be all ours. The thing is its necessary. Its not even a choice anymore. I recall some talk radio show topic once where this guy was saying how many thousands...yes thousands of tunnels, bridges, dams, rail lines, etc. wouldn't and didn't pass inspection but are still being used because there is no choice. I know for a fact my own hometown Philly has some subway lines over some overpasses, bridges, etc that are a matter of when not if before something happens. The local papers were doing exposes on it when I was a kid so I'm actually amazed there hasn't been a tragedy by now (I pray to God it doesn't happen). The hundreds of thousands if not millions of blue collar jobs these projects would create. Jobs that would go on for months and years. Not only the repair jobs but the highway, high speed rail lines, subways, etc, that needs to be built. Plenty of middle class jobs. Engineers, etc. Low and no skilled jobs. Someone is needed to wave those orange flags to tell drivers not to drive here or there. Clean up, someone has to pick up debris. Its such a friggin' no brainer.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Legendary-NFL-defender-Bubba-Smith-passes-away-a?urn=nfl-wp4511 Legendary NFL defender Bubba Smith passes away at age 66 Former NFL defensive end and longtime television and movie actor Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Wednesday. Coroner's reports have not yet been released, but according to the Los Angeles Times, it is believed that Smith died of natural causes. Smith attended Michigan State, where he was one of the most dominant collegiate defensive linemen of all time. He won All-America honors in 1965 and 1966, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Selected first overall in the 1967 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, Smith soon became, along with Deacon Jones, one of the first truly modern-style pass-rushers and sack artists. He played long before sacks were first tabulated as an official NFL statistic in 1982, but he was known from the start of his professional career to be nearly impossible to block. He played for three teams — the Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers, appeared in two Pro Bowls and was named First-Team All-Pro in 1971. Smith played in two Super Bowls — Super Bowl III, which the Colts lost to the New York Jets in an enormous upset, and Super Bowl V, which the Colts won with a last-second field goal against the Dallas Cowboys. Smith retired after the 1976 season, having played in 111 regular-season games. After his football career ended, Smith became perhaps even more well-known as an actor. He struck gold in the "Police Academy" series of movies, playing the hyper-strong Moses Hightower and providing a series of riotous slapstick scenes.

Very astute prediction kamui. I'd suggest its already started down that road. Spening on infrastructure seems a no brainer for me. I think in education there should be a social shift in thinking to trade and tech schools that teach plumbing, electrician related jobs, carpentry, car repair, computer programming, etc. We've made a college degree easier to get and there's now a glut. There are many people nowadays who didn't learn a trade because society said get a college degree. A BS is like a HS diploma now. One of my brothers didn't go to college, joined the Navy, learned a trade, got fairly high clearance and makes as much as any upper middle class person. If we invested in infrastructure historically blue collar jobs would be needed. What is more valuable. One more sociology, history or english major or a trained electrician? As far as health care, I've long said, we need to break the stranglehold the AMA, HMOs, big Pharma, etc. have on the Congress before anything meaningful can happen. I have become a liberal of sorts. Its painful to admit it. However, I find myself taking more and more liberal positions. My far right brother thinks so. We not only shared the same room for 17 years but a similar ideology although I was more Libertarian (which as the joke says is a Republican that wants to smoke pot). A century ago liberals were called progressives. I do agree with HH in that liberals have caused some messes. However, many advances in our society has been due to progressives. Whether its a woman's right to vote, killing Jim Crow laws, allowing gays a life, ending slavery, have all been from the progressives of the day. It can and does go too far. Quotas when affirmtive action started out, attempts to end our right to bear arms, etc. However, progress as a society has been via progressives and its the conservatives of that day that fought against it.

Clinton did not engineer nor was he responsible for the '90s economy fueled by the tech boom. He did the smart thing though and got the hell out of the way. Reagan's famous tax cut didn't fuel the '80s either. Then fed chief Volcker was responsible for setting the chain of events that led to the boom. I think Bill would do a decent job now actually. He's smart as a whip intellectually and would care less about the powers that be. He's already paid.

To be fair to Dubya, there were signals that the tech boom was over by the time Clinton was leaving. 911 didn't help either. The economy would have slowed down no matter what, even if Clinton got a 3rd term. That said, the Republicans worsened it. I don't think the Dems would have squandered it as well but not as much. For sure, there wouldn't be two wars fought. As for Begala or Fox News, if its facts its facts. If Hitler said 1+1=2, just because he's Hitler doesn't make that fact wrong. When I say faacts I mean irrefutable. Often times when these pundits sprout things its either without its full context or their own side have done the same. There is no balance. If Bagala's information is irrefutable then it doesn't matter which party he supports. Rove on Fox News would spout some of the most biased info that was hypocritical in its full context. The daily show would highlight them. No one calls him on it though. It amazes me that the media uses people with a clear bias for expert opiion and we collectively go along with it. There are plenty of people in academia who are objective and have made a great effort to remove themselves from the political process of having to choose a party publicly. The top brass of te military had a tradition of keeping their political affiliations personal although they are mostly thought to be Republican in terms of voting record. They saw it as their duty to be as netural as possible publicly so they could serve any president.

Hey HH, I thought you'd be happy to hear him criticize Obama. I'd have to guess that he was an Obama supporter. Criticizing someone you voted for (if he did) is, for me at least, a truer barometer of a President's shortcomings. Its tough to remove bias from objectivity if you didn't vote for a guy. Again, my main criticism of him isn't that the things Republicans warned us about his shortcomings came to fruition (inexperience, not the intellectual he seems to be, far left liberal), but that he seems to have become part of the establishment. He was definitely an outsider when he started his campaign. The signs happened after he won Iowa and a couple other primaries. The political winds changed and he was starting to get money from the monied elite power brokers (Wall Street, etc.) and essentially became their man. I think he's governe with that in mind. I'm disappointed in that. I don't think any of the warnings about his shortcomings have happened at all.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mom-convicted-son-jaywalking-death-never-end-151356884.html Mom convicted in son’s jaywalking death: ‘This will never end for me’ A Marietta, Ga., mom who was convicted of jaywalking after her 4-year-old son was run over and killed in a hit-and-run said on the Today Show that the worst part of going to jail would be the separation from her two remaining kids. Raquel Nelson was convicted of homicide by vehicle and reckless conduct by a jury and faces sentencing tomorrow. She can receive up to a three-year jail sentence, six times the stretch that Jerry Guy--who admitted to drinking before running over Nelson's son, A.J.--served. "I think to come after me so much harder than they did him is a slap in the face because this will never end for me," she said. "It's three years away from the two that I have left." Nelson also said that the jury had "never been in my shoes," because each of them answered that they had never taken public transportation before. Nelson, who doesn't have a car, was three-tenths of a mile away from the nearest crosswalk when her bus dropped her off at the stop across the street from her apartment with her three children. She decided to cross with her kids rather than remain outside any later at night, she said. (You can read more about her case here.) "We are just hoping as a family that [the judge] is compassionate and lets my niece remain with her other children," Nelson's aunt Loretta Williams said. Nearly 75,000 have signed an online petition in support of Nelson. You know, my first reaction was 'Bad mom, go to jail you stupid bitch'. But after some thought, I don't want her to go jail. If she was constantly abusing her kids like we often read, then yea, but this was just a bad judgment and it ended up bad. I'm not a parent. But I've seen some of the best parents take risks. Some small, some not so small. If you have raised kids you know that anything can happen no matter how careful you are and sometimes you do cut corners. I feel her kids are better off with her than foster care somewhere. For her 'crime', let her off with probation. She seems an otherwise good mom. She's got to be in a lot of guilt over the death. She has to live with than and that's punishment enough. Am I getting soft in my old age?

Okay, found the 'add reply' button, needed to figure this new format out. ;-) http://finance.yahoo.com/news/A-Mr-Nader-Is-Calling-and-He-nytimes-3446500735.html A Mr. Nader Is Calling, and He Wants a Refund In March, Mr. Nader was scheduled to give a press conference and speech in Knoxville, Tenn. He’d bought two round-trip tickets — one for him, one for an associate — from Washington, on US Airways, for $1,380 apiece. On the day of the event, the forecasts were for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, and Mr. Nader decided that it was possible his flight would be canceled. So he opted to jump in his car and drive. He made his engagements in time and incurred two $150 cancellation fees from US Airways. But he didn’t get the rest of his money back. Instead, the airline offered credits that could not be transferred and had to be used within a year. Otherwise, they would be forfeited. Suffice it to say, this did not please Mr. Nader. “Could any dictatorship be more efficient?†he asked the Haggler. “The airlines have been pursuing this forfeiture thing for a decade now. It’s like printing money.†I posted this article more about Nader himself. I never used to like him. Thouhgt he was too anti business and anti capitalism and feared if he was ever elected no companies could make money. I've gone through a metamorphasis over the years. I used to be a Gordon Gecko 'Greed is Good' type and now I've become totally distrustful of Corporate America. I want them to make money and hire people, etc. I dont want to see an environment where a business can't prosper, innovate. That still remains. However, I do think that companies are fcking us at every chance they get. I think there is a disconnect with the consumer and there is no respect for the average customer. I think the CEOs are like the President and politicians in that they are so far removed from the average person and don't live lives anything similar to us that we are viewed as sheep to them. I really do. Maybe I'm wrong. But its how I feel. What really pisses me off is for years companies have been nickel and diming us to death and we bailed them out so that they can keep doing the same thing. Banking fees are enormous. My brother works for a bank and I knew a banking analyst at a financial firm I worked for. Analyzing the industry he said made him loathe banks. ATM fees are a big one. ATM fees he told me years ago were way out of whack. The banks lied and said it was needed for maintenence, etc. Complete BS in terms of the amount charged. Credit unions had free atm use between each other. I was part of one. I could go to a different credit union and either get money freely or it was a pittance. Banks have been trying to drive credit unions out business for years. The sad thing is credit unions are a tiny part of banking. Banks own the market but want a total monopoly. Anyway, the fees for overdraft, etc. is way, way more than the cost. Airlines are just as bad. They charge for this and that and then want a bailout and go back to doing the same thing. Nowadays charging for checked in luggage amongst other things. Frequent flier programs have been reduced where they now take away your hard earned miles if you don't use it in time. Some supermarkets make you pay extra for bags. Cell phone companies charge little fees for all kinds of crap. You ever see your bill. The tax and fees are highway robbery. The FCC has charges for stuff that are outdated and outmoded still. Toll roads on the east coast were once for paying for the highways. They've been tolls for since the country was founded, these highways have been paid for many times over on the turnpikes on the east coast. Everyone is in your pocket. Public parks, state and national parks charging for stuff that were once free. There is not much the average american family can do any more without spending an arm and leg or being 'fee'd' to death. You fly anywhere, the checked in luggage fees for you and your 2 kids are like the cost of another ticket. A day out at Disneyland is outrageous. Sorry, I got off track. What do you all think about Nader? I like him now. Completely different from Paul but in those two you get two people who aren't bought and paid for by the big money.

Not sure how to just post a new topic, it quotes the previous? Anyhoo, i'll just delete it. http://autos.yahoo.com/news/range-anxiety-reducer--aaa-unveils-mobile-ev-charging-trucks-.html Range Anxiety Reducer: AAA Unveils Mobile EV Charging Trucks As most of you know I'd like to move away or greatly reduce our need for oil and away from an oil based economy and certainly an oil based transportation society for a couple reasons. First, it would marginalize the middle east. I think if remove the need for oil we would eliminate a need to be involved politically and militarily in the region. Also, I admit I'd love see the Saudis and the rest f'ked in terms of money. hehehe... Also, although I'm not a green guy per se, it would be good for the environment. For something like electric cars, if we move that way, and to remove the fear of not being able to recharge, I would allow businesses like gas stations, hotels, etc. to amorize the cost of installing one at their business. I would also have certain government places be a recharging zone be it libraries, city, state or fed offices in their parking lots, public parking structures. Certainly have rest stops along highways install them. Have recharging kiosks on the GPS systems so we all know where they are. Identify areas without them and the state and federal governments work on ways to provide areas without them recharging kiosks. Make it a goal to have a refueling kiosk every 20 or 25 miles or whatever is deemed needed. New jobs will spring from this as well.

The answer doesn't make sense. I just wish Mr. and Mrs. voter would be interested.

Wow, these many pages of Scottish stuff. Here's one more... http://www.newsamericasnow.com/jamaican-goes-from-%e2%80%9ci-do%e2%80%9d-to-%e2%80%9ci-don%e2%80%99t%e2%80%9d-after-arriving-in-scotland/ Weds. July 20, 2011: A 24-year-old Jamaican woman went from “I Do†to “I Don’t†within minutes of getting into the home of her Scottish husband. Patrice Chambers, according to the Daily Mail, dumped Johnny Gannon, her 57-year-old charity worker husband, within 20 minutes of walking into his flat in Perth, Scotland. Gannon said he spent £5,000 to bring his new bride to Scotland and now is broken hearted. He claims as soon as his wife arrived in Perth, she sent him out to buy pot noodles but as he returned she grabbed her bags and told him she was leaving. She then s flagged down a car and caught a train and was gone. Gannon married Chambers in Jamaica earlier this year and said he believes his new wife fled to Bristol to meet a Jamaican boyfriend with whom she had organized the scheme. “I was looking forward to spending the rest of my life with Patrice but I think she had planned all along to do this,†he told the Daily Mirror. “My relationship with her wasn’t something I’d done by mail order. I’ve known her for two years and it seemed very much like the real thing to me. She has used me and I feel humiliated. I had a vision of happiness laid out. I feel like a bit of a fool.â€

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-press-statement-2200-gmt-220257502.html Obama slams Republicans for rejecting 'fair deal' US President Barack Obama confirmed Friday that tough budget negotiations with his Republican foes had collapsed and said he was willing to take sole responsibility for raising the debt ceiling. Obama slammed his Republican foes for walking away from an "extraordinarily fair" deal and called new talks with congressional leaders on Saturday at 11:00 am (1500 GMT), adding he was "confident" that the nation would not default on its debt. The president was speaking after Republican House Speaker John Boehner announced he was pulling out of talks with the White House on averting an early August debt default and would work with the Senate to reach a deal. "I have decided to end discussions with the White House and begin conversations with the leaders of the Senate in an effort to find a path forward," Boehner said in a letter to members of the House of Representatives. ....Boehner and Obama were at odds on a range of issues, but a key sticking point was the White House's push for increasing tax revenues from the rich and wealthy corporations, something Republicans fiercely opposed. I don't read much political stuff anymore because frankly its depressing. How much of this is political posturing? My Dem friends say that Obama is compromsing on cuts but the Republicans are not compromising on raising taxes primarily for the rich and corporations. Conservative friends are saying Obaama is using the bully pulpit and not playing fair. Who is right?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43848297/ns/us_news-life/?gt1=43001 The end of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. The cynic in me says that its no coincidence that its coming so close to the election. I recall reading an article where Gays as well as non Gays who were saying they were gay trying to get out of going to Iraq and the officer would sit there and say 'I'm gonna tear this up. No one has to know and you can still serve and you can be honorably discharged'. It was when they were desperate for people. Funny how a need overcomes people's prejudices? However, I think Obama is timing this to help his campaign. He's a politician (unfortunately I thought we were getting something else). He's not as bad as some claim but he's not done as well as I expected. Not because he's not capable. He's just become an insider. Interesting thing with him and Bush was that their detractors were saying if they were elected to expect such and such and neither panned out. For Dubya it was his intellect. It wasn't his lack of intellect that made him unpopular. It wasn't even making bad decisions based on not being smart enough. Obama was seen as inexperienced and that the job would overwhelm him. That hasn't been the case at all. If anything he's similar to JFK in that he has a very intelligent mind. Obama, to me, has governed centrist on things he shouldn't have and taken on battles at an inopportune time (National Health care) and spending unnecessary political captial on something the nation wasn't gonna sign on to at the time. He's too centrist on things he didn't have to be.

http://news.yahoo.com/plan-offers-hope-progress-debt-talks-010404623.html Gang of Six" provides hope for debt talks The ambitious new plan, unveiled by a group of senators known as the "Gang of Six," offers a ray of hope in an increasingly grim standoff that has threatened the United States' top-notch credit rating. Its not the story itself but I wanted to know who coined the phrase 'Gang of Six'? Its not helpful when members are being labeled with this and that. Just saying.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/24-Small-Towns-May-Lose-Air-nytimes-3674165086.html?x=0&.v= 24 Small Towns May Lose Air Service Rural America, already struggling to recover from the recession and the flight of its young people, is about to take another blow: the loss of its airline service. That was underscored last week when Delta Air Lines announced that it “can no longer afford†to continue service at 24 small airports. The carrier says it is losing a total of $14 million a year on flights from places like Thief River Falls, a city of 8,600 in northwest Minnesota that fills only 12 percent of the seats, or Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, where Delta’s two daily flights are on average less than half full. Nationally, all major airlines have been reducing and sometimes eliminating flights altogether in small cities, as the industry concentrates much of its service in 29 major hubs, which now account for 70 percent of all passenger traffic, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Delta’s announcement was especially acute because the airline operates in most of the small airports that receive a total of almost $200 million in federal subsidies to maintain air service under the Essential Air Service program. The subsidies are scheduled to expire in 2013 unless revived by Congress. Delta acquired many of those small-city markets in the Midwest when it merged with Northwest Airlines. Two things, first I think this is another reason we need high speed rail intra and interstate. Second, I'm hoping the 'free market' does its thing and someone moves into those markets. Maybe make an 'enterprise zone' of sorts for airlines who operate in those areas similar to the subsidies but instead of subsidies, allow the costs of operation to be partially written off.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/victim-wants-white-supremacist-attacker-spared-death-penalty-203223143.html The only survivor of white supremacist Mark Stroman's bloody rampage after Sept 11, 2001 is asking that his attacker be spared the death penalty Wednesday for his crimes. In the weeks after 9/11, Stroman raided Dallas-area gas stations in search of Muslims to kill. He shot and killed Hindu immigrant Vasudev Patel, thinking he was Muslim, and Waqar Hasan, a father of four from Pakistan, while they were still behind their convenience store counters. Rais Bhuyian, then 26 years old, was luckier. Stroman asked him where he was from, but before Bhuyian could answer, he shot him the face with a shotgun. Bhuyian played dead, recovered, and is now blind in one eye. Surprisingly, Bhuyian has since started a wide-ranging campaign to get his attacker off Death Row, arguing that his death would not solve anything. Wow. Hats off to him. I'd like to think I would have the heart to forgive but I am not so sure. I would like to though.