Gridlock News

Here's a great little Paint Ball Game.  All you have to do is select which Presidential candidate you want to be.  Then you navigate through the levels trying to shoot it out (with paintball) with the other candidates both Democrat and Republicans.  I tried it and was able to easily eliminate Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Rudy, but I was stumped by Mitt Romney who shot my Barack Obama in the fourth level.

On a computer the mouse button is your firing button.  The R button is for reload and your arrow keys move you around To make your player duck, simply hover the cursor over just below the players head. when the donkey or elephant pops up, shoot it for an extra 1,000 points

FYI

This is just a free flash game you play right from the browser, there is no downloading or anything, just hit play and shoot at the candidates with green paint to you feel content.

It's obvious why Dick Cheney doesn't play paintball, first they do not use real bullets and second if he did play he'd need a portable oxygen concentrator.

If Giuliani's poll ranking falls any further, he is going to have to hire a travelpro.

Preferably, one that is not paid for by the taxpayers.

Rudy, who is extremely charismatic could come back if he can find a message that resonates. However he is fighting off his own past mistakes, which include visiting his mistress on the tax payer dime and profiting when the US Government led by GW spied on US citizens.

As a result of his actions and the negative publicity that came from it following the last Republican convention and some investigative blogging/reporting, Rudy dropped 13% in national polls, while Romney and Huckabee advanced.

 

I read an article this evening by a fellow political blogger that called out the irony that Hillary Clinton is benefiting from her husband stumping for her when he continually cheated on her with other women for many years.

There’s nothing like letting the man who cheated on you in front of the entire world (many times), praise your character and ability to be president.

Title: Big Dick Bill Stumps for Hill at Opinionnation Times

While I think Bill Clinton's character is lacking for cheating on her and not being a little more honest about things, I see no evidence of hypocrisy in his stumping for her like a light fixtures at a festival of lights.  He is stumping for her for political, financial and power reason.  If she wins, they both gain politically, financially and in power.

Bill is not stumping for Hillary to promote her sexual prowess, her looks, her sex appeal etc.  If he were stumping to promote Hillary going to bed and having sex with voters things would be a little more hypocritical.  Thankfully he is not doing that!

There is a 527 group spending money on television ads for John Edwards because he has not taken special interest money. 

The group is the Alliance for a New America headed up by Edwards 2004 Campaign Manager.  (Political Nepotism?  Sure  Normal stuff?  You bet)

In a paradoxical way, Edwards is getting special interest money indirectly from a special interests against special interests!

Critics are charging Edwards to tell this group to stop paying for these TV ads, but Edwards claims that he has no association and no control over the group.  I suspect that Edwards will not protest too much unless his early warning campaign medical id triggers a red alert that his lack of action is creating a backlash.  I doubt that will happen and in the meantime, he'll benefit from more tv ads than anyone.

Fidel Castro has announced that he will not return to power, making his temporary step down permanent.  It is unclear if his brother will continue to rule Cuba or if there will be some change in the future.

"My elemental duty is not to hold on to positions and less to obstruct the path of younger people," the 80-year-old Castro said in a letter read on Cuban television. ~ Reuters

Castro took power during what was supposed to be a communist revolution.  It rapidly became apparent to any doubters that it was just another revolution by a dictator.

Once Castro finally passes away, it will be up to Cuba to determine just what type of country and government they really have and what they will really do.

The country of Cuba has and has always had a great deal of potential, but that potential has been on hold for the last 40+ years.  The country needs to determine if they are finally going to enter the world economy, which at a world stage functions in a capitalistic capacity or if they will continue to remain mostly isolated selling cigars, oil and cat furniture.

There is a rapidly growing effort around the United States and the world for that matter to increase the size of the eco economy.  Many eco friendly products are becoming not only more popular but in some cases much more practical.

Solar energy used to be a nice to consider project for those inclined to invest money in something that would not likely be paid off in savings.

Personally, I am making attempts to be part of the solution and less part of the problem.  I no longer commute to work.  I run a Solar energy focused site these days as well writing about solar related products both from a practical use perspective but also from the perspective that it is a much better investment than it used to be.

Many sites and groups are doing similar things these days.  A site called GreenandMore.com, offers up a combination of both information about eco-friendly products as well as offering a forum to share information and purchase a number of products including energy saving devices as well as products that are environmentally safe or friendly or even designed to clean volatile chemicals from the environment.

They are also offeringa discount through the end of the year.If you utilize the coupon code GREEN10 you will get a 10% discount on your purchases through their website.

All year I have been watching Meet the Press and their segments to "Meet the Candidates".  Meet the Press is working to bring every Presidential Candidate onto their show for an in depth interview.

I just finished watching the interview with Mitt Romney and reviewed it within my column on No More Incumbents.  In my opinion, Mitt Romney appears to be one of the most dangerous candidates running for office in either party and a good deal of the potential risks that he brings to politics in the United States was evident in his interview on Meet the Press with Tim Russert, who did a very good job of incisively targeting some of the issues surrounding Romney like a surgeon plasma cutting the cancer out of a patient.

• Dec. 16: Mitt Romney (R): Netcast | Transcript
• Dec. 9: Rudy Giuliani (R): Netcast | Transcript
• Nov. 11: Barack Obama (D): Netcast | Transcript
• Nov. 4: Fred Thompson (R): Netcast | Transcript
• Oct. 28: Chris Dodd (D): Netcast | Transcript
• Sept. 23: Hillary Clinton (D): Netcast | Transcript
• May 27: Bill Richardson (D): Netcast | Transcript
• May 13: John McCain (R): Netcast | Transcript
• April 29: Joe Biden (D): Netcast | Transcript
• Feb. 4: John Edwards (D): Netcast | Transcript
• Jan. 28: Mike Huckabee (R): Netcast| Transcript

Meet the Candidates - Meet the Press, online at MSNBC- msnbc.com

We all have experienced telemarketers calling at all times of the day and night.  We signed up for the do not call Registry and for a few short months we had relief.  But then the telemarketers got wise and the calls started coming again.

They're using a technology that many businesses are using today to save money on their phone bills.  Its voice over IP(VOIP).

For businesses and consumers that means that you got to pay for long-distance and you don't have to worry about minutes.  For telemarketers, it means that you can make phone calls and nobody knows where you're calling from.

That means for telemarketers when they call you, you don't have to worry about you screening out their calls with caller recognition or caller ID.

Plus it enables them to plug their systems into computers which can dial your number automatically and as soon as you actually pick up the phone it in connection to other operators will start talking to as if they dialed the phone themselves.

Now, I'm not encouraging this tool or these phone systems for telemarketers, but it can save consumers a good deal of money.  Just like many technologies this one has its good and its bad.

There are many brands that produce this technology from Motorola(my former company) to Skype to Vonage and then many other manufactures such as Talkswitch, Bizphon, Panasonic and many many others.

You can use this same technology to fight the telemarketers.  You can setup a VOIP system in your home or business and use the system to screen your calls just like your email program screens out spam.  In fact you can have your voice mail sent to email and listen to your voice mail like files.

Congress tried to block telemarketers, but ultimately the market was too nimble.  Maybe our next best bet is using technology to block phone spam.

To much Junk definitely causes gridlock in traffic, in politics, in finances, in life and in spirit.  Here's 9 suggestions to reduce the junk and the gridlock!

1. Give the Gift of Life - Heifer.org ~ organization enables people to give pairs of livestock to poor families in villages around the world.  The offspring of these animals must then be given to other members of the village.
2. Care Packages for Deployed Troops - ~ Send a care package, post card, food etc to a specific person in the military deployed somewhere around the world.  It cheers them up significantly shows them they are supported and that positive encouragement often times helps them to renew their spirits just a bit and pass that along to the people they encounter.  Keep your ambassadors Happy and Healthy!
3. Worried about Dangerous Toys?- Don't buy any toys for Christmas.  Its really kind of simple.  (Although I'm still trying to convince my own wife and family.)  Instead use that money to DO something with your family, maybe a family vacation, a trip to a museum, concert, play, play some games, go hiking, skiing, sledding anything but why waste the money on something that will probably end up in the trash bin in a few weeks and might even be dangerous.
4. Buy your Kids a Pet - Adopt a cat or dog from a shelter.  You might even consider getting rabbits or guinea pigs or a chinchilla or a bird or something.  An animal helps your children learn some responsibility but more importantly it helps them learn how to connect and practice kindness.  But don't expect it to happen automatically.  If your child has no experience with pets, then you may need to teach them this behavior.  Playing with a toy or a doll or stuffed animal is not the same as playing with a dog or cat or rabbit.  Take the time to teach your child how to be kind to the animal.
5. Share Books or Books on Tape or Books on CD - Once you have listened to one of these books, possibly even during a road trip during the holidays to a friend or relative's house, then give them the book so that they can share in the experience.  If you must spend something a subscription to Audible.com can be a great gift as well.
6. Give a Laptop Get a Laptop See - LaptopGiving.org from the 1 laptop project
7. Make a DVD to send to your relatives.  It doesn't cost much these days, but does take a lot of work and effort.  The tools are easy with apple or WindowsMovieMaker(free with XP or Vista)
8. Go to the Mattresses - This is kind of a necessity, but its also something that people do not think of during the holidays.  I only think of it now as I have been sleeping on a terrible bed the last few months while I live in corporate housing.  A good comfortable bed is definitely the gift that keeps on giving, plus if they must have a stylish present you can always opt for whatever their tastes might lean towards from simple platform beds to something lofty.  Just make sure you focus on getting a good mattress!
9. Buy someone their name as a domain - example mine  BrettBumeter.com  Of course I haven't done anything with the domain yet, but it does redirect to my info.  Nice gift for the kids as well, kind of let's them grow into themselves on the internet.  It's a little vane but so is a Lexus to Remember.

A man is holding 2 people hostage at a Rochester, NH campaign office of Hillary Clinton.  He walked in with a bomb duct taped to his chest.

Hillary Clinton is in Virginia for a DNC event today.

NoMoreIncumbents.org is covering the event with updates.

Hostage Situation at Hillary’s Campaign Office in Rochester, NH

Pretty Thing on the Side, City Expense Accounts Plus New York's Finest watching Your Back

Rudy Giuliani is again facing criticism about his former extra marital affairs with his current fourth wife.  This time however the criticism is not about the affair itself, but whether or not parts of the affair were financed with City Tax dollars.

There are three problems with this situation that are being bandied about:

1. New York's Finest escorted Giuliani everywhere as part of his security detail and that cost tax payer money.  Giuliani had an affair while under their watch, so the tax payers paid to keep Giuliani safe while having an affair, and they paid for Giuliani to travel out of his way to have that affair.
2. The budget money to pay for the security detail was nabbed from various unrelated city budget line items like a department focused on people with disabilities (not infidelity disabilities but the type that make moving around and doing things more difficult).
3. Rudy is campaigning as a conservative Republican that is the antidote to everything Hillary and everything Clinton and that would normally include Extra marital relations with that other woman.  (At least Bill kept it in the White House where additional expenses were not initially born out by the tax payers~sure later on when the investigations took place money was spent, but Bill didn't that we know of take his intern hotties to Camp David or Pigeon Forge cabin rentals and bill it to the EPA.)

The Politico said American Express bills and travel documents it obtained detail hotel, gas and other travel expenses for Giuliani's New York Police Department security detail during 11 trips over three summers of visits to Southampton, the Long Island town where Nathan had a condominium.  The Associated Press

So it would seem that Conservative Republicans are now faced with a moral quagmire in one of their leading nominees. 

Should a President in office have an affair in the White House on the cheap?

or

Should a President have his affair outside of the White House but finance the security with American Tax Dollars?

Asking a Republican or a Democratic politician to keep their sexual urges under control is probably too much to ask. 

We are talking about politicians after all!

Pat Robertson came out today in support of Rudy Giuliani.  In some ways this is surprising as Rudy has a history of being pro-abortion, pro-gun control, even pro dressing in drag from time to time.

Pat Robertson is publicly against those positions that Rudy espouses.  Plus, Rudy his a habitual divorcee and actually makes Bill Clinton seem like he's in control of his urges.

Robertson apparently could accept a Catholic and all of those other things over accepting a Mormon.  In many ways Romney is much more qualified and experienced than Giuliani. 

(Personally, I don't like Romney much either, but he was a Governor and that trumps mayor in my book.  Don't tell me, yeah but it was NYC, Romney had Boston, its not as big but its still a major city.  It's like comparing a big screen tv (NYC) to a full blow home theater system.  The TV may be a little better in Time Square, but MA has the whole package.)

Rudy come back and talk after you have some more experience, I'm sorry 9/11 doesn't cut it.

Last week, General Casey spoke before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday and delivered an assessment of the readiness of American armed services as “Out of Balance.” Gen. Casey went on to say that the readiness and preparedness had declined steadily over the last few months due to unmet recruiting goals as well as the current overseas campaigns.

The Generals concern also noted that the lack of readily available forces might create a strategic weakness to confront possible emerging threats. This announcement comes on the heels of Sec. of Defense Robert Gates asking for 190 BILLION dollars to sustain readiness in Iraq, a full 50 BILLION more than initially requested.

more

If you do a google news search on the term Nursing Shortage you will rapidly see that the United States and Canada both have significant issues with nursing shortages.  The reality is that as baby boomers age and as some of those baby boomers retire from nursing, the demand for nursing is rapidly increasing and the supply is simultaneously dwindling.

In any industry or area of employment, where demand goes up so does pay.  Each discipline of nursing pays different and just because Canada is on a socialized medicine platform it doesn't mean that Canada is avoiding the market forces of nursing shortages either.  In the states a nurse can earn upwards of $100,000 per year in some disciplines.

That high salary can definitely pull both new and experienced nurses across the border and it isn't coming close to solving the supply constraint issues.  There are nursing program options popping up left and right to help stem the bleeding in hospitals, clinics, practices and many other areas but it just isn't enough yet.

Some specialties for nursing programs (after a nurse gets their initial training) has even moved from correspondence to online learning.  Some of these programs are entirely online and some include a mix of online learning for 3-4 weeks followed by a week of intensive study on site and then the cycle repeats.

The reality is that if more people do not heed the call to enter the medical profession, gridlock in hospitals and especially emergency rooms is going to increase.  Universal health care is irrelevant to this particular issue in the states as there just are not enough nurses no matter who pays the bill!

President Bush invited delegates from the worlds leading greenhouse gas emitters on Wednesday to discuss the effect of global climate change as well as ways to curb the effects. Scores of protestors gathered outside the event calling it an attempt to circumnavigate the United Nations.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice mentioned in a roundabout way that climate change cannot be dealt with as only an environmental matter due to the crippling economic effects of forms of reduction. The talks this week are just that, discussion. The United Nations Kyoto Protocol is set to expire in 2012 and this conference is claimed to be an opening for discussion of future recommendations and suggestions for individual nations to curb climate change in a manner that will be consistent with their continued growth.

Kyoto has a number of obvious flaws, and George Bush like Bill Clinton has made much of those flaws to avoid the protocol.  But at the same time, Bush has done nothing to enter the discussions and provide any substantive alternative.  The result is that even for those Republicans that are dead set against the Kyoto Protocol and what it stands for, by not stepping forward and offering a plausible alternative solution, George Bush has led us by not leading us towards the point where future leaders will have to accept something derived from Kyoto, which the US had no hand in shaping.

It's like sending your realtor out to find you a house without looking yourself.  If you limit yourself to 10 houses and tell your realtor that the first 9 are terrible, you are going to get stuck with the tenth house(I know that analogy is a bit nuts, but so is the manner in which the White House has been run for the last 7 years).  President Bush has failed to get engaged on this issue (like many others) and as such he has not been a leader.  He has been a decider.  He has emphatically decided to abdicate the decision, the  dialogue and the future to someone else, possibly even a Democrat.

President Bush passed tuition assistance legislation last week that he had been widely rumored to oppose. The legislation is intended to make higher education more affordable thus enabling lower income student’s entry into the college system. The legislation became a political football that bookies at Excalibur Las Vegas were probably bandying about like knights jousting with a turkey carcass.  This maneuvering  over the last few months showed both the president and congress seeking to appear that they have taken steps to increase the affordability of higher education.

The legislation increases the likelihood of Pell Grants being awarded and also increases the actual amount awarded. Bush initially was said to have intended to veto this bill however the legislation was overwhelmingly approved in both houses which in turn negates President Bush’s supposed veto.

Arizona Senator John McCain is looking to kick off his own surge this week with a new ad campaign in New Hampshire. After a lackluster few months of campaigning that has seen lackluster fundraising, general campaign stammering, McCain has found himself somehow gaining ground on the campaigns of both Romney and Giuliani.

Sen. McCain’s television ad campaign will feature footage of a captivity interview of McCain in Hanoi as well as an ad, which will draw on both the insignificant hurricane Katrina response in addition to the congressional scandals of the past several years. The ads feature patriotic titles such as “Live Free” and “One Man”.

His challenge is the aspect of his almost hypocritical stance partnered with the Bush Administration.  You just can't be their critic and biggest supporter at the same time.  You are either for the people that thought torture would be OK or you are not.  No matter how many checks McCain pulls in through cbu mailboxes around the country it doesn't change the fact that this once independent maverick has been turned into a gelding.  Nothing short of pushing for a withdrawal from Iraq will help McCain right now.  (Provided the other Republicans don't get involved in sex or drug scandals and these days that is definitely a possibility.  You know how those Republicans can be . . . )

While watching the New Hampshire Democratic debates Wednesday night it occurred to me that Elizabeth Edwards, rather than husband John, would make a better candidate or at least a more interesting one.   It doesn't take a lot of market research to see that not only is Mrs. Edwards willing to “go” at the drop of a hat, but also she speaks on issues without a fear of reprisal. Calling out frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s health care platform and lack of courage along with leadership on the issue is truly a bold step.

Even before her husband announced his candidacy, Elizabeth has defended John from the political attacks of Hillary Clinton, character assaults by Barack Obama and even personal vendettas from repudiated harpy Ann Coulter. The best part about Elizabeth Edwards is that she fights back like June Cleaver, you can’t help but love this woman.

more. . .

President Bush is an interesting individual. He may not be the brightest bulb or the sharpest knife, but he has managed to find a competent Secretary of Defense in Robert Gates. Robert Gates has managed to secure a residual draw down of U.S. troops while maintaining General Petraeus’ personnel needs over the foreseeable future.

What does all this mean anyway?

Well, General Petraeus will be able to carry out the Iraq campaign as he sees fit as well as be able to (in time) draw down American troops thus enabling the future administration to avoid the pressures of drastically reducing forces in the region to satisfy party loyalists. In addition, Gates’ moves will secure a legacy for President Bush where he will appear to have not passed the buck to the next administration.

All of this is provided that you ignore the fact that General Petraeus wrote a book on how to fight an insurgency and when he was put in charge of fighting an insurgency, he wasn't allowed to run things according to his own manual.  I bet General Petraeus' book is not one of the christmas gift ideas that has made GW's christmas lift.

Additional Perspectives

Voting to condemn MoveOn.org, Democrats in both houses find themselves now at odds with an organization that donated approximately 3.6 million dollars to their campaigns in 2006. The vote to condemn MoveOn.org stemmed from the print ad placed in the New York Times last week that smeared General David Petraeus for delivering his assessment of conditions in Iraq.

MoveOn.org has somewhat maligned the very party in which they operate due to their left wing views on many issues including, but not limited to, the war in Iraq. Candidates backed by the controversial left wing organization carried 40 seats in both houses in the 2006 elections, however many of those candidates do not hold the extreme liberal views of the organization. It will be interesting to see what role MoveOn.org will play in 2008.

The only strategic option they really have here to make lemonade out of lemons, is to essentially treat the organization like one that made a simple mistake.  Its not the worst mistake in the world, not at the level of taking bribes or failing to send federal assistance to an entire city with a population of over 1 million people or going to war for reasons that ended up to be false. 

MoveOn.org needed a slight slap on the wrist for crossing the line, but its not like they need to be sent to drug rehabilitation or even a few days in jail.  After all, we are entitled to free speech here in the US.  In politics, however, speech is not free.

And then . . .

Wednesday night the top tier Republican candidates held a brief debate with the sole question being whether or not they would attend a debate which would be held in Maryland as an opportunity to lay out their platforms to black and Hispanic voters. Needless to say, staying true to GOP tendencies, Giuliani, McCain, Romney and Thompson all declined.  Maybe that had more important things to do like wait in line for Hannah Montana tickets rather than answer to the people and explain how they might guide our country out of the oblivion that their own party has walked us into in these last seven years.

Is it any wonder why Democrats carry 80-90 percent of the minority vote in this country? It’s not that liberal policies favor minorities more than anyone else; it is due to the fact that the Democrats at least acknowledge the importance of the diverse communities in this nation, even if it is only every four years. Another debate focusing on the Hispanic community was canceled earlier this year when John McCain was the only top tier candidate who accepted the invitation.

Further on that

It ever heard the tale about the race car driver who would not drive his own personal car on the interstate?

The concept is simple, he basically didn't want to drive with a bunch of amateurs, who drove like crazy fools.  Driving on a NASCAR track with professionals may be somewhat dangerous due to the high speeds involved, but it leaves everybody is trained and practiced at driving in a circle.  (Who was that guy, I can't find the interview anywhere.  Was it Dale Earnhardt?

What does it really say for the state of our roads and the skills of our drivers and professional drivers won't drive on our roads?

It's kind of the American dream to drive a car whenever you want and where ever you want.  It's this weird subset of American culture that probably grows out of our former dependence on riding horseback.  Maybe there's something actually coded into our DNA over the last couple of centuries that makes us want to be able to freely travel and taken a turn that we choose.

But more and more the roads are filling up with gridlock and too many cars driving around like slot cars out of control, released slot cars controlled by the remote control of a deranged child that takes a light and watching the cars crash over and over and over again.

There has got to be a better way to get around.

A very smart MIT student (according to fellow classmates) named Star Simpson (no known relation to OJ yet) was arrested for doing something very stupid. She made an outfit that looked like she was strapped up with plastic explosives.  Now, that may or may not be a good example of bad fashion sense.

However, when she wore that to a major airport, carrying a brick of playdo shaped like plastique it caused an armed response that could have killed her. 

MIT has developed a premadonna reputation over the years.  This was fueled on to encourage creative thinking and even portrayed in a 80's movie about students tricked into creating a space based laser capable of assassinating people anywhere in the world.

The reality is that this stupid little stunt will probably be forgiven.  This type of behavior is almost encouraged by default.  Star will probably end up having to get serious and taking a job with the DoD or the NSA.

For many college students a stupid stunt like this would mean that they would be selling outdoor lighting at Lowe's, but at MIT they'll be funneled off and owned like monkey's on a short but creative leash.

Her Taste in Art? Scary, Police Say

This week is received a lot of attention over the controversy surrounding the Jena six. Today more controversy came home when some stirred up but was drove a pickup truck through a group of protesters with nooses tied to the back of a pickup truck. That type of behavior goes way past racial insensitivity converges on inciting a riot.

It's a complete fiasco that has taken place and Jena Louisiana. White students hung nooses from a whites only tree in front of a high school. The school tried to suspend the students or the remainder of the year, but the ignorant Board of Education stepped in and said that was too stiff penalty.

That response ultimately raised tensions and a fight broke out on the schools campus. Six African American Students in a town with an African American population of less than 20%, were then arrested for beating up a fellow student. The prosecutor, who could find no law to prosecute the noose students for, through the book at the African American students and attempted to have them tried for attempted 2^nd degree murder.

The controversy was ignored all summer as people looked at many other issues from Michael Vick to President Bush to Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton.

But eventually the rest of the country came around and learned of the injustice. Rallies sprung up this week as people bussed themselves in from all around the country.

That apparently stirred up some Bubbas, who today drove their red pickup truck through a group of demonstrators with nooses tied to the back of their truck. Two teens were arrested for this latest incident, but no one yet has done anything to reduce the tension and right the wrongs. The problem is that a foul has been committed and there is nothing in the justice system to make two or three wrongs into a right. You can’t just send everyone on a Florida vacation and pretend nothing happened.

Alan Greenspan gave George Bush counsel as he did several President's over a span of 19 years and George Bush unlike his predecessors was to stupid, stubborn or incompetent to follow that advice.

According to Greenspan's new book, George Bush had the opportunity to veto legislation that could harm the country financially and Bush opted to seek more power instead.  Anyone that has been watching the Bush administration bring itself to a slow roast over the last seven years could probably see the same thing. 

If Bush has a modus operandi, its to always choose more power over choosing correctly, always choosing to continue upon a chosen path due to an excessively strong stubborn streak rather than admit he was wrong or made a mistake and then learn from that mistake and make amends.

Conservatives have long championed Alan Greenspan as their hero for years, because he made so many conservatives very wealthy.  He in fact made many liberals wealth conservatives.  He probably did more for the conservative cause than anyone in the last 50 years, and President Bush has done more to hurt that conservative cause than anyone in history.

George Bush's tenure has stained the kitchen sink of conservatism a rust red.  Alan Greenspan's own legacy is tarnished by association with George Bush.  Unfortunately for Greenspan and conservatives, replacing the kitchen faucets will not remove the stain from the basin.  It will take decades of scrubbing to fix the problems that Bush has created or allowed to fester and even bloom. 

BBC NEWS | Americas | Greenspan attacks Bush on economy

Next week on Monday General Patraeus (dragon naturally speaking transcribed his name as 'betray us') will go to Washington and give his report of the surge in Iraq. According to the media, it's highly expected that he will provide a fairly honest appraisal of the situation even though it will probably be fairly upbeat.

He seems to be a straight shooter for the most part and even more so a can-do type of person. He seems to want to make things happen and he seems to be the type of person that does make things happen. The challenge here is that he's trying to make things happen in an area of the world that is extremely troubled and very much out of control on many levels.

He may have been the right person for the job a couple of years ago, unfortunately he got the job a little too late and as such the politics of the situation are excruciating.

Regardless of what happens or what he reports, it is almost certain that the Democrats and the Republicans will fight over his answers and try and use his answers to further their own political goals. At this point both parties are basically sitting on their bar stools like a couple of drunks refusing to see logic from any perspective or quarter. Therefore, its almost a sure bet that both parties will here just what they want to here to advance their next drunken argument.

I was watching a show in the science channel last night.  It was one of those doom and gloom types of scientific shows where some scientists get together and brainstorm about fantastic catastrophes that are certainly possible, but distinctly morbid.

This one covered the concept of a volcanic island off the coast of Africa that is about 16,000 feet off the ocean floor and 6,000 feet above the ocean.  Its built up by volcanic rocks that have been perilously stacked on top of each other over the years. 

Long story short, it looks like about 200 cubic miles of mountain are going to fall off the side of this volcano some day, any day and it could create a 200 foot tsunami that could wipe out most of the coast lines all around the Pacific (South America, North America, Africa, Europe and Antarctica). 

The idea that stuck

Well anyway as I was watching this show, I was looking for something positive to take out of the show.  They talked about how a volcano has very porous rocks and that these rocks hold water like sponges.  That's bad when they heat up as it jettisons steam and makes the volcano very unstable.

However, I've been to a more built up volcano before in Hawaii.  I thought to myself, that these porous water holding rocks might actually be a good source of water.  This could make Hawaii an even better place to live as it would give more access to fresh water if people could learn to squeeze the water out of rocks.  That could be a boon for Hawaii real estate and might make Hawaii something of a coastal safe haven if the Atlantic rim gets wiped out.

Now, I'm not suggesting anyone should short their East coast real estate today and move to Hawaii tomorrow.  However, the bucking of conventional wisdom in this case does kind of show that there is truly no safe place on the planet.  We live on a volatile rock surrounded by water and that we need to be ready to continue adapting.

As a side note if you are interested in learning more about Hawaii real estate, I'd recommend this real estate blog. 

By the way a giant tsunami of 130 feet hit in the late 1880's when Krakatau (krakatoa) blew it self to katmandu (well not that far, it really just ceased to exist, but the ash that went into the air, covered most of the planet and prevented the northern hemisphere from experiencing a summer).  You may be used to seeing 100 year floods, but how about 100 year volcanoes?

The ninth circuit court of appeals denied a last ditch effort by several groups working together against Mexican trucking firms moving across the border into the United States.

Groups including the Teamsters led by Jim Hoffa (Junior) and the Sierra Club and others fought to prevent Mexican trucks from rolling on US roads and they failed.  Under the NAFTA agreement the trucks will finally come across the border despite cries from many groups about public safety and American jobs.

All of this comes under the back drop of broken borders, broken homeland security and poisoned food shipments and recalls from China.  Fortunately, for all Americans the courts and the politicians know when to remove the gridlock. 

Forty Years Ago, A new beef alternative  Soy OIL (meat) Nutritional Treatments as opposed to Nutritional Supplements.  It is rumored to come in a green can and cost half as much as beef, with a taste that is about the same.  Some are referring to it as something called SOILENT Green.  The new product will be shipped out of Mexico and should reduce the number of over weight Americans directly while helping to put other Americans on a leaner diet. 

Mexico trucks to roll on U.S. highways | Politics | Reuters

In a virtual global economy, global project professionals are required to relocate to places where ever the client designates.  Sometimes it is quite difficult to up and move from place to place not to mention dealing with all the real estate decisions in a new marketplace.

Since most of the US real estate marketplace is in midst of an economic downswing, the global project managers must decide whether to look for houses for rent or apartments. In the short term, initial mortgage quotes might indicate that buying a house is not a good idea, not to mention a distraction from business projects.

National Relocation.com is the "go-to" portal for those who need to relocate.  It has a real estate channel with area information, home values and forms to fill out to connect agents with buyers and sellers.  Recently National Relocation.com launched a rentals section that property managers and the general public can list their properties for free.

This portal also has many other informational channels like foreclosures, agents, home inspectors, mortgage, movers and much more.  It is the consummate tool for the professionals relocating for jobs.

It seems just like yesterday when Clinton was defending campaign donations, and now Clinton defending campaign donations is back in the news. 

Bill Clinton's administration was hounded with allegations surrounding donations from various Chinese campaign donors, allegedly for quid pro  on everything from a stay in the White House to nuclear secrets and Boeing wing technology.

Now Hillary before she even enters the Oval Office is already turning out $23,000 to charity after receiving a donation from Norman Hsu.  Hsu may not be a Riyadi, but he is wanted in the State of California for Grand Theft and seems to enjoy sending campaign contributions to all sorts of Democratic candidates.

It would appear according to investigations conducted by the Wall Street Journal that Hsu sent donations to Clinton and other recipients through other individuals, like a mail carrier family in San Francisco.  Sounds a lot like the contribution machine of the former Clinton administration doesn't it?

Funny thing about politics, you can't choose your donors, but you can refuse them.  Instead, politicians are setup to take the money in and ask questions later.  In the meantime, they earn interest on that money, and they pump up their total contribution numbers, which makes them look more successful.

If campaigns worked like diets, Hillary would be bulimic instead of one of those people taking an obscure supplement like hydroxycut to reduce the intake.   One thing is for certain, there is no gridlock in the Clinton campaign when it comes to accepting a contribution!

Clinton Defends Campaign Donations

There are several suspects currently under investigation as a result of the Minneapolis I35 bridge collapse.  Investigators are looking at:

• The weight of resurfacing equipment and materials
• The original Bridge design weight calculations
• De-icing products used for the last 10 years that may have been corrosive  or more corrosive than suspected

The computerized system sprayed potassium acetate to reduce hard-to-see ice caused by extreme cold and moisture from a nearby waterfall.

According to the Minnesota Transportation Department, the de-icing chemical is less toxic and less corrosive than sodium chloride, which had been used previously.

De-icing system examined in bridge collapse | Reuters

It could be possible that a combination of all three suspects may have played a part.  For example, if the bridge could only hold so much weight and de-icing procedures weakened key areas that happened to hold extra weight from the construction materials and equipment, it could have triggered a triple witching effect that essentially pulled the tablecloth out from underneath unsuspecting travelers causing the bridge, cars and people to scatter into the river like dinnerware at a failed magic show.

So far these are all theories, but further analysis, modeling and testing will likely tell.

Details of the deal are not yet public, but SackVick.net and ESPN are reporting that Michael Vick has pled Guilty or accepted a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

There was some controversy if the deal actually happened, as Vick's spokesman was not notified in Atlanta until after the media had been notified.

That apparently has worked its way out of the cabinet hardware.  Vick will probably not show up in court until next week.  There is now lots of speculation over how long Vick will spend in prison.  So this saga with Michael Vick may be close to over at this point in time.

The real estate market is not the only market to see some constraints creeping into the economy, Police Departments around the country are starting to see problems in their supplies of bullets used to both arm their officers and train their officers.  There are several factors driving the shortage.

The Iraq war is using up large supplies of bullets first of all.

Second, the prices of metal is going up and police departments are busting their budgets as the price of lead, brass and other metals.

Some police departments are seeing short term shortages or backorders of bullets.  Others see the shortages expanding and expect to see bigger delays or shortages going into next year. 

 One of the largest royal refineries in the US burned yesterday in Pascagoula Mississippi, a small city located in Jackson County.  The play seems to be under control according to recent reports but it is still billowing smoke high into the sky.  The plant has the capability of processing 330,000 barrels a day, and it's not known yet how secure the damages or what type of impact it might have on processing capability and supplying the US demand for gasoline.

Chevron, located just east of the city in Jackson County, is one of the largest refineries in North America, producing some 330,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

SunHerald.com : Chevron battles fire, fears

As we all know, if there's no gasoline, there's no gridlock.  Gridlock of course is not the goal, but it's always the result.  The fire raged as the stock market bounced back after the Federal Reserve stepped in today to alleviate pressures on liquidity.

On a different day, the impact on gasoline and oil production in the United States and the rest of North America might have sent pressures on oil prices driving the price up.  Fortunately for gasoline consumers, the markets were going through.  Can to having the colon cleanse and didn't notice this small tragedy on a day where tragedies proliferated throughout the news from Peru to Utah to Iraq and beyond.

The Federal Reserve cut the discount rate (not the more important Federal Funds Rate, which is already at 5.25%).  The cut took place this morning before the stock market opened and as the stock market opened it leapt up 150 - 250 points.  Its actually bouncing around now as I watch the news and type.

The fix is seen as a superficial fix to help reduce investors fears like a teenager looking to reduce fears about an acne outbreak by applying extra skin care products.

This reduction of the lending rate to banks does not put more money back into the market.  It doesn't reduce the gridlock of credit taking place around the US.  It doesn't bail out any financial institutions, investors or home owners struggling to pay their bills.

Karl Rove is tendering his resignation and leaving the Bush Administration.  His resignation will be effective August 31st, 15 days before the Surge Report is due to be presented to the country.

Rove has fallen probably even further than George Bush.  He will be remembered for masterminding the Bush campaign in 2000 and somewhat for the 2004 campaign.  He will also be remembered for losing the 2006 campaign for Republicans in Congress and for his alleged involvement in firing  Justice Department attorneys, outing Valerie Plame and many other scandals. 

No More Incumbents Blog - Working to insure natural term limits by removing all incumbents from office. » Karl Rove to Rove his Way back to Texas - Good Bye White House

Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware) has introduced an interesting bill that promises to redefine the way the government looks at drug and alcohol addiction.  The redefinition is important as it changes the perspective from addiction being a choice and by extension criminal to one of a mental disorder that should be treated like many other disorders of the human organs and systems.

The United States is losing the self imposed war on drugs because we have chosen to define an enemy that doesn't exist. We have been chasing a demon essentially that is in reality an aspect of our consciousness. The Reagan administration followed several decades of government orders in this direction and capped it off by going to war against drugs, which in retrospect is similar to going to war against mental illness or a war on cancer or a war on aids. Locking people with cancer up in prison is not going to stop cancer. Sending people with Aids to a modern day leprosy colony will not cure nor stop aids. The same holds true for trying to fight a war against an addiction.

This fundamental shift in direction is definitely necessary if we ever hope to help people that need addiction treatment. Its interesting that Joe Biden, a candidate for the Democratic primary would choose this time to sponsor such a bill. Its actually interesting because he seems to be taking a step towards fixing something that has been broken in Government for many years as opposed to spouting platitudes at a fund raising convention.

I35W collapsed this evening into the Mississippi in Minneapolis taking rush hour traffic and constructions workers crashing down.  It was the middle of rush hour and the bridge and interstate were gridlocked with rush hour traffic.

The bridge was cited last year for having fractures in some of the girders.  Road surfacing construction was taking place at the time of the collapse.

The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the collapse but initial indications have not indicated that terrorism may be the problem.

Unlike the 2002 collapse of a portion of the bridge on I40 over the Arkansas river, this bridge suffered a total collapse.  The I40 collapse resulted from a barge striking the bridge and the span of the bridge was much shorter.  Fourteen people died in that collapse.

So far 3 people are reported dead in Minneapolis and dozens more injured with searchers still attempting to pull people out of the water and out from underneath the bridge.  Total collapse of bridges in the United States have historically resulted from corrosion and fatigue over the last 50 years.  This bridge was over 40 years old. 

Tomorrow could be a turning point in the Michael Vick saga.  One of his codefendants is preparing to enter a plea deal and will likely turn on Michael Vick.  Many people suspect that the co-defendant will testify against Vick and implicate him in a way that confirms indictment.  That's all speculation based on the fact that the modus operandi for the federal government is to turn a low level person against a high level person.  It's kind of like fishing for catfish with minnows.

In this case the counter phishing for his Michael Vick.  I do want to see justice carried out in this situation, however this is one of those deals where nothing will ever be right once things are wrapped up here.  The dogs will still be dead and many people will be harmed as a result of what happened on that property in Virginia.  There really isn't anything that can be done to make the situation right.

The only hope that we have is that we can avoid this type of situation in the future, and that is part of the reason why I have been working on the campaign at SackVick.net.  The thing is, the lesson has to be taught and learned right away while it's still fresh in the public eye.  It won't do any good for people to look back on this situation years from now and try and learn a lesson from it.  The opportunity will be long gone at that time.

This is not one of those lessons were you can take a picture of it and run it through a digital frame slideshow and have a regular reminder of why it's bad for dogfighting to be allowed to take place.  This is one of those lessons that has to be learned in a way that penetrates through very deeply and usurps the culture that would typically allow it or encourage it.  It's not just a culture shock it's a culture rewrite.

There is an entire culture, even though its fractional a subculture that believes it's okay for people to raise dogs for fighting.  This concept is not new and goes back hundreds if not thousands of years.  Society has learned to reduce and start to eliminate this type of thing but we still have a long way to go.  So as I look for justice I don't just look for Michael Vick to walk to the legal process and spent a couple years in jail or on probation.  Now I'm looking for a bigger example of Vick and all of the companies and organizations that supported him and encouraged him in his bad boy behavior.

I find Michael Vick responsible and I find all of the organizations behind Michael Vick equally responsible.  There was a lot of money riding on this thing and the Falcons and the NFL and even Nike could've done a little bit more due diligence to find out what Michael Vick was really doing in his private life.  He was set to earn several hundred million dollars, I believe 130 million from the NFL and almost an equal amount from other sponsors.  Someone go spend $50,000 to hire a private investigator to figure out what was going on and do something to stop it much much earlier.

Vice president Cheney apparently had no difficulties with his driver upgrade this weekend, when he got a recharged set of batteries for his pacemaker.

On a personal level I wish the vice president a speedy and healthy recovery.  As I see it the faster he recovers, faster he might come to his senses and resign.  The faster he resigns, faster President Bush might consider following suit.  I would say the taxpayers and the Congress a lot of time and money and having to go and impeach both of them.  Maybe on their way out the door they can take Alberto Gonzales with them.

In a way I feel like if they would just go, maybe we could all just called awash in forgive their mistakes as long as they promise to do no further harm by remaining in government.

That's a pipe dream however and were very likely to see special counsel and will probably have to be appointed by the courts to investigate each one of them in reverse order from what I've just named.  It sure be nice to have them out of office though.  I'd much rather see them sitting on a group of bar stools having a cold one while the nation recovers instead of having them continue on making things worse.

 It has been a long time coming, but it looks like the Pat Tillman case might be coming to a close.  Pat Tillman left a career in the NFL to volunteer for the Army and served in the special forces in Afghanistan.  As is all too common in war, Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire.

Unfortunately, his death was tragic, however his death also marked one of the early examples of the lies and corruption that slowly began to become public.  This was one of the first instances where the Bush administration began to demonstrate both its incompetence and its corruption.

Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire was covered up and that was almost as much of a tragedy as his death.  Seven military officers will receive career ending administrative actions as a result of a cover-up.  For those officers that have not already retired, they will have to leave the military.  The highest-ranking officer involved was a lieutenant general.  He will likely lose his three stars and be demoted even though he was already retired. 

Essentially his pension will be cut from the payment rate at a three-star general would receive down to the payment rate that a kernel would receive.  Apparently that's about $1000 per month, or for a person that's likely to live 30 years, that is worth about $360,000.  So he will not be broke and he will not serve any jail time in a military jail, but he may have to do a little work to make ends meet, possibly investing a little money in a Virginia bed and breakfast serving up omelets to cronies from the Pentagon on holiday in the rolling Virginia hills.

Many frauds and cover ups followed Pat Tillman's death.  They occurred as we ramped up to go to war in Iraq and as we rescued soldiers in Iraq and has our country spied on its own citizens without search warrants.  It occurred while our government secretly captured people and tortured them around the world and while our soldiers, contractors, and inspires tortured captives in Iraq.

In a way, America lost its innocence when Pat Tillman died.  We were just too blind to know it at the time.

ABC News: EXCLUSIVE: Army to Punish Seven Officers for Mishandling Pat Tillman Case

Alberto Gonzales and the George Bush White House are rapidly drawing the rest of the country into a massive showdown with the U.S. Congress.  At stake, is the Constitution.

His recent appearance in Congress as he provided testimony once again displayed a number of contradictions that seem to be headed on a collision course towards a special investigator and perjury charges for Gonzales.  In addition to a number of people that work for Gonzales, the FBI director and the former attorney general have both contradicted Gonzales' previous testimony.

The Democratic like Congress is out for blood as they do not see an opportunity yet to impeach George Bush nor Dick Cheney.  Attorney General Gonzales seems to be the safe and easy target due to all the mistakes and enemies that he has made.  The political bandwagon seems to be preparing to take a trip to the theater and theater seating will be limited for the prosecution of the nation's highest Attorney.

FBI Chief Seems to Contradict Gonzales - News Desk (usnews.com)

As President Bush prepares to become sedated (don't blink you might not be able to tell a difference) VP Cheney will be 'temporarily' ceded control over the presidency.  That is sure to make many people a little nervous over the next few days.

For people that do not like the Bush Administration the thought of an official Cheney administration is the stuff of horror movies.  So if you are hiding out some where on vacation in a nice little vacation home Orlando don't be surprised if you come back to reality to find a new world order in place. 

Cheney always said that he did not want to be President, but he's not exactly the type of person that has a great track record at being honest and forthright.

Tokyo Electric Power Company stated two cracks opened in a reactor at their Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant in the city of Niigata.  The cracks leaked radioactive water into the Sea of Japan.

The leak included about 350 gallons of radioactive water according to very early reports.  The country of Japan was in the midst of the final stages of a 3 day typhoon when it was hit by to successive 6.8 earthquakes.  

Niigata has an important shipping port and sits at approximately the same latitude as San Francisco.  The city is urban progressive and ships many products around Asia and the world including advanced electronics, auto accessories, automobiles, and more.

Niigata has suffered from severe earthquakes in the past and has successfully recovered many times.

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Fox News is reporting that a man was shot and killed in the Governor's office in Colorado.  The man was allegedly attempting to kill, possibly shoot, the Governor of Colorado today.  The gun man was shot and killed.

The gunman stated, "I'm here to take over city government."  With other comments about being an emperor.

A state patrolman reportedly shot the ranting man.

No reports of this event are currently being mentioned on the internet or on any other News Channels.

Governor Bill Ritter had made news recently when he signed a declaration of support in favor of an Annual Pridefest event.  Governor Bill Ritter was just sworn in back in January 2007.

The man may have been in the wrong building.  He made claims about taking over the city government.  The State Building is across the street from the building that holds the Mayor of Denver's office.

Many news agencies around the United States received letters from a group calling themself(ves) A.Q.U.S.A.  Some websites are speculating that this might stand for Al Qaeda USA.  The letters went all over the country, but were delivered from The Bronx.

Goldman Sachs was reportedly told that the letters were not serious according to Reuters. (US bank Goldman says threats not thought credible | Bonds News | Reuters.com )

The letter threatened that hundreds would die and that they had people on the 'inside'. 

Can Goldman Sachs be Trusted to Report a Threat Credibly?

The thing is that Goldman Sachs has a conflict of interest in a situation like this. (Although it is rather morbid.)  If the threat is credible and they report it, then investors will face more risk investing with Goldman Sachs or in their products.  That is likely to get priced into the market.

If they gamble on nothing happening and say every thing is just fine, then they may not loose money.  Now, I'd like to believe that Goldman Sachs puts their people and the safety of their people above financial considerations, but the reality is that they are in the business of putting financial considerations before all else.  After all, they are not a socially responsible financial investment company. 

According to one defense against terrorism school of thought, Goldman Sachs would actually be doing the right thing if the down played the threat and 'went about their business as if everything were normal' because they 'didn't want the terrorists to win.'  This is one of the reasons why its important to have an independent news media to help cut through the spin and report the facts without the bias thrown into the mix.

OK, so earlier I blogged that CNN was stating that they had phoned the hospital and confirmed that one of the attackers had died and that the hospital had not been evacuated.  I also lambasted Fox News for not updating their own reporting.

Well it turns out that CNN was all screwed up and imagine this, Fox was right!

The British Police just had a press conference and confirmed that the hospital had been temporarily evacuated when some sort of  'device' presumably dangerous and possibly explosive was found on this person.

Live news is always a tough thing to get correct as the situation is usually fluid and interpretations change rapidly in the heat of the moment.  Still a certain amount of confirmation processes are supposed to be performed to lock in facts.  Sometimes I think it would help if they would clearly state when they have two different conflicting reports in existence.  It kind of rubs dead sea salt in the wounds when they get it wrong, and then get it wrong with the correction and then maybe , just maybe they get it right or maybe wrong with the correction of the correction.

How do you shop Online? Do you run a google search and maybe find some information about a product and then maybe do a Froogle search and then go to Amazon and then Yahoo Shopping looking for the lowest price and then instead of buying it online, you shut off your computer and head to your local electronics or book store or something and try to find the same thing? But when you get there, they don't have the same model and they definitely don't have the same price, but you end up paying a little more for an older model anyway? Then a week or two later you talk to a friend or relative that happened to find the right product at the right store for a price 20% less than what you paid? Happens to me all the time. But our sponsors Krillion.com offer a web shopping site that enables you to search for products from electronics to Whirlpool Dryers online but they show you what's available in your area and the prices. You pick out the product, make arrangements and then go pick up what you found online!

One of the Glasgow attacker that was part of the campaign driven attack against Glasgow Airport has died in the hospital as a result of his wounds.  Several eye witnesses described one of the men as being on fire, or having his clothes smoking heavily and then he went back to the car to attempt to get something out of the rear of the car, while it was on fire.  Many eye witnesses described very graphic descriptions of burn injuries.

There are still some reports on Fox that the hospital that was treating him had been evacuated itself, but that turned out to be just a rumor and not true.  Apparently CNN actually performed a little bit of journalism and called the hospital where hospital workers indicated that they were still present and there was no evacuation.  So I guess Fox is reporting and we can decide that they are too lazy to make a phone call.

I do like to watch Fox as they tend to provide more live video feeds on events as they break, but you almost have to hit mute when you have it on the Fox channel or else face listening to absolute gibberish.  It seems that the Fox News team isn't really qualified to do their job.  I don't think they could qualify to work as a real estate broker. They'd probably screw up the offers with the wrong facts, but they'd probably make good TSA screeners.

At least 2 people drove a Landrover into the main entrance of Glasgow Airport in Scotland.  Steel barriers installed to prevent such attacks stopped the Landrover, which reportedly was travelling at high speed.

The vehicle caught on fire.  Both people got out of the car, one was on fire, but attempting to open up the back of the vehicle.  One was reportedly carrying a cylinder of gasoline, possibly to take into the actual aiport to detonate.  The people were arrested almost immediately and one may have been taken to a hospital.  Flames from the vehicle were shooting straight up from the vehicle to the ceiling about 10 feet above according to eye witnesses.

This attack follows two attempts yesterday in London.  A car was found with vapors looking like smoke coming from the vehicle.  The bomb squad came in and disarmed the behicle which was filled with numerous cylinders of gasoline.

Much later that day, an attendant at an automobile impound lot watching the news of the car bomb attempt unfold on television, noticed that one of the cars in their impound lot smelled like gasoline.  The authorities were called in and found the vehicle filled with fuel cylinders.  The vehicle had apparently been towed from the same location as the first car.  It had been illegally parked.

Many news pundits are calling the Glasgow attack as a sign that this is a complete campaign being launched by multiple people or groups around Great Britain. 

Pundits are speculating that these attacks are very similar to attacks in Iraq.  There is concern that Iraq like tactics are being exported to the United Kingdom.

President Bush just announced that there is no credible information of an imminent attack on the US.

A half dozen years ago I was looking for an online degree program.  I received my bachelors degree the old-fashioned way through Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.  I had even taken one class was online during college.  That was in 1998 it was a terrible experience.  The Internet advance rapidly however and by 2001 I was looking for an online degree program to get my masters.  I was working for a company that would pay for me to take my masters and I wanted to do it online so I could continue working full time without having to travel a great deal.

Back then even in 2001 there were very few places that provided an online degree yet retained a good reputation.

Today according to a recent release their over 1,300 different universities and colleges to provide online degrees.  Those 1300 different schools provide people with the choice of choosing over 9000 different degree programs of bachelors, associates and even masters degrees.  There's definitely a lot more choice today and when I start looking at my next degree whether it's my third bachelors or possibly a Ph.D. or maybe another law degree, I will definitely have many more options.

Roy Pearson sued Custom Cleaners for failing to live up to his expectatins under their 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' sign.  They lost his pants and he was not satisfied.  He sued for $54 million under a Washington DC Consumer Protection Act and lost.

Now $54 million is obviously excessive for a pair of pants, but it is also troubling that the cleaners doesn't have to live up to their advertised guarantee.  It would seem to me that in this case, Roy lost (he has to pay fees to the defendant also), the dry cleaners lost (bad publicity and time in court), the system lost(lots of time on a half silly/ half serious lawsuit), and future consumers have lost as their protections against false advertising have been gutted some more.

Link to KGAN :: CBS 2

 I'm sure I have a much better chance of getting struck by lightning, but there's something about the bird flu that spooks me.  Maybe it's the fact that the government has proved to be so completely inept at taking care of its citizens lately.  Maybe it's the law of averages that says that eventually we're going to get hit by a plague, and a nice little reminders that CNN provides us all the time.

Maybe it's the progression of this strange bird flu that seems to be migrating its way around the world and like the West Nile virus did not so long ago.  The problem is that this one seems a little bit more deadly.

The dead birds were found in two Bavarian lakes, which were cordoned off after the find, the first cases in the country this year.

People were asked to stay away from waterfowl after the five swans, one duck and one goose all tested positive for the H5N1 virus, German media said.

Source: People's Daily Online -- Bird flu discovered in Germany

This one seems to have a little close to home since my ancestors are from Bavaria.  Assure the bird flu has defined passage from Amsterdam to New York and then settle west Illinois or what have you just like my ancestors did it right?

Unfortunately that's not right, I'll have to do is fly across the ocean, and that seems to happen all the time for birds.  That's what birds do.

Living with fear of anything is one of the aspects of the human condition and it doesn't slow me down, and I don't really lose any sleep over this one anymore than I lose sleep over the potential of an asteroid hitting the planet.

But if I see a duck sneeze, I'm probably not going to offer a handkerchief.

A word for our sponsors to help reduce gridlock . . . TravelSafe Insurance has been providing travelers with travel insurance for more than thirty years. Corporate travelers of fortune 500 companies usually travel with travel insurance so that in the advent of an emergency they have the funding and support to get home. Now, anyone can travel with the assurance that they are protected with Travel Insurance. Travel Insurance can protect you from canceled flights, reimbursing you when a cancellation takes place. It can cover lost baggage. It can even provide you with a refund if you have to cancel a vacation when a hurricane warning is issued twenty fours our before you are supposed to depart for paradise. One of the primary benefits of travel insurance is to help cover you in case you get sick while traveling outside of the country. Your health insurance plan is not likely to be accepted by a foreign hospital or doctor. In the event of a tragedy, travel insurance can even fund for the shipment of a deceased passenger back to their home. We don't always think of these things when traveling however experience travelers know that it is wise to travel prepared.

 You get what you pay for when you outsource too many thing for the wrong reasons.  Walter Reed Army Hospital utilizes an outsourced security firm to provide security for the hospital that takes care of troops coming home from the war in need of medical attention.  They even take care of the President.

Two of the guards of the firm got into an argument this morning and one pulled his weapon and started firing at the second security guard.  The second guard ran across the street to escape and evade hostile fire in our Nations Capital and the hospital that serves our capital.

Outsourced contracting of work at Walter Reed Hospital was one of the focal points of an investigation into sub standard living conditions and care provided for our troops.  Now the security of our troops when they are on their home soil under the care of  an Army Hospital is in question.

Link to Walter Reed Security Officer Arrested for Firing Gun - washingtonpost.com

General Pace may have demonstrated an inability to deliver candor and get things done as the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but at least he showed good leadership when he departed.  The Bush Administration wanted him to resign voluntarily, a standard request in the Bush Administration for anyone that fails.  It enables them to make it look like they did not have to fire anyone.

That enables Bush to continue to admit that he has not made any mistakes under the false logic that if he didn't have to fire someone then that person must have been a good choice in the first place.

General Pace however looked inside of himself and finally (at the end) found some strong stuff.  Apparently at the end of the day he still had a little bit of Marine in his soul.  He would not voluntarily resign.

Why not Resign like all other Bush Administration Appointee Push Overs?

He did not want to make a bad example to the troops in Iraq that do not have the luxury of resigning voluntarily from the battle field and walking away from the War. 

"I said I could not do that for one very fundamental reason, and that is that [a service member] in Baghdad should not think — ever — that his chairman, whoever that person is, could have stayed in the battle and voluntarily walked off the battlefield," Pace told an audience in Norfolk, Va., on Thursday, according to a transcript released by his office Friday. "That is unacceptable as a leadership thing in my mind."

Source: Pace declined to retire voluntarily - Los Angeles Times

So at the end of the day, Pace finally picked up the Pace.  Congress did not trust him any more as he never delivered candid assessments of the situation in Iraq, not to mention the lack of positive results.  Congress might have been able to sit back and pretend the war in Iraq is a bad movie and that the halls of Congress is just an ellaborate theatre where they can sit in their comfy home theater seating conditions and watch as passive observers. However, when the American people started to see that Congress was not fulfilling its role as the watch dog over the Executive branch the farce was over. The Republicans lost Congress and the Democrats came in under the pretense of re-establishing the Congressional role of watch dog. Pace could be seen as a victim of a Congress that was at least paying lip service to their job, but the truth is that Pace did not do his job by the Constitution when he chose to follow Bush's political line as opposed to serving a Commander in Chief. I'm sure that was not easy for him as the Commander in Chief as been AWOL for over seven years now.

Americans definately want the Immigration bill to die. They also desperately want Immigration reform.  The truth is almost no one is happy with the current situation.  So when the immigration bill died last week, many people were immediately happy and then immediately upset that nothing had changed to improve the situation.

Probably the biggest problem with last weeks immigratin bill is that it just was not a workable plan.  But at the same time no one has put together a workable plan yet.

We are looking at a classic case of super gridlock.  Something that is so broken that it must be fixed now, but so broken that no one can find a plan to fix it now.

The result is that we are in a catch 22.  There is no way to escape a catch 22 successfully.  The only way out is to break the loop.  That means that there will never be a compromise that will solve the loop conundrum.  To put it another way, any plan will work better than no plan.  We need to purposefully take 2 steps forward knowing that we will likely take at least 1 step backwards, but at least we will be in a new position and able to potentially have a new option in the future. 

Link to Broad Effort to Resurrect Immigration Bill - New York Times

The federal government has made it a law that mattresses should be fire resistant to decrease the likelihood of a fire flashover.  They have not yet made requirements of sheets and blankets yet.  Many manufacturers do make fire resistant kids bedding, but just like the Colgate knock off scandal many cheap imports or knock offs are not as safe nor tested.

The federal government should consider tightening up this area of law to increase safety of these bedding products and enable manufactures to compete on a level playing field.  After all the bedding is typically on top of the bed and is therefore more likely to catch on fire first in an emergency.  Resistance technology slows the spread of the fire which prevents flash over and allows families more time to get out of harms way.

It probably comes as no surprise to anyone that the LA County Sheriff that released Paris Hilton from jail early has reportedly taken campaign contributions from her grandfather.  He is an elected public official and Paris Hilton's grandfather probably has check receipts for many politicians in his pocket.

Now, its starting to be revealed that the Sheriff in this fiasco, received campaign donations from Paris Hilton’s grandfather.  In fact he received campaign donations from lots of rich and famous types.

Source: No More Incumbents Blog - Working to insure natural term limits by removing all incumbents from office.

Its getting difficult to list all of the things wrong with this Paris Hilton scandal.  The list seems to grow longer daily as politician after politician is exposed for being part of the problem as opposed to part of the solution for helping to reform a trouble young woman. I do make the distinction between reform and branding her a witch.  There is definitely an air of unfairness in the prosecution and persecution of Paris Hilton.

She definitely broke the law, but she is being turned into bit of a martyr and this is probably only going to fuel her ego in a way that ultimately will incite her to more crazy antics.

Michael Bloomberg's plan to charge drivers for entering New York City has met with luke warm approval in the New York state congress.  However, Governor Spitzer and the Federal Government are behind it.  The Federal government is preparing to pay a half billion dollars to fund the costs of the project even.

Pork Barrel politics at work with your tax dollars

charge cars and trucks a flat fee to drive into Manhattan below 86th Street earned key support earlier this week when it was endorsed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer and by federal transportation officials. The city is under consideration for as much as $500 million in federal grants for a pilot program on congestion pricing, enough to pay for all the start-up costs for the system.

Under the plan, it would cost $8 to drive a car and $21 to drive a truck into the congestion zone between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, when traffic in Manhattan is the worst. But those fees, like many elements of the sweeping city-planning initiative Mr. Bloomberg unveiled last month, would require Albany’s approval.

You might have thought that it was expensive to fill up your car with gas, well if you travel to New York City every day, that cost is going to be $40 per week, plus parking, plus gas now.

The gridlock that this may fend off on the roads is being countered by extra gridlock in government.  Bloomberg is looking to create a new authority to cover this new agency that would police and charge commuters.  The new authority is expected to bring in $380 million in revenue per year. 

The skeptic in me thinks that this will help traffic, but I suspect this same authority will end up costing at least $381 million per year to run.  Since we are talking about New York City politics that should probably be adjusted to $1.2 billion per year in costs.  $381 million actual costs, $381 million for illegal graft, corruption and waste and $381 million paid out to legitimate contractors for excessive prices for maintenance and services.

Source: State Lawmakers Give Bloomberg Traffic Plan a Cool Reception - New York Times

If you're looking to get away from the news, especially as the news has been extremely crazy the last few weeks, I would recommend going to Hawaii and enjoying a beach front vacation. Just imagine a vacation with no Paris Hilton news, no George Bush, no presidential election, and no scandal du jour on the TV at night.

I took a break from the news today and spent a few minutes fantasizing over a vacation at the wailea makena condos on Maui.  These beach villas are on the island of Maui which is booming from a new concept of ecotourism. This is not just a catchphrase, it's a way for people to truly enjoy the history and culture and environment of an area and support it at the same time.

Traveling to an exotic location only to do spoil it is not that romantic. Traveling to an exotic location to savor the diversity of the culture and the environment and enjoy nature, that's a beautiful thing and almost guaranteed to revitalize the gridlock embattled soul.

The boom in the real estate industry has created a sudden edge within many local economies. In vacation destinations many people have moved in and set up small businesses running rental businesses. Essentially they lease out beach condos or beach villas to travelers trying to get away from cookie-cutter hotels. You get right on the beach with twice the amount of space for half the price typically.

That puts you closer to nature, closer to the ocean and closer to relaxation. More importantly it will help you put the troubles of the modern world and everything associated with the big corporate hotel out of your mind.