Sunday, November 30, 2008
Over price Boat docks
Lake Ashton charges $75.00/mo to keep your boat tied to the dock plus another $50.00 a month to store your boat trailer plus tax. Boat docks at one time was $100.00/mo. Total cost $125.00 per month plus tax. Looking at the boat docks, I only see pontoon boats, no fishing boats. Would you pay $132.50 to store your boat in a small lake? You would have to be crazy. Same price or less at other marine boat Co's. and you get to see the chain of Lakes. Makes no sense at all. One would think the boat dock would be free to all residents of Lake Ashton. Money is the name of the game here at Lake Ashton.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Why Won't Polar Bears Mate? They're Both Female
AP) Puzzled Japanese zookeepers have cleared up a mystery over a lack of chemistry between a couple of polar bears as both turn out to be female, a Japanese zoo said Wednesday.
Tsuyoshi, a four-year-old "male" polar bear, and his 11-year-old female partner, Kurumi, have been living together since June at the Kushiro Municipal Zoo in Hokkaido, northern Japan.
But much to the frustration and puzzlement of zookeepers, the bear couple, on a breeding mission, showed no signs of chemistry, and Tsuyoshi has never gone into rut even during "his" mating period.
"Observing his behaviors, we got suspicious as to whether Tsuyoshi was really a male," the zoo said in a statement.
The zoo put Tsuyoshi under an anesthetic earlier in the month for a gender checkup, and learned he was a she.
"I have mixed feelings," Yoshio Yamaguchi, head of the zoo.
Tsuyoshi is very popular at the zoo, and Kyodo News agency said the zoo would not change his name to a female name. Tsuyoshi is a very common Japanese name for boys.
Experts say when polar bears are young, it is difficult to determine their gender as their long hair covers reproductive organs.
Tsuyoshi, a four-year-old "male" polar bear, and his 11-year-old female partner, Kurumi, have been living together since June at the Kushiro Municipal Zoo in Hokkaido, northern Japan.
But much to the frustration and puzzlement of zookeepers, the bear couple, on a breeding mission, showed no signs of chemistry, and Tsuyoshi has never gone into rut even during "his" mating period.
"Observing his behaviors, we got suspicious as to whether Tsuyoshi was really a male," the zoo said in a statement.
The zoo put Tsuyoshi under an anesthetic earlier in the month for a gender checkup, and learned he was a she.
"I have mixed feelings," Yoshio Yamaguchi, head of the zoo.
Tsuyoshi is very popular at the zoo, and Kyodo News agency said the zoo would not change his name to a female name. Tsuyoshi is a very common Japanese name for boys.
Experts say when polar bears are young, it is difficult to determine their gender as their long hair covers reproductive organs.
Iowa Fans Cited For Restroom Sex During Gophs Game
(AP) While the Hawkeyes were stomping the Gophers on the Metrodome field last weekend, police said two Iowa fans were having a romp of a different kind in a restroom. Both events, police say, had their share of cheering fans.
A 38-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man turned to a handicapped stall for their tryst Saturday evening.
On the field, the Hawkeyes were on their way to 55-0 trouncing of the Gophers. In the restroom, a crowd of intoxicated fans gathered to cheer the off-the-field event.
Eventually, a security guard tipped off University of Minnesota police. Officers had to interrupt the couple to cite them for indecent conduct, a misdemeanor.
Police Chief Greg Hestness said the woman initially gave a false name to officers. She was released to her husband and the man was released to his girlfriend.
A 38-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man turned to a handicapped stall for their tryst Saturday evening.
On the field, the Hawkeyes were on their way to 55-0 trouncing of the Gophers. In the restroom, a crowd of intoxicated fans gathered to cheer the off-the-field event.
Eventually, a security guard tipped off University of Minnesota police. Officers had to interrupt the couple to cite them for indecent conduct, a misdemeanor.
Police Chief Greg Hestness said the woman initially gave a false name to officers. She was released to her husband and the man was released to his girlfriend.
Ark. Man Arrested After Scratching Out Sentence
(AP) A man reportedly caught trying to scratch out a judicial decision sending him to jail faces a new charge. Police said the 25-year-old man received a four-day jail sentence along with a $650 fine Monday from St. Francis County District Judge Steve Routon for driving on a suspended license and hazardous driving.
Officers said Routon told the man to turn in a notice listing his sentence to the clerk's office.
A clerk told police she saw the man scratch something off the notice. When an officer looked at the notice, they saw the four-day sentence had been scratched through.
Police say the man is now charged with tampering with a public record.
Officers said Routon told the man to turn in a notice listing his sentence to the clerk's office.
A clerk told police she saw the man scratch something off the notice. When an officer looked at the notice, they saw the four-day sentence had been scratched through.
Police say the man is now charged with tampering with a public record.
Judge: Fla. Ban on Gay Adoptions Not Legal
A judge on Tuesday ruled that a strict Florida law that blocks gay people from adopting children is unconstitutional, declaring there was no legal or scientific reason for sexual orientation alone to prohibit anyone from adopting.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
NINE days after the election, in a motorcade zipping through the diagonal streets of downtown Washington, Jill Biden sat next to her husband, Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., peering out the window and scoping out her soon-to-be home city.
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“What building is that?” she asked, pointing out an unfamiliar structure in Judiciary Square, recalled Ted Kaufman, Mr. Biden’s longtime adviser and close friend, who was in the car.
Her husband, the consummate Washington insider, was stumped. “Neither of us knew what it was,” Mr. Kaufman said.
Perhaps that’s because Mr. Biden, like his wife, has never lived in Washington, despite serving in the Senate for 36 years.
Not since Jacob K. Javits took near-daily flights back to New York City (mostly to please his wife, Marian, who refused to leave Manhattan) have a senator’s commuting habits been so carefully documented. But Mr. Biden’s nightly 90-minute Amtrak rides to Wilmington, Del., will grind to a halt in January, when he and Dr. Biden, an English professor, take up residence at No. 1 Observatory Circle, on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory, the official home of vice presidents since 1974.
Mr. Biden will be the first vice president to move into the residence without previously living in Washington, said Donald Ritchie, a Senate historian.
For the Bidens, the move will bring a drastic change in habit. Mr. Biden, 66, will abandon his long-cherished routine that cemented his reputation as “Amtrak Joe,” an average guy who rushes to make the train home to spend time with his kids. Dr. Biden, 57, will almost certainly surrender her job at Delaware Technical and Community College.
In Delaware, they live in a 10-year-old lakeside home in the aptly named suburb of Greenville, outside Wilmington, a house that Mr. Biden personally designed.
In Washington, they will inhabit a 115-year-old Victorian with 33 rooms on a heavily guarded circular lot, next to the British Embassy.
The Bidens and their aides declined to discuss their plans or the question of whether Dr. Biden would find a new job in Washington. But friends and colleagues said that in all the decades Mr. Biden worked in Washington, he never had much of a social life there. He rarely stuck around for an evening fund-raiser or a cocktail party. He was not a regular at typical lawmaker haunts like the Capital Grille or Charlie Palmer, instead inviting people to the Senate dining room if he happened to be in town for dinner.
“I think he was far more interested in his children than the social whirl,” said Senator Patrick J. Leahy, a longtime Biden friend. “I have to kid him a little bit, because he’s no longer going to be asking, ‘Are we going to finish this vote by 7:45?’ so he can make this mad dash to the train.”
Not that Mr. Biden will suddenly become a fixture at Washington dinner parties, predicted Mr. Leahy, who in his 34 years in the Senate has seen a few new administrations come to town. “Everybody loves to have the vice president over for dinner, and he’ll have 100 invitations piling up,” Mr. Leahy said. “But I think he can be very valuable to President Obama up on the Hill. That will be the most important place to be.”
Sally Quinn, the journalist and author, said that like the Obamas, who have spent little time in Washington, the Bidens will be social newcomers.
“I’ve never seen Joe Biden at a party in Washington,” Ms. Quinn said. “Both of those couples are going to be fresh faces, even though they’ve both been in the Senate and Biden’s been here for a hundred years. It’ll be very interesting to have them around.”
Mr. Kaufman, who has been a close Biden friend since the 1970s, said Mr. Biden was damaged politically by his absence on the social scene.
“He did not participate in it,” Mr. Kaufman said. “To be honest, it was a real hindrance, because when he ran for president in ’87, people didn’t know him. You could probably count on two hands the number of embassy functions he went to.”
That could change in January, if he and Dr. Biden make time to sample the city’s Italian restaurants (their favorite cuisine) or visit the National Theater on Pennsylvania Avenue instead of traveling to New York to see a show (their regular practice until now).
Or they could take in performances at the Kennedy Center, a place Mr. Biden was rarely spotted at when he was a senator, said John Dow, a spokesman for the Kennedy Center.
If the Bidens stay closer to home, they will be surrounded by familiar faces in their new neighborhood on Massachusetts Avenue in northwest Washington. Hunter Biden, one of Mr. Biden’s sons, lives a mile and a half from the Naval Observatory with his wife and their three daughters. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton lives around the corner in a five-bedroom brick Colonial on Whitehaven Street. They may also bring Mr. Biden’s 91-year-old mother, Jean, to live with them, as she does in Delaware.
Dr. Biden, who runs five miles a day, five days a week, will enjoy close proximity to the trails winding through Rock Creek Park, close to the Naval Observatory. (She will be closely trailed by athletic Secret Service agents.)
And the Bidens are expected to keep their home in Greenville, which Dr. Biden has said they will never sell. “In D.C., we’re so close that I would be lucky enough that we could take advantage of both places,” she recently told The News Journal, a Wilmington paper.
If Dr. Biden decides to continue working, she would be one of the few vice-presidential spouses to do so. Lynne Cheney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and wrote several books during the Bush administration. Lady Bird Johnson supervised her Texas broadcasting company while her husband served as vice president. But most other second ladies have devoted themselves to volunteer work and ceremonial duties on behalf of their husbands.
If she chooses to work, Dr. Biden’s chosen profession is unlikely to raise any red flags. “It’s almost impossible for me to imagine what kind of conflict there could be with a teacher,” said Melanie Sloan, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group.
An official at one Washington college said she hoped that Dr. Biden would come looking for a job there. “We would love it,” said Elizabeth Homan, a spokeswoman for Montgomery College, one of the largest community colleges in the Washington area. “I think it would be a really pleasant surprise.”
Officials at Amtrak, however, were less enthusiastic about losing their high-profile customer.
“We will miss having Senator Biden as a regular passenger,” said Karina Romero, an Amtrak spokeswoman.
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“What building is that?” she asked, pointing out an unfamiliar structure in Judiciary Square, recalled Ted Kaufman, Mr. Biden’s longtime adviser and close friend, who was in the car.
Her husband, the consummate Washington insider, was stumped. “Neither of us knew what it was,” Mr. Kaufman said.
Perhaps that’s because Mr. Biden, like his wife, has never lived in Washington, despite serving in the Senate for 36 years.
Not since Jacob K. Javits took near-daily flights back to New York City (mostly to please his wife, Marian, who refused to leave Manhattan) have a senator’s commuting habits been so carefully documented. But Mr. Biden’s nightly 90-minute Amtrak rides to Wilmington, Del., will grind to a halt in January, when he and Dr. Biden, an English professor, take up residence at No. 1 Observatory Circle, on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory, the official home of vice presidents since 1974.
Mr. Biden will be the first vice president to move into the residence without previously living in Washington, said Donald Ritchie, a Senate historian.
For the Bidens, the move will bring a drastic change in habit. Mr. Biden, 66, will abandon his long-cherished routine that cemented his reputation as “Amtrak Joe,” an average guy who rushes to make the train home to spend time with his kids. Dr. Biden, 57, will almost certainly surrender her job at Delaware Technical and Community College.
In Delaware, they live in a 10-year-old lakeside home in the aptly named suburb of Greenville, outside Wilmington, a house that Mr. Biden personally designed.
In Washington, they will inhabit a 115-year-old Victorian with 33 rooms on a heavily guarded circular lot, next to the British Embassy.
The Bidens and their aides declined to discuss their plans or the question of whether Dr. Biden would find a new job in Washington. But friends and colleagues said that in all the decades Mr. Biden worked in Washington, he never had much of a social life there. He rarely stuck around for an evening fund-raiser or a cocktail party. He was not a regular at typical lawmaker haunts like the Capital Grille or Charlie Palmer, instead inviting people to the Senate dining room if he happened to be in town for dinner.
“I think he was far more interested in his children than the social whirl,” said Senator Patrick J. Leahy, a longtime Biden friend. “I have to kid him a little bit, because he’s no longer going to be asking, ‘Are we going to finish this vote by 7:45?’ so he can make this mad dash to the train.”
Not that Mr. Biden will suddenly become a fixture at Washington dinner parties, predicted Mr. Leahy, who in his 34 years in the Senate has seen a few new administrations come to town. “Everybody loves to have the vice president over for dinner, and he’ll have 100 invitations piling up,” Mr. Leahy said. “But I think he can be very valuable to President Obama up on the Hill. That will be the most important place to be.”
Sally Quinn, the journalist and author, said that like the Obamas, who have spent little time in Washington, the Bidens will be social newcomers.
“I’ve never seen Joe Biden at a party in Washington,” Ms. Quinn said. “Both of those couples are going to be fresh faces, even though they’ve both been in the Senate and Biden’s been here for a hundred years. It’ll be very interesting to have them around.”
Mr. Kaufman, who has been a close Biden friend since the 1970s, said Mr. Biden was damaged politically by his absence on the social scene.
“He did not participate in it,” Mr. Kaufman said. “To be honest, it was a real hindrance, because when he ran for president in ’87, people didn’t know him. You could probably count on two hands the number of embassy functions he went to.”
That could change in January, if he and Dr. Biden make time to sample the city’s Italian restaurants (their favorite cuisine) or visit the National Theater on Pennsylvania Avenue instead of traveling to New York to see a show (their regular practice until now).
Or they could take in performances at the Kennedy Center, a place Mr. Biden was rarely spotted at when he was a senator, said John Dow, a spokesman for the Kennedy Center.
If the Bidens stay closer to home, they will be surrounded by familiar faces in their new neighborhood on Massachusetts Avenue in northwest Washington. Hunter Biden, one of Mr. Biden’s sons, lives a mile and a half from the Naval Observatory with his wife and their three daughters. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton lives around the corner in a five-bedroom brick Colonial on Whitehaven Street. They may also bring Mr. Biden’s 91-year-old mother, Jean, to live with them, as she does in Delaware.
Dr. Biden, who runs five miles a day, five days a week, will enjoy close proximity to the trails winding through Rock Creek Park, close to the Naval Observatory. (She will be closely trailed by athletic Secret Service agents.)
And the Bidens are expected to keep their home in Greenville, which Dr. Biden has said they will never sell. “In D.C., we’re so close that I would be lucky enough that we could take advantage of both places,” she recently told The News Journal, a Wilmington paper.
If Dr. Biden decides to continue working, she would be one of the few vice-presidential spouses to do so. Lynne Cheney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and wrote several books during the Bush administration. Lady Bird Johnson supervised her Texas broadcasting company while her husband served as vice president. But most other second ladies have devoted themselves to volunteer work and ceremonial duties on behalf of their husbands.
If she chooses to work, Dr. Biden’s chosen profession is unlikely to raise any red flags. “It’s almost impossible for me to imagine what kind of conflict there could be with a teacher,” said Melanie Sloan, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group.
An official at one Washington college said she hoped that Dr. Biden would come looking for a job there. “We would love it,” said Elizabeth Homan, a spokeswoman for Montgomery College, one of the largest community colleges in the Washington area. “I think it would be a really pleasant surprise.”
Officials at Amtrak, however, were less enthusiastic about losing their high-profile customer.
“We will miss having Senator Biden as a regular passenger,” said Karina Romero, an Amtrak spokeswoman.
Once Considered Invincible, Chávez Takes a Blow
CARACAS, Venezuela — From the hardened slums of this city to some of Venezuela’s most populous and economically important states, many of President Hugo Chávez’s supporters deserted him in regional elections, showing it is possible to challenge him in areas where he was once thought invincible.
SAVORING VICTORY Members of the opposition celebrated in Caracas on Sunday after the National Electoral Council announced the vote results. The opposition won in most of the capital.
SUPPORT ON THE STREETS A follower of President Hugo Chávez held a portrait of Simón Bolívar, Venezuela's independence hero, in Caracas. The official party won 17 of 22 states on Sunday.
The outcome of Sunday’s vote was the second blow dealt to the president in a year, after voters rejected last December his plan to alter the Constitution to give himself more power. Although it was unclear whether the results would slow his Socialist-inspired revolution or check his power, they could complicate his ambitions to amend the Constitution to allow him to run again.
Mr. Chávez, who has been in power for 10 years, has focused on raising political consciousness across disenfranchised parts of society. Now, voters in a sizable part of Venezuela sent him a message that they wanted not a monopoly on power, but solutions to economic and social ills that are glaringly apparent on their streets.
Though Mr. Chávez’s allies won 17 of the 22 states in Sunday’s vote, his opponents did well in some poor urban areas, and in states like Zulia, where much of Venezuela’s oil is produced; Carabobo, the home of auto manufacturers and petrochemical plants; and Táchira, rich in agriculture and cattle. Mr. Chávez framed the elections as a plebiscite on his evolving revolutionary ideology, but voters appeared to focus on more mundane concerns like inflation, which at more than 30 percent is the highest rate in Latin America, and fears that an economic boom might be sputtering to an end as oil prices plunge, forcing Mr. Chávez to reconsider his spending plans.
SAVORING VICTORY Members of the opposition celebrated in Caracas on Sunday after the National Electoral Council announced the vote results. The opposition won in most of the capital.
SUPPORT ON THE STREETS A follower of President Hugo Chávez held a portrait of Simón Bolívar, Venezuela's independence hero, in Caracas. The official party won 17 of 22 states on Sunday.
The outcome of Sunday’s vote was the second blow dealt to the president in a year, after voters rejected last December his plan to alter the Constitution to give himself more power. Although it was unclear whether the results would slow his Socialist-inspired revolution or check his power, they could complicate his ambitions to amend the Constitution to allow him to run again.
Mr. Chávez, who has been in power for 10 years, has focused on raising political consciousness across disenfranchised parts of society. Now, voters in a sizable part of Venezuela sent him a message that they wanted not a monopoly on power, but solutions to economic and social ills that are glaringly apparent on their streets.
Though Mr. Chávez’s allies won 17 of the 22 states in Sunday’s vote, his opponents did well in some poor urban areas, and in states like Zulia, where much of Venezuela’s oil is produced; Carabobo, the home of auto manufacturers and petrochemical plants; and Táchira, rich in agriculture and cattle. Mr. Chávez framed the elections as a plebiscite on his evolving revolutionary ideology, but voters appeared to focus on more mundane concerns like inflation, which at more than 30 percent is the highest rate in Latin America, and fears that an economic boom might be sputtering to an end as oil prices plunge, forcing Mr. Chávez to reconsider his spending plans.
Slump May Limit Moves on Clean Energy
Just as the world seemed poised to combat global warming more aggressively, the economic slump and plunging prices of coal and oil are upending plans to wean businesses and consumers from fossil fuel.
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Managing Globalization: In the Green Wobble, an Opening?
From Italy to China, the threat to jobs, profits and government tax revenues posed by the financial crisis has cast doubt on commitments to cap emissions or phase out polluting factories.
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Managing Globalization: In the Green Wobble, an Opening?
From Italy to China, the threat to jobs, profits and government tax revenues posed by the financial crisis has cast doubt on commitments to cap emissions or phase out polluting factories.
Five Convicted in Terrorism Financing Trial
Five former leaders of a Muslim charity based in Dallas were convicted of funneling millions of dollars to Hamas.
Polk Home Sales Rise in October
Local home sales produced a gain in October but values continued to plummet here and around the state.
Citi Bailout News Spurs Big Gains In Markets
NEW YORK | The government's latest bailout of a big financial company - this time, Citigroup Inc. - sent Wall Street soaring Monday for the second straight session as investors bet that the worst of the financial industry's problems might finally be.
Cuba Program Still Questioned
MIAMI | The U.S. program that spends millions of dollars each year promoting democracy and human rights in communist Cuba is improving controls on grants, but still faces a risk that money could be misused, according to a federal audit released..
Huge Land Tract, Hatchineha Ranch, Now Protected
Hatchineha Ranch, a 5,134-acre tract proposed for a city-sized development at Polk's eastern border, will instead be preserved under a deal brokered by The Nature Conservancy.
Lincoln's Statement
Subject: FW: Be Sure to read Lincoln's statement at the end
TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND READ THIS LETTER. THESE ARE STRONG, POWERFUL AND COURAGEOUS
WORDS COMING FROM A RETIRED COLONEL.
AND READ WHAT LINCOLN HAD TO SAY AT THE END.
WOW!
33 Senators Voted Against English as America 's Official Language onJune 6, 2007.
On Wed. 6 June 2007 23:35:23 - 0500 Colonel Harry Riley , USA , Ret wrote:
Senators:
Your vote against an amendment to the immigration Bill 1348......to make English America's official language is astounding.
On D-Day, no less, when we honor those that sacrificed in order to secure the bedrock, characte r and principles of America , I can only surmise your vote reflects a loyalty to illegal aliens.
I don't much care where you come from. What your religion is. Whether you're black, white, or some other color...male or female......Democrat, Republican or Independent....... But I do care when you are a United States Senator representing Citizens of America ..and Vote against English as the official language of the United States .
Your vote reflects Betrayal. Political Surrender. Violates Your Pledge of Allegiance. Dishonors historical principle. Rejects Patriotism. Borders on traitorous action and, in my opinion, makes you unfit to serve as a United States Senator...impeachment... Recall........Or other appropriate action is warranted or worse.
Four of you voting against English as America 's Official Language are Presidential Candidates: Senator Biden, Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd and Senator Obama.
Four Senators vying to lead America, but won't or
Don't have the courage to cast a vote in favor of 'English' as America 's Official Language when 91% of American Citizens want English officially designated as our language.
This is the second time in the last several months this list of Senators have disgraced themselves as 'policital Hacks'...... Unworthy as Senators and certainly unqualified to serve as President of the United States
If America is as angry as I am, you will realize a backlash so stunning it will literally 'rock you out of your panties'......... And preferably totally out of the United States Senate.
The entire immigration bill is a farce... Your action only confirms this really isn't about America .....it is about self-serving politics......despicable at best. It has been said:
'Never Argue with an Idiot....They'll drag you down to their level!'
PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
'Congressmen who willfully take actions during wart ime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or Hanged!!!
PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING AROUND THE UNITED STATES TILL THE ELECTION!
-
TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND READ THIS LETTER. THESE ARE STRONG, POWERFUL AND COURAGEOUS
WORDS COMING FROM A RETIRED COLONEL.
AND READ WHAT LINCOLN HAD TO SAY AT THE END.
WOW!
33 Senators Voted Against English as America 's Official Language onJune 6, 2007.
On Wed. 6 June 2007 23:35:23 - 0500 Colonel Harry Riley , USA , Ret wrote:
Senators:
Your vote against an amendment to the immigration Bill 1348......to make English America's official language is astounding.
On D-Day, no less, when we honor those that sacrificed in order to secure the bedrock, characte r and principles of America , I can only surmise your vote reflects a loyalty to illegal aliens.
I don't much care where you come from. What your religion is. Whether you're black, white, or some other color...male or female......Democrat, Republican or Independent....... But I do care when you are a United States Senator representing Citizens of America ..and Vote against English as the official language of the United States .
Your vote reflects Betrayal. Political Surrender. Violates Your Pledge of Allegiance. Dishonors historical principle. Rejects Patriotism. Borders on traitorous action and, in my opinion, makes you unfit to serve as a United States Senator...impeachment... Recall........Or other appropriate action is warranted or worse.
Four of you voting against English as America 's Official Language are Presidential Candidates: Senator Biden, Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd and Senator Obama.
Four Senators vying to lead America, but won't or
Don't have the courage to cast a vote in favor of 'English' as America 's Official Language when 91% of American Citizens want English officially designated as our language.
This is the second time in the last several months this list of Senators have disgraced themselves as 'policital Hacks'...... Unworthy as Senators and certainly unqualified to serve as President of the United States
If America is as angry as I am, you will realize a backlash so stunning it will literally 'rock you out of your panties'......... And preferably totally out of the United States Senate.
The entire immigration bill is a farce... Your action only confirms this really isn't about America .....it is about self-serving politics......despicable at best. It has been said:
'Never Argue with an Idiot....They'll drag you down to their level!'
PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
'Congressmen who willfully take actions during wart ime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or Hanged!!!
PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING AROUND THE UNITED STATES TILL THE ELECTION!
-
Scary Statistics
Tina Griego, journalist for the Denver Rocky Mountain News wrote a column titled, "Mexican Visitor's Lament" -- 10/25/07.
She interviewed Mexican journalist Evangelina Hernandez while visiting Denver . Hernandez said, "They (illegal aliens) pay rent, buy groceries, buy clothes...
What Happens to your country's economy if 20 million people go away?" That's a good question - it deserves an answer. Over 80 percent of Americans demand secured borders and illegal migration stopped. But what would happen if all 20 million or more vacated America ? The answers may surprise you!
In California , if 3.5 million illegal aliens moved back to Mexico , it would leave an extra $10.2 billion to spend on overloaded school systems, bankrupt hospitals and overrun prisons. It would leave highways cleaner, safer and less congested. Everyone could understand one another as English became the dominant language again.
In Colorado , 500,000 illegal migrants, plus their 300,000 kids and grand-kids - would move back 'home', mostly to Mexico . That would save Coloradans an estimated $2 billion (other experts say $7 billion) annually in taxes that pay for schooling, medical, social-services and incarceration costs. It means 12,000 gang members would vanish out of Denver alone.
Colorado would save more than $20 million in prison costs, and the terror that those 7,300 alien criminals set upon local citizens. Denver Officer Don Young and hundreds of Colorado victims would not have suffered death, accidents, rapes and other crimes by illegals.
Denver Public Schools would not suffer a 67 percent drop-out/flunk-out rate because of thousands of illegal alien students speaking 41 different languages. At least 200,000 vehicles would vanish from our gridlocked cities in Colorado .
Denver 's four percent unemployment rate would vanish as our working poor would gain jobs at a living wage.
In Florida , 1.5 million illegals would return the Sunshine State back to America , the rule of law, and English.
In Chicago , Illinois , 2.1 million illegals would free up hospitals, schools, prisons and highways for a safer, cleaner and more crime-free experience.
If 20 million illegal aliens returned 'home', the U.S. Economy would return to the rule of law. Employers would hire legal American citizens at a living wage. Everyone would pay their fair share of taxes because they wouldn't be working off the books. That would result in an additional $401 Billion in IRS income taxes collected annually, and an equal amount for local, state and city coffers.
No more push '1' for Spanish or '2' for English. No more confusion in American schools that now must contend with over 100 languages that degrade the educational system for American kids. Our overcrowded schools would lose more than two million illegal alien kids at a cost of billions in ESL and free breakfasts and lunches.
We would lose 500,000 illegal criminal alien inmates at a cost of more than $1.6 billion annually. That includes 15,000 MS-13 gang members who distribute $130 billion in drugs annually would vacate our country.
In cities like L.A. , 20,000 members of the ' 18th Street Gang' would vanish from our nation. No more Mexican forgery gangs for ID theft from Americans! No more foreign rapists and child molesters!
Losing more than 20 million people would clear up our crowded highways and gridlock. Cleaner air and less drinking and driving American deaths by illegal aliens!
America 's economy is drained. Taxpayers are harmed. Employers get rich. Over $80 billion annually wouldn't return to the aliens' home countries by cash transfers. Illegal migrants earned half that money untaxed, which further drains America 's economy - which currently suffers an $8.7 trillion debt.
At least 400,000 anchor babies would not be born in our country, costing us $109 billion per year per cycle. At least 86 hospitals in California , Georgia and Florida would still be operating instead of being bankrupt out of existence because illegals pay nothing via the EMTOLA Act.
Americans wouldn't suffer thousands of TB and hepatitis cases rampant in our country-brought in by illegals unscreened at our borders.
Our cities would see 20 million less people driving, polluting and grid locking our cities. It would also put the 'progressives' on the horns of a dilemma; illegal aliens and their families cause 11 percent of our greenhouse gases.
Over one million of Mexico 's poorest citizens now live inside and along our border from Brownsville , Texas to San Diego , California in what the New York Times called, "colonias" or new neighborhoods. Trouble is, those living areas resemble Bombay and Calcutta where grinding poverty, filth, diseases, drugs, crimes, no sanitation and worse. They live without sewage, clean water, streets, electricity, roads or any kind of sanitation. The New York Times reported them to be America 's new " Third World " inside our own country. Within 20 years, at their current growth rate, they expect 20 million residents of those colonias. (I've seen them personally in Texas and Arizona ; it's sickening beyond anything you can imagine.) By enforcing our laws, we could repatriate them back to Mexico .
We should invite 20 million aliens to go home, fix their own countries and/or make a better life in Mexico . We already invite a million people into our country legally more than all other countries combined annually. We cannot and must not allow anarchy at our borders, more anarchy within our borders and growing lawlessness at every level in our nation. It's time to stand up for our country, our culture, our civilization and our way of life.
Interesting Statistics. Here are 14 reasons illegal aliens should vacate America, and I hope they are forwarded over and over again until they are read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading them [URLs provided for source verification]:
1. $11 billion to $22 billion dollars are spent each year on welfare to illegal aliens. http://tinyurl.com/zob77
2. $2.2 billion dollars are spent each year on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
3. $2.5 billion dollars are spent each year on Medicaid for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
4. $12 billion dollars are spent each year on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English! http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
5. $17 billion dollars are spent each year for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
6. $3 Million Dollars PER DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
7. 30% percent of all federal prison inmates are illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
8. $90 billion dollars are spent each year on illegal aliens for welfare & social services by the American taxpayers. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html
9. $200 billion dollars per year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US . http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html
11. During the year 2005, there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our southern border with as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from terrorist countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroine, and marijuana crossed into the U.S. from the southern border. http://tinyurl.com/t9sht
12. The National Policy Institute, estimates that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion, or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period. http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/publications.php?b=deportation
13. In 2006, illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm
14. The dark side of illegal immigration: Nearly one million sex crimes are committed by illegal immigrants in the United States !" http://www.drdsk.com/articles.html The total cost is a whopping $338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!!!
If this doesn't bother you, then just delete the message. Otherwise, forward this to everyone you know!
She interviewed Mexican journalist Evangelina Hernandez while visiting Denver . Hernandez said, "They (illegal aliens) pay rent, buy groceries, buy clothes...
What Happens to your country's economy if 20 million people go away?" That's a good question - it deserves an answer. Over 80 percent of Americans demand secured borders and illegal migration stopped. But what would happen if all 20 million or more vacated America ? The answers may surprise you!
In California , if 3.5 million illegal aliens moved back to Mexico , it would leave an extra $10.2 billion to spend on overloaded school systems, bankrupt hospitals and overrun prisons. It would leave highways cleaner, safer and less congested. Everyone could understand one another as English became the dominant language again.
In Colorado , 500,000 illegal migrants, plus their 300,000 kids and grand-kids - would move back 'home', mostly to Mexico . That would save Coloradans an estimated $2 billion (other experts say $7 billion) annually in taxes that pay for schooling, medical, social-services and incarceration costs. It means 12,000 gang members would vanish out of Denver alone.
Colorado would save more than $20 million in prison costs, and the terror that those 7,300 alien criminals set upon local citizens. Denver Officer Don Young and hundreds of Colorado victims would not have suffered death, accidents, rapes and other crimes by illegals.
Denver Public Schools would not suffer a 67 percent drop-out/flunk-out rate because of thousands of illegal alien students speaking 41 different languages. At least 200,000 vehicles would vanish from our gridlocked cities in Colorado .
Denver 's four percent unemployment rate would vanish as our working poor would gain jobs at a living wage.
In Florida , 1.5 million illegals would return the Sunshine State back to America , the rule of law, and English.
In Chicago , Illinois , 2.1 million illegals would free up hospitals, schools, prisons and highways for a safer, cleaner and more crime-free experience.
If 20 million illegal aliens returned 'home', the U.S. Economy would return to the rule of law. Employers would hire legal American citizens at a living wage. Everyone would pay their fair share of taxes because they wouldn't be working off the books. That would result in an additional $401 Billion in IRS income taxes collected annually, and an equal amount for local, state and city coffers.
No more push '1' for Spanish or '2' for English. No more confusion in American schools that now must contend with over 100 languages that degrade the educational system for American kids. Our overcrowded schools would lose more than two million illegal alien kids at a cost of billions in ESL and free breakfasts and lunches.
We would lose 500,000 illegal criminal alien inmates at a cost of more than $1.6 billion annually. That includes 15,000 MS-13 gang members who distribute $130 billion in drugs annually would vacate our country.
In cities like L.A. , 20,000 members of the ' 18th Street Gang' would vanish from our nation. No more Mexican forgery gangs for ID theft from Americans! No more foreign rapists and child molesters!
Losing more than 20 million people would clear up our crowded highways and gridlock. Cleaner air and less drinking and driving American deaths by illegal aliens!
America 's economy is drained. Taxpayers are harmed. Employers get rich. Over $80 billion annually wouldn't return to the aliens' home countries by cash transfers. Illegal migrants earned half that money untaxed, which further drains America 's economy - which currently suffers an $8.7 trillion debt.
At least 400,000 anchor babies would not be born in our country, costing us $109 billion per year per cycle. At least 86 hospitals in California , Georgia and Florida would still be operating instead of being bankrupt out of existence because illegals pay nothing via the EMTOLA Act.
Americans wouldn't suffer thousands of TB and hepatitis cases rampant in our country-brought in by illegals unscreened at our borders.
Our cities would see 20 million less people driving, polluting and grid locking our cities. It would also put the 'progressives' on the horns of a dilemma; illegal aliens and their families cause 11 percent of our greenhouse gases.
Over one million of Mexico 's poorest citizens now live inside and along our border from Brownsville , Texas to San Diego , California in what the New York Times called, "colonias" or new neighborhoods. Trouble is, those living areas resemble Bombay and Calcutta where grinding poverty, filth, diseases, drugs, crimes, no sanitation and worse. They live without sewage, clean water, streets, electricity, roads or any kind of sanitation. The New York Times reported them to be America 's new " Third World " inside our own country. Within 20 years, at their current growth rate, they expect 20 million residents of those colonias. (I've seen them personally in Texas and Arizona ; it's sickening beyond anything you can imagine.) By enforcing our laws, we could repatriate them back to Mexico .
We should invite 20 million aliens to go home, fix their own countries and/or make a better life in Mexico . We already invite a million people into our country legally more than all other countries combined annually. We cannot and must not allow anarchy at our borders, more anarchy within our borders and growing lawlessness at every level in our nation. It's time to stand up for our country, our culture, our civilization and our way of life.
Interesting Statistics. Here are 14 reasons illegal aliens should vacate America, and I hope they are forwarded over and over again until they are read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading them [URLs provided for source verification]:
1. $11 billion to $22 billion dollars are spent each year on welfare to illegal aliens. http://tinyurl.com/zob77
2. $2.2 billion dollars are spent each year on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
3. $2.5 billion dollars are spent each year on Medicaid for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
4. $12 billion dollars are spent each year on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English! http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
5. $17 billion dollars are spent each year for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
6. $3 Million Dollars PER DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
7. 30% percent of all federal prison inmates are illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01html
8. $90 billion dollars are spent each year on illegal aliens for welfare & social services by the American taxpayers. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html
9. $200 billion dollars per year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US . http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html
11. During the year 2005, there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our southern border with as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from terrorist countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroine, and marijuana crossed into the U.S. from the southern border. http://tinyurl.com/t9sht
12. The National Policy Institute, estimates that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion, or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period. http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/publications.php?b=deportation
13. In 2006, illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm
14. The dark side of illegal immigration: Nearly one million sex crimes are committed by illegal immigrants in the United States !" http://www.drdsk.com/articles.html The total cost is a whopping $338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!!!
If this doesn't bother you, then just delete the message. Otherwise, forward this to everyone you know!
World History 101
For those of you who slept through World History 101 here is a condensed
version.
Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic
hunters/gatherers.
They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to
the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.
The two most important events in all of history were:
1. The invention of beer, and
2. The invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the
beer, and the beer to the man.
These facts formed the foundation of modern civilization and together
were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct
subgroups:
1. Liberals
2. Conservatives.
Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning
of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented
yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to
be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages
were formed.
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night
while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known
as the Conservative movement.
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live
off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ's and doing the
sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the
Liberal movement.
Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became
known as girlie-men.
Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats,
the invention of group therapy and group hugs, the evolution of the
Hollywood actor, and the concept of Democratic v oting to decide how to
divide all the meat and beer that conservatives provided.
Over the years, Conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most
powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by
the jackass.
Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer
white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their
beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.
Another interesting evolutionary side note: most liberal women have
higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal
injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group
therapists are liberals.
Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide
for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys,
firemen, lumberjacks, construction workers, medical doctors, police
officers, corpor a te executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone
who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other
conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers
and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans
are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals
remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept
in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get
more for nothing.
Here ends today's lesson in world history.
It should be noted that a liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily
respond to the above before forwarding it.
A conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute
truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other
true believers, and to more liberals...just to piss them off.
version.
Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic
hunters/gatherers.
They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to
the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.
The two most important events in all of history were:
1. The invention of beer, and
2. The invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the
beer, and the beer to the man.
These facts formed the foundation of modern civilization and together
were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct
subgroups:
1. Liberals
2. Conservatives.
Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning
of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented
yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to
be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages
were formed.
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night
while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known
as the Conservative movement.
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live
off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ's and doing the
sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the
Liberal movement.
Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became
known as girlie-men.
Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats,
the invention of group therapy and group hugs, the evolution of the
Hollywood actor, and the concept of Democratic v oting to decide how to
divide all the meat and beer that conservatives provided.
Over the years, Conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most
powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by
the jackass.
Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer
white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their
beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.
Another interesting evolutionary side note: most liberal women have
higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal
injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group
therapists are liberals.
Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide
for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys,
firemen, lumberjacks, construction workers, medical doctors, police
officers, corpor a te executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone
who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other
conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers
and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans
are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals
remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept
in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get
more for nothing.
Here ends today's lesson in world history.
It should be noted that a liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily
respond to the above before forwarding it.
A conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute
truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other
true believers, and to more liberals...just to piss them off.
Cindy McCain
Subject: FW: Cindy McCain...what the voters should know
The media sure kept this quiet didn't they.
THIS IS THE ONE THAT SHOULD BE RUNNING!
There was, recently, an article in the Wall Street
Journal on Cindy McCain, John's wife.
All I ever saw was this attractive woman standing beside
John. I was surprised how talented
and involved with world problems she is. This is a
summary of the article.
She graduated from Southern Cal and was a special-needs
teacher.
After her Dad died she became involved with his beer
distributing firm and is now the chairwoman.
Sales have doubled since she has taken over from her
father.
They have a marriage prenuptial agreement, her assets
remain separate.
She is involved around the world clearing land mines -
travels to these countries on a
detonation team and service on their board.
They have a 19 year old serving in Iraq, another son in
the Naval Academy,
a daughter recently graduated from Columbia Univ., an
adopted daughter in high
school, and a son who is the finance guy at the beer
firm.
Raised kids in Phoenix, AZ rather than Washington
DC.(better atmosphere) He commuted.
In 1991, Mrs. McCain came across a girl in an orphanage
in Bangladesh.
Mother Teresa implored Mrs. McCain to take the baby with
severe cleft palate.
She did so without first telling her husband.
The couple adopted the girl who has had a dozen
operations to repair her
cleft palate and other medical problems.
They have a Family Foundation for children's causes.
She's active with 'Halo Trust' - to clear land mines,
provide water and food
in war ravaged and developing countries. She will join
an overseas mission of
'Operation Smile', a charity for corrective surgery on
children's faces.
She has had two back surgeries and became addicted to
pain killers.
She talks openly about it which she says is part of the
recovery process.
I'm surprised the media is so quiet about her
attributes.
She sounds more capable than Hillary or Obama.
We would really get two for the price of one.
A person with business and international experience.
John did work for the firm for awhile when he left the
Navy.
She, however, has the real business experience.
Very interesting.
-
The media sure kept this quiet didn't they.
THIS IS THE ONE THAT SHOULD BE RUNNING!
There was, recently, an article in the Wall Street
Journal on Cindy McCain, John's wife.
All I ever saw was this attractive woman standing beside
John. I was surprised how talented
and involved with world problems she is. This is a
summary of the article.
She graduated from Southern Cal and was a special-needs
teacher.
After her Dad died she became involved with his beer
distributing firm and is now the chairwoman.
Sales have doubled since she has taken over from her
father.
They have a marriage prenuptial agreement, her assets
remain separate.
She is involved around the world clearing land mines -
travels to these countries on a
detonation team and service on their board.
They have a 19 year old serving in Iraq, another son in
the Naval Academy,
a daughter recently graduated from Columbia Univ., an
adopted daughter in high
school, and a son who is the finance guy at the beer
firm.
Raised kids in Phoenix, AZ rather than Washington
DC.(better atmosphere) He commuted.
In 1991, Mrs. McCain came across a girl in an orphanage
in Bangladesh.
Mother Teresa implored Mrs. McCain to take the baby with
severe cleft palate.
She did so without first telling her husband.
The couple adopted the girl who has had a dozen
operations to repair her
cleft palate and other medical problems.
They have a Family Foundation for children's causes.
She's active with 'Halo Trust' - to clear land mines,
provide water and food
in war ravaged and developing countries. She will join
an overseas mission of
'Operation Smile', a charity for corrective surgery on
children's faces.
She has had two back surgeries and became addicted to
pain killers.
She talks openly about it which she says is part of the
recovery process.
I'm surprised the media is so quiet about her
attributes.
She sounds more capable than Hillary or Obama.
We would really get two for the price of one.
A person with business and international experience.
John did work for the firm for awhile when he left the
Navy.
She, however, has the real business experience.
Very interesting.
-
Obama in Texas
Barack Hussein Obama , the Presidential Democratic Party candidate, is
for banning all guns in America. He is considered by those who have
dealt with him, as a little more than just a little self-righteous. At a
recent rural elementary school meeting in North Texas, he asked the
audience for total quiet. Then in the silence, he started to slowly
clap his hands once every few seconds, holding the audience in total
silence. Then he said into the microphone, "Every time I clap my hands
a child in America dies from gun violence."
Little Johnny with a proud Texas drawl, pierced the quiet!
"Well, stupid, stop clapping
for banning all guns in America. He is considered by those who have
dealt with him, as a little more than just a little self-righteous. At a
recent rural elementary school meeting in North Texas, he asked the
audience for total quiet. Then in the silence, he started to slowly
clap his hands once every few seconds, holding the audience in total
silence. Then he said into the microphone, "Every time I clap my hands
a child in America dies from gun violence."
Little Johnny with a proud Texas drawl, pierced the quiet!
"Well, stupid, stop clapping
Act Now From Paying $10 a Gallon
Donald E. Wildmon
Founder and
Chairman
Act now to keep your family from paying $10 a gallon
Tell Congress you want action on rising gas prices now!
For the past 10 years Congress has refused to do anything to make our country energy self-sufficient. Because of their inaction, we soon will be paying $5 a gallon for gas with the possibility of $10 a gallon in the future. Their refusal to do anything has hurt nearly every family in America . Because environmentalists have kept us from developing our vast and plentiful energy sources, we are now at the mercy of foreign governments (many of which are hostile).
If you believe Congress should allow the exploration of energy sources which would not materially affect our environment, now is the time to send that message. Can your family afford to pay $10 a gallon for gas? They will be forced to if Congress doesn’t act now!
We have abundant energy reserves, but the environmentalists won’t let us use them. All efforts to provide for our needs end up in court because of the environmentalists! A handful of environmentalists are forcing all Americans to pay outrageous amounts for gas!
Will our families have to wait another 10 years for Congress to act? They will unless Congress hears from American families now.
Tell Congress you want common sense action now to reduce the red tape that keeps us from becoming energy self-sufficient!
Take Action!
The environmentalists have a strangle hold on Congress. Congress will not do anything until and unless they hear from America ’s families! They will have to feel the heat before they see the light! This is an election year. Hold Congress accountable!
Send an e-mail to your two U.S. senators and representative. Tell them to authorize the exploration of our energy reserves.
Forward this to friends and family, and urge them to send an e-mail.
Thank you for caring enough to get involved. If you feel our efforts are worthy of support, would you consider making a small tax-deductible contribution to help us continue?
Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon,
Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
Donate with confidence to AFA
(gifts are tax-deductible)
Please take a few minutes and invite your friends to AFA ActionAlert.
AFA Receives High Marks
Please read this information before you decide to give a financial gift to American Family Association.
American Family Association | P O Drawer 2440 | Tupelo , MS 38803 | 1-662-844-5036
Copyright ©2008 All Rights Reserved
-
Founder and
Chairman
Act now to keep your family from paying $10 a gallon
Tell Congress you want action on rising gas prices now!
For the past 10 years Congress has refused to do anything to make our country energy self-sufficient. Because of their inaction, we soon will be paying $5 a gallon for gas with the possibility of $10 a gallon in the future. Their refusal to do anything has hurt nearly every family in America . Because environmentalists have kept us from developing our vast and plentiful energy sources, we are now at the mercy of foreign governments (many of which are hostile).
If you believe Congress should allow the exploration of energy sources which would not materially affect our environment, now is the time to send that message. Can your family afford to pay $10 a gallon for gas? They will be forced to if Congress doesn’t act now!
We have abundant energy reserves, but the environmentalists won’t let us use them. All efforts to provide for our needs end up in court because of the environmentalists! A handful of environmentalists are forcing all Americans to pay outrageous amounts for gas!
Will our families have to wait another 10 years for Congress to act? They will unless Congress hears from American families now.
Tell Congress you want common sense action now to reduce the red tape that keeps us from becoming energy self-sufficient!
Take Action!
The environmentalists have a strangle hold on Congress. Congress will not do anything until and unless they hear from America ’s families! They will have to feel the heat before they see the light! This is an election year. Hold Congress accountable!
Send an e-mail to your two U.S. senators and representative. Tell them to authorize the exploration of our energy reserves.
Forward this to friends and family, and urge them to send an e-mail.
Thank you for caring enough to get involved. If you feel our efforts are worthy of support, would you consider making a small tax-deductible contribution to help us continue?
Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon,
Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
Donate with confidence to AFA
(gifts are tax-deductible)
Please take a few minutes and invite your friends to AFA ActionAlert.
AFA Receives High Marks
Please read this information before you decide to give a financial gift to American Family Association.
American Family Association | P O Drawer 2440 | Tupelo , MS 38803 | 1-662-844-5036
Copyright ©2008 All Rights Reserved
-
General Motors
The automaker’s rapidly deteriorating finances are forcing the government to decide whether to bail it out or face the prospect that it might go bankrupt.
Tough Times For Colleges
Public and private universities are freezing hiring and postponing construction projects as endowments shrink and states cut their financing.
Obama Joke by Premier of Italy
Many Italians reacted with incredulity and outrage after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called the first African-American president-elect in history “young, handsome and suntanned.”
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sprint, Nextel Swings to a Loss of Subscribers
The company lost another 1.3 million wireless subscribers during the third quarter, leading to a loss that sent its stock skidding.
Baptists Gather as Money Ills Grow
Southern Baptists from across Florida are under gathering financial storm clouds as they convene here Monday for the annual Florida State Baptist Convention.
The Mouse Is Hurting
Walt Disney Co. announced its first major hotel discounts in years Thursday to counter a "sobering" economic outlook for 2009, after reporting lower profit in its most recent quarter because of a decline in movie and theme-park earnings and losses from the bankruptcy of one of Wall Street's giant investment firms.
Powerful Hurricane Paloma Pounds Cuba
CAMAGUEY, Cuba | Powerful Hurricane Paloma slammed into southern Cuba on Saturday as authorities scrambled to move hundreds of thousands of people to safer ground and protect crops on an island still reeling from two other devastating.
Economy Expected to Burden Charities
LAKELAND | Charitable groups throughout Polk County are bracing for a storm of holiday food and toy requests, given the sputtering economy that has fueled layoffs and other hardships.
Canadians Will Miss Bush
Canadians are going to miss President George W. Bush, says David Wilkins, U.S. ambassador to Canada.
Dogs, Cats Victims of Ongoing Financial Crisis
Frankie has been touched by the nation's economic turmoil. The cat recently came in to Orchid Springs Animal Hospital in Winter Haven with severe digestive problems, and when veterinarian Mitsie Vargas called to tell the owner surgery would be needed to clear the blockage, the owner said she had lost her home and couldn't afford to pay for the procedure. She asked Vargas to euthanize the cat instead.
Stunned Icelanders Struggle After Economy’s Fall
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — The collapse came so fast it seemed unreal, impossible. One woman here compared it to being hit by a train. Another said she felt as if she were watching it through a window. Another said, “It feels like you’ve been put in a prison, and you don’t know what you did wrong.”
Skip to next paragraph
Multimedia
The Times's Douglas Schorzman and Sarah Lyall on Iceland's Financial Crisis (mp3)
This country, as modern and sophisticated as it is geographically isolated, still seems to be in shock. But if the events of last month — the failure of Iceland’s banks; the plummeting of its currency; the first wave of layoffs; the loss of reputation abroad — felt like a bad dream, Iceland has now awakened to find that it is all coming true.
It is not as if Reykjavik, where about two-thirds of the country’s 300,000 people live, is filled with bread lines or homeless shanties or looters smashing store windows. But this city, until recently the center of one of the world’s fastest economic booms, is now the unhappy site of one of its great crashes. It is impossible to meet anyone here who has not been profoundly affected by the financial crisis.
Overnight, people lost their savings. Prices are soaring. Once-crowded restaurants are almost empty. Banks are rationing foreign currency, and companies are finding it dauntingly difficult to do business abroad. Inflation is at 16 percent and rising. People have stopped traveling overseas. The local currency, the krona, was 65 to the dollar a year ago; now it is 130. Companies are slashing salaries, reducing workers’ hours and, in some instances, embarking on mass layoffs.
“No country has ever crashed as quickly and as badly in peacetime,” said Jon Danielsson, an economist with the London School of Economics.
The loss goes beyond the personal, shattering a proud country’s sense of itself.
“Years ago, I would say that I was Icelandic and people might say, ‘Oh, where’s that?’ ” said Katrin Runolfsdottir, 49, who was fired from her secretarial job on Oct. 31. “That was fine. But now there’s this image of us being overspenders, thieves.”
Aldis Nordfjord, a 53-year-old architect, also lost her job last month. So did all 44 of her co-workers — everyone in the company except its owners. As many as 75 percent of Iceland’s private-sector architects have probably been fired in the past few weeks, she said.
In a strange way, she said, it is comforting to be one in a crowd. “Everyone is in the same situation,” she said. “If you can imagine, if only 10 out of 40 people had been fired, it would have been different; you would have felt, ‘Why me? Why not him?’ ”
Until last spring, Iceland’s economy seemed white-hot. It had the fourth-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Unemployment hovered between 0 and 1 percent (while forecasts for next spring are as high as 10 percent). A 2007 United Nations report measuring life expectancy, real per-capita income and educational levels identified Iceland as the world’s best country in which to live.
Emboldened by the strong krona, once-frugal Icelanders took regular shopping weekends in Europe, bought fancy cars and built bigger houses paid for with low-interest loans in foreign currencies.
Like the Vikings of old, Icelandic bankers were roaming the world and aggressively seizing business, pumping debt into a soufflé of a system. The banks are the ones that cannot repay tens of billions of dollars in foreign debt, and “they’re the ones who ruined our reputation,” said Adalheidur Hedinsdottir, who runs a small chain of coffee shops called Kaffitar and sells coffee wholesale to stores.
There was so much work, employers had to import workers from abroad. Ms. Nordfjord, the architect, worked so much overtime last year that she doubled her salary. She was featured on a Swedish radio program as an expert on Iceland’s extraordinary building boom.
Two months ago, her company canceled all overtime. Two weeks ago, it acknowledged that work was slowing. But it promised that there would be enough to last through next summer.
The next day, everyone was herded into a conference room and fired.
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The Times's Douglas Schorzman and Sarah Lyall on Iceland's Financial Crisis (mp3)
This country, as modern and sophisticated as it is geographically isolated, still seems to be in shock. But if the events of last month — the failure of Iceland’s banks; the plummeting of its currency; the first wave of layoffs; the loss of reputation abroad — felt like a bad dream, Iceland has now awakened to find that it is all coming true.
It is not as if Reykjavik, where about two-thirds of the country’s 300,000 people live, is filled with bread lines or homeless shanties or looters smashing store windows. But this city, until recently the center of one of the world’s fastest economic booms, is now the unhappy site of one of its great crashes. It is impossible to meet anyone here who has not been profoundly affected by the financial crisis.
Overnight, people lost their savings. Prices are soaring. Once-crowded restaurants are almost empty. Banks are rationing foreign currency, and companies are finding it dauntingly difficult to do business abroad. Inflation is at 16 percent and rising. People have stopped traveling overseas. The local currency, the krona, was 65 to the dollar a year ago; now it is 130. Companies are slashing salaries, reducing workers’ hours and, in some instances, embarking on mass layoffs.
“No country has ever crashed as quickly and as badly in peacetime,” said Jon Danielsson, an economist with the London School of Economics.
The loss goes beyond the personal, shattering a proud country’s sense of itself.
“Years ago, I would say that I was Icelandic and people might say, ‘Oh, where’s that?’ ” said Katrin Runolfsdottir, 49, who was fired from her secretarial job on Oct. 31. “That was fine. But now there’s this image of us being overspenders, thieves.”
Aldis Nordfjord, a 53-year-old architect, also lost her job last month. So did all 44 of her co-workers — everyone in the company except its owners. As many as 75 percent of Iceland’s private-sector architects have probably been fired in the past few weeks, she said.
In a strange way, she said, it is comforting to be one in a crowd. “Everyone is in the same situation,” she said. “If you can imagine, if only 10 out of 40 people had been fired, it would have been different; you would have felt, ‘Why me? Why not him?’ ”
Until last spring, Iceland’s economy seemed white-hot. It had the fourth-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Unemployment hovered between 0 and 1 percent (while forecasts for next spring are as high as 10 percent). A 2007 United Nations report measuring life expectancy, real per-capita income and educational levels identified Iceland as the world’s best country in which to live.
Emboldened by the strong krona, once-frugal Icelanders took regular shopping weekends in Europe, bought fancy cars and built bigger houses paid for with low-interest loans in foreign currencies.
Like the Vikings of old, Icelandic bankers were roaming the world and aggressively seizing business, pumping debt into a soufflé of a system. The banks are the ones that cannot repay tens of billions of dollars in foreign debt, and “they’re the ones who ruined our reputation,” said Adalheidur Hedinsdottir, who runs a small chain of coffee shops called Kaffitar and sells coffee wholesale to stores.
There was so much work, employers had to import workers from abroad. Ms. Nordfjord, the architect, worked so much overtime last year that she doubled her salary. She was featured on a Swedish radio program as an expert on Iceland’s extraordinary building boom.
Two months ago, her company canceled all overtime. Two weeks ago, it acknowledged that work was slowing. But it promised that there would be enough to last through next summer.
The next day, everyone was herded into a conference room and fired.
As Housing Market Slumps, More Property Taxes Unpaid
TAMPA - A slowing economy and stagnant real estate market has translated into a record year of late property taxes.
Tax collectors in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties are reporting dramatically higher numbers of people who missed the April 1 deadline to pay their property tax bill. In Hillsborough
Tax collectors in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties are reporting dramatically higher numbers of people who missed the April 1 deadline to pay their property tax bill. In Hillsborough
China Unveils Sweeping Plan for Economy
China announced plans to spend billions on a wide array of infrastructure and social welfare projects in a bold move aimed at bolstering its economy.
Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda in Many Countries
A 2004 classified order allowing the U.S. to attack the Qaeda terrorist network anywhere in the world was used to authorize nearly a dozen undisclosed attacks.
Schools and Medicaid Will Face Cuts
Gov. David A. Paterson said he would likely seek cuts to Medicaid and midyear reductions in school aid to address New York’s worsening fiscal condition
Wider Benefit Seen From Cholesterol Drugs
A study suggests cholesterol-lowering drugs could benefit millions more people, even if they have low cholesterol.
ON THIS DAY NOV 10
On Nov. 10, 1982, the newly finished Vietnam Veterans Memorial was opened to its first visitors in Washington, D.C.
A DNA Backlog
Thousands of rape kits remain untouched by crime labs, which is an insult to women and a loss for effective law enforcement.
Laid Offs
Sun Microsystems said they will laid off 6,000 employees.
Citi Bank will laid off 10,000 employees
Citi Bank will laid off 10,000 employees
Economy Lost 240,000 Jobs in October
New figures from the Labor Department show employment
deteriorating much faster than expected, with 240,000 jobs
lost in October and major upward revisions in job-loss
figures for August and September. The unemployment rate
jumped to 6.5 percent, a 14-year high, from 6.1 percent in
September.
deteriorating much faster than expected, with 240,000 jobs
lost in October and major upward revisions in job-loss
figures for August and September. The unemployment rate
jumped to 6.5 percent, a 14-year high, from 6.1 percent in
September.
Businesses Fret Over Gardens' Closing
The gamble paid off, but now Gail Ward, the Creamery's general manager, is worried her sales will drop when the theme park closes for three months to renovate. Ward said she is shocked and upset by the closing, and worries that business owners in the area will lose out on the winter visitors who frequent the park for its botanical gardens.
"It's never been closed during the winter, and I'm very upset that they don't have concerts anymore," said Ward, who grew up going to Cypress Gardens and is an annual pass holder. "I feel kind of ripped off."
The news of the park's temporary closing and planned transformation was received with mixed feelings in Winter Haven. Closing the park for three months will not be easy for hotels and restaurant owners who are already struggling from the sagging economy, said Bob Gernert, executive director of the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce.
Cypress Gardens will close beginning Monday and there are plans to reopen in March with an expanded water park. The park will no longer have rides or the animal attractions, company officials said.
"This is a big change, and it was a difficult decision on a lot of fronts," co-owner Brian Philpot said Monday.
For its last weekend before the temporary closing, park officials are offering $10 admission as a thank you to patrons. When the park reopens, admission and annual passes will be offered at a cheaper rate, Philpot said.
a long, BUMPY road
The park has struggled financially in recent years. A nonprofit conservation group helped arrange its purchase by Kent Buescher in 2004, but after three years the park was sold at a bankruptcy auction. Philpot and Rob Harper, partners in the Mulberry-based Land South Holdings, bought the park in October 2007 for $16.8 million.
The botanical gardens and the ski shows will be kept, the owners said.
Concerts will still take place at the park but less frequently than in the past, Philpot said.
The botanical gardens are protected by the deal reached in 2003 between the Trust for Public Land, a Florida-based national nonprofit land conservation group, and First Gardens L.C., the attraction's owners at the time.
For $22 million, the trust purchased 142 acres, which included the original botanical gardens, the water ski arena, the Southern Crossroads including the Snively Mansion, the butterfly conservatory and the entertainment arena.
Polk County paid $2.5 million to help protect the 30-acre botanical gardens, and other uses are prohibited by the state's agreement, said Linda McKinley, a deputy attorney in the Polk County Attorney's Office.
tough decisions
The move to expand the water park and to eliminate the 38 rides and animal exhibits came after what the owners say was months of exhaustive analysis. The decision to renovate now was a result of the park experiencing a slow period during this time of year, the park owners said.
They said improvements include adding a parking area and moving the main entrance back to where it was years ago. The new parking area will be closer to the water park and gardens than the current one. Cypress Gardens will also add a display featuring the history of Cypress Gardens.
"The main thing was we were concerned about our employees," Philpot said. "We've been thinking about it and contemplating it and as soon as we made the decision we implemented our plan."
Philpot said he and his partner are not planning to build condominiums, one of several rumors floating about their future plans.
Anne Blanger and her husband, Emile, paid $140 for annual passes Friday and if the park was going to close for three months, she wishes the announcement had been made sooner.
"It's very disappointing," said Blanger, a winter visitor from Connecticut who lives in Winter Haven for six months of the year.
Philpot said Monday the management wants to do right by the pass holders but what that entails hasn't been determined yet.
"We apologize to those people that happened to," Philpot said. "We made the decision in the middle of last week. We cut off pass sales over the weekend. She was one of the few that we let slip."
those affected
Cypress Gardens has about 200 hourly workers, most of them part time, and 15 full-time, salaried employees, according to Philpot.
One of those workers learned about the park's closing Monday from a story in The Ledger. The employee wished there had been more long-term notice instead of one week.
"The employees were taken by surprise," said the employee, who didn't want to be identified. "I'm in limbo here. I'm going to wait and see what the details are. I don't think you'll ever build a business by closing it."
Gernert, the chamber executive director, said he wants the park to be successful and talked with the owners Monday morning about their plans.
"As long as we can do that and maintain the botanical gardens, then what they are proposing is a good solution," he said. "No one is going to operate that park out of the goodness of their hearts. It's got to make a profit."
Gary Slade, editor of Amusement Today, a theme park publication based in Arlington, Texas, said it's necessary for the park to close to make the changes.
"Certainly, I never want to see a park that's in a year-round climate close during the winter months but in this situation, I understand why they're doing it."
[ Merissa Green can be reached at merissa.green@theledger.com or 863-401-6968.]
"It's never been closed during the winter, and I'm very upset that they don't have concerts anymore," said Ward, who grew up going to Cypress Gardens and is an annual pass holder. "I feel kind of ripped off."
The news of the park's temporary closing and planned transformation was received with mixed feelings in Winter Haven. Closing the park for three months will not be easy for hotels and restaurant owners who are already struggling from the sagging economy, said Bob Gernert, executive director of the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce.
Cypress Gardens will close beginning Monday and there are plans to reopen in March with an expanded water park. The park will no longer have rides or the animal attractions, company officials said.
"This is a big change, and it was a difficult decision on a lot of fronts," co-owner Brian Philpot said Monday.
For its last weekend before the temporary closing, park officials are offering $10 admission as a thank you to patrons. When the park reopens, admission and annual passes will be offered at a cheaper rate, Philpot said.
a long, BUMPY road
The park has struggled financially in recent years. A nonprofit conservation group helped arrange its purchase by Kent Buescher in 2004, but after three years the park was sold at a bankruptcy auction. Philpot and Rob Harper, partners in the Mulberry-based Land South Holdings, bought the park in October 2007 for $16.8 million.
The botanical gardens and the ski shows will be kept, the owners said.
Concerts will still take place at the park but less frequently than in the past, Philpot said.
The botanical gardens are protected by the deal reached in 2003 between the Trust for Public Land, a Florida-based national nonprofit land conservation group, and First Gardens L.C., the attraction's owners at the time.
For $22 million, the trust purchased 142 acres, which included the original botanical gardens, the water ski arena, the Southern Crossroads including the Snively Mansion, the butterfly conservatory and the entertainment arena.
Polk County paid $2.5 million to help protect the 30-acre botanical gardens, and other uses are prohibited by the state's agreement, said Linda McKinley, a deputy attorney in the Polk County Attorney's Office.
tough decisions
The move to expand the water park and to eliminate the 38 rides and animal exhibits came after what the owners say was months of exhaustive analysis. The decision to renovate now was a result of the park experiencing a slow period during this time of year, the park owners said.
They said improvements include adding a parking area and moving the main entrance back to where it was years ago. The new parking area will be closer to the water park and gardens than the current one. Cypress Gardens will also add a display featuring the history of Cypress Gardens.
"The main thing was we were concerned about our employees," Philpot said. "We've been thinking about it and contemplating it and as soon as we made the decision we implemented our plan."
Philpot said he and his partner are not planning to build condominiums, one of several rumors floating about their future plans.
Anne Blanger and her husband, Emile, paid $140 for annual passes Friday and if the park was going to close for three months, she wishes the announcement had been made sooner.
"It's very disappointing," said Blanger, a winter visitor from Connecticut who lives in Winter Haven for six months of the year.
Philpot said Monday the management wants to do right by the pass holders but what that entails hasn't been determined yet.
"We apologize to those people that happened to," Philpot said. "We made the decision in the middle of last week. We cut off pass sales over the weekend. She was one of the few that we let slip."
those affected
Cypress Gardens has about 200 hourly workers, most of them part time, and 15 full-time, salaried employees, according to Philpot.
One of those workers learned about the park's closing Monday from a story in The Ledger. The employee wished there had been more long-term notice instead of one week.
"The employees were taken by surprise," said the employee, who didn't want to be identified. "I'm in limbo here. I'm going to wait and see what the details are. I don't think you'll ever build a business by closing it."
Gernert, the chamber executive director, said he wants the park to be successful and talked with the owners Monday morning about their plans.
"As long as we can do that and maintain the botanical gardens, then what they are proposing is a good solution," he said. "No one is going to operate that park out of the goodness of their hearts. It's got to make a profit."
Gary Slade, editor of Amusement Today, a theme park publication based in Arlington, Texas, said it's necessary for the park to close to make the changes.
"Certainly, I never want to see a park that's in a year-round climate close during the winter months but in this situation, I understand why they're doing it."
[ Merissa Green can be reached at merissa.green@theledger.com or 863-401-6968.]
Haines City Officers Suspended
wo more Haines City police officers, including Capt. Mervin Stewart, the second in command, have been suspended in connection with the ongoing grand jury investigation into the department.
Davenport Couple Arrested in Scam
A Davenport couple is accused of swindling tourists who wanted to rent vacation homes in Central Florida.
Tests: Some Kids Have Arteries of 45-Year-Olds
Obese children as young as 10 had the arteries of 45-year-olds and other heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart disease, say doctors who used ultrasound tests to take a peek inside.
World Leaders Quick to Press Obama on Policy
WASHINGTON — The Russians want him to hold off installation of a missile defense shield in Poland. The Europeans want him to renounce the idea of “regime change” when it comes to Iran, while the Israelis want to be sure he doesn’t give Iran a pass when it comes to nuclear weapons.
Haines City Officer Arrested
BARTOW | A grand jury Thursday indicted Haines City police Capt. Mervin Stewart on two counts of perjury, and police Chief Morris West has resigned in return for unrelated prostitution charges' being dropped against him.
Economy Lost 240,000 Jobs in October
New figures from the Labor Department show employment
deteriorating much faster than expected, with 240,000 jobs
lost in October and major upward revisions in job-loss
figures for August and September. The unemployment rate
jumped to 6.5 percent, a 14-year high, from 6.1 percent in
September.
deteriorating much faster than expected, with 240,000 jobs
lost in October and major upward revisions in job-loss
figures for August and September. The unemployment rate
jumped to 6.5 percent, a 14-year high, from 6.1 percent in
September.
Rip-off Artists from Wall Street and Washington
What the hell's happening here? Why is my bank in the tank? And my house and job? And my retirement money? Even my state's teetering on the brink of broke! Who did this to us?
Fair questions, but we're not getting honest answers. Last year, at the first signs of the global financial slide toward the abyss, we were told that it's just a little hiccup caused by something called subprime mortgages. Not to worry, the Powers That Be declared confidently, for we have the damage contained. And rest assured that "the fundamentals of our economy are sound."
Then, this spring, Bear Stearns cratered, requiring an emergency federal subsidy to cover billions in bad loans. Okay, admitted those in charge, that subprime stuff actually is leveraged on up the financial system, and maybe there's been a bit of greed among a few of the big players, but we really do have the problem contained now, and, hey, "the fundamentals of our economy are sound."
But in September--Omigosh!--there went Lehman Brothers, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, WaMu, Wachovia, and others. Well, yes, conceded the now-frazzled financial establishment, but gollies, we're throwing hundreds of billions of your tax dollars into sandbags to contain the problem, and remember: "The fundamentals of our economy are sound."
In October, the contagion rolled through Britain, Canada, and Europe; it spread to Brazil and across to China and Japan; and--Holy Schmoly--suddenly all of Iceland was melting in bankruptcy! Stay calm, cried an openly panicked chorus of Washington officials, for we're holding some big summit meetings soon and consulting our Ouija boards, and...uh...ah...um...y'all just keep clinging to the thought that "the fundamentals of our economy are sound."
Fair questions, but we're not getting honest answers. Last year, at the first signs of the global financial slide toward the abyss, we were told that it's just a little hiccup caused by something called subprime mortgages. Not to worry, the Powers That Be declared confidently, for we have the damage contained. And rest assured that "the fundamentals of our economy are sound."
Then, this spring, Bear Stearns cratered, requiring an emergency federal subsidy to cover billions in bad loans. Okay, admitted those in charge, that subprime stuff actually is leveraged on up the financial system, and maybe there's been a bit of greed among a few of the big players, but we really do have the problem contained now, and, hey, "the fundamentals of our economy are sound."
But in September--Omigosh!--there went Lehman Brothers, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, WaMu, Wachovia, and others. Well, yes, conceded the now-frazzled financial establishment, but gollies, we're throwing hundreds of billions of your tax dollars into sandbags to contain the problem, and remember: "The fundamentals of our economy are sound."
In October, the contagion rolled through Britain, Canada, and Europe; it spread to Brazil and across to China and Japan; and--Holy Schmoly--suddenly all of Iceland was melting in bankruptcy! Stay calm, cried an openly panicked chorus of Washington officials, for we're holding some big summit meetings soon and consulting our Ouija boards, and...uh...ah...um...y'all just keep clinging to the thought that "the fundamentals of our economy are sound."
Johnson Makes It Three Straight
HOMESTEAD | Nothing could stop Jimmie Johnson's drive into the NASCAR record books. Not even a final, furious push by Carl Edwards.
Edwards led a race-high 157 laps, ran out of gas as he crossed the finish line, but still won Sunday's season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Still, his series-high ninth win of the year wasn't enough to wrest away the Sprint Cup title.
Johnson locked up his third consecutive championship with a solid 15th-place run, beating Edwards by 69 points to join Cale Yarborough as the only drivers in NASCAR history to win three straight titles.
Edwards led a race-high 157 laps, ran out of gas as he crossed the finish line, but still won Sunday's season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Still, his series-high ninth win of the year wasn't enough to wrest away the Sprint Cup title.
Johnson locked up his third consecutive championship with a solid 15th-place run, beating Edwards by 69 points to join Cale Yarborough as the only drivers in NASCAR history to win three straight titles.
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