commentopia

 

FEBRUARY 22, 2010 -- FEBRUARY 28, 2010

WORLD'S BEST GOLFER VOWS "TO BECOME A BETTER MAN"

CBS NEWS VIDEO

"I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That's where my focus will be."

How true the statement, 'You can't talk yourself out of something you behaved yourself into.'

I wish the man well. Anyone born with such great gifts, parents who have loved him, and the investment to turn these gifts into success on the golf course has provided golf fans with something special.

Mr. Woods is not alone in taking his celebrity as an entitlement to break the rules.

Any of us who sit in front of the television and place any of these icons on a pedestal is foolish. Choose your heroes from among those you know... not those whose image comes from sports and popular culture.

Jeff Bridges, during an interview while promoting 'The Fabulous Baker Boys,' referred to advice he received from his father Lloyd Bridges - famous actor from the television show Sea Hunt. Jeff was nervous that a speech he was to give did not sound important enough. His father said, 'find a story you can tell your story from the heart and others will relate to it in their own way.

I do not know Tiger Woods. I can however relate to his message. Beyond that I have no interest in judging him. I wish him well but, selfishly, my main interest is to see him back on the golf course as soon as possible.

Read the article DAILY BEAST/Tiger Woods apologizes to wife, fans

 

Give me a break! Apologize? To whom and for what? If we are talking about his wife and kids, then sure - the guy messed up big time and should be lucky she hasn't taken him to the cleaner? But what does he has to apologize to his fans for?

Let's be honest, the only thing that SHOULD be important to the fans is his performance on the course. Nothing more, nothing less. If people are stupid enough to translate his skill with a golf club into some sort of obligation to live according to a very strict moral code, then it's they that should apologize to him.

Maybe I am missing something, but where does it state that being number one at a rather silly game equals being an enforced role model for the lemmings? Or maybe he should apologize to the media, which created his 'Mr.Clean' image, then started to believe it and THEN made millions of dollars while sticking its nose where it doesn't belong.

Read the article CNN/Tiger Wood's statement: "I am deeply sorry."

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The irony. The public and media wanted an apology and then they hammer him for it because it wasn't how THEY wanted it to be done. What a joke the media has become and how easily people are to pass judgment on people but fail to remember their own mistakes in life, regardless of how big or small they are. Read the article GOLF.COM/Tiger Woods issues apology, unsure of return to golf

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Tiger's revenge is in the simple act of not playing golf, which costs every event millions in lost revenue because, very simple, a golf event without Tiger is like the dunk contest without LeBron and Kobe, and no one cares. No one attends and sponsors disappear.

Tiger owes me nothing. He owes you nothing. His only mistake was to have gotten married at too young an age, before he was mature enough to understand what commitment means. He needs to apologize to no one other than his wife.

And I don't know how he can make amends to her.

But a few years from now, when Tiger is back on top, winning every other tournament and pumping his fist when he hits those long puts, we will all have forgotten about this. Then he'll make a list of the sponsors who showed no more fidelity to him than he did to his wife, sign with their main competitors, and put Accenture, Buick, and all the rest out of business.

Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Apologizing, Woods sets no date for return

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Here's a guy who is clearly sorry for his actions; who clearly understands the damage and the people his actions have affected; and who sincerely wants to overcome his addiction and move forward.

His detractors and the cynics should take a lesson based on his renewed dedication to his faith, and back off and give him a chance.

Of course that's not what will happen. The leeches will do what they do, and earn whatever crumbs of money they can from taking pictures and writing "criticisms."

I say, leave the guy alone. Let him figure this out. Back off -- and hope for the day when he tees it up and lets it fly and his ordeal and his recovery can serve as a lesson in forgiveness for us all. Read the article WASHINGTON POST/Howard Kurtz -- Tiger's Mea Culpa

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What is a billionaire Buddhist to do?

Read the article WASHINGTON POST/Howard Kurtz -- Tiger's Mea Culpa

 

NUCLEAR REGENERATION: GUARANTEES FOR FIRST NEW PLANT IN THREE DECADES

 

As much as I think a lot of Europe is a mess, the French at least have it right.......85% of their energy generation comes from nuclear power. When was the last time you heard of a nuclear accident in France? There has NEVER been one.

How many people are aware that there are nuclear designs which have been developed and already approved which require no cooling towers, and which have very little spent fuel which is NOT reusable.

The Nuclear Energy Department at the Oregon State University has a design for a small plant (small enough to fit on a flatbed trailer) that could generate enough power for 2,500 homes.

Sounds astounding doesn't it?

What I find most incomprehensible about the American public is that attitudes are so "closed" about this source of power............it isn't explosive as the public seems to believe.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Obama unveils loan guarantees for Georgia nuclear plant

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About time that some sense was put into the nuclear power debate.

If the world is supposed to wean itself off fossil fuels, especially coal (which presently is the largest source of electricity generation), then nuclear power is the ONLY way to do it. You can talk about conservation, windmills and solar panels all you want, but nuclear is the only technology with the oomph to replace those burning lumps of carbon.

Especially if people want to even start considering electric cars.... Until the coal fired generation in the US is replaced or supplemented with additional non-coal sources, every electric car added to the system simply becomes a coal-powered car with the pollution elsewhere.

Read the article CBC NEWS/Obama moves back to nuclear power

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This announcement is great for nuclear energy, but here in the midwest we are in a critical time because of the failure of the senate to pass the Biodiesel Tax Credit Bill.

I work for a Biodiesel plant and our production has ground to a halt and are threaten at being laidoff because of this failure. There are several thousand workers in the Biodiesel industry that are either laid off already or have the same concern that I have of a layoff. Biodiesel also helps break the dependence on foreign oil and is a green energy source that also helps the environment, agriculture, and the economy.

Biodiesel is already here, not a planned plant. We desperately need the Biodiesel Tax Credit bill to be passed ASAP to protect Green, American jobs HERE and NOW.

Read the article CNN POLITICAL TICKER/Obama announces loan guarantees

 

FEBRUARY 15, 2010 -- FEBRUARY 21, 2010

BACKFLOW FROM JOE THE PLUMBER MUDDIES THE WATERS

Joe the Plumber isn't the naive victim he's now trying to play. Naive victims don't hire publicity agents, take media jobs and put out books through ghost writers and try to run for Congress. He's been playing his media exposure he got through McCain & Palin for all it is worth and then some. Is he dumb? Yes. Is he naive? No.

Read the article USA TODAY/Joe the Plumber says McCain was" trying to use me"

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Who put him in the spotlight? It wasn't the Democrats. He wanted his 15 minutes of fame and he got it. Did he really think he could get in the middle of a heated political battle without someone asking "Who is this guy?" He became the centerpiece of the McCain/Palin campaign. They mentioned his name all day - every day. He appeared at rallies and made speeches and no one wondered "Who is this guy?"

Yeah - he was investigated - because people wanted to know who he was and why republicans chose him to be their standard barer.

As for clear and rational arguments - you must be kidding. It was more like a few quips better suited for bumper stickers.

Read the article USA TODAY/Joe the Plumber says McCain was" trying to use me"

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What does this man brings to the table? What great idea does he espouse?

It is fashionable these days to make heroes out of people who shout the loudest, and constantly repeat talk radio nonsense.

Senator McCain is an honorable man who has served his country well. It is sad to see what some people would want to take him down. But I am also reminded of Senator Mc Cleland , a double amputee of the Vietnam war, how he was crucified and thrown out of office by the same folks now trying to martyr Senator McCain. Don't let them do it Senator -- fight back.

Read the article DAILY BEAST/Joe the Plumber turns on McCain

THE VISITOR: CHINA TRAMPS ON WHITE HOUSE WELCOME MAT

More and more often China will tell the US what to do and not to do, just like what the self-interested US did all the time to China in the past: Do this in Tibet, do that to Taiwan, do this to your Internet, do that to your currency, do this to your government, do that to legal system, ... and another long list of don't do.

But the US doesn't have to listen to China, and China doesn't have to listen to the US. Just like two partners in a bitter marriage.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/China opposes Obama/Dalai Lama meet

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I suspect that people who are criticizing the planned meeting with the Dalai Lama have never heard or read anything the Dalai Lama said.

He emphasizes the importance of compassion, that anger is an emotion that hurts the angry one most of all, and is a thoughtful and gentle man who has tried hard to find a creative way forward for the Tibetan people without resorting to violence.

As one who has heard a few of his talks over the years, I can say that people who refuse to talk with him harm only themselves.

Read the article WASHINGTON POST/Obama sets the date for meeting with Dalai Lama

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I don't see how a simple meeting with the Dalai Lama tramples China's interests. It's a big world out there, and there's quite a lot of people who think China should leave Tibet in peace.

The Chinese actions against Tibet are reprehensible, and cannot be justified except by those who support tyranny. China won't admit this, so they make a villain out of the Dalai Lama, one of the pre-eminent voices for global peace on the planet.

As a citizen of the US, I am honored that the Dalai Lama is finally visiting with President Obama. I would hope that China will have the common sense to not conflate this into an international insult directed at them, but indications so far are clearly to the contrary. Sad really.

So unnecessary for China to attempt to interfere in who Obama can and cannot meet, as if he is one of their subjects, as if the USA is merely a vassal of the Middle Kingdom.

Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Obama to meet Dalai Lama next week

 

FEBRUARY 8, 2010 -- FEBRUARY 14, 2010

ONE IN  THREE AMERICAN KIDS FAT -- LET'S MOVE, SAYS MICHELLE OBAMA!

 

The obesity rate has tripled since 1970 for one reason... helmets! When I was a child, I could ride bike , skateboard, snowboard and use a seesaw without a helmet. I could go in a pool without flotation devices on my arms. I was free to climb a tree and fall out of it. I was free to hang off the back of a car while it drove down a snow-covered street. These days, parents are so wussified that they force their children to wear so much protective gear, that it has become NO FUN playing outside. Instead, children turn to the only other freedom that they have since the 1970s... Atari, Nintendo, Playstation and Xbox.

Read the article CNN/First lady calls for united effort to fight childhood obesity

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First thing is to change the way schools handle recess and P.E. Right now, those things are viewed as interference with getting higher test scores and hence better funding. At my kids' school if the outside temperature is above 85 or below 60 the kids stay inside sedentary watching movies instead of recess. If a kid acts up in class guess what the punishment is--no recess. P.E. comes around only once a week.

Then, for good measure, they load the kids up with tons of homework every night. My daughter does alright and stays thin because she hates to eat--always has. My son comes home tied up in knots of energy after being held prisoner at a desk all day. He usually shoots baskets or rides his bike for an hour or so--that keeps him in shape--but then homework goes past bedtime. Michelle if you want to help, start with the antI-physical culture in the schools.

Read the article USA TODAY/Michelle Obama aims to end child obesity in a generation

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The obesity problem is larger than the people themselves so to speak. Yes, teaching people about nutrition is important, but making them come to accept it is even more important. Given that childhood obesity afflicts the African-American and Hispanic communities at disproportionate rates lends to more celebrity and athletic endorsements from people of color of this initiative.

The fact you see people with Food Stamps purchasing high-calorie foods may be an indication of the relative price difference of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your area.

This purchasing behavior may also be reflective of certain cultural attitudes towards overweight. Some parents see their overweight children as normal weight.

It is also one reason why labeling menu boards with calorie information may have the reverse effect on purchasing (people purchase higher calorie items because they will go further).

Someone cited food insecurity as a problem, yes, the rate has doubled in the past year. Parents don't want their kids to go hungry, sometimes that means purchasing the higher fat foods over the low calorie ones because they don't understand that calories aren't all you need to fill them up: natural sugars, healthy fats, fiber, protein, water, and exercise are the way to go. Read the article CHICAGO TRIBUNE/First Lady launches "Let's Move" campaign aimed at childhood obesity

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Unfortunately any government task force isn't going to make any difference in educating parents etc. I have worked as a nutrition professional in the community for over ten years trying to do this. The problems are bigger than us. POVERTY cannot be solved by educating parents to feed their children wholesome foods - they cannot afford them. POVERTY cannot be solved by encouraging parents to eat with their children - people are working low-paying jobs and raising children alone.

The government's real job should be to look at what kinds of foods they are supporting through farm subsidies. We have plenty of cheap soy oil and corn syrup to produce all those soft drinks and processed foods the kids are eating - because they are CHEAP. Instead fresh fruits and vegetables are a luxury item. How is more education going to help? Believe me...there is nothing left to learn about this problem.

Nutrition and health professionals have had this figured out for a quite a while. If only the government would get out of the business of trying to educate and get back into the business of making smart policies that support our ultimate goal to end childhood obesity! ABC

Read the article NEWS/Michelle Obama and President Obama launch childhood obesity task force

TEA PARTY: STRONG BREW OR TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT?

 

The tea party thing is a movement based on anger. Even when that anger is justified, it doesn't solve anything. This is a group of grownups having a collective tantrum because things aren't going their way, and they seem to think they know better than everyone else. Well, when are they gonna prove it? I have yet to hear a single, solitary suggestion put forth by this bunch that actually addresses the issues they're so ticked off about.

Where are the better ideas they seem to think they have? Just saying that the federal government should be smaller and that taxes should be lower is not adding anything to the discussion. Show me a strategy for governing that involves some tangible, feasible policy proposals, show me how it can get done in the real world, show me the actions we need to take that can actually lead us somewhere better than we are now.

Until then all I'm hearing is yelling, and as I always tell my kids, yelling doesn't get you what you want. If some of these tea partyer's mamas had taught them that then maybe they'd be getting something done instead of just adding to the noise and static.

Read the article CNN/Where does the Tea Party go from here?

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Wow.... lots of reference to Tea Party members being members of the KKK, stupid, Neanderthal, Bush Lovers... You guys are very well informed...

Here is the deal.. I hated the Bush years... I voted for President Obama because I did not want another Bush clone... I, like many others only want a smaller Federal Gov and Larger State Govs... Does it not make sense to keep the power closer to the people, not further from them?

Oh by the way, many "Tea Baggers" are African American, Hispanic, and American Indian.... Yes I am white, but not a member of the KKK or a closet racist... I am a graduate of Shaw University). I care about this country and all of its citizens,even those who like to bash me for my political beliefs.

Twenty-three years of military service taught me that. Instead of using the typical mindless schoolyard attacks, perhaps address the issues. I would gladly accept a valid argument for the current trends of spending during a time of extreme financial crisis. (minus the name calling)... I respect each of your opinions regarding the direction of our country, but don't have to agree with them. How about talking about issues instead of name calling.

Read the article CNN/Where does the Tea Party go from here?

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I hope the party can quell any ideas of her running for President early on. Surely we can come up with some one a bit more qualified and capable. Let Palin do what she is best at, rallying the troops. Perhaps give her a radio show or something, but not the Presidency.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Palin not ruling out a run for the presidency

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I really hope she does run, just for the entertainment value of seeing her fellow Republicans rip her to shreds in the primaries. This woman is the very definition of what's wrong in US politics; she is as ignorant as a doorknob, committed ethics violations at an amazing rate while governor, endlessly repeats blatant lies to her unthinking followers (death panels?), and quit her responsibility as governor when the going got too tough, yet a sizable chuck of the population ignores the facts and approves of her just cause she talks hillbilly and says "you betcha" a lot. She is a national embarrassment

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Palin not ruling out a run for the presidency

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We want the whole apple cart tipped over, spilled out into the streets and refilled per the tenets of the Constitution. It begins "We the People" and we are demanding the return of our government to the people.

They fear us and they will do anything to condemn and derail us. "We the People" are speaking out, showing up and calling them all out. We are more than just a bunch of vociferous radicals we are regular people that have had enough of this "Progressive Agenda".

We are calling in our loans and demand the return of a Sovereign and Free USA.

Read the article FOX NEWS/What did you think of Sarah Palin's speech at the Tea Party Convention?

 

HEALTHCARE SPENDING AT ALL- TIME HIGH; UNCLE SAM PREDICTED TO PAY 50.4% OF BILL BY 2011

HEALTH EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS 2009-2019

HEALTH AFFAIRS JOURNAL

 

Per capita spending on healthcare

Norway $4080
Canada $3173
France $3040
UK $2560
Sweden $2828
Japan $2293
Spain $2099

USA $6096

And all those other countries provide some sort of universal healthcare coverage, have longer life spans and lower infant mortality rates than does the USA.

Read the article NPR/Nation's health spending climbs to record high

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It's a simple as this: it can't be resolved through politics or public policy. And it's as complex as this: the real solution lies in changing how health care is delivered so that more focus is placed on wellness/prevention (70% of h/c costs are avoidable) rather than factory line illness treatment. That requires health care providers to change, American people to change and laws protecting lawyers to change. Then, there will be plenty of money available for government subsidies to the lower income who can't afford insurance.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Public health-care spending to hit milestone

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It does not matter what healthcare plan is adopted. We cannot afford it. Period. We have too many people contributing too little and taking too much. It's that simple.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Public health-care spending to hit milestone

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"We need health care reform not government control and mandates."

Unfortunately, just saying that isn't going to solve the problem. We need specific solutions, not right-wing rhetoric meant to distract from the true goal of health care reform. There is a need for some level of government control. There is a need for some government mandates. Here are a few examples:

1. We need government to mandate that drug re-importation is legal.

2. We need government to mandate that insurers may sell across state lines.

3. We need government to mandate changes in tort laws at the federal and state level.

4, We need government to mandate no exclusions for pre-existing conditions and no dropping coverage when a covered person becomes ill.

5. We need government to offer an alternative health care system for those the insurance industry has traditionally ignored: The poor, unemployed. If anyone in this country goes bankrupt because of the misfortune of illness, government has failed its job.

Read the article USA TODAY/Medical expenses have "very steep rate of growth"

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Where is the surprise? The population is growing, as is the elder population demographic. Charity case are growing along with them, and part of the increased costs are being born by those who DO pay their doctor bills and higher insurance premiums to make up for those who don't.

It would be a start if the government would stop paying for free medical for about 30 million illegal aliens and save those benefits for citizens. No other country in the world gives as much free health care as we do.

Cutting the fees charged by many doctors is not the solution and will only make it more difficult to find a doctor who will even accept a Medicare patient. It is already difficult to do so. Yes, some fees are way too high, but not for Medicare who already pays only about 20% of the amount billed. I had a treatment at the UW hospital outpatient services that was billed at $236. Medicare paid a little over $16 for that visit. The rest was born by my supplemental insurance - in other words, ME, by increased premiums of about 30% in the past 3 years. If this keeps up, we will completely lose the battle to too much government regulation and subsequent poor availability for care with fewer doctors who are willing to be bullied by the government and their mounds of paperwork.

Read the article SEATTLE TIMES/Health costs reach record, government study shows

SEX, LIES AND HONOR: THE MOVE TO REPEAL "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL" POLICY ON GAYS WHO SERVE

I live in Arizona, and I work with soldiers every day. Some are young enough to be my grandchildren, but all share an unwritten understanding of each other - one forged in the battles many have returned from in Iraq and Afghanistan: Live and let live.

I don't think many civilians yet understand that most in the military have already moved light years beyond the "complex" problems that Senator McCain alludes to. Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no straight and homosexuals there either.

Death is the taboo to this generation, as sex was to ours. The young are way ahead of us seniors, and it is about time that the rest of the country start listening when someone as interesting as Admiral Mullen tells it like it is.

It isn't the military having the problem; it's the rest of us.

Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/Defending the long gay line

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I'm a Navy veteran. I served three years as a hospital corpsman in the Navy Reserve before enlisting for a six year active duty stint and serving as machinist mate on board two different 637-class submarines. I'm currently pursuing my commission in the Navy Reserve. I am also a straight, married man with absolutely no attraction to the same gender. Now that we have my credentials established, I'll provide my perspective:

Having been in the closest of quarters that men can serve (submarines), I can state that having homosexual crew-members had NO impact on morale. None. Zip. Nada. We had guys on board who were obviously gay, and as far as I'm concerned, they served with same honor and pride in service that I did. They were people who I trusted my life with and they trusted theirs with me. Denying them the right to express who they are, as a policy, is just plain mean-spirited and does nothing to improve morale.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Gay ban should be lifted, says Mullen

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A veteran is someone who, at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life." ------Let them write that check..in the open.

Read the article SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/Backlash expected over "Don't Ask" repeal bid

 

Is the gay man that enlists in the Army any less willing to sacrifice his life for his country than the straight man? Is there some feeling that his only desire is to put frilly curtains in the tent? Actually women in the military have more to fear from straight men than straight men have to fear from gay men. I saw some retired general on GMA this weekend trying to defend "DADT by saying it's an insult to the families in the military, that they are a close group and gays threaten the families. That you need a cohesive group that doesn't fear others supporting their loved ones at war.

I have learned with all the discussions about gays in the military that they are rehashes of the same defenses given 60 years ago when the military was integrated. Just substitute the word 'negro' for gay, same arguments. Gays are not going away and it's time to realize it and stop putting up roadblocks like they're aliens from Mars or something.

Read the article SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/Backlash expected over "Don't Ask" repeal bid

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Most Americans agree that it is time to repeal this broken policy including conservatives. It is at this point just another pawn by screwballs to divide rather than accepting the world that we live in.

We can claim over an over that we are the greatest this or the greatest that on the face of the earth but until we live up to the principles of the founders we are simply another generation rationalizing our unjust behaviors with political talking points.

The members of US military live in a diverse nation and serve in a diverse military that protects that nation. And any American that wants to serve and qualifies should not have to to lie to do so.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Gay ban should be lifted, says Mullen

 

FEBRUARY 1, 2010 -- FEBRUARY 7, 2010

PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL, PROGNOSTICATOR OF ALL PROGNOSTICATORS: "SIX MORE WEEKS"

 

"If you want to know next, you must read my text.

As the sky shines bright above me, my shadow

I see beside me. So six more weeks of winter it will be."

ONLY six more weeks! If we didn't have Phil as a guide we would think winter's never gonna end!!! Read the article ABC NEWS/Groundhog Day 2010: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter.

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I wish I lived in a place called Gobbler's Knob. Read the article U.K. GUARDIAN/Groundhog day: Phil says it's winter

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It may be Groundhog Day in America but back here in the Old World it's even better - it's Imbolg!

Hurray! Best day of the year!

Imbolg is the ancient-British original, it goes with Beltane & Lammas & all those pagan holidays Christianized as Candlemas - (or the Purification of the BVM but we needn't go there.)

What it really is is a cross-quarter day. A day that falls exactly between a solstice and an equinox (or vice versa), marking an eighth section of the year. What makes Imbolg the most happy is that it marks the point when the dark bit of the year suddenly starts to let go and the evenings do start getting perceptibly, measurably lighter. We are no longer scraping along the bottom of the pit of the year but lifting up, now, in a parabola of growing light towards Easter and then Midsummer. ........

Yes the best is yet to come. All's to look forward to. A very Happy Imbolg to everyone.

Read the article  U.K. GUARDIAN/Groundhog day: Phil says it's winter

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"In real life, so-called scientists insist that Punxsutawney Phil's record is spotty, and that he's only right four out of 10 times. In other words, you'd be better off flipping a coin than listening to Phil."

I wonder how the the Met office's prediction record compares to Punxsutawney Phil's. From what I've seen, I think I'd use Phil if a coin wasn't available.

Read the article  U.K. GUARDIAN/Groundhog day: Phil says it's winter

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Hearing this and living in the north really makes me want to play whack-a-mole with that groundhog. But being the gentle person I am, instead I will spend the day shoveling snow. Read the article CNN/Groundhog sees shadow, more winter

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I heard Phil couldn't go back into his ceremonial tree stump at Gobbler's Knob.

The bank foreclosed on it after he couldn't get a loan modification, while he was out looking for his shadow.

Read the article CNN/Groundhog sees shadow, more winter

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As someone who's birthday is on Groundhog Day, I've taken note of the Groundhog's actions as long as I can remember. And I've been to Punxsutawney for the big event. Every animal should have such care.

I guess the PETA folks prefer that the Groundhog have the stress of being in a predator's jaws rather than the stress of being held for 15 minutes once a year. Great priorities for your organization, PETA!

PETA doesn't understand why mainstream America thinks PETA members are extremists? PETA, you need to look at your own shadow. Read the article CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR/PETA wants to replace Punxsatawney Phil with a robot

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Y'all stay warm now.

Our beloved groundhog General Beauregard Lee did not see his shadow here in the southeast, so we can enjoy our Mint Juleps on the veranda and our early daffodils. Y'all come visit now, will be toasting to y'all.

General Beauregard Lee sends his regrets to Punxsutawney Phil and a bag of peanuts and suggests he run and hide today. LOL he might get shot. 

Read the article MSNBC/Newsvine/Punxsutawney Phil: Six more weeks of winter

 

WITH $3.8 TRILLION BUDGET PROPOSAL, SEE HOW THE DEBT CLOCK RUNS...

U.S. DEBT CLOCK

 

Stunning! And the "main-stream media's" lack of reporting on the deficit/debt issue is equally stunning.

Imagine going to the bank to try and get a loan with this plan where your expenditures are double your revenues?

If someone steals your identity and loads-up your credit card they go to jail. Congress and the administration (past and present) have loaded each of our credit cards up to about $350,000 per person (including unfunded liabilities). ENOUGH!! See: http://www.usdebtclock.org/

Come on you Woodward & Bernsteins get on this!! Stunning!

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Obama proposes $3.8 trillion budget

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Somebody will write a classic in 2025 called ' The age of entitlement or how Western society got turn apart'. It will cover the period of 1960 till 2010 and the Baby boom generation will be at the center of it.

Historians of the future will read this book to try to understand how a system arose in the West, where under the banner of social welfare everybody tried to get Government entitlements, while trying not to pay for it, and at the same pushing the bill to the future generation's.
'I hope I 'll die before I got old' was the key phrase of 'My generation' by the Who.

Unfortunately the boomers kept on living, while retiring in their fifties, and putting up their 1.3 child with a Massive bill, locking up the labor market in Continental Europe so the young were massively unemployed. They thought they could change society, and kept on babbling about societal transformation but ended up killing up the entire societal fabric.

Pretty soon after 2010 it became everyman for his own and it was not pretty.

Read the article ECONOMIST/Budget day

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Our technological, space, and industrial progress is going to be strangled to death by uncontrolled, wasteful domestic social programs that do nothing but maintain the status quo of misery and entitlement dependence. And it will continue to grow, and crowd out everything else we hope to attain.

Welcome to dystopia. I am not going along for that ride. I hope it all crashes. The sooner it does, the sooner we can start over from scratch. Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/Obama proposes $3.8 trillion budget

 

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You have got to be kidding me! The interest on the national debt is quickly becoming the largest ticket item on the federal budget. You can not spend your way out of debt, it does not work in the business world and it does not work for personal budgets. You have to stop the flow of red ink, make hard choices to cut the budget and assure your investors that you are exercising good management principles with their money.

The federal government has not been a good steward with our tax money for over 40 years. Both political parties have engaged in run-a-way spending. It took a long time to get to this point and it will take even longer to get out of it. We will never get there until there is a political will to balance the budget. That is a start, and then we will have to generate more revenue for the government than we are spending.

Mark my word, if this does not happen, irresponsible government spending will spark the next financial crisis and it will be much worse than that first one because the government will not be able to spend their way out of it

Read the article NPR/Obama unveils budget with $3.8 trillion in spending

THE BATTLE FOR BRADDOCK: CAN STIMULUS FORGE A FUTURE FOR OLD STEEL TOWN?

 

I guess we can't blame you for wanting a piece of the charity pie that was baked under threat of economic annihilation in 2008 and 2009. But, many folks like myself are in the "two wrongs don't make a right" mindset now.

I don't think the banks or Wall Street or anyone else should have been bailed out. I think our economy is deteriorating every week because we've taken risk out of the all-important profit/loss formula and we keep handing out trillions of dollars to create nothing. We just keep feeding the beast that needs tax dollars that don't exist when no one is employed.

Sorry, Mister Mayor. More government solutions aren't the answer for those of us who relocate anywhere to find work; who tap into hard-earned savings to get by; who said "No" to every toy and comfort that teased us over the last 20 years; who view retirement as another job we'll have in our 70's. No, we want America to return to free enterprise, capitalism and business.

God help the poor folks in poor cities. And, if not God, maybe investors or small businesses or something more powerful and self-sustaining than tax-funded programs and people who thrive on starving masses.

Read the article CNN/Stimulus is last chance for U.S. cities

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Do you live in Braddock? Have you been there to watch the decline of a town from 20,000 to just 3,000 people, or otherwise been part of the economic upheaval brought on by cut-throat capitalism that saw business move their operations overseas because of cheap labor?

Must be easy to criticize if you don't have to see the degredation first-hand.

Read the article CNN/Stimulus is last chance for U.S. cities

 

NEW GUILD STUDIO, BRADDOCK

This is a great story and very well written. I sympathize with the Mayor and agree with his supposition that what we have gotten is "socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor".

What else do you call the TARP? Is it not socialism? Is it not Corporate Welfare? The sad reality is that it really does not matter who is in power. TARP was passed in the latter stage of the Bush administration. The current administration gleefully implemented it. Tim Geithner and Larry Summers are both Wall Street insiders and they looked after their banker friends.

Who looked out for US? They want to make us believe that by saving the banks they saved US! It's a hard pill to swallow when you've been out of work for a year. It's even harder to take when you read about all these Wall Street bonuses.

Read the article CNN/Stimulus is last chance for U.S. cities

 

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