Sex For Gas
Police: Kentucky john paid prostitute with $100 fuel card
JULY 2--A Kentucky woman is facing prostitution charges for allegedly trading sex for gasoline. Angela Eversole, 34, was nabbed last weekend during a police stakeout at a Days Inn, where she allegedly trysted with customer Kenneth Nowak. According to court records, Nowak admitted paying for Eversole's services, in part, with a $100 Speedway gas card. Eversole was hit with a prostitution rap and also charged with doing business without an occupational license. Nowak was charged with promoting prostitution. Eversole and Nowak are pictured below in mug shots snapped following their June 27 arrests. A local prosecutor noted that it was sad to see someone selling their body for gas, in this case about 25 gallons worth.
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Hey buy a gas guzzler and get a tax break! The Bushies will do anything to increase profits for the oil companies!
July 2, 2008, 3:44 pm
Hybrid Tax Credits for S.U.V.’s?
By Jerry Garrett
Tags: gas guzzler, hybrid, miles per gallon
Buy a hybrid! Use its tax credit to pay its gas-guzzler tax!
Wonder if that would be an effective advertising tool for selling multi-ton, fuel-swilling S.U.V.’s and luxury cars?
A gas guzzler, as defined by the Energy Tax Act of 1978, is a vehicle that gets a combined city and highway fuel economy of 22.5 miles a gallon or less, as calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Sounds clear-cut. But as government regulations go, that’s never the case. Turns out, there are enough loopholes in the gas guzzler statute to drive a truck, a minivan, an S.U.V. and even a few hybrids right through it.
The E.P.A. explains the exemptions in the 1978 law thusly: "This tax does not apply to minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks. Congress did not impose a gas-guzzler tax on these vehicle types because in 1978, at the time the law was enacted, they represented a relatively small fraction of the overall fleet of passenger vehicles and were used more for business purposes than personal transportation."
Of course, trucks, minivans and S.U.V.’s long ago came to out-sell cars by a large margin; in fact, the top-selling vehicle in the country in recent years has been the Ford F-150 pickup. More vehicles on the road may actually be exempt from the law than covered by it.
But even as everybody realizes how idiotic this exclusion is, nobody in the ensuing 30 years has fixed it. Not only are Hummers, Jeeps and Land Rovers exempt, so are some hybrids.
Yes, there are hybrids that would be subject to the gas-guzzler tax if it were not for the exemption.
Those hybrids include the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon two-mode hybrids (in two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive configurations) and soon-to-debut similar models from Chrysler: the Aspen Hemi Hybrid and the Dodge Durango Hemi Hybrid. Each of those hybrid S.U.V.s gets combined fuel economy of 20-21 miles a gallon.
If the loopholes in the federal law were ever closed, each of those S.U.V.’s would be paying $1,300-$1,700 in guzzler fines. And if that ever happened, buyers of these vehicles could theoretically use their hybrid tax credits to pay their gas-guzzler taxes (with about enough left over for a tank of gas), because several of these hybrids qualify for federal hybrid tax credits of up to $2,200.
Meanwhile, the most fuel-efficient car, the 46-m.p.g. Toyota Prius, no longer qualifies for any credit. The 42-m.p.g. Honda Civic Hybrid got its tax credit chopped in half, to $1,050, on June 30; and its tax credit will be completely phased out by Dec. 31.
If Washington is indeed broken, as the politicians tell us, put the gas-guzzler tax on the list of things to fix.
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Of course the uncertainty and instability in the near East created by the Iraq war which doesn't
show any signs of ending is also part of the reason oil and gas are so expensive. Are the perpetrators of this illegal and costly war repentent read this for the answer.
Condoleezza Rice Says She's `Proud' of Decision to Invade Iraq
July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she's ``proud'' of the U.S. decision to wage the Iraq war and insisted that the world is not more dangerous than it was when George W. Bush took office.
``We're now beginning to see that perhaps it's not so popular to be a suicide bomber. We're beginning to see that perhaps people are questioning whether Osama Bin Laden ought to really be the face of Islam,'' Rice, 53, said in an interview to be broadcast this weekend on Bloomberg Television's ``Conversations with Judy Woodruff.''
``And I am proud of the decision of this administration to overthrow Saddam Hussein,'' said Rice, who was Bush's national security adviser at the time of the March 2003 invasion. As of yesterday, 4,107 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq and more than 30,000 were wounded. She said the Iraq war has been ``tougher than any of us really dreamed
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But most of the blame for the high gas prices lies with the greedy oil companies who despite increases in the population here resulting in more drivers have not built a new gas refinery in over 30 YEARS. Hey that is one way to keep supply low and prices high.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
It Was All About Oil !!
Bill Moyers.
Oh, no, they told us, Iraq isn't a war about oil. That's cynical and simplistic, they said. It's about terror and al-Qaeda and toppling a dictator and spreading democracy and protecting ourselves from weapons of mass destruction. But one by one, these concocted rationales went up in smoke, fire and ashes. And now the bottom line turns out to be ... the bottom line. It is about oil.
Alan Greenspan said so last fall. The former chairman of the Federal Reserve, safely out of office, confessed in his memoir, "Everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil." He elaborated in an interview with The Washington Post's Bob Woodward, "If Saddam Hussein had been head of Iraq and there was no oil under those sands, our response to him would not have been as strong as it was in the first Gulf War."
Remember, also, that soon after the invasion, Donald Rumsfeld's deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, told the press that war was our only strategic choice. "We had virtually no economic options with Iraq," he explained, "because the country floats on a sea of oil."
Shades of Daniel Plainview, the monstrous petroleum tycoon in the movie, "There Will Be Blood." Half-mad, he exclaims, "There's a whole ocean of oil under our feet!" then adds, "No one can get at it except for me!"
No wonder American troops only guarded the Ministries of Oil and the Interior in Baghdad, even as looters pillaged museums of their priceless antiquities. They were making sure no one could get at the oil except ... guess who?
Here's a recent headline in The New York Times: "Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back." Read on: "Four western companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power."
There you have it. After a long exile, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP are back in Iraq. And on the wings of no-bid contracts - that's right, sweetheart deals like those given Halliburton, KBR and Blackwater. The kind of deals you get only if you have friends in high places. And these war profiteers have friends in very high places.
Let's go back a few years to the 1990's, when private citizen Dick Cheney was running Halliburton, the big energy supplier. That's when he told the oil industry that, "By 2010 we will need on the order of an additional fifty million barrels a day. So where is the oil going to come from? While many regions of the world offer great oil opportunities, the Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies."
Fast forward to Cheney's first heady days in the White House. The oil industry and other energy conglomerates were handed backdoor keys to the White House, and their CEO's and lobbyists were trooping in and out for meetings with their old pal, now Vice President Cheney. The meetings were secret, conducted under tight security, but as we reported five years ago, among the documents that turned up from some of those meetings were maps of oil fields in Iraq - and a list of companies who wanted access to them. The conservative group Judicial Watch and the Sierra Club filed suit to try to find out who attended the meetings and what was discussed, but the White House fought all the way to the Supreme Court to keep the press and public from learning the whole truth.
Think about it. These secret meetings took place six months before 9/11, two years before Bush and Cheney invaded Iraq. We still don't know what they were about. What we know is that this is the oil industry that's enjoying swollen profits these days. It would be laughable if it weren't so painful to remember that their erstwhile cheerleader for invading Iraq - the press mogul Rupert Murdoch - once said that a successful war there would bring us $20-a-barrel oil. The last time we looked, it was more than $140 a barrel. Where are you, Rupert, when the facts need checking and the predictions are revisited?
At a Congressional hearing this week, James Hansen, the NASA climate scientist who exactly twenty years ago alerted Congress and the world to the dangers of global warming, compared the chief executives of Big Oil to the tobacco moguls who denied that nicotine is addictive or that there's a link between smoking and cancer. Hansen, whom the administration has tried again and again to silence, said these barons of black gold should be tried for committing crimes against humanity and nature in opposing efforts to deal with global warming.
Perhaps those sweetheart deals in Iraq should be added to his proposed indictments. They have been purchased at a very high price. Four thousand American soldiers dead, tens of thousands permanently wounded, hundreds of thousands of dead and crippled Iraqis plus five million displaced, and a cost that will mount into trillions of dollars. The political analyst Kevin Phillips says America has become little more than an "energy protection force," doing anything to gain access to expensive fuel without regard to the lives of others or the earth itself. One thinks again of Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood." His lust for oil came at the price of his son and his soul.
Oh, no, they told us, Iraq isn't a war about oil. That's cynical and simplistic, they said. It's about terror and al-Qaeda and toppling a dictator and spreading democracy and protecting ourselves from weapons of mass destruction. But one by one, these concocted rationales went up in smoke, fire and ashes. And now the bottom line turns out to be ... the bottom line. It is about oil.
Alan Greenspan said so last fall. The former chairman of the Federal Reserve, safely out of office, confessed in his memoir, "Everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil." He elaborated in an interview with The Washington Post's Bob Woodward, "If Saddam Hussein had been head of Iraq and there was no oil under those sands, our response to him would not have been as strong as it was in the first Gulf War."
Remember, also, that soon after the invasion, Donald Rumsfeld's deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, told the press that war was our only strategic choice. "We had virtually no economic options with Iraq," he explained, "because the country floats on a sea of oil."
Shades of Daniel Plainview, the monstrous petroleum tycoon in the movie, "There Will Be Blood." Half-mad, he exclaims, "There's a whole ocean of oil under our feet!" then adds, "No one can get at it except for me!"
No wonder American troops only guarded the Ministries of Oil and the Interior in Baghdad, even as looters pillaged museums of their priceless antiquities. They were making sure no one could get at the oil except ... guess who?
Here's a recent headline in The New York Times: "Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back." Read on: "Four western companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power."
There you have it. After a long exile, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP are back in Iraq. And on the wings of no-bid contracts - that's right, sweetheart deals like those given Halliburton, KBR and Blackwater. The kind of deals you get only if you have friends in high places. And these war profiteers have friends in very high places.
Let's go back a few years to the 1990's, when private citizen Dick Cheney was running Halliburton, the big energy supplier. That's when he told the oil industry that, "By 2010 we will need on the order of an additional fifty million barrels a day. So where is the oil going to come from? While many regions of the world offer great oil opportunities, the Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies."
Fast forward to Cheney's first heady days in the White House. The oil industry and other energy conglomerates were handed backdoor keys to the White House, and their CEO's and lobbyists were trooping in and out for meetings with their old pal, now Vice President Cheney. The meetings were secret, conducted under tight security, but as we reported five years ago, among the documents that turned up from some of those meetings were maps of oil fields in Iraq - and a list of companies who wanted access to them. The conservative group Judicial Watch and the Sierra Club filed suit to try to find out who attended the meetings and what was discussed, but the White House fought all the way to the Supreme Court to keep the press and public from learning the whole truth.
Think about it. These secret meetings took place six months before 9/11, two years before Bush and Cheney invaded Iraq. We still don't know what they were about. What we know is that this is the oil industry that's enjoying swollen profits these days. It would be laughable if it weren't so painful to remember that their erstwhile cheerleader for invading Iraq - the press mogul Rupert Murdoch - once said that a successful war there would bring us $20-a-barrel oil. The last time we looked, it was more than $140 a barrel. Where are you, Rupert, when the facts need checking and the predictions are revisited?
At a Congressional hearing this week, James Hansen, the NASA climate scientist who exactly twenty years ago alerted Congress and the world to the dangers of global warming, compared the chief executives of Big Oil to the tobacco moguls who denied that nicotine is addictive or that there's a link between smoking and cancer. Hansen, whom the administration has tried again and again to silence, said these barons of black gold should be tried for committing crimes against humanity and nature in opposing efforts to deal with global warming.
Perhaps those sweetheart deals in Iraq should be added to his proposed indictments. They have been purchased at a very high price. Four thousand American soldiers dead, tens of thousands permanently wounded, hundreds of thousands of dead and crippled Iraqis plus five million displaced, and a cost that will mount into trillions of dollars. The political analyst Kevin Phillips says America has become little more than an "energy protection force," doing anything to gain access to expensive fuel without regard to the lives of others or the earth itself. One thinks again of Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood." His lust for oil came at the price of his son and his soul.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Does Race Matter??
We all know about the elephant in the room that everyone tries to ignore much to thier downfall on the issues being discussed. Well RACE is the elephant in the Democratic delegates room that they are trying to ignore or downplay.
As Paul Beglea said yesterday the Democrats can't win in November with just african-Americans and eggheads. So right Paul.
I think it is delusional to think that all those old folks and white blue collar workers will jump on the Obama bandwagon once Hillary is out. Won't happen folks.
Most of those small states and southern states that Obama has won are either not considered blue states or are too small to significantly affect the election in November.
We all know Clinton has run a lousy campaign because she thought, as I thought too, the nomination was in the bag for her. Recently her campaign has worsened, using the nuclear option, bombing Iran etc. Totally unnessary statements, did she think McCains supporters would switch to her on primary day. Certainly there were crossovers from the republicans to the Democrats in the primaries but who are they and will they vote for Obama in the fall?
Here is some interesting items on that and other issues come November
The Obama Democrats' Ostrich Moment
by Larry C. Johnston
The full-court press to force Hillary from the presidential race ain't working. She will win the West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico primaries.
But the screwed-up, patchwork system the Democrats are using to choose delegates has given small states, which are unlikely to be in the Democratic column come November, inordinate influence.
At the same time, the big states that will play an instrumental role in the November general election--New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Texas, and California--are being treated like they are Iowa and Idaho.
It will boil down to the decision of the super delegates.
I am a pessimist. Even though Hillary is the one who wins the big states that will count in the fall, the "supers" appear to be moving toward Obama. Even though Hillary has more popular votes and polls much better among the Reagan democrats, the supers appear to be moving toward Obama.
Hillary's only hope is that the super delegates will come to their senses and realize that Barack Obama's relationships with the corrupt Tony Rezko, the racist-wife stealing Jeremiah Wright, and the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers will provide the Republicans with ammunition they have never had at hand to use against the Democrats' candidate. This is particularly true of that flag stomper, Bill Ayers.
Think not? Just read what the execrable Bob Novak wrote today:
The test of Obama's strategy may be his friendship with and support from William Ayers, an unrepentant member of the Weathermen terrorist underground of the 1960s and '70s. Instead of totally disavowing Ayers as he belatedly did his former pastor, Obama potentially deepened his problem by referring to Ayers as just a college professor -- "a guy who lives in my neighborhood." He then compared their relationship to his friendship with conservative Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, just as he compared Wright's racism to his white grandmother's.
Democrats abhor bringing up what Obama calls Ayers's "detestable acts 40 years ago," but they will be brought into the public arena even if that is not McCain's style of politics. A photo of Ayers stomping on the American flag in 2001 has been all over the Internet this week. That was the year Obama accepted a $200 political contribution from Ayers and the year in which the former Weatherman said: "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough."
While McCain will not demand a response from Obama, others will. How the prospective nominee handles this will help define whether he is seen as flawed or fantastic in the long campaign ahead.
We may now understand why Barack does not wear a flag lapel pin. He's afraid that Bill Ayers will stomp on him. In reality, it will be the relationship with Bill Ayers that will empower the Republicans to destroy the candidacy of Barack Obama.
This is not a question of whether or not the Republicans will use this material. They will. So what is there to find? That is the area of greatest danger for the Democrats. Obama has lied about his longstanding relationship with Bill Ayers.
Why? What is he hiding? As I have pointed out before, 1995 was a critical year in the Obama/Ayers relationship. It was in 1995 that Barack was tabbed by Ayers to be the Chairman of the Annenberg Challenge (a failed $50 million project). That same year, Barack sat at a kitchen table with Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, Bill's wife, a plotted the ouster of Alice Palmer, who Obama took down in order to secure his place in the Illinois state senate.
If the Super Delegates do not insist on a full and complete disclosure from Barack Obama about his ties to Bill Ayers, the Republicans will force the issue in the fall. It is one thing to have a name that sounds like the terrorist who attacked us on 9-11. But it is an entirely different matter to be close friends with an unrepentant terrorist who bombed U.S. Government buildings.
There is no where to run. The relationship is genuine. This is a stonewall that will not stand.
As Paul Beglea said yesterday the Democrats can't win in November with just african-Americans and eggheads. So right Paul.
I think it is delusional to think that all those old folks and white blue collar workers will jump on the Obama bandwagon once Hillary is out. Won't happen folks.
Most of those small states and southern states that Obama has won are either not considered blue states or are too small to significantly affect the election in November.
We all know Clinton has run a lousy campaign because she thought, as I thought too, the nomination was in the bag for her. Recently her campaign has worsened, using the nuclear option, bombing Iran etc. Totally unnessary statements, did she think McCains supporters would switch to her on primary day. Certainly there were crossovers from the republicans to the Democrats in the primaries but who are they and will they vote for Obama in the fall?
Here is some interesting items on that and other issues come November
The Obama Democrats' Ostrich Moment
by Larry C. Johnston
The full-court press to force Hillary from the presidential race ain't working. She will win the West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico primaries.
But the screwed-up, patchwork system the Democrats are using to choose delegates has given small states, which are unlikely to be in the Democratic column come November, inordinate influence.
At the same time, the big states that will play an instrumental role in the November general election--New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Texas, and California--are being treated like they are Iowa and Idaho.
It will boil down to the decision of the super delegates.
I am a pessimist. Even though Hillary is the one who wins the big states that will count in the fall, the "supers" appear to be moving toward Obama. Even though Hillary has more popular votes and polls much better among the Reagan democrats, the supers appear to be moving toward Obama.
Hillary's only hope is that the super delegates will come to their senses and realize that Barack Obama's relationships with the corrupt Tony Rezko, the racist-wife stealing Jeremiah Wright, and the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers will provide the Republicans with ammunition they have never had at hand to use against the Democrats' candidate. This is particularly true of that flag stomper, Bill Ayers.
Think not? Just read what the execrable Bob Novak wrote today:
The test of Obama's strategy may be his friendship with and support from William Ayers, an unrepentant member of the Weathermen terrorist underground of the 1960s and '70s. Instead of totally disavowing Ayers as he belatedly did his former pastor, Obama potentially deepened his problem by referring to Ayers as just a college professor -- "a guy who lives in my neighborhood." He then compared their relationship to his friendship with conservative Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, just as he compared Wright's racism to his white grandmother's.
Democrats abhor bringing up what Obama calls Ayers's "detestable acts 40 years ago," but they will be brought into the public arena even if that is not McCain's style of politics. A photo of Ayers stomping on the American flag in 2001 has been all over the Internet this week. That was the year Obama accepted a $200 political contribution from Ayers and the year in which the former Weatherman said: "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough."
While McCain will not demand a response from Obama, others will. How the prospective nominee handles this will help define whether he is seen as flawed or fantastic in the long campaign ahead.
We may now understand why Barack does not wear a flag lapel pin. He's afraid that Bill Ayers will stomp on him. In reality, it will be the relationship with Bill Ayers that will empower the Republicans to destroy the candidacy of Barack Obama.
This is not a question of whether or not the Republicans will use this material. They will. So what is there to find? That is the area of greatest danger for the Democrats. Obama has lied about his longstanding relationship with Bill Ayers.
Why? What is he hiding? As I have pointed out before, 1995 was a critical year in the Obama/Ayers relationship. It was in 1995 that Barack was tabbed by Ayers to be the Chairman of the Annenberg Challenge (a failed $50 million project). That same year, Barack sat at a kitchen table with Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, Bill's wife, a plotted the ouster of Alice Palmer, who Obama took down in order to secure his place in the Illinois state senate.
If the Super Delegates do not insist on a full and complete disclosure from Barack Obama about his ties to Bill Ayers, the Republicans will force the issue in the fall. It is one thing to have a name that sounds like the terrorist who attacked us on 9-11. But it is an entirely different matter to be close friends with an unrepentant terrorist who bombed U.S. Government buildings.
There is no where to run. The relationship is genuine. This is a stonewall that will not stand.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Odds and ends
From Taylor Marsh Blog
Wake up and feel the glaring heat of national scrutiny.
Michelle Obama lifted the lid on the irritation felt by the leading Democrat candidate for the White House at the way anti-American outbursts by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, have dogged his campaign.
... .. Her husband was thinking "I can't let my ego, my anger, my frustration get in the way of the ultimate goal," she said.
"Barack has been characterised as many things that have nothing to do with who he is." ... ..
Michelle Obama: Barack has hit boiling point
Hillary's been there, done that more than once, with the sequels ongoing. I can only imagine how the Obamas would have reacted with some of the stuff the right-wing threw at the Clintons in the 1990s. Murderers!, which came from one of their reverends. Drug dealers! Illegitimate child! Hillary and Vince Foster! You name it, it was slung. So forgive me if I find Michelle Obama's lifting the lid on their irritation falling on unsympathetic ears.
There's another problem, Obama isn't the nominee yet. There seems to be just a tad bit of entitlement creeping in because Senator Obama has run a terrific campaign, which he has. But he hasn't reached the delegate promised land just yet. Someone needs to alert Michelle Obama. Perhaps Mrs. Obama should also keep that in mind when bellyaching about not being able to hit McCain, because Obama is still in the nomination fight of his life.
The other issue is that Senator Obama brought this on himself. We pick the people with whom we associate. He nor Michelle can blame the media or anyone else for his choice of political godfather, Tony Rezko, or for the fact that long after other Chicagoans walked away from Rezko, Obama took help from the indicted thug in getting his big house. Nor can the Obamas blame anyone else for associating the William Ayers. Seriously, it's not about Obama being a baby when Ayers started his domestic terrorism career. It's that the Senator didn't seem to understand what an association like this would mean to a politician seeking higher office. Naive doesn't come close to it. As for Rev. Jeremiah Wright, choosing the church as a political base was a jumping off point for Obama's ambitions. That's understandable. But twenty years is a very long time to keep ignoring the obvious. Rev. Wright's good works are one thing, but his anti-American hate speech is quite another. Even after the YouTubes surfaced it took weeks more before Obama got the message. A little slow on the uptake, if you ask me.
Oprah got it in a heart beat.
... ..According to two sources, Winfrey was never comfortable with the tone of Wright's more incendiary sermons, which she knew had the power to damage her standing as America's favorite daytime talk-show host. "Oprah is a businesswoman, first and foremost," said one longtime friend, who requested anonymity when discussing Winfrey's personal sentiments. "She's always been aware that her audience is very mainstream, and doing anything to offend them just wouldn't be smart. She's been around black churches all her life, so Reverend Wright's anger-filled message didn't surprise her. But it just wasn't what she was looking for in a church." Oprah's decision to distance herself came as a surprise to Wright, who told Christianity Today in 2002 that when he would "run into her socially … she would say, 'Here's my pastor!' " (Winfrey declined to comment. A Harpo Productions spokesperson would not confirm her reasons for leaving the church.) ... ..
Something Wasn’t WrightWhy Oprah Winfrey left Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church.
So my advice to the Obamas is to chill out. First, this isn't over yet. They've got other worries presently besides bad press. Like winning tomorrow, because if Hillary cuts Obama's once sure fire double-digit victory in North Carolina down to size, then wins Indiana, the lid on Obama's irritation, pushed by his ego, anger and frustration could blow the candidate's cool sky high
_______________________________________
48 Hours before the polls close in North Carolina and Indiana, recent polling shows that the Democratic presidential race might be headed for a split decision on Tuesday. According to the Real Clear Politics average of recent major polls, Barack Obama continues to hold his lead in North Carolina, while Hillary Clinton is ahead in Indiana.
North Carolina Democratic Primary RealClearPolitics AverageObama 49.2Clinton 42.2
Indiana Democratic Primary RealClearPolitics AverageClinton 47.3Obama 41.5
_______________________________________
Dizznyland East
US-backed plan sees shiny future for Green Zone in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Forget the rocket attacks, concrete blast walls and lack of a sewer system. Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad.
That's all part of a five-year development "dream list" _ or what some dub an improbable fantasy _ to transform the U.S.-protected Green Zone from a walled fortress into a centerpiece for Baghdad's future.
But the $5 billion plan has the backing of the Pentagon and apparently the interest of some deep pockets in the world of international hotels and development, the lead military liaison for the project told The Associated Press.
For Washington, the driving motivation is to create a "zone of influence" around the new $700 million U.S. Embassy to serve as a kind of high-end buffer for the compound, whose total price tag will reach about $1 billion after all the workers and offices are relocated over the next year.
"When you have $1 billion hanging out there and 1,000 employees lying around, you kind of want to know who your neighbors are. You want to influence what happens in your neighborhood over time," said Navy Capt. Thomas Karnowski, who led the team that created the development plan.
Paid for by you know who of Course.
Wake up and feel the glaring heat of national scrutiny.
Michelle Obama lifted the lid on the irritation felt by the leading Democrat candidate for the White House at the way anti-American outbursts by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, have dogged his campaign.
... .. Her husband was thinking "I can't let my ego, my anger, my frustration get in the way of the ultimate goal," she said.
"Barack has been characterised as many things that have nothing to do with who he is." ... ..
Michelle Obama: Barack has hit boiling point
Hillary's been there, done that more than once, with the sequels ongoing. I can only imagine how the Obamas would have reacted with some of the stuff the right-wing threw at the Clintons in the 1990s. Murderers!, which came from one of their reverends. Drug dealers! Illegitimate child! Hillary and Vince Foster! You name it, it was slung. So forgive me if I find Michelle Obama's lifting the lid on their irritation falling on unsympathetic ears.
There's another problem, Obama isn't the nominee yet. There seems to be just a tad bit of entitlement creeping in because Senator Obama has run a terrific campaign, which he has. But he hasn't reached the delegate promised land just yet. Someone needs to alert Michelle Obama. Perhaps Mrs. Obama should also keep that in mind when bellyaching about not being able to hit McCain, because Obama is still in the nomination fight of his life.
The other issue is that Senator Obama brought this on himself. We pick the people with whom we associate. He nor Michelle can blame the media or anyone else for his choice of political godfather, Tony Rezko, or for the fact that long after other Chicagoans walked away from Rezko, Obama took help from the indicted thug in getting his big house. Nor can the Obamas blame anyone else for associating the William Ayers. Seriously, it's not about Obama being a baby when Ayers started his domestic terrorism career. It's that the Senator didn't seem to understand what an association like this would mean to a politician seeking higher office. Naive doesn't come close to it. As for Rev. Jeremiah Wright, choosing the church as a political base was a jumping off point for Obama's ambitions. That's understandable. But twenty years is a very long time to keep ignoring the obvious. Rev. Wright's good works are one thing, but his anti-American hate speech is quite another. Even after the YouTubes surfaced it took weeks more before Obama got the message. A little slow on the uptake, if you ask me.
Oprah got it in a heart beat.
... ..According to two sources, Winfrey was never comfortable with the tone of Wright's more incendiary sermons, which she knew had the power to damage her standing as America's favorite daytime talk-show host. "Oprah is a businesswoman, first and foremost," said one longtime friend, who requested anonymity when discussing Winfrey's personal sentiments. "She's always been aware that her audience is very mainstream, and doing anything to offend them just wouldn't be smart. She's been around black churches all her life, so Reverend Wright's anger-filled message didn't surprise her. But it just wasn't what she was looking for in a church." Oprah's decision to distance herself came as a surprise to Wright, who told Christianity Today in 2002 that when he would "run into her socially … she would say, 'Here's my pastor!' " (Winfrey declined to comment. A Harpo Productions spokesperson would not confirm her reasons for leaving the church.) ... ..
Something Wasn’t WrightWhy Oprah Winfrey left Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church.
So my advice to the Obamas is to chill out. First, this isn't over yet. They've got other worries presently besides bad press. Like winning tomorrow, because if Hillary cuts Obama's once sure fire double-digit victory in North Carolina down to size, then wins Indiana, the lid on Obama's irritation, pushed by his ego, anger and frustration could blow the candidate's cool sky high
_______________________________________
48 Hours before the polls close in North Carolina and Indiana, recent polling shows that the Democratic presidential race might be headed for a split decision on Tuesday. According to the Real Clear Politics average of recent major polls, Barack Obama continues to hold his lead in North Carolina, while Hillary Clinton is ahead in Indiana.
North Carolina Democratic Primary RealClearPolitics AverageObama 49.2Clinton 42.2
Indiana Democratic Primary RealClearPolitics AverageClinton 47.3Obama 41.5
_______________________________________
Dizznyland East
US-backed plan sees shiny future for Green Zone in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Forget the rocket attacks, concrete blast walls and lack of a sewer system. Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad.
That's all part of a five-year development "dream list" _ or what some dub an improbable fantasy _ to transform the U.S.-protected Green Zone from a walled fortress into a centerpiece for Baghdad's future.
But the $5 billion plan has the backing of the Pentagon and apparently the interest of some deep pockets in the world of international hotels and development, the lead military liaison for the project told The Associated Press.
For Washington, the driving motivation is to create a "zone of influence" around the new $700 million U.S. Embassy to serve as a kind of high-end buffer for the compound, whose total price tag will reach about $1 billion after all the workers and offices are relocated over the next year.
"When you have $1 billion hanging out there and 1,000 employees lying around, you kind of want to know who your neighbors are. You want to influence what happens in your neighborhood over time," said Navy Capt. Thomas Karnowski, who led the team that created the development plan.
Paid for by you know who of Course.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
OIL and Gas
Gasoline May Soon Cost a Sawbuck
Big New Shock at the Pump Forecast by Two Analysts
By DAN DORFMANSpecial to the SunApril 28, 2008
Get ready for another economic shock of major proportions — a virtual doubling of prices at the gas pump to as much as $10 a gallon.
That's the message from a couple of analytical energy industry trackers, both of whom, based on the surging oil prices, see considerably more pain at the pump than most drivers realize.
Gasoline nationally is in an accelerated upswing, having jumped to $3.58 a gallon from $3.50 in just the past week. In some parts of the country, including New York City and the West Coast, gas is already sporting a price tag above $4 a gallon. There was a pray-in at a Chevron station in San Francisco on Friday led by a minister asking God for cheaper gas, and an Arco gas station in San Mateo, Calif., has already raised its price to a sky-high $4.62.
________________________________________
Opec says oil could hit $200
By Carola Hoyos in London
Published: April 28 2008 13:56 Last updated: April 28 2008 20:03
Opec’s president on Monday warned oil prices could hit $200 a barrel and there would be little the cartel could do to help.
The comments made by Chakib Khelil, Algeria’s energy minister, came as oil prices hit a historic peak close to $120 a barrel, putting further pressure on global economies.
His remarks suggest Algeria wants Opec to continue to resist calls by US and European leaders for the cartel to pump more oil to help ease prices. But Mr Khelil blamed record oil prices on the weak dollar and global political insecurity.
He told El Moudjahid, Algeria’s government newspaper: "I don’t think that an increase in production would help lower prices, because there is a balance between supply and demand and the stocks of gasoline in the United States have recorded a surplus and are at their__ highest level for five years.
Hey OK then why except for gouging by the oil companies is gas so damned expensive if their suuplies are at the peak levels highest in 5 years. I am sure this is all the fault of the Bush Oil Barons.
_______________________________________
What the US needs to do is go back to gas rationing force the auto makers to produce 50 mile per gallon cars. Outlaw big autos and especially those with hugh engines. I see the ads showing cars racing away boasting of their power it't back to the 60s all we need are the tail fins.
We could show that the public means business if for one day a week we all stop using our cars except for emergency use. It would bring the oil companies to thier knees. Don't use A/Cs unless boiling hot open the windows use fans. I didn't have an A/C in my house until 1967 or in my car until that date either. Put windows back in the schools push out the bricks put in windows that open. Never had aircondition in school or college or work place either. Open the windows let nature in, if too noisy then pass and inforce some noise legislation. Lets get some of these trucks off the road and get the railroads delivering the goods like they used to, remember railway express.?
Reduce the national speed limit to 50 mph ( with smaller engines and cars it won't seem out of place). #! don't elect McCain as he will only continue the Bush policy of letting market( meaning you and me) forces determine price. I am for price fixing to avoid excess profits to the oil companies and that goes for food producer also. Forget ethanol it takes gallons of water and electricty to produce and total cost is more then it sells for. Farmers wouldn't be making it because it cost more to make then they can sell it for. But big subsidies by the Bush crowd makes it profitable for them. It has produced higher food prices because of the demand for corn to make it. Corn and corn syrup ( for sweeting) is in everthing just watch the dairy prices soar because it costs more now to feed the cows do to ethanol production. Cereals forgetaboutit. There is a lot that can be done if we only had the leadership and backbone to do it. Unfortunately the nations backbone has grown soft with all the easy and indulgent living it has been enjoying
( huh). And we don't have leadership in Washington from either party.
________________________________________
Comfort Foods Doing Well!
Published: April 29, 2008
LONDON (Reuters) - Stock futures eased in Europe on Tuesday, suggesting Wall Street may fall later on a busy day for earnings, following a pessimistic economic outlook from investor Warren Buffett.
The major indexes ended Monday virtually flat after Buffett's forecast of a long, deep U.S. recession offset gains made after confectioner Mars Inc teamed up with Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc to buy chewing gum maker Wm Wrigley Jr for $23 billion.
Big New Shock at the Pump Forecast by Two Analysts
By DAN DORFMANSpecial to the SunApril 28, 2008
Get ready for another economic shock of major proportions — a virtual doubling of prices at the gas pump to as much as $10 a gallon.
That's the message from a couple of analytical energy industry trackers, both of whom, based on the surging oil prices, see considerably more pain at the pump than most drivers realize.
Gasoline nationally is in an accelerated upswing, having jumped to $3.58 a gallon from $3.50 in just the past week. In some parts of the country, including New York City and the West Coast, gas is already sporting a price tag above $4 a gallon. There was a pray-in at a Chevron station in San Francisco on Friday led by a minister asking God for cheaper gas, and an Arco gas station in San Mateo, Calif., has already raised its price to a sky-high $4.62.
________________________________________
Opec says oil could hit $200
By Carola Hoyos in London
Published: April 28 2008 13:56 Last updated: April 28 2008 20:03
Opec’s president on Monday warned oil prices could hit $200 a barrel and there would be little the cartel could do to help.
The comments made by Chakib Khelil, Algeria’s energy minister, came as oil prices hit a historic peak close to $120 a barrel, putting further pressure on global economies.
His remarks suggest Algeria wants Opec to continue to resist calls by US and European leaders for the cartel to pump more oil to help ease prices. But Mr Khelil blamed record oil prices on the weak dollar and global political insecurity.
He told El Moudjahid, Algeria’s government newspaper: "I don’t think that an increase in production would help lower prices, because there is a balance between supply and demand and the stocks of gasoline in the United States have recorded a surplus and are at their__ highest level for five years.
Hey OK then why except for gouging by the oil companies is gas so damned expensive if their suuplies are at the peak levels highest in 5 years. I am sure this is all the fault of the Bush Oil Barons.
_______________________________________
What the US needs to do is go back to gas rationing force the auto makers to produce 50 mile per gallon cars. Outlaw big autos and especially those with hugh engines. I see the ads showing cars racing away boasting of their power it't back to the 60s all we need are the tail fins.
We could show that the public means business if for one day a week we all stop using our cars except for emergency use. It would bring the oil companies to thier knees. Don't use A/Cs unless boiling hot open the windows use fans. I didn't have an A/C in my house until 1967 or in my car until that date either. Put windows back in the schools push out the bricks put in windows that open. Never had aircondition in school or college or work place either. Open the windows let nature in, if too noisy then pass and inforce some noise legislation. Lets get some of these trucks off the road and get the railroads delivering the goods like they used to, remember railway express.?
Reduce the national speed limit to 50 mph ( with smaller engines and cars it won't seem out of place). #! don't elect McCain as he will only continue the Bush policy of letting market( meaning you and me) forces determine price. I am for price fixing to avoid excess profits to the oil companies and that goes for food producer also. Forget ethanol it takes gallons of water and electricty to produce and total cost is more then it sells for. Farmers wouldn't be making it because it cost more to make then they can sell it for. But big subsidies by the Bush crowd makes it profitable for them. It has produced higher food prices because of the demand for corn to make it. Corn and corn syrup ( for sweeting) is in everthing just watch the dairy prices soar because it costs more now to feed the cows do to ethanol production. Cereals forgetaboutit. There is a lot that can be done if we only had the leadership and backbone to do it. Unfortunately the nations backbone has grown soft with all the easy and indulgent living it has been enjoying
( huh). And we don't have leadership in Washington from either party.
________________________________________
Comfort Foods Doing Well!
Published: April 29, 2008
LONDON (Reuters) - Stock futures eased in Europe on Tuesday, suggesting Wall Street may fall later on a busy day for earnings, following a pessimistic economic outlook from investor Warren Buffett.
The major indexes ended Monday virtually flat after Buffett's forecast of a long, deep U.S. recession offset gains made after confectioner Mars Inc teamed up with Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc
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