Looking Ahead

I am sure that we all hope that 2009 will bring better days. With Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20th, the nation will certainly breathe a sigh of relief. Although we know that things won't get better quickly, at least we are headed in the right direction.

Peace
Love
Good Health
Happy New Year!

Duh!

A federal study has revealed the truth: Abstinence education DOES NOT WORK!

CBS3:

Abstinence education doesn't work, according to a new federal survey on teens and sex that was released today. This is a sweeping new study. It says most teens have sex before marriage, even if they pledge not to. It also found a dangerous trend, the abstinence group was more likely to have unsafe sex.

Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have pre-marital sex as those who don't promise abstinence, according to the new report that included 11-thousand students in in middle and high school. Researchers say 82-percent of teens end up breaking their virginity pledge......

Let me repeat that statistic:

....82-percent of teens end up breaking their virginity pledge......

Even though the Bush administration spent billions and billions of dollars promoting abstinence education, kids are still participating in pre-marital sex. These kids are involved in unsafe sex----- no condoms, no birth control, etc. The Bushies pushed this abstinence propaganda and let the real facts fall by the wayside. As a result, many young adults today got their sex education through friends, gossip, and myths. Consequently, they are unprepared on how to sexually protect themselves and they are grossly uneducated in the area of personal health and science.

Meanwhile, right wing publishers and proponents of abstinence education got rich. I sincerely hope that President Obama will dump this program.

Notes and Updates

* ABC News has a story about the Bush scandals. Bush certainly has left a mess for Obama. It seems that Bush has 'zoned out' completely from the duties of President.

* Laura Bush is defending her husband. As a matter of fact, the entire Bush administration and their supporters are heaping praise upon the work of George W. Bush. Those of us who live in the real world know that they are telling tall tales. Here is a little tidbit from the Press Association:

"....in another interview US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said claims that the Bush administration had been one of the worst ever were "ridiculous"."I think generations pretty soon are going to start to thank this president for what he's done. This generation will..."

How can we thank this President for what he has done? We've had an unnecessary war in Iraq and have lost over 4219 Americans in Iraq. Our country has seen the largest financial meltdown since the Great Depression. Millions of people are out of work, have lost their homes, and companies have failed. Rice says we should thank Bush? Is she serious???

* I've been told by my daughters that Marley and Me is a great movie, but a huge tearjerker. I will wait until it comes to cable so that I can cry my eyes out in the privacy of my own home.

* My dear husband's team, the Cleveland Browns, have had another dismal season. I wish that they'd do well at least for his sake. (At least they are not as bad as the Detroit Lions.) They need to get rid of those players who continue to drop passes.

* The continuing soap opera in the Minnesota Senate race continues. Democrat Al Franken is ahead by 48 votes. Norm Coleman supposedly has plans to take everything to court. He probably doesn't want to give up the phenomenal apartment he has in DC that he pays way under the market value.

Happy Holidays!

I wish you peace and joy this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Singing, Biking, and Claus

* Don't forget to watch David Letterman tonight. Darlene Love will give her annual Christmas performance!

* Ryan Bowen is biking across the country. We might say that is not unusual. However, Ryan's purpose in his ride, as noted on Biking for Obama, is to "......to impose a strong presence of Hope and Change into the spirits of Americans as did the Campaign of President-Elect Barack Obama. The Highway of Hope signifies the call for Americans, as a collective, to unite and participate in the spread of this message along the way. The idea derived from a genuine internal desire and passion within Ryan Bowen to take on the challenge Obama’s Campaign created; and that is are we ready, as Americans, to do whatever is necessary to create a better America....."
Check in daily at Biking for Obama, to follow his progress as he bikes his way to Washington, DC for the inauguration.

* I'm not sure if I'll see the movie, Valkyrie, primarily because of Tom Cruise. I've read a lot about the July 20, 1944 plot to kill Hitler. I have visited the Plotzensee and the Resistance Museum that housed von Stauffenberg's office and his execution location. I'm just not sure that I want to see Tom Cruise's face associated with that of Claus von Stauffenberg.

Note This!

* This has been a rough time for a lot of people. We can blame the Bush administration for putting our families and friends into the greatest financial meltdown since the Great Depression. It has been a tough 8 years with Bush and Cheney making decisions that have cost American lives and our security. I'm ready for a new day filled with hope and change.

* It appears that many people in central Ohio waited until this week to shop for gifts. People must have waited for prices to drop even more. Macy's at Polaris actually had lines at registers!

* Bauer Griffin took some pictures of President-elect Obama at the beach in Hawaii. A picture is posted at Huffington Post. I must warn you that Obama is definitely in good shape.

* If you have the chance to see a movie this week, I'd suggest you see 'Slumdog Millionaire.' It is a brilliant movie and one that will have you talking for weeks later. Everything I've seen has provided stellar reviews. Don't miss it.

Hold the Lye

* Do you wonder if they have food labels in China?
Dispatch:
Industrial dyes, insecticides and drain cleaners were included on a list of illegal food additives that China released yesterday as part of a months long government crackdown aimed at improving the country's shoddy food-safety record.

Among the 17 banned substances is boric acid, commonly used as an insecticide. It is mixed with noodles and meatballs to increase elasticity, a statement posted on the Ministry of Health's Web site said.

Also forbidden are industrial formaldehyde and lye. Normally used in making soap and drain cleaners, they also have been used to make some types of dried seafood appear fresher and bigger.....

The article goes on to note that these stricter regulations are the result of the scandal resulting from the melamine in the baby formula. With so many products being imported these days, it is more important to take the time to read the labels.

So Sad

Get out your tissues. According to an article at Huffington Post, First Lady Laura Bush mad a sad revelation---- she hasn't cooked in 14 years:
First lady Laura Bush said Thursday that her husband, President George W. Bush, teases her about her cooking because she hasn't banged pots around for more than a decade.

"I haven't cooked in 14 years," she said in an interview with Fox News Channel's "On the Record." "He can't even remember what it was like and neither can I. This will be interesting."

You and I both know that she probably won't have to cook. Heaven forbid!!!!! She will hire a cook/chef, housekeeper, some maids, and others to assist her. This just shows how out of touch the Bush family is. They did not have to fill up their gas tank when the price of gasoline was high. They didn't have to deal with the increasing prices of chicken, cereal, meat, fruit, and other household items. They have indeed lived in a "bubble" and have been totally removed from the workings of everyday life.

No Sushi for Me!

> It has been reported that Jeremy Piven has "....extreme mercury toxicity...", as noted at Huffington Post. It is mentioned that Piven is an "...avid sushi eater for many years...." Those who listen to the Stephanie Miller radio program are aware that Stephanie has also suffered from mercury poisoning because of her over-consumption of sushi.

Call me old fashioned but there is something weird about eating raw fish.

> I'm not happy about President-elect Obama asking Rev. Rick Warren to participate at the inauguration. However, I do understand that Obama will be President of all of the United States. I think this is just part of the way that Obama is trying to be inclusive. Remember that we have a lot of work to do in this country and Obama will need the support of all kinds of people to get things done (even the Rick Warrens of the nation). This might be Obama's way of trying to soften Warren's heart on some issues.

Talk, Talk, Talk

- On Rachel Maddow's show this evening, Sen. Carl Levin said that he was "astounded" when he heard Vice President Dick Cheney say that he approved the water boarding of some prisoners. It appears that there will be investigations, according to what Levin hinted about tonight.

This admission by Cheney just makes me sick because he looks like he is bragging about his role in torture.

- Dr. Rick Warren will give the invocation at the Inauguration and it is causing lots of consternation. Warren is against everything that liberals support.

- Have you watched Parking Wars on A & E? It is a very interesting show about parking enforcement in Philadelphia. I've lived in Philly and I am well aware of the special ways that Philadelphians park their cars.

- President Bush's "legacy tour" seems to be made up of exaggerations, fables, and just plain lies.

Person of the Year: Obama

Time Magazine has just announced that Barack Obama has been chosen as their "Person of the Year" by declaring the following:
For having the confidence to sketch an ambitious future in a gloomy hour, and for showing the competence that makes Americans hopeful he might pull it off, the President-elect is TIME's Person of the Year.

Yes! I agree. President-elect Obama has transformed the campaign process by having the most elaborate grass roots organization in American election history. He has inspired millions of people to vote, volunteer, and participate in the election process. He has given us a reason to hope. Obama's plans will change the face of our country forever.

News

- A few months ago, we became grandparents. This has been a very happy time. My husband shows pictures of our grandson to nearly every person he meets. I find it necessary to explain to store clerks that my toy purchases are for my grandson. I think we've become those obnoxious grandparents who pull out fresh pictures of their grandchild every single day. My daughter and son-in-law are in a mixed marriage. She is a Democrat. He is a Republican. Even though the baby is just under three months old, I'm trying to enhance his vocabulary. I'm teaching him words like "Mama" and "Obama" and "Go Bucks." You can never start too soon.

- It does feel good to know that Democrats will be the majority party in the House and the Senate. I'm glad to know that Barack Obama will be our next President.


- In President-elect Obama's news conference yesterday, he mentioned that there were "shovel ready" projects that could help put people back to work. That is very encouraging to all of us.

- I was very impressed with Obama's "Green Team" that he introduced yesterday. He has really brought forward some of the best and brightest in our country to tackle difficult problems.

Romney: Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

I caught part of NBC's Meet the Press today. Unfortunately, I saw the part where Mitt Romney said that American auto workers were making $73/hour. Mitt Romney is a liar. He said that when all the retirement and legacy pay outs were added together that the typical auto worker makes $73/hr. Romney is an arrogant fool. There he is sitting on TV with his expensive suit and while he disrespects hundreds of thousands of workers. Romney wants the auto workers and the retirees to give up their pensions and health care. These people earned their pensions.

Who made Romney an expert in the car industry? Romney has already started his presidential campaign and he is doing his part to cut down the American worker. I guess that is his way to make friends and win votes.

Romney must not have read the papers after election day. The American public rejected the Republican Party, John McCain, and Mitt Romney. Right now, the GOP is the minority party. Romney's campaign to destroy the auto industry and the auto workers will not help our country get back on the right track again.

It is clear that Romney, Senators Corker, Shelby, and McConnell and other anti-worker GOPers, are still involved in the politics of division. They need to wake up and try to solve problems, not create new ones.

TGIF

* Someone over at PolitickerOH.com seems to think that Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy got really lucky in her win in Ohio's 15th congressional district. Never underestimate Kilroy. Her hard work and loyal following produced results. Also, the 15th district is getting more Democratic with each election. No one can predict what will happen by 2010.

* Sen. Bob Corker (TN-R), Sen. Richard Shelby (AL-R), Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY-R) and Sen. Jim DeMint (SC-R) certainly hate working people. These four Republican U.S. Senators showed such disdain for autoworkers, that is was sad. This country was built on the backs of those automakers, steelworkers, carpenters, bricklayers, and many, many others. Corker, Shelby, McConnell, and DeMint have no appreciation for regular working "Joes" and "Josies" and their contributions to our society. Corker, Shelby, McConnell, and DeMint are doing their best to destroy unions and workers' rights.

* Is it possible that President George W. Bush's family and friends are more important than President-elect Barack Obama and his family? The Bush administration must think so.

NY TIMES:
The White House has turned down a request from the family of President-elect Barack Obama to move into Blair House in early January so that his daughters can start school on January 5.
The Obamas were told that Blair House, where incoming presidents usually stay in the five days before Inauguration Day, is booked in early January, a spokesperson to the Obama transition said. “We explored the idea so that the girls could start school on schedule,’ the spokesperson said. “But, there were previously scheduled events and guests that couldn’t be displaced.”
It remained unclear who on Bushes guest list outranked the incoming President....

* The Governor of Illinois has an approval rating of under 10%, doesn't get along with Illinois lawmakers, and has been arrested because of a federal probe. Why does he want to prolong the misery by remaining in office?

* I usually watch David Letterman but last night I skipped the show. John McCain was a guest and I thought I had seen and heard enough of him to last me a lifetime.

* If you are planning a summer vacation (if you still have a job by the summer), it might be wise to stay away from those states like Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama because their representatives and senators are so anti-worker. They are also red states. Skip that trip to a red state, and vacation in a blue one!

Are You Kidding?

Some strange stuff is going on in the Minnesota vote count. Large numbers of absentee votes were rejected, for no apparent reason. Check out this YouTube video called "My Vote" that details some of the voters' problems:



> Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann voted against the auto bailout yesterday, according to the news. SCTimes:
Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann voted against a $14 billion rescue for automakers Wednesday as Democrats vowed to move ahead with the plan while key Senate Republicans raised objections.
he 237-170 vote came on the same day that St. Cloud’s Grede Foundries, which supplies auto parts to Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp., announced it is laying off more than 60 of its 300 workers because it has suffered a drop in orders.....

Do you wonder if any of those laid off workers at Grede Foundries voted for Bachmann?

> Some silly people at NASA apparently didn't hear that George W. Bush's term is over in a few weeks and that there will be a new President. The Orlando Sentinel is reporting about some Bush good old boys at NASA that aren't interested in leaving office.

Orlando Sentinel:
NASA administrator Mike Griffin is not cooperating with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, is obstructing its efforts to get information and has told its leader that she is “not qualified” to judge his rocket program, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.

In a heated 40-minute conversation last week with Lori Garver, a former NASA associate administrator who heads the space transition team, a red-faced Griffin demanded to speak directly to Obama, according to witnesses.

In addition, Griffin is scripting NASA employees and civilian contractors on what they can tell the transition team and has warned aerospace executives not to criticize the agency’s moon program, sources said......

Sounds to me Mr. Griffin needs to resign asap.

>>>> Oh, my. The Bush administration seems to be contributing even more to our country's economic problems.

MSNBC: ....The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial applications for jobless benefits in the week ending Dec. 6 rose to a seasonally adjusted 573,000 from an upwardly revised figure of 515,000 in the previous week. That was far more than the 525,000 claims Wall Street economists expected.....

This is just sad. So many people and families are paying the price for the inability of the Bush administration's willingness to deal with reality. President George W. Bush may end up being this generation's President Hoover.

Facts and Figures

> Alaska's Rep. Don Young will no longer serve on the House Committee on Natural Resources, according to the Miami Herald. Good.

> A news story from WXYZ-TV in Detroit lets viewers know exactly which Republican Senators are against helping out Detroit's automakers: Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, Sen. John Ensign of Nevada. (Note: There are others, but they are not mentioned in story.) It might be a good idea for auto employees to send e-mails to these Republican Senators.

> Sad Fact: We once owned a Dodge Aires K Car. Really. That Dodge was a real lemon. With the air conditioning on, the car could go 50mph on the highway without my foot on the gas pedal.

> Star Tribune notes some interesting things about Illinois Gov. Blagoievich:
....Rod Blagojevich makes Tony Soprano look like a Jonas Brother. ¶ Blackmailing a newspaper. Seeking kickbacks for funding a children's hospital. Selling a Senate seat as he were a one-man eBay. ¶ Say what you will about the Illinois governor -- the guy has moxie....
....Josh Marshall (6), noting that Blagojevich had an approval rating of 4 percent and had still harbored hopes of running for president in 2016...

The Wall Street Journal has the results of a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Here are some snippets from the poll as published in the WSJ:

...Overall, a majority of Americans are confident in Mr. Obama's ability to govern and unify the country, with many who didn't vote for him now seeing him in a positive light. The poll found that 73% of adults approve of the way he is handling the transition and his preparations for becoming president....
...Polling indicates that the nation is more unified around Mr. Obama than it was for either Bill Clinton in 1992 or George W. Bush in 2000. Americans say the challenges, too, are greater, with 77% of those surveyed predicting Mr. Obama will face bigger problems than most recent presidents have.....
...The survey also offers a final report card on Mr. Bush, who leaves office with near-record-low popularity. Just 18% say they are going to miss him when he is gone...

Don't you want to know about those people who make up that 18% that will miss George W. Bush???

Ohio Republicans Aim to Restrict Voting

Ohio Republicans are at it again!
Dispatch:
A bill that eliminates "Golden Week" by shortening the time in which Ohioans can cast absentee ballots passed the Senate yesterday over objections from Democrats, including Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Moments after the bill passed the Senate 19-11, Brunner's office blasted the measure as "another example of hastily written legislation that will create administrative problems for county elections boards and invite litigation."

The debate is one of many as the legislature scrambles through the last two weeks of the 127th General Assembly...

> PolitickerOH.com has this about the latest Republican ploy:

Ohio College Democrats are taking issue with election reform legislation introduced recently by state Sen. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and Republican leadership in the Ohio Senate.....

....The bill seeks to end the so-called "Golden Week" when Ohioans can register and cast an absentee ballot on the same day.....

....College Democrats are saying that the legislation would "make it almost impossible for students to vote absentee in Ohio."

These Republicans continue to make it difficult for Ohioans to vote. If they wonder why more and more Democrats are being elected in the state, and young people are staying away from the GOP, they only need to look at their own behavior.

I've Never Been Paid A Bonus

In my lifetime of work, I've never received a bonus. I've just read over at the Huffington Post that some CEO's are still expecting and fighting to receive millions of dollars in bonuses. Exactly what did these CEO's do to deserve a bonus? Did their companies earn money? Did they solve problems? In my humble opinion, if their company lost one dime, no one should get a bonus.

I taught school for 18 years. I was never paid a bonus.

Times are tough. People are losing their homes, cutting back on food and medicine, and reducing their spending. CEO's should do the same. Instead of taking that bonus, these big shots should instead focus their time and energy into fixing their companies to make them profitable again.

Here is my final advice to those CEO's: Act like a mensch and refuse the bonus.

Another Democrat for the House!

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy has been declared the winner of the election for Ohio's 15th congressional district.

NY Times:

Mary Jo Kilroy, a Democrat, won the 15th District, which encompasses Columbus, the state’s capital and largest city, by a little more than 2,000 votes over Steve Stivers, a Republican.....
....County officials released unofficial results Sunday that showed Ms. Kilroy with a margin of victory of 2,311 votes out of roughly 300,000 cast, enough to avoid an automatic recount....
...Mr. Stivers conceded victory shortly after the results were released....

Kilroy overcame lots of roadblocks that had been provided by Stivers and the Ohio GOP. In the end, this is a sweet victory for Kilroy, her staff, and supporters. Hurray!!!

A Reminder

Here is one of my posts from the past:

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Cause of U.S. Recession?

With a slowdown in business, the fall of the U.S. dollar, massive layoffs, and foreclosures reaching epidemic proportions, the real cause of the recession is known by many outside of the U.S..

The Australian:
IRAQ WAR 'CAUSED SLOWDOWN IN THE US'

THE Iraq war has cost the US 50-60 times more than the Bush administration predicted and was a central cause of the sub-prime banking crisis threatening the world economy, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

The former World Bank vice-president yesterday said the war had, so far, cost the US something like $US3trillion ($3.3 trillion) compared with the $US50-$US60-billion predicted in 2003......

....The war was now the second-most expensive in US history after World War II and the second-longest after Vietnam, he said.

The spending on Iraq was a hidden cause of the current credit crunch because the US central bank responded to the massive financial drain of the war by flooding the American economy with cheap credit....

Just like the Bush administration tried to stop a recent story from airing on 60 Minutes, the White House has worked to keep the truth about the war and so many other things from the American public.....

* Most of us are aware that the rise of gasoline prices, food, and other goods certainly helped push the nation toward recession. People don't buy cars, if they've lost jobs and their health insurance coverage. While Wall Street and the oil companies went hog wild, the Bush administration looked the other way.

Here is an excerpt from Bret Thompson's Blog at ProgressOhio, that shows some prominent members of the Ohio GOP still don't understand economics:

...Not to be missed, is outgoing Speaker Jon Husted's (R-Columbus) willfully ignorant, self-serving take on the matter:

"The financial crisis America is in is because its government, its businesses and its people lived beyond their means by borrowing and running up their credit cards," Husted said.

Seemingly all of America's financial systems are a wreck and Husted pins the blame on the one huge financial instrument that played no direct role, credit cards....

Credit cards? Husted doesn't understand that the economists were talking about the credit crisis not credit cards.

>>>Here is still more on the horrible economic disaster brought to us by the Bush administration.
CNN:
...Employers cut 533,000 jobs from their payrolls in November, the biggest monthly decline since 1974, and far more than the 325,000 cuts that Wall Street economists were expecting. Meanwhile, September's and October's job losses were revised up, bringing the three-month decline to 1.3 million, the largest three-month job loss total since World War II....
...The unemployment rate, generated by a separate survey, rose to 6.7% in November from 6.5% in the previous month. It was short of the 6.8% economists were expecting, but still brought the unemployment rate to the highest level in 15 years.
The report is maybe one of the worst the Bureau of Labor Statistics has ever produced in its 124-year history, Commissioner Keith Hall told lawmakers Friday at a Joint Economic Committee hearing.....

Does the Bush administration take any blame for this? Hell, no. In an interview with some TV news anchor, Bush blamed his predecessors. Inauguration Day can't come fast enough.

Money in Politics

* According to recent news stories, the Republican National Committee spent over one hundred thousand dollars for Sarah Palin's wardrobe. Now, there is additional information (posted at Huffington Post) that indicates the RNC spent $55,000 for stylists for Palin in the closing weeks of the campaign. Are you kidding? This might be an indication of what went wrong with the McCain-Palin ticket. I wonder if any other campaign had similar expenses for make up, hair, and clothing.

* The State of Ohio has had to provide security details for Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. In the weeks preceding the election, the Ohio GOP was busy ratcheting up false charges against Brunner. Because of this unfair smear campaign by the Ohio GOP, threats were called in and delivered to Brunner. Tens of thousands of dollars had to be spent to protect her. The Ohio GOP may continue to attack Brunner so that one of their own can take over the Secretary of State's office again. Brunner's leadership and goals of protecting the vote should go a long way to guarantee her re-election.

Ohio: Center of Attention

* Looks like there is more bad news. Triangle Business Journal:

Central Ohio’s two largest apparel retailers got off to a rough start for the holiday shopping season, both posting double-digit percentage declines in revenue and a key sales measure last month.

New Albany-based Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) reported that sales at stores open at least a year in November fell 28 percent from a year ago. Columbus-based Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE:LTD) said same-store sales in November fell 12 percent....

*PolitickerOH has more about the recent attacks on Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner:
....The GOP is saying that Brunner has changed positions on the so-called "Golden Week" - a weeklong period of overlap of voter registration and early voting that allows just-registered voters to vote the same day as registering.....
Brunner's office responded Wednesday by pointing to a Dayton Daily News editorial, and saying that Brunner is seeking "a well reasoned approach to election improvements versus the legislature's plan to rush through a measure during the lame-duck session."

These attacks are all the groundwork for the Republicans to try to reclaim the office of the Ohio Secretary of State.

* We still have no work on the decision of the Ohio Supreme Court about the counting of provisional ballots that has held up the election result for Ohio's 15th congressional district.

Downsizing

In these tough economic times (which President George W. Bush refuses to take responsibility for), people are looking to cut down or downsize on travel, gifts, and expenses. The American auto companies have seen dramatic drops in the sales of their oversize SUV cars. With job losses, layoffs, and Wall Street disasters, people have started to look at alternative ways of living and saving money.

My husband and I own Honda Civic Hybrid and a Smart Car. The Honda Hybrid gets excellent mileage and is perfect transportation for those of us with grown children. While some people might say that the Honda Hybrid is not fancy enough for them, my response is that we save money everyday with it.

My Smart Car has gotten a lot of attention. With so many people asking me questions, I have a prepared description of facts about the car. It is fun to drive and it also saves money.

I've been exploring the internet for small cars. Other countries have made dramatic changes in their personal transportation. Cars in Europe are small and much more efficient than the ones we drive here. Here are some of the cars I've discovered from various places on the internet----

CuriousPhotosblogspot has several pictures of small cars. Here are the ones I found most interesting:




Virtual Tourist found the car below in Amsterdam:



Noticiastech.com has a picture of the Nissan Pivo 2 (I did not even know there was a Pivo 1!!!!):




If these small cars exist in other countries, why haven't American car manufacturers made their own small, fuel efficient automobiles for the American car market? The last thing we'll be buying is a large SUV. Our next car will be something small with great gas mileage. Is there an American car maker that will step up to the plate and deliver a car that we'd be interested in buying?

By the way, smaller houses will probably become a part of the future. Cusato Cottages has a full line of small houses that can make nice, cute homes. The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has houses from 65 to 837 sq. ft. These houses are adorable and very practical.

Not Interested

* I got a real scare this morning when I saw Karl Rove on the Today Show. I'm trying to erase his image from my brain even now.

* Jeb Bush, brother of President George W. Bush, thinks there should be a "shadow government" when Barack Obama becomes President. Newsmax:

...Bush’s other advice on where the GOP should go from here:
The party should establish a loyal opposition and “organize ourselves in the form of a shadow government” that would address key issues, providing the public with “a loftier debate about policy” rather than mere partisanship...

...Bush also offered Obama advice on one of his favorite issues, education: “Obama should defy his core constituency. He should take on the teachers’ union and be on the side of disadvantaged families who send their kids to schools that almost assure that their children will not have the same opportunities that were afforded them. That is an un-American situation, and there’s much that can be done to narrow the achievement gap....

Jeb Bush was the governor of Florida and now is offering advice? Really? The last person on earth that I'd take advice from is Jeb Bush or any other Bush family member. Jeb Bush is offering his expertise in the area of education. Are you serious? Florida has some of the worst performing schools in the country. Their teachers are among the lowest paid. If Jeb is offering his brand of education (overcrowded schools, students performing at lower levels, overworked teachers, poor state funding, etc., etc.), a majority of Americans would say that they are not interested in it.

Monday, Monday

* Now there is a special way thank our troops. A special website helps you send a thank you to our troops. Visit Let's Say Thanks to send your greeting.

* Are you looking for some online gift deals? NBC4i has a list of suggested website that might offer some special deals:
http://www.cybermonday.com
http://www.dealio.com/cyber-monday.html
http://www.bestcybermondaysales.com
http://www.cyber-monday.org
http://dealnews.com/
http://www.shopzilla.com

I plan to check out a few of the sites myself.