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It's RPG Motivational Poster #361.

It was only a few days ago that Ford unveiled the MyKey system, but now Ford has unveiled another new technological advancement for their vehicles - a radar-based Collision Warning & Brake Support system. This new techonlogy promises to help reduce the number of collisions that motorists are having everyday.

(Full size pic: HERE)

This new system is quite simple when you think about it. This is what it does:

• When the radar that's used for the new Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) detect anything in the cars immediate forward path that isn't moving, it will sound an alarm and flash a set of lights, which appear on the windscreen.
• As the vehicle gets closer to the stationary object in front, the car automatically prepares the brakes for a full on emergency stop, activating full ABS & other braking systems.

To be featured on select 2009 Ford & Lincoln models, this system will (or should) slowly become standard on the model of your choice.

Here is the official Press Relaease, followed by a video Ford has provided:

FORD'S LATEST SAFETY BRAKETHROUGH – COLLISION WARNING WITH BRAKE SUPPORT – COMING IN 2009

• Ford to introduce new "active" safety radar warning system – Collision Warning with Brake Support – in 2009 to help drivers avoid rear-end accidents.
• Collision Warning with Brake Support uses radar to detect moving vehicles ahead and warns the driver of danger with an alarm and warning light. The system also automatically pre-charges brakes and engages an electronic brake assist system to help drivers stop more quickly.
• Collision Warning with Brake Support is one of three new radar-based active safety technologies Ford is launching in 2008 and 2009. The others are Adaptive Cruise Control and BLIS® (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert.

View Collision Warning Video (YouTube)

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 6, 2008 – Ford Motor Company, building on its safety and technology leadership, announced it will offer a new advanced "active" collision-avoidance technology, Collision Warning with Brake Support, on certain Ford and Lincoln vehicles next year.

Collision Warning with Brake Support uses radar to detect moving vehicles directly ahead. When the danger of a collision is detected, the system warns the driver with an authoritative beep and a red warning light projected on the windshield above the instrument panel. The system also automatically pre-charges brakes and engages a brake-assist feature that helps drivers quickly reach maximum braking once the brakes are engaged.

Collision Warning with Brake Support is one of three new radar-based active safety and driver-aid technologies Ford is launching across a range of vehicles in 2008 and 2009. The others are Adaptive Cruise Control, launched this year, and BLIS® (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert, which debuts in 2009. All three features use radar to detect the relative position of other vehicles and warn the driver with a combination of visual and audio alerts.

The new technologies build on Ford's leading number of top safety ratings, including the most 5-star government ratings of any automaker, and a leading number of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety "Top Safety Picks."

"The new Collision Warning with Brake Support technology puts us on the leading edge of active safety to help customers detect and avoid possible dangers," said Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president of engineering, Global Product Development. "Ford will be the first to offer this technology on mainstream models that many families can afford."

Unexpected detected

Collision Warning with Brake Support builds on the basic function of Adaptive Cruise Control, a driver-assistance feature that Ford introduced on the 2009 Lincoln MKS. Adaptive Cruise Control uses radar to detect moving vehicles immediately ahead and modify cruising speed if necessary.

"Adaptive Cruise Control really marked the beginning of pre-emptive driver-assistance systems," said Jerry Engelman, Adaptive Cruise Control supervisor, Chassis Electronics. "Ford was able to use the radar technology and experience to develop the Collision Warning with Brake Support system."

Research indicates that Collision Warning with Brake Support could be particularly helpful in warning a driver who is distracted or drowsy. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the majority of accidents involve driver inattention. The agency's research found that one extra second of warning could prevent up to 90 percent of rear-end collisions. CWBS offers three programmable alert settings ranging from approximately 1.5 seconds to 2.5 seconds.

"It depends on the user's preference, because one person's false alarm may be another person's near miss, and it's important that drivers are comfortable with the system," said Tom Pilutti, technical expert, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. "Some people have a slower reaction time, and the longer time setting may meet their needs better than the shorter setting. Our research shows that most drivers will prefer and feel more comfortable with the longer default setting."

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, forward collision warning systems like Collision Warning with Brake Support have the potential to help prevent the kind of rear-end crashes that occurred 2.3 million times per year from 2002-2006 – almost 40 percent of the total crashes reported to police each year in the U.S.

Clearer sight with science

BLISTM (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert can help provide extra confidence to drivers in parking lots by alerting drivers sooner of nearby traffic while backing out. It uses two multiple beam radar modules, which are packaged in the rear quarter panels. The radar detects moving objects within a 65-foot range from either side of the vehicle. The radar identifies when a vehicle enters the defined blind spot zone and illuminates an indicator light on the corresponding side-view mirror providing a warning that a vehicle is approaching. An audible alert is sounded as well.

Researchers at Ford's North American advanced driving simulator, Virtual Test Track Experiment (VIRTTEX), dedicated most of the past few years studying how active safety technologies in vehicles may better alert drivers of potentially dangerous driving incidents.

"New technologies such as radar, cameras, lasers and GPS may enable us to offer more safety and convenience features in the future," said Jeff Rupp, manager, Active Safety, Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford's Research and Innovation Center. "A key is identifying the kinds of warnings that drivers will find both more effective and easier to understand."

For Collision Warning with Brake Support, VIRTTEX researchers learned drivers respond more quickly to certain audible alerts that are more authoritative. Their research also shows some preference for a combination of warnings – audio alerts backed up by a visual warning – such as those that will be offered with Collision Warning with Brake Support system.

Safety in demand

Vehicle safety technology is second only to fuel efficiency on customers purchase consideration lists, according to a recent study by RDA Group Global Market Research of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. According to the research, among consumers' top desires for safety features are collision warning and prevention, greater traction controls, entrapment prevention, and vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

"Over the past several years we've seen drivers' attitudes change regarding safety technology," said Jim Thomas, senior vice president, RDA. "It used to be that they didn't want to release control of the vehicle at all, but now they're looking for the vehicle to be more proactive."

Harvest pick-ups are in full swing! This morning I called into St Helen's Church to pick up harvest produce (mainly tinned goods) to help our community care programme.

There was all sorts of activity at the hall today. We had someone repairing a door frame for us, another boiler repair man, and someone checking the water system. Just before the shops closed we went and bought some fish for our fish tank.

Oh, and if you're wondering, the boiler is now working! Third time lucky with the timer, the first two must have been from a faulty batch. Although the man had to travel over twenty miles to Lincoln to get one, it just seems you can't get timers in Gainsborough!

Here's the one I shared with our Powerquotes list today:

"I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because
once I have persuaded him he will stick. If I scare him, he
will stay as long as he is scared and then he is gone."

-- Dwight D. Eisenhower

And here are a couple more . . .

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only

obstacles vanish."

-- John Quincy Adams

Make sure you vote for the best Leader among the Presidential candidates, you have until October 16th to cast your vote!

If you find that you need to list or sell a home during the holidays.....

-How do you Stage your home, live in it while keeping it on the market, yet observe holiday rituals?

-Should homes that are vacant be Staged using Holiday decor?

First let me state that I'm the last one to talk about moderation when it comes to personal Holiday Decor. I have 16 boxes of assorted holiday decorations alone in my basement. (Seriously, 16. Just ask my husband.) However, since I'm not selling my home, I can deck my halls any way I like without it affecting the value of my home.

When Staging a home, your goal is to appeal to the broadest group of individuals. This goal does not change with the calendar. The following are suggestions for observing the season without alienating potential buyers.

Halloween: Seasonal décor vs. Holiday specific is always preferred. Tablescapes could include mini-pumpkins or mums instead of draping your front porch with faux spider webs and a graveyard along your front drive. (Just a tip: that cute little pumpkin tastefully placed on your buffet will continue to look fresh for well over a month until you pick it to reveal its rotten bottom. I learned that one the hard way.)

Thanksgiving: Put away the crepe paper turkeys prior to a showing. Consider incorporating warm colors into table settings or accents instead.

Christmas: A simple fresh evergreen wreath on the front door is always welcoming. A partially deflated Santa on your lawn? Not so much. Does this mean that I wouldn’t put up a Christmas tree if my occupied home were on the market in December? No, that’s not practical for me. But I would only use 1 box of décor of my personal stash, as moderation is key.

Vacant Homes: Beware of using any fresh seasonal options in vacant homes. That lovely bouquet will be rotted and unappealing in a few days. A tasteful, seasonally appropriate wreath on the door may be all you need to observe the holidays while still maximizing your home’s appeal to the masses.

Leigh Newport

Staged by Design

www.staged-by-design.com

All of a sudden, I've had a feeling that something is happening behind the scenes. Something unprecedented in world history and something that will save us from a global depression. It may not yet be going on, but will soon happen. (I'm precognitive to the point that I get time confusion thinking things have already happened, or are happening, that are yet to happen.)

I finally got this message.

There will be a commission/union or league of nations (what its called I'm not sure of exactly yet) that will be set up to oversee the banking and credit industries. This will in turn restore market confidence world wide and regulate the banking and credit industries so another debacle like this can not happen. International banking and credit laws will be put in place and we, the US will have to abide by them. Pirates, robber barrons, pillagers and Republicans will kick up about this saying it will destroy our "free market," (their no rules -- wild west style). The council or commission, will be independent of any one country and operate in a similar way as the UN, but with more international judicial interfacing.

There will be opposition against this in US. Some out of ignorance, some out of pride, some out of greed, some because they will not understand its necessity. Of course there will also be those bible types who will claim this as some sign of Armageddon (but they also claimed this same prophecy about the European Union).

I think this will occur over the next 2-3 years and is part of the Pluto return and opposition to the Dow's natal Uranus in the 7th. We will literally see the death of the Dow Jones as we have known it and something new, better and global will replace the way we used to do business. 

So it's not all doom and gloom. For now, the immediate future is not so great.

But the stronger Obama has gotten in the polls the more my feeling that we will avert calamity gets.

Transitional times are scary. Lots of things are going to change, people are going to lose their jobs, houses and some wealth. We've already seen this. But on the other end of this is hope. It will get worse before it gets better, but it will get better, and then we can focus on the real impending disaster, and threat to our world, global warming.

I'll save that one for later. 

Just sit tight, try not to get too worked up, or afraid. We are all going to take a hit in different areas of our lives, but we will recover, and build something better in this messes wake.

Good luck and best wishes.

Unused Bowl, October, 2008, originally uploaded by Maggie Osterberg.

MnS, a neighborhood cat who used to visit me every day, hasn't been seen for almost two weeks now and her bowl sits empty and unused.

I miss her.

MnS:

For example, Malcolm is like Lincoln in that he may have been the cause of the problems. If Malcolm did not flee Scotland and stayed to claim his rightful ascension to the throne, then Macbeth may not have issued his reign of terror. Similarly, as Michael Knox Beran states in his essay "Lincoln, Macbeth, and the Moral Imagination," if Lincoln had worked harder for a compromise between the northern and southern states, then the Civil War may have been avoided.

The main concern of Malcolm is the fatherland, as seen in the exchange between him and Macduff in Act 4, Scene 3. Through this is also shown his cunning and strategic use of words. He uses a round-about method of finding out the true feelings of Macduff, much like that used by a lawyer. Lincoln, "with a reputation as a formidable adversary during cross-examinations and in his closing arguments," had a successful law career (Wikipedia, "Abraham Lincoln").

Each fought for his own rule, but more so for the safety of the country. Malcolm wanted to end the cruelty that had developed in Scotland by Macbeth's hand. Lincoln fought against slavery, a cruel practice among human beings. He stated shortly after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, "God of Heaven has forgotten to defend the weak and innocent, and permitted the strong band of murderers and demons from hell to kill men, women, and children, and lay waste and pillage the land of the just" (Wikipedia, "Abraham Lincoln"). This statement was later held against him politically. However, like Lincoln, Malcolm defeats the evil destroying his country and wins back his rightful rule.

After the victory over Macbeth, Malcolm wishes to reunite the land and invite back those who fled, "What's more to do/Which would be planted newly with the time,/As calling home our exiled friends abroad/That fled the snares of watchful tyranny,/Producing forth the cruel ministers/Of this dead butcher..." (5.8.65-70). Likewise, Lincoln constructed a plan, the Amnesty Proclamation of 1863, to reintegrate the southern states rather than punish those not directly involved in the conflict.

- Carol Koslap

Ich kann mich noch so gut an dein Gesicht erinnern, als du die zwei Burschen gesehen hast, die als Schwarze verkleidet waren. Es war alles neu für dich. Und es muss auf dich so eigenartig gewirkt haben. Du hast gesagt, dass du Leute kennst, die sich als Pipi Langstrumpf kostümieren, aber du kennst niemanden, der sich als Schwarzer verkleidet. Die Leute, die an uns vorbei gingen, schauten dich an, als hättest auch du Schuhcreme im Gesicht. Dabei hattest du deine Jogginghose nur verkehrt herum an, weil die Waschmaschine nicht funktionierte. Ich sagte dir, es würde daran liegen. Du hast mir widersprochen – es wäre die Hautfarbe. Und zum ersten Mal hab ich mich fremd in meiner eigenen Stadt gefühlt. Ich wollte nirgends sein, wo man dich nicht haben wollte.

Die Stinkbomben retteten uns den Nachmittag. Ich war aber zu feig, sie in einen der Waggons zu werfen, die am Hauptplatz standen und warf sie unter die Stiegen. Die zweite legte Lincoln dann im Waggon ab. Fünf Minuten später steckten die Leute ihre Köpfe aus den Fenstern. Die, die keinen Fensterplatz hatten, stellten sich mit ihren Getränken ins Freie und ein paar wenigen machte der Gestank nichts aus. Wir standen sicherheitshalber zwanzig Meter weiter weg und lachten.

Dir verging das Lachen schnell, als die Sirenen losgingen. Du dachtest, du hättest den Waggon in Brand gesetzt. Dann fuhr ein kleines Feuerwehrmobil mit Bierkisten an dir vorbei, das dir gerade bis zu den Knien reichte. Der Nachmittag mit dir verging aber viel zu schnell. Wie immer, wenn es schön ist. Da ziehen die Minuten ungebremst davon und ehe du dich versiehst, sind Stunden vergangen, die nie wieder kommen. Aber die Erinnerungen bleiben und begleiten mich.

„Warum hast du nur zwei Stinkbomben gekauft? Du hättest mehr kaufen sollen, dann hätte ich sie in das Vereinsbüro geworfen.“ – „Linoln!“ – „Was? Die würden mindestens drei Wochen in dem Gestank leben müssen. Das ist das Mindeste, meinst du nicht?“ – „Bitte, Lincoln!“ Dann gelang es mir, ihn für eine Partie Dart zu überreden. Wir hatten keine Stinkbomben mehr dabei und mussten das Attentat so oder so verschieben. Wir gingen in das nächste Lokal mit Dart-Automat und ich schoss Lincoln haushoch ins Aus. Um ehrlich zu sein, stimmt das nicht ganz so, aber es ist meine Geschichte – wenn auch unsere – aber ein bisschen Erfolg sei auch mir vergönnt. Das Spiel war unfair, sonst nichts, weil Lincoln mit seinen Armen so weit zum Automaten reicht, dass er die Pfeile direkt in das Bull stecken konnte. Ich dagegen musste Anlauf nehmen und konnte die Scheibenmitte nur erahnen.

Wir spielten eine Runde nach der anderen, bis Lincoln einen Anruf bekam, er solle vor dem Lokal auf das Auto warten, dass ihn nach Graz bringen würde. Plötzlich fühlte ich mich in meinem Batman-Anzug nicht mehr wohl. Die Plastikmuskeln waren mir viel zu wuchtig, der Umhang hatte bereits zwei Brandlöcher von Zigaretten abgekommen und Superhelden weinen nicht.

Später am Abend traf ich Mike im selben Lokal. Er redete nicht mit mir, weil ihn jemand anders Neger geschimpft hatte. Trevor kam nach. Seine Laune war wesentlich besser. Er sagte, er sei solche Aussagen gewohnt. Danach verlor er kein Wort mehr darüber. Mike redete auch mit ihm nichts, saß beleidigt in der Ecke, wollte keinen Strohhut aufsetzen und sich keine Luftschlagen um den Hals hängen. Mir taten die Beine weh und ich ging nach Hause.

Below is the foliage report from WMUR. I have some pictures that I will upload later today as yesterday I went out to Bretton Woods and Crawford Notch. I will also share some photos from Linda who just returned from her visit here last week. You can check out Linda's post in the comment section as she describes her journey around the north country!

Don't forget to check out the new listing of events that are happening around Northern New Hampshire this week!

http://www.wmur.com/ne-fall-colors/17590717/detail.html#-

Great North Woods Region
Despite some leaf drop, most of the Great North Woods region is still at peak, with the best foliage in the lower elevations and valleys. The views in these parts are still dazzling, and Route 3 along the Connecticut River and Route 26 through Dixville Notch are still providing autumn beauty. A nice walk is the Huntington Cascade trail, located east of the Balsams Grand Resort off route 26. There is also a beautiful tract of landscape about two miles north of Colebrook village near the state information center where the setting is gorgeous and is attracting locals and visitors. This is a great picnic spot. As you travel this unspoiled part of New Hampshire, please watch for moose and other wildlife.

White Mountains Region
The northern White Mountains region is at peak right now, with the area around Franconia Notch displaying outstanding reds, brilliant oranges, and bright yellows. It’s time to take a ride on the Cannon Mountain Tramway to experience what fall foliage is all about! Route 116 from North Haverhill to Route 142 in Bethlehem is beautiful, also. The birch, beech, oak, ash, and poplar trees are blooming into a myriad of yellows, oranges, golds and browns – with a new color that hasn’t been seen before now – white! All the tops of the greater White Mountains are now draped in snow. Photographers may want to travel Route 3 north to Route 302 east, or Route 3 north to Route 115 toward Route 2 east. These roads provide expanded views of the Western Presidential Range, which is showing snow atop its fall colors.

Lakes Region
The colors keep on coming in the Lakes Region. More color on the hills is advancing each day as the swampy areas pass their peak. Virtually any road around the area lakes is showing bold fall colors, and there will be even more showing up in time for the holiday weekend. Back roads around Wolfeboro, Tamworth and Tuftonboro are showing nice autumn shades of hearty reds, nice oranges, and vibrant yellows. As you travel this part of the state, take some turns and explore the less traveled roads to discover the many farms and stops around the lakes and ponds. Great fall hikes include Belknap Mountain and Mount Major, both in Gilford.

Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region
The Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee region is showing bold fall foliage, and is expected to be nearly at peak by the weekend. Currently, the colors are about 65% changed, with an array of reds, yellows, and oranges contrasting against the evergreens. Route 10 north through Haverhill, Woodsville, and Bath is a colorful scenic drive. This road travels by the Connecticut River and offers breathtaking scenic views of the upper valley. Another beautiful scenic drive is Route 12A from Claremont, which takes you past the famous Cornish-Windsor covered bridge. The fire tower atop Kearsarge Mountain, elevation nearly 3,000 feet, provides fabulous expanded views of the surrounding area. Follow the signs for Rollins State Park from Route 103 in Warner to reach the parking area; the trail to the summit is just over a half a mile.

Here's the comment made by Linda. Photos to follow.

I just returned from a three day trip to the White Mountains. It was my first trip to see the foliage, and it was beautiful despite the fact that it rained the whole time. The foliage wasn’t quite at peak in most areas, so there’s still even more brilliant color to come.

I chose Lincoln as my home base, which was perfect. It’s convenient to major highways, and there are some low cost places to eat. Lincoln is located by Loon Mountain, which makes a very pretty backdrop.

On day one, I drove the whole length of the Kancamagus Hwy. (about 35 miles) and stopped at the many pull-offs along the way to see the river run through the beautiful scenery. I would definitely recommend this drive to anyone wanting to see some great foliage.

Day two was my favorite. I drove through Franconia Notch, again stopping often along the way to enjoy the views and take some pics. I visited The Flume and took the full hike along an easy and well marked trail (about 2 hours in all). The Flume is really an incredible sight to behold and a must see. There were beautiful golds, reds, oranges and bright yellows to see, along with the bridges and falls. I would say the foliage was at about 80% and should be at peak by next weekend.

On my last day, I drove up to Sugar Hill and had breakfast at Polly’s Pancake Parlor. It’s quite a charming little place, and the pancakes were delicious! After exploring the very colorful foliage of Sugar Hill, I drove to Crawford Notch. The colors were spectacular even though the fog was thick and it was raining steadily most of the time. There were plenty of pull-offs to view the mountains and the foliage.

All in all, this was a great trip, and I can’t wait to come again next year.

From NH Foliage 10-2-08, 2008/10/05 at 2:27 PM

Hi!
How much do you charge for a reading? I like your answers and the way you handle the questions. I’m curious as to what kind of a president Obama would be? Other astrologers have predicted a serious occurrence at the time of the election and also around the swearing in ceremony-what’s your take on it?

Thanks for the kind words.

I can do private readings over the phone via paypal. For a 15/20 minute reading it's $90. I suggest doing this first so you don't have to spend much to try me out. I can set up a time to call you and we can do the paypal transaction at the beginning of the reading, of course this would not be counted in your reading time. 15/20 minutes is generally enough to cover all of what you really need to know. Of course if you have a bunch of questions and you need a lot of information about specific stocks, etc. It would take longer and you might want to go for a 30-40 minute reading for $180 or a 60-70 minutes for $360. This is at the middle range of how much psychic phone reading costs. Here's a link if anyone is interested in doing a price comparison research: http://www.keen.com/CommunityServer/UserBlogPosts/Lexy_Moon/Average-Price-Of-A-Psychic-Reading/358939.aspx

For those who are interested you can post and I will contact you via e-mail and we can set it up. In the case of missing children, criminal cases I would be happy to volunteer my time when I can. Or for those of you under extreme duress who really need guidance, I can do a yes/no spread and post it on the blog. Of course I'm always here for anyone wanting to ask a question in the comment section. But I won't answer it unless it pertains to something bigger than just a personal question unless of course the issue is of dire consequence.

In reference to the later part of the question I don't have the feeling, as I did in 2000 that the election will be thrown. Firstly, I don't believe there is strong enough support within the Republican party to put themselves on the line for McCain, and secondly this election will not be close enough to throw. In terms of something happening during the swearing in, I'll have to look at that. I think it's only common sense to say that Obama is going to have to double up on the secret service, as I'm sure there will be attempts on his life. All you have to do is read some of the crazy trash people write me! And I'm just a messenger. There are a lot of violent, gun totting racists out there. I do worry about him. But we'll deal with that when he wins.

And answering what kind of president Obama will be. I think he's going to have an up hill battle. It's going to be very hard for him, but he's going to turn this economic crisis around after a few years and we'll start to see things look up again. I think his calm demeanor and humanitarian personality will be a huge benefit to our country in our time of need, and  he will go down as an excellent president. But it will be rocky for him, there are going to be a lot of curve balls, not just with the economy, but with foreign affairs, which I'll get into in later posts once we get through this horrible crisis.

It's my feeling there really isn't a person who would be better for this challenge then Obama right here and now. I think just his positive energy and slogan of hope helps uplift us even now. If we had McCain running against someone equivalent to him there would be a lot more hopelessness than there is right now. Obama represents a lot of archetypal things; he represents the American dream which a lot of people had lost hope in. He represents the idea that anything is still possible in our country, and we can't discount how important this is to our psychology while we are facing perhaps the worst economic crisis in our history. If anything is possible, then we can get out of this, we can find a way. It is this belief in the human spirit, and American ingenuity that will translate to uplift our country. FDR, Lincoln and Kennedy had these qualities and I see them in Obama.

The closest Lincoln comes to killing his opposition—save “[rewriting] history,” covering his “just ambition” (Beran)—is the suspension of habeas corpus and holding Confederate sympathizers without trial. This, effectively, killed a few dissidents: any contribution they could have made to a successful secession was completely silenced. Macbeth, similarly but for a different purpose, sends murderers after Banquo and Fleance (III.ii), and decides to “give th’edge o’th’ sword” go Macduff’s wife and children (IV.i.172-3). Macbeth kills his opposition; Lincoln allows his to “disappear.”

Is this an offence Macduff would have forgiven Malcolm? In some ways, Lincoln becomes Macbeth, denying someone his rights and his very life. Yet, Macbeth has no country-centered reason to kill his enemies—they are more suited to rule than he is. Such dissidence could have inspired riot, insurrection, and rebellion against any martial law imposed because of the former two. I would forgive Lincoln now, knowing it was for the stability of the remnant Union. At the time, I might have cried, “O nation miserable….—O my breast, / thy hope ends here!” (IV.iii.121, 131-2).

Dan Richford

Lincoln, du fehlst mir so sehr.

„Sie ist verrückt, aber eigentlich ganz in Ordnung.“ – Charmant, Trevor, sehr charmant. Ich gab dem anderen die Hand, verstand nicht, was er in seinen Taliban-Bart nuschelte und erzählte einen Witz. Ich lachte laut, Lincoln lächelte verlegen und Trevor sagte: „Kathi, bitte...“ Der Witz war nicht ordinär. Keiner mit Filzläusen oder Blähungen.

Ansage der Stewardess: "Verehrte Fluggäste, in wenigen Minuten werden wir eine Notlandung auf dem Meer machen. Die Schwimmer unter Ihnen bitte ich, nach der Landung in der bisherigen Flugrichtung weiter zu schwimmen. Von den Nichtschwimmern möchte ich mich jetzt schon verabschieden. Ich hoffe, Sie hatten einen guten Flug!"

Die darauf unangenehme Stille überbrückten wir mit Wodka, Whiskey und Mineral. Dann machten wir den Mond zur Sonne, als wäre es der letzte Abend, an dem wir zusammen sein konnten. Dabei schrieben wir in dieser Nacht das erste Kapitel unserer gemeinsamen Geschichte. Ein Bestseller.

Als ich dich zum ersten Mal sah, dachte ich, du wärst 40 und kriminell. Dein dichter Bart verdeckte beinahe dein ganzes Gesicht. Als du mir dann erzählt hast, dass du aus Mississippi kommst, war ich erleichtert. Die Menschen dort singen in Gospel Chören und moderieren Talkshows. Keine finsteren Gestalten, denen du bei Stromausfall nicht begegnen möchtest. Du hast mir gesagt, dass sich die Leute dort für alles mehr Zeit nehmen als sonst wo. Du hast es den Mississippi-Style genannt. Mir hast du damit die Skepsis genommen, obwohl ich ein bisschen enttäuscht war, als du mir gesagt hast, dass du Tracy McGrady nicht kennst. Aber du hast gesagt, dass du ihm, falls er dir über den Weg laufen sollte, meine Nummer geben und ihm ausrichten würdest, dass er mich wegen einem Date anrufen sollte. Danke! Aber da gibt es noch etwas, wofür ich dir danken möchte – ich habe erkannt, dass man manchmal wirklich ein bisschen abwarten und alles langsamer angehen muss, bevor man urteilt. Oft muss man auch zwei Mal hinschauen, weil nicht immer alles so ist, wie man denkt.

Drei Wochen später habe ich ihn wieder getroffen und ihn kaum wieder erkannt. Der Bart war weg. Ihm fehlte allerdings auch der Biss am Spielfeld. Ich schwitzte während der gesamten Partie mehr als Lincoln, weil ich befürchtete, dass ihn der Verein nicht behalten würde – so ganz ohne Pfeffer unterm Hintern. Er wirkte auch ein bisschen orientierungslos und vielleicht sogar ein wenig überfordert. Bevor er nach Österreich kam, war Lincoln bei den Harlem Globetrotters unter Vertrag. An dem Namen klebt viel Begeisterung und daran hängen viele Ansprüche. Er war neu im Team, hatte nach wenigen Minuten vier Fouls und kannte die Spielzüge kaum. Im Publikum rollten die Zuschauer jedes Mal mit den Augen, wenn er warf und nicht traf.

Nach dem Spiel sagte ich aber nichts. Wir kannten uns doch kaum und waren gerade erst dabei, uns besser kennen zu lernen. Deshalb sagte ich etwas anderes: „Gut, dass du dir deinen Bart wegrasiert hast. Der war ekelhaft.“ So. Weltuntergang. Zumindest war mir danach. Lincoln lachte. Dieses Mal herzhaft und nicht so verkrampft, als ich ihm den Witz erzählt hatte. Es war mir rausgerutscht.

Und er lachte noch immer, als er mir Michael vorstellte. „Was ist mit dir los?“ – „Kathi fand meinen Bart ekelhaft.“ Welch wunderbares Kennen lernen. Ich hätte schon dort wissen müssen, auf was ich mich da mit den zwei eingelassen hatte…

Ich weiß es jetzt aber noch sehr zu schätzen, dass du mir Mike an dem einen Abend vorgestellt hast. Ich weiß, du hast es gut gemeint und die Zeit, die ich mit euch verbrachte, ist mir heilig. Es gibt nichts auf dieser Welt, das es mir wert wäre, auf die Tage mit euch zu verzichten. Und ich würde auch jetzt nichts anders machen, sondern bin dem Himmel nach wie vor dankbar dafür, dass sich unsere Wege kreuzten.

Anfänglich dachte ich, Mike wäre vom anderen Ufer. Die Art, wie er sich benahm. Es schien mir einfach alles danach. Außer vielleicht die rauen Ellbogen und abgekauten Fingernägel. Und eigentlich war es egal. Er war mir unsympathisch. Es war eine dieser Begegnungen im Leben, wo du dich fragst, ob es wirklich notwendig ist, ob es wirklich sein muss. Du fragst dich, was du falsch gemacht hast, dass du den Abend mit jemanden verbringst, den du höflichkeitshalber anlächelst, obwohl dir zum Weinen ist. Die Geschichten, die er erzählte, waren langweilig und seine Art, als würden wir uns schon Jahre kennen, zum Kotzen. Aber ich hatte das Gefühl, Lincoln mochte ihn und weil ich Lincoln gut leiden konnte, zwang ich mich dazu, auch Mike wenigstens ein bisschen sympathisch zu finden. 

Weißt du, Lincoln, eigentlich fand ich Mike nie schwul. Ich hatte einfach nur Angst. Weil man selten weiß, was kommt. Und ich wusste schon an diesem Abend, dass alles anders werden würde und dass ich dafür vieles aufgeben müsste. Es war, als stünde ich auf einem Drahtseil und unter mir loderten heiße Flammen. Gebrannte Kinder scheuen das Feuer. Aber auf der anderen Seite bist du gestanden und die Ruhe, die du in dir trägst, hat mich bestärkt. Du warst mir damals noch so fremd und doch schon so vertraut.

Es war unter der Woche und die Lokale sperrten früh zu. Deshalb fuhren wir in Lincolns Wohnung. Wir kauften Pizza und Wodka, spielten Playstation und ich sah auf seinem Nachttisch das Bild eines Kindes. Die Vaterschaft konnte er nicht leugnen. Derselbe Blick, dasselbe Lachen. Er war sein Kind. Er war verheiratet. Wie auch immer ich auf diesen Schluss gekommen war... Während ich mich fragte, warum er uns davon nicht erzählt hatte, spielte Mike den Clown, sang falsch und viel zu hoch und versuchte uns zu erzählen, dass er Sänger war, bevor er mit dem Basketballspielen begann. Und plötzlich erwischte ich mich dabei, ihn tatsächlich sympathisch zu finden. Er brachte mich zum Lachen. Zehn Minuten später fuhr ich nach Hause.

Ich wäre gern länger geblieben.

Our (LeftLaneNew.com's) spy photographers nabbed Ford’s (or rather Lincoln's - ed) MKT crossover just hours ago - and they were able to grab one of the first shots of the MKT’s EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 engine. The MKT will be one of the first Ford vehicles to get the highly-anticipated engine, though judging by the stylized “T” and “F” on the plastic cover, it looks like Ford is planning to keep the Twin Force moniker for its upscale Lincoln brand - instead of EcoBoost, which it will use on Ford division products.

>>> Gallery <<<

We also get another look at the MKT’s interior, though this prototype still doesn’t appear quite complete.

Despite the presence of some light camouflage, Lincoln’s signature waterfall grille can be seen peering out from beneath — the very same that was used on the MKT Concept. Overall, the MKT - which is being developed under the codename D472 - is expected to largely mirror the styling of the MKT Concept.

Inside we can see a black and tan interior with wood accents on the dash and aluminum accents on the doors. We also see a power telescoping steering wheel. While a large "HMI" [human machine interface] (ed) screen is in place, most of the center stack trim pieces don’t seem to be in place on this prototype just yet.

Ford exec, Mark Fields, described the MKT concept as “…full-size premium utility offers the comfort of a luxury sedan, the spaciousness and flexibility of a full-size utility and the performance of a sporty roadster…,” and we think – by the looks of this prototype – that Ford is staying rather close to the concept for this production luxury utility vehicle.

Look for the base model MKT to be powered by a 270 horsepower (200kW) 3.7L V6, while the range-topping model will be powered by a 340 horsepower (250kW), 340 lb-ft (460Nm) version of Ford’s EcoBoost 3.5L V6.

The MKT’s face appears to be heavily inspired by the MKR sedan concept. Of course, many of the MKR’s design cues were passed along to the production MKS, so the company’s two newest offerings should look nice side-by-side at Lincoln dealers.

Interestingly, the MKT concept appeared to have a unique touch-screen interface in the center console, but so far Ford has made no comment on the technology. It’s also not known if the feature is intended for production.

The Lincoln MKT should hit the market in fall of 2009, with annual production in the mid-20,000 unit range, according to Automotive News. The MKT will be produced along side the Flex at Ford’s Oakville, Ontario, plant.

Ahhh, who can forget this recent folksy remark made just days ago by the lovely Sarah Palin to Joe Biden during their debate. But within what seems mere minutes (but was, in fact, about 24 hours), Gov. Palin attacked Barack Obama and suggested he was "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.” As I wrote about in an earlier post, she was referring to Bill Ayers whom Barack Obama has called "somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8." 

But what are other sources saying about this? The New York Times states:

"the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers."

CNN Political Ticker:

"False. There is no indication that Ayers and Obama are now palling around, or that they have had an ongoing relationship in the past three years. Also, there is nothing to suggest that Ayers is now involved in terrorist activity or that other Obama associates are....CNN's review of project records found nothing to suggest anything inappropriate in the volunteer projects in which the two men were involved."

The Washington Post called the Obama-Ayers link "a tenuous one." 

The list goes on. But Palin is smear-happy, even going against her own running-mate's wishes.  While talking to neoconservative columnist Bill Kristol, Palin said about Barack Obama's relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright:

"To tell you the truth, Bill, I don't know why that association isn't discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country, and to have sat in the pews for 20 years and listened to that -- with, I don't know, a sense of condoning it, I guess, because he didn't get up and leave -- to me, that does say something about character. But, you know, I guess that would be a John McCain call on whether he wants to bring that up."

Sen. McCain had said not all that long ago:

"I think that when people support you, it doesn't mean you support everything they say. Obviously, those statements are things none of us would associate ourselves with."

In fact, here he is elaborating on that very topic:

Well, doggone it, Sarah, what were you thinking? 

Patrick Ruffini, a Republican operative who worked on Bush’s reelection campaign, said today about McCain's choice of bringing up the Obama-Ayers connection: 

"...he should have been doing it back in July. Starting now appears desperate."

Norman J. Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, posted this today:

McCain and his campaign now are acting out of frustration and a touch of desperation. With four short weeks to go, and a campaign where McCain is losing nationally, losing in the majority of the battleground states, with a diminishing number of hotly competitive blue state targets and an expanded number of red state ones, and with a campaign terrain dominated by economic turmoil, McCain needs to change the conversation.

Now, of course, the Obama campaign is hitting back by bringing up the Keating Five economic scandal I referred to in yesterday's post. Here's a 13 minute documentary put out today by the Obama campaign:

Now it needs to be said: In February 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee found McCain guilty of nothing more than "poor judgment" and declared his actions were not "improper nor attended with gross negligence." In other words, McCain attended the meetings but did nothing else to influence the regulators. But it is this "poor judgment" that is in question here as the very same judgement cost taxpayers $2.6 billion, making it the biggest of the S&L scandals. In addition, 17,000 Lincoln investors lost $190 million. Slate.com adds:

The failure of the Lincoln Savings and Loan and other S&L’s pushed the country into a recession, costing the U.S. government $126 billion dollars in FDIC insurance payouts to investors. All of this came to a crescendo during the first year of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, who pushed through the S&L bailout plan to keep the economy afloat.

Sound familiar?

So what exactly WAS McCain's relationship with Keating? Slate.com continues: 

After McCain's election to the House in 1982, he and his family made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, three of which were to Keating's Bahamas retreat. McCain did not disclose the trips (as he was required to under House rules) until the scandal broke in 1989. At that point, he paid Keating $13,433 for the flights.

And in April 1986, one year before the meeting with the regulators, McCain's wife, Cindy, and her father invested $359,100 in a Keating strip mall.

And what was McCain's response to all this? Mccainkeatingfive.com says this:

John McCain admitted to intentionally filing false income tax returns to defraud the IRS by not claiming thousands of dollars in gifts McCain and his family received from Charles Keating and Keating’s company. Years later, when the IRS noticed Keating’s company had written off the gifts to McCain as business expenses, McCain fessed up and admitted filing false returns and made a “donation” to the U.S. Treasury to cover the amount he defrauded American tax payers. 

And what of Cindy McCain's investment? After Keating was later convicted on 73 counts of fraud, conspiracy, and other crimes, Cindy McCain sold her investment for $15,000,000.

As Joe Biden stated, the past is prologue. Unfortunately for John McCain, unlike his accusations against Barack Obama, none of Mr. McCain's past associations or history here is in the least bit tenuous or speculative but, in fact, well documented.

McCain can't debate experience, because his VP has none.  He can't debate the war, because everyone agrees we need the $10 billion per month here in the USA.  Now he can't (and won't) debate the economy:

Over the weekend, John McCain's top adviser announced their plan to stop engaging in a debate over the economy and "turn the page" to more direct, personal attacks on Barack Obama.

In the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, McCain wants to change the subject from the central question of this election. Perhaps because the policies McCain supported these past eight years and wants to continue are pretty hard to defend.

But it's not just McCain's role in the current crisis that they're avoiding. The backward economic philosophy and culture of corruption that helped create the current crisis are looking more and more like the other major financial crisis of our time.

During the savings and loan crisis of the late '80s and early '90s, McCain's political favors and aggressive support for deregulation put him at the center of the fall of Lincoln Savings and Loan, one of the largest in the country. More than 23,000 investors lost their savings. Overall, the savings and loan crisis required the federal government to bail out the savings of hundreds of thousands of families and ultimately cost American taxpayers $124 billion.

Sound familiar?

In that crisis, John McCain and his political patron, Charles Keating, played central roles that ultimately landed Keating in jail for fraud and McCain in front of the Senate Ethics Committee. The McCain campaign has tried to avoid talking about the scandal, but with so many parallels to the current crisis, McCain's Keating history is relevant and voters deserve to know the facts -- and see for themselves the pattern of poor judgment by John McCain.

See "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis" http://www.KeatingEconomics.com 

Watch the video to see why John McCain's failed philosophy and poor judgment is a recipe for deepening the crisis:

http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo

It's no wonder John McCain would rather spend the last month of this election smearing Barack's character instead of talking about the top priority issue for voters.

But if we work together, we can make sure the focus stays on the economy -- and how to fix it.

Please forward this to everyone you know.

Thanks,
David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

De weken vliegen, de tijd gaat snel.. maar spijt is nergens te bekennen :)
Vermaak me prima en ik leef nog, wat natuurlijk logisch is.. want ik heb mensen die me verzorgen.. hehe!

Ik weet niet waaar ik moet beginnen, ik typ dit nu ook op school, heb wel dingen te doen.. maar vond een update wel echt nodig.  vanavond ga ik hard designen, want dat is nu nodig.

Ik had streetdance gehad en een jongen (Gidian) wou na de les meteen prive lessen met me doen, hehe ik vond het allemaal wel ok, dus had ik mijn nummer en shit gegeven, wist ik veel dat het een stalker zou worden. Maar prima. Ik heb hem het een en ander uitgelegd, en nu maar hopen dattie de hint snapt.

Daarnaast heb ik volley gehad. jaja, kon het niet laten om daar heen te gaan.. toch een beetje mijn sport he :$! Nou, ik kwam daar, werd meteen gevraagd voor het Uni-team (Team dat dus van de universiteit is) Ik heb er nog niet echt ja of nee op gezegd, maar ik denk dat het wel een ja wordt. Nu had ik deze zaterdag weer volley-training en toen werd ik zelfs al gevraagd voor het lokale team.. HAHAHA echt wow.. Ik had iets in de sport moeten doen, ;)!

Het lokale team traint op donderdagavonden.. precies op de tijden dat ik streetdance heb, dus ik twijfel allemaal wel of ik het wil.. Ik ben wel graag aan het volleyen, maar dat dansen was ook wel grappig.. maakt me leniger :P! hahaha vond het wel moeilijk, het is zegmaar hiphop-stijl dansen, en het gaat echt snel.. je moet de pasjes snel onthouden (jaja mijn sterke punt; onthouden *ahum*) en dan op een muziekbeat die gewoon echt snel is.. naja moeilijk maar wel grappig.. het is ook n iet erg als je het allemaal fout doet, het is niet dat ze je uitlachen, en het is ook niet dat ze op mij letten want ik sta altijd achteraan te frutsen :P!

Ik ben wel helemaal bont en blauw van dat dansen en volleyen.. maar omdat ik op school zit kan ik de foto niet erbij doen, dus dit doe ik vanavond. (als ik eraan denk)

Op school is het koud!
De verwarming is nog niet aangezet (maar volgens mij vandaag wel)
maargoed, heb het echt koud koud koud gehad. De mensen die me kennen ben ik dus TOTAAL NIET warmbloedig.. :( dus heb vaak te kampen met blauwe, rode, witte vingers.. Zucht...

*voelt nu net aan Joost zijn hand, en ja hoor.. ik ben weer koud.. BOOHOO*

Daarnaast kwam woensdag mijn vader en moeder na Engeland, en als verrasing kwamen mijn Oma en mijn peettante ook :D. heel eerlijk gezegd was ik niet helemaal verrast, want ik wist het al een beetje.  Toch vond ik het wel leuk! Vooral dat Oma mee was!

We zijn woensdag dus uit-eten geweest. Ik had echt iets heel lekkers, weet niet meer wat het was, maarruh aanrader! ;)!
Donderdag gingen we met zijn allen shoppen voor mij verjaardagskkleren te kopen.. hehe, ik wou graag truien/vesten. Dit was nogal een zoektocht. Geloof het of niet, maar er zijn hier niet veel winkels die dat verkopen; ook al is het herfst. De engelse blijven in t-shirts en rokjes lopen.
(mijn familie kan dit nu be-amen)
het viel ook echt op dat nederlanders eigenlijk maar roddelaars zijn..
Dat we ook echt opletten op andere.
engelse doen dit amper, of niet.. Heel raar.. wij vinden het grappig hoe mensen erbij lopen en we zeggen dat dan ook.. de engelse hebben dat dus niet.. Niet dat wij het zeggen tegen de engelse ; you look weird :P maar we zeggen het tegen elkaar. Wij vinden uiterlijk duidelijk belangrijker dan Engelse! Behalve bij het uitgaan, dan gaan jongens in pak (niet iedereen) maar veel gaan echt heel netjes uit.. wel apart om allemaal te zien en mee te maken

Vrijdag was mijn verjaardag!
Moest na school van 9 tot 5, dus kon niet echt met de familie zijn.
Na school kwam ik thuis en was heel mijn huis versierd. Was echt leuk.. kreeg eindelijk een verjaardags-gevoel! Toen kreeg ik ook mijn kadootjes! En natuurlijk had ik van sommige mensen post/krabbels/smsjes en emails gekregen; dus bedankt daarvoor :D!
In de avond zijn we uiteten geweest met het huis en mijn Familie.. lekker bij de Yoyo gegeten (chinees "restaurant")

Zaterdag moest ik sporten, en in de middag ben ik in de stad geweest wat thee gedronkeen met de familie.
savonds uiteten geweest, (niet voor herhaling vatbaar.. zo lekker vond ik het niet dus..) en ik had een verjaardag. (blijkbaar doen ze hier niet aan 3 kussen, of  2 ofzo.. het is gewoon een hand.. apart vond ik)
zondag ging ik mijn familie in de vroege ochtend "uitzwaaien'. Ik kwam bij hun guesthouse aan, en de vrouw vroeg netjes of ik een thee wou, en ik zei ja. Nou komt ze aanzetten met de dikste thee ooit.. hij viel echt zwaar  op mijn maag HAHA, maar ik heb hem wel netjes opgedronken (dat dan weer wel ;))

verder heb ik zondag niets gedaan.. ben halverwege de dag weer in slaap gevallen.. (lui ding dat ik ben) en savonds met veel geprop en aanmoediging gaan koken en gaan eten.

Owja, zondag was het ook oma-dag!
maar omdat ik niet 100% zeker wist dat oma mee kwam na engeland had ik haar een kaartje gestuurd.. :)
Duss die zal ze gisteren wel gezien hebben zodra ze thuis was gekomen.. Ik heb haar nog wel zondagochtend gekust ;) haha...
Ik heb mijn familie begroet met regen in het land.. en zelfs bij het afscheid regende het.
Ik vond het in ieder geval heel tof dat ze waren geweest!

Groeten aan ieder ;)!

xoxo

people still believe the civil war was about slavery and that lincoln opposed slavery. the truth of the matter is the civil war had NOTHING to do with slavery. in fact, lincoln was a firm SUPPORTER of slavery.

people fail to realize that when the south broke away from the united states and formed their own country, lincoln no longer had any power in the southern states. this means that when lincoln "freed" the slaves with his emancipation proclamation, it was nothing more than just a political act. by supposedly "freeing" slaves in a country where he had no power it forced france and britain to back off on their support of the south because it would make them look like they supported slavery themselves. or did you not know that france and britain were supporting and aiding the south in their war against the north? were you aware that russia showed up to aid the north and defend the north from france and britain?

"things had gone from bad to worse until i felt that we had reached the end of our rope on the plan of operations we had been pursuing; that we had about played our last card, and must change our tactics or lose the game. i now determined upon the adoption of the emancipation policy."  -abe lincoln

lincoln often tried to explain that his goal was to save the american union, not emancipate the slaves. during his famous debates with stephen douglas in 1858, lincoln made his personal position on race quite clear.

"i will say, then, that i am not , nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way, the social and political equality of the white and black races...i, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race." - abe lincoln

here is a quote from lincoln on the civil war:

"my paramount object in this struggle is to save the union...if i could save the union without freeing any slaves, i would do it; if i could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, i would also do that." - abe lincoln

sorry folks but lincoln was just another rascist. in fact he was almost a dictator. he violated several constitutional rights and freedoms of the american people. he declared martial law on the untied states. he instituted the first draft shortly after his emancipation proclamation. in other words, free men were enslaved so that slaves could be made free. he also suspended habeas corpus. he had over 13,000 people imprisoned just because they spoke out against the government and they discouraged military enlistment. he even rejected the american idea that governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish them at will whenever they become destructive of the ends for which they were established. he used troops to suppress the american peoples objection to the national draft. thousands of innocent americans died by the hands of their own troops in their own country while exercising their rights to protest their own governments actions.

the one thing that lincoln did do that i admire him for is that during the war he resisted the urge to borrow money from the foreign banks willing to give him loans to continue on financing his army. the same banks that were trying to give him loans and put america in debt to those banks were the same banks that were behind the dividing and separating of america in the first place. he instead actually followed the constitution and had the government take charge of its money supply, hence the creation the green back. this act of course would in turn be one of the major reasons why the foreign banks had him assassinated.

so mr. obama, you might wanna learn about the real history (not the propaganda history in school books) of the united states before you go posing in front of a racist, who if he could of had it his way, would still have you picking cotton...

and for the record i am in no way a racist. i'm merely just telling you the truth about the civil war and what kind of person abe lincoln really was.

Here's a brief summary as outlined by Slate.com:

Charles Keating owned a savings and loan in California. He was illegally using the money of his bank’s customers to give loans to himself and friends that they didn’t have to repay, and to speculate on risky real estate investments, which was strictly forbidden by U.S. law (and was one cause of the Great Depression).

When the feds found out what was going on and launched an investigation into Keating and his company, Keating called five U.S. Senators whom he had wined, dined, and lavished with hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations and personal gifts.

Keating asked the five Senators to tell the feds to bug off, and the five Senators, later known as the Keating Five, obliged, meeting with federal investigators twice and pressuring them to stop investigating Keating’s crimes. They bought Keating some time, but the feds didn’t give up and eventually Keating was nailed. The reason the feds were so persistent was because Keating wasn’t playing with mere chump change. Keating blew $3.4 billion through illegal personal loans and bad investments, and the FDIC had to reimburse Keating’s customers who had been ripped off.

(Background Info - Keating wasn’t the only Savings and Loan owner who was committing fraud, 20% of the S&L’s that failed during that three year period were found to have been caused by fraud and/or insider trading. The failure of the Lincoln Savings and Loan and other S&L’s pushed the country into a recession, costing the U.S. government $126 billion dollars in FDIC insurance payouts to investors. All of this came to a crescendo during the first year of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, who pushed through the S&L bailout plan to keep the economy afloat.)

When the involvement of the Keating Five was made public, a scandal erupted and the Senate Ethics Committee launched their own investigation into whether the Keating Five had violated Senate ethics rules. The other four Senators left office either immediately or within one term. John McCain was formally rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising “poor judgment” for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating, but because McCain accepted Keating’s gifts of travel and vacations to Bahama while McCain was a member of the House of Representatives (he served one term there before moving to the Senate), the Senate claimed they had no jurisdiction to censure McCain. (However the meetings to pressure federal regulators occurred during the first few months of McCain serving in the Senate in 1987, so that excuse doesn’t hold up)

John McCain then went back to the drawing board and re-invented himself as “the Straight-Talk Express” and the media gobbled it up. “Tax-Evading-Criminal” doesn’t sound as catchy as “Straight-Shooting-War-Hero”.

And if you don't like that particular piece of history, you can purchase this John McCain doll at Entertainment Earth for only $12.99 and re-enact your own version of events. 

BURSASSPOR 2-1 G.SARAY

Stat: Bursa Atatürk

Hakem: Hüseyin Göçek

BURSASPOR: Ivankov, Veli, Ömer, İbrahim, Bekir Ozan, Mustafa Sarp, Yusuf, Mustafa Keçeli, Adriano Melo, Romaschenko, Sercan

G.SARAY: Sanctis, Meira, Lincoln, Baros, Ayhan, Nonda, Hakan, Sabri, Arda, Volkan, Servet

Goller: Dakika 38 Mustafa Sarp (Bursaspor) , Dakika 48 Sercan (Bursaspor), Dakika 55 Arda (Galatasaray)

We could be really screwed.

I’d like to think that the choice is obvious, especially after the way the last few weeks have unfolded. In my mind only one choice makes sense.

But then, I don’t watch “Dancing with the Stars” and I don’t care if Lindsey Lohan is a lesbian. I think Coldplay sucks and Paris Hilton needs to be put to sleep--clearly my finger isn’t on the pulse of the mainstream.

If it was, I’d be a best seller by now.

Over the last eight years I’ve realized that people are stupid. Or at least they’re playing dumb, hoping things will just work themselves out. We’ve been waiting eight years now...

Guess what?

The world is falling apart. War and crisis shake the earth and rattle our foundation. Natural disaster and disease plague our lands. The economy crumbles, food and gas prices keep going up, along with the unemployment rate and things are just getting worse...

(LEONARD BERNSTEIN!!!)

I’m just waiting for the locusts to roll in.

We’re coming down to the wire. Things are about to get really ugly from here on out. Slander and mudslinging beyond anything we’ve ever seen. Our airwaves will be filled with the dirtiest of tactics, sinking down deep into our subconscious. It’s already started with Palin’s resurfacing of year old and dismissed accusations, as she plays it safe and sticks to conservative journalists for the rest of the race, hitting softball lobs out of the park. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. We’ve got thirty more desperate days to go, and it’s do or die, no holds barred, truth be damned.

It’s going to get really really ugly.

What do you think our forefathers would have thought about the state of things right now? Abe Lincoln would not approve. He’d be downright pissed. Ole’ Abe would be rolling up his sleeves, ready to bitch slap some folks right out of the office.

But then, given the scrutiny of these modern times, Abe and most of our finest leaders would never have even found their way to office.

Abe suffered from clinical depression, his wife was a loon. He would have never made it out of the primaries. Jefferson had an affair, and love child; he puts Gary Hart’s “Monkey Business” to shame--It blows a blue dress and a cigar right out of the water.

Imagine the field day the press would have had once it exposed the fact that George Washington never chopped down the cherry tree? That he had lied about the whole thing.

Cherry-Gate.

I know who I’m voting for. For the first time, I’m voting for someone, rather than against the other guy. I have his posters up on my home, and it’s not just to piss off my Republican father-in-law. (though it is, a little)

Mainly, it’s because for the first time, I actually believe in someone.

I pray the mindless masses won’t buy into all the crap--the nose wrinkles and winks, the “you betchas” and doggones”--The lies and underhanded, calculated attacks.

I hope this is as important to them as it is to me. I hope they take the time to check the facts and rethink their priorities--it’s not abortion rights or gun control.

It’s much, much bigger than that.

I hope they realize it’s a question of character and poise, rationale and pragmatism.

The world hates us, even our allies. We’re becoming a joke to a certain degree. Canadian money is worth more than ours. This needs to change.

Change.

I can’t wait for this all to just be over, so I can stop worrying about it day and night.

So I can stop fearing the outcome.

So we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

So I can get back to writing.