CNN.com - Paul Begala's Debate Blog: Round 1 - Sep 30, 2004

"Bottom line: Kerry looked more presidential than the president did. Perhaps Bush believes his own spinners. He seemed surprised and a bit befuddled to be confronted not by the weak, waffling, French-looking wimp he attacks on the stump. Instead, he saw a strong, confident leader, in command of both the facts and the debate itself. Bush spent most of the night on defense -- and you don't win on defense."

CNN.com - Transcript: Who could best prevent another 9/11? - Sep 30, 2004

"CORAL GABLES, Florida (CNN) -- The following is a partial transcript of the first debate between President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry at the University of Miami. The topic of the debate is foreign affairs and the moderator is Jim Lehrer of PBS:"

The Rapid Reblogger System | Oliver Willis

John Kerry's Astrological Chart & Characteristics

John Kerry's Astrology Chart

This image of the Knight of Wands is from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck.
This set of Rider Waite images was downloaded from Paul Caskey's website. Paul Caskey was granted permission by U.S. Games to make images from the Rider Waite Tarot Deck available in two sizes for illustrative purposes on websites.

John Kerry is a second decanate Sagittarius (known as the Sagittarius-Aries/Jupiter-Neptune-Mars-Pluto decanate).
In any tarot reading performed by Rhianna, John Kerry will be symbolized as the Knight of Wands.
Significators are always chosen from the court cards of a suit from the Minor Arcana. The suit of Wands represents the Fire Signs. The elemental attribute of the Knight of Wands is Fire of Fire. If there were ever a Fire of Fire Knight, it would be John Kerry as he is a Sagittarius with a Sagittarius rising (Ascendant), literally in terms of the Zodiac, a Fire of Fire. The Knight of Wands is a fiery individual, full of energetic leadership potential, creativity, with a zest for action and a determination to see things through.

The upcoming debates will be so scripted that it will be difficult for all of Kerry's enthusiasm to shine through in a slick, political type of way but there could be a surprising moment when the tables are turned. Keep in mind that during the Democratic primary, many did not foresee the sudden chain of events that would topple the favored Howard Dean. Events in a similar vein could topple the grasp of President Bush, but this race will be a close one, neck to neck to the finish.

The Moon in our Zodiac chart modifies the Sun sign as it plays a subconscious role, coloring our moods as we react to outside stimuli and this causes a reflection in how others see us. How we act and how we are perceived by others is not only a function of our reaction to what's going on, but is also a mix of memories, feelings, and the way these are countered by reflection, reason and logic. The Moon signifies an emotional and intellectual schema.
John Kerry's Moon is in Gemini which can signify a snappy type of intelligence which will help Kerry in the debates. The Moon is adaptable as it waxes and wanes and so Kerry will be adaptable during the debates. The problem is in the perceptions of others when one has a Moon in Gemini. Remember, although Gemini can be a sign of wit and brilliance, it also is the split sign of the mutable twins. This Moon in Gemini which magnifies the aura of Kerry's intelligence can also make him appear to others as distant and inconsistent. This Moon in Gemini is the root of what people perceive as the "flip-flop function."
This "flip flop function" is actually an indication of Kerry's intelligence even if it doesn't always seem that way.

The best praise of flip flop capability comes from Lawrence Lessig, a well known writer on intellectual property and technology, Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and blogger of lessig blog:

Legal Affairs Debate Club

A trial Lawyer for Vice President?
[He's writing on Kerry changing his mind about Vietnam and about Iraq]
"This is not flip-flopping. It is evidence of a functioning brain. When you learn that the premise of your action was false, you should rethink your action. When you learn that the premise of a war was false, you should rethink the justification for the war. Being stubborn in the face of reality doesn't make you principled. It makes you Chairman Mao."

Mercury since ancient times has been associated with speed and communication.
The debates will allow Kerry to show what a lively and penetrating mind he has. The negative side of Mercury is that it can influence an individual to be overly critical and argumentative at times. Kerry will be on his best behavior during the debates. The debates will be so scripted (and even choppy in a way due to format) that he won't appear overly argumentative but Kerry must watch out for the Mercury in Capricorn detail trap. Mercury in Capricorn can be so methodical and deep in details that the influence can mire a person in the details. Mercury in Capricorn will influence Kerry to be very logical and very patient, Kerry has to be alert enough that he doesn't become very boring as well (Kerry, don't let the fire fizzle).

That's all the time I have for the analysis right now.
Stay tuned, more to come. :-)

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Something rotten in the state of Florida

News: "Pregnant chads, vanishing voters... the election fiasco of 2000 made the Sunshine State a laughing stock. More importantly, it put George Bush in the White House. You'd think they'd want to get it right this time. But no, as Andrew Gumbel discovers, the democratic process is more flawed than ever..."

Psychic Dogs Make Pick For President: From The Tampa Tribune

Psychic Dogs Make Pick For President: From The Tampa Tribune: "The psychic dogs have projected a winner in this year's presidential race."

Debate Plans Ensure This: Vapid Results: From The Tampa Tribune

"W hen you have to script exactly how two presidential candidates will approach each other and shake hands before a joint appearance, it's pretty obvious nobody will confuse the event with the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Gracious, the highly sterilized ``debate'' Thursday between George W. Bush and John Kerry will be lucky to rise to the intellectual standards of Hannity and Colmes.

~snip~

Oddly enough, the two candidates to lead the free world - men who promise bold, visionary, courageous presidencies - had to forge a debate contract more full of whereases, clauses, subclauses and sub-subclauses than Bill Gates' prenuptial agreement before they would agree to sit for questions from that Grand Inquisitor, Jim Lehrer.

A Vatican high Mass has more freewheeling spontaneity..."

US troops 'coerced to re-enlist'

BBC NEWS | Americas | US troops 'coerced to re-enlist': "According to local media reports, soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team nearing the end of their duty were told they faced re-assignment to units expected to be deployed to Iraq or South Korea unless they re-enlisted at the end of the month or extended their duty until the end of 2007."

THE ISSUES

CNN.com Specials: "President Bush is seeking a second term but Democratic nominee John Kerry and independent Ralph Nader want him out of the White House. Each has a range of views on the key issues involved in the November election."

CNN.com - Presidential debate sites chosen for 2004 race

CNN.com - Presidential debate sites chosen for 2004 race: "The first debate will take place September 30, 2004 at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, followed by a second meeting October 8 at Washington University in St. Louis. The final debate is scheduled for October 13 at Arizona State University in Tempe.

A debate among the major party vice presidential candidates will be held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland October 5.

All debates will be televised nationally starting at 9 p.m. Eastern Time."

Short-term benefit to the wealthy pumps up the Deficit Balloon

Tax cuts sound great until the big, bad, deficit is seen with a probing eye...

Brattleboro Reformer - Editorials: Taxes cut, deficit raised: "The huge federal deficit, created in large part by previous tax cuts, poses several economic and policy problems, including the danger of leaving the government ill-prepared to cover rising Social Security and Medicare costs as the population ages.

Even though the extended tax cuts were trumpeted as benefiting the middle class, an Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center analysis showed they are skewed to the top 20 percent of taxpayers. "

Economist.com | War and the world economy: Don’t look back

Economist.com | War and the world economy

"Vietnam turned out to be much more expensive than anyone predicted at the time. The cost of the war in Iraq is equally uncertain. For a start, there will be no cash contributions from America’s coalition partners, as there were in 1991. Estimates of the eventual cost vary enormously, from $50 billion to several hundred billions of dollars. One analysis suggests it might be as much as 2% of American GDP for the next decade. This potentially huge extra burden will, in effect, be paid for by government borrowing."

Group: U.S. Health Care Worse Off

"WASHINGTON - American workers are paying more for their health insurance and getting less than they were four years ago, and the situation is particularly acute in several states important in the presidential race, said a consumer group that has been critical of President Bush.

Families USA also noted that the number of people without insurance jumped significantly since Bush took office, with more than 85 million people uninsured at some point during 2003 or 2004."

A wakeup call on America's future debt

Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Opinion / Op-ed / A wakeup call on America's future debt

"Unless offset by long-term spending reductions, tax cuts are not tax cuts at all. Instead, they simply shift the cost of current programs on to future taxpayers. That's so because if the government must borrow to spend now, the dollars spent must be repaid later.

If the Bush tax cuts were made permanent and the increase in federal spending tracks economic growth, the federal government would incur an additional $90,000 in debt for every American household by the year 2014, the author warns.

Peterson, long a Republican, blasts GOP supply-siders for their almost theological devotion to tax cuts as appropriate in almost any circumstance. And he offers this damning judgment: 'This administration and the Republican Congress have presided over the most reckless deterioration of America's finances in history.'

But he's also tough on the Democrats for a desire to expand spending and benefits without careful consideration of the long-term cost. "

The Concord Coalition

"The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization advocating fiscal responsibility while ensuring Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are secure for all generations. The Concord Coalition was founded in 1992 by the late former Senator Paul Tsongas (D-Mass.), former Senator Warren Rudman (R-N.H.),
and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Peter Peterson.
Former Senator Bob Kerrey (D-Ne.) was named a co-chair of the Concord Coalition in January 2002."

US administration?s interest payment on debts to touch $302bn in 2009

The Peninsula On-line: Qatar's leading English Daily

"By the Office of Management and Budget?s estimate, net interest outlays will hit $292bn in 2009 ? an amount larger than the government?s entire operating deficit in 1992.

The Congressional Budget Office?s projections are even grimmer, pegging net interest at $302bn in 2009 and $348bn in 2014...'It?s a bad sign,' said Bob Bixby, executive director of the bipartisan Concord Coalition, which says the higher debt service is another indication of the deterioration of the long-term budget situation."

Does anyone see the writing on the deficit wall?

Editorial RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL: And the deficit keeps growing

"While the Vietnam War was raging, first President Lyndon B. Johnson and then his successor, Richard Nixon, assured us that we could have both guns and butter — that we could fight a distant war without having to make any financial sacrifice. It wasn’t true. The costs of trying to have it both ways, coupled with Nixon’s disastrous attempt to slow inflation with wage and price controls, led to even worse inflation and the downfall (with the help of the OPEC oil embargo) of two presidents, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Both Johnson and Nixon were history by then, but their actions had serious consequences for the U.S. economy.

The failure of Congress to deal with today’s deficit will have serious consequences, too — maybe not tomorrow or the next day or the next year, but eventually there will be consequences. In the meantime, enjoy the tax cut."

Cool Guy Style Fools the Voters?

The Gadflyer: Fly Trap

Wanna Know Why George Bush Isn't Losing?

Price of Admission is Way Too High

MoMA Returns To Renovated Manhattan Bldg: "Admission at the new space will be $20, up from $12. New features include a 110-foot atrium and a wall of windows stretching almost the entire height of the building."

TIME.com: Election 2004: The Battleground States

Slashdot | Libertarian Presidential Candidate Michael Badnarik Answers

Moms against Bush? Seniors Socked Out?

Pre-Election Protests 'Sock' It to Bush
Some anti-Bush protestors are coming up with unique events.
There'll be a fish fry picnic next to the University of Minnesota's coal-burning power plant to highlight health hazards of mercury pollution in Minnesota--too much in the tuna, right?
Read about Socked out Seniors and more!

San Francisco Examiner: Gearing up for debates

"On paper, Kerry would seem to have just the right resume to thwack the president in this type of setting.But his greatest weakness, in the view of political scientist Bruce Buchanan, is 'getting tangled up in qualifying locutions of one sort or another. No clear, clean expository lines. Too many qualifications. Too many embellishments. Not enough editing.'

The president, by contrast, is rarely accused of offering too much information. He is militantly 'on message,' often repeating a few set points over and over."

Priests for Life Launches 30-Day, Million Dollar National Campaign to Influence the Elections

Priests for Life Launches 30-Day, Million Dollar National Campaign to Influence the Elections
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and President of the National Pro-life Religious Council, has initiated an amazing pre-election education program about the importance of respect for life. The Priests for Life will be working collaboratively with various Protestant denominations to educate people about the fundamental dignity of life throughout the entire continuum of life. Priests for Life's priests are hoping that they will be able to reach a million voters before the upcoming election. Priests for Life will be spending over $1 million on this educational campaign during the last 30 days before the election.
Each person's vote, regardless of religious background is important.
Each person's vote sends a message to the leaders in our government.
Some interesting links related to this educational kick-off from the Priests for Life are:

Badnarik's Statement on Iraq

Good for Libertarian Presidential Candidate, Michael Badnarik--at least someone comes out & says that war shouldn't have been waged in Iraq in the first place. Badnarik's statement begins with:

Badnarik/Campagna '04 for President: "The War in Iraq is a failure, and the U.S. government should never have waged it. As your president, one of my first tasks will be to begin the orderly process of bringing our troops home as quickly as can safely be accomplished..."

Cool new cell phones can cause problems

Lawrence Lessig: AudioVox: never again
Read about the troubles Lawrence Lessig had with his new Audiovox — CMD8900.

You're an Autum. You're much more laid back then
most and you're very comfortable in new
situations. You rather let things go with the
flow than try to change them. You have a lot of
close friends who love you because you can help
them with their problems. You're a very patient
person and it take a lot to get you rattled.
You're deffinately a lover not a hater.

What season are you? (pics)
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Wis fine Arts Painting, Graphic, Poetry

Very beautiful, calming & inspiring site.

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Intellectual Property, Cyberspace and Blogs

The latest scoop on intellectual property can be read in Professor Lawrence Lessig's blog
Please also note that Richard A. Posner has been a guest blogger in Lessig Blog (his entries are thought provoking).

There's controversy swirling around the appointment of Bruce Lehman as the Kerry Campaign advisor on IP Policy. Lehman's policies could affect you as a blogger, as a writer, and as a user of modern technology because he kowtows only to big, mega-buck, multi-national companies in terms of copyright legislation (with questions concerning "Fair Use" and the Public Domain among other issues) and the use of technology.

Lately Lessig's blog has been devoted to IP extremism.
Lawrence Lessig is a fascinating writer on copyright, intellectual property, and technology.

Rhianna regrets that someone like Bruce Lehman is an advisor on one of Kerry's committees. Lessig himself wrote:

"Lehman’s policies did more to encourage the war on technology that these past 8 years have seen than anyone else in DC. Let him serve on the 'last century protectionists' committee. Indeed, make him the chair."
Lessig has designated the url http://lessig.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/448 as the TrackBack Url for the discussion of “Lehman on Lehman”

"The Old Media vs. the Blogosphere" by John Hawkins

" Jonathan Klein of CBS is quoted as saying: ''You couldn't have a starker contrast between the multiple layers of check and balances [at '60 Minutes'] and a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing.''

That mocking quote by Jonathan Klein has been adopted by the blogosphere and turned into an anthem by many of the same bloggers who have gleefully--and might I add successfully--dissected Dan Rather's fake memos like a high school science whiz carving away at a frog.

However, the snide quote from Klein has obscured a larger truth: that a network like CBS shouldn't have needed bloggers--pajama clad or not--to have pointed out that its story was less credible than a column about ethics in journalism written by Jayson Blair. CBS has an immense budget, a large and experienced staff, and the contacts and resources that they need to determine the truth of the story before it ever hit the airwaves.

So how did they get fooled?"

BostonHerald.com - Business: Networks commit to carrying all debates

" More than 45,000 of the group's members signed petition letters urging the networks to air the debates. ABC, CBS and NBC have pledged to air the three presidential debates Sept. 30, Oct. 8 and Oct. 13, along with the vice presidential debate Oct. 5. NBC will switch``The Apprentice'' to Wednesday from Thursday to accommodate one debate.
The Fox broadcast network, however, has agreed to air just two. Fox will forgo the Oct. 13 debate at Arizona State University and the vice presidential debate at Case Western University in Cleveland in favor of Major League Baseball playoffs.

~snip~

Millions of Americans who don't get cable will rely on the broadcast networks and their local affiliated stations to view the debates.
Media For Democracy, a project run by MediaChannel.org, points to dwindling election coverage over the last 20 years, and says the networks are shirking their public service responsibilities."

Letterman gets big ratings boost from Kerry

Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage

"As has become customary for major guests on the 'Late Show,' Kerry took over Letterman's nightly 'top 10' list with his own countdown, reciting his own list of tax reform proposals by President George W. Bush.

The list:

No. 10: 'No estate tax for families with at least two U.S. presidents';

No. 9: 'W-2 form is now Dubya-2 form';

No. 8: 'Under the simplified tax code, your refund check goes directly to Halliburton';

No. 7: 'The reduced earned income tax credit is so unfair; it just makes me want to tear out my lustrous, finely groomed hair';

No. 6: 'Attorney General Ashcroft gets to write off the entire U.S. Constitution';

No. 5: 'Texas Rangers can take a business loss for trading Sammy Sosa';

No. 4: 'Eliminate all income taxes: just ask Teresa to cover the whole damn thing';

No. 3: 'Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent';

No. 2: 'Hundred-dollar penalty if you pronounce 'nuclear' instead of 'nucular'';

No. 1: George W. Bush gets a deduction for mortgaging our entire future.'"

Partying like it's 1972

Colorado Daily

Is Someone Staring at You in an Empty Room?

Study Reveals Why Eyes in Some Paintings Seem to Follow Viewers

http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/spew4th.pl?ascribeid=20040917.121323&time=03

"COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 20 (AScribe Newswire) -- You've seen it in horror movies, or even in real-life at the local museum: a painting in which the eyes of the person portrayed seem to follow you around the room, no matter where you go.

People have described the effect as creepy or eerie, and some have thought it supernatural. But now researchers have demonstrated the very natural cause for this visual effect.

All it takes for the effect to work is to have the person in the painting, or photograph, look straight ahead, said James Todd, co-author of the study and a professor of psychology at Ohio State University. Our visual perception takes care of the rest.

'The core idea is simple: no matter what angle you look at a painting from, the painting itself doesn't change. You're looking at a flat surface. The pattern of light and dark remains the same,' Todd said.

"We found that our visual perception of a picture also remains largely unchanged as we look at it from different vantage points. If a person in a painting is looking straight out, it will always appear that way, regardless of the angle at which it is viewed."

The study was conducted at the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands in collaboration with Jan Koenderink, Andrea van Doorn, and Astrid Kappers. Their results were published in a recent issue of the journal Perception."

IMAGES: Images are available for this story. Please contact Jeff Grabmeier, above. The images can be seen at: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/eyefolowpics.htm

The OkCupid Politics Test for Rhianna

Rhianna is a Social Moderate
(50% permissive)

Rhianna according to this test is an Economic Liberal
(33% permissive)

Rhianna can be described as a Centrist, she exhibits a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believes in economic fairness.

The OkCupid Politics Test
http://www.okcupid.com/politics

The Sonnet

Deliberate Gentle Love Dreamer (DGLDf)

"Romantic, hopeful, and composed. You are the Sonnet. Get it? Composed?

Sonnets want Love and have high ideals about it. They're conscientious people, caring & careful. You yourself have deep convictions, and you devote a lot of thought to romance and what it should be. This will frighten away most potential mates, but that's okay, because you're very choosy with your affections anyway. You'd absolutely refuse to date someone dumber than you, for instance.

[Actually that's not true, he need not be a rocket scientist, but he needs charm]

Lovers who share your idealized perspective, or who are at least willing to totally throw themselves into a relationship, will be very, very happy with you. And you with them. You're already selfless and compassionate, and with the right partner, there's no doubt you can be sensual, even adventurously so.

You probably have lots of female friends, and they have a special soft spot for you. Babies do, too, at the tippy-top of their baby skulls.

ALWAYS AVOID: The 5-Night Stand, The False Messiah, The Hornivore, The Last Man on Earth

CONSIDER: The Loverboy"

Celebrity Star Bios - Horoscopes of Celebrities - Astrology Profiles

Oppose Return Of the Draft: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Americans opposed to a draft should make their voices heard loud and clear, starting now. Drafting teenagers to fight wars means taking those among us who are least qualified, least trained and least prepared and sending them into harm's way. A conscripted army is a less effective army. A draft also could bring angry Americans back into the streets for large-scale protests like those that tore the nation apart during the Vietnam War.

None of these risks is worth taking. The all-professional Army has been an extremely effective fighting force in each of the past several wars in which the United States has been involved. There are strains of late, but these are the fault of civilian officials in Washington, not the soldiers themselves. "

Should Nader be included in the upcoming presidential debates?

SouthBendTribune.com: Should Nader be included in the upcoming presidential debates?

Read the dialogue...you decide.

Scoop: Images: John Kerry Takes To The Offensive On Iraq

Scoop: Images: John Kerry Takes To The Offensive On Iraq

When you see the image of Vice President Dick Cheney, doesn't he resemble Nosferatu? If a re-make on the movie Nosferatu was having a casting call, wouldn't Dick Cheney get the role hands down?

John Kerry Takes on Cheney and Halliburton

Yahoo! News - Kerry launches new attack on Bush's Iraq policies

"In a new television advertisement six weeks before the November 2 election, Kerry accused Bush of diverting resources needed at home to fight the war in Iraq.

'Two hundred billion dollars. That is what we are spending in Iraq because George Bush (news - web sites) chose to go it alone. Now the president tells us we dont have the resources to take care of health care and education here at home,' Kerry says in the spot."

Bush, Kerry Reportedly Agree to Three Debates

Finally! It would be great for the candidates to discuss the issues!

Top News Article | Reuters.com: "The commission scheduled the first 90-minute debate on Sept. 30 in Coral Gables, Fla., with a second one set for Oct. 8 in St. Louis and a third Oct. 13 in Tempe, Arizona.

A vice presidential debate between incumbent Dick Cheney and Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, was set for Oct. 5 in Cleveland.

Negotiations over the debates have largely been handled by Bush's lead representative, former Secretary of State James Baker, and Kerry's top debate negotiator, Washington lawyer Vernon Jordan.

The Kerry campaign wanted all three presidential debates, but the Bush campaign was concerned about the Oct. 8 event in St. Louis because questioners were to include undecided voters and the Bush camp did not trust the process for choosing them."

Kerry: Many Believe Bush Plans New Reserve Call-Up

WSOCTV.com - Vote 2004 - Kerry: Many Believe Bush Plans New Reserve Call-Up

"Sen. John Kerry said congressional leaders believe the Bush administration plans a 'substantial call-up of reservists and Guard units' -- and he said it would take place 'immediately after the election.

Kerry told a campaign rally in Albuquerque that the administration is hiding that fact until the election is over.

Kerry also said the Bush administration has turned a blind eye to waste and overcharging by Halliburton."

Check out the Mark Fiore political cartoons

Hollywood Actor Arrested In Lobster Tale

"A Hollywood actor was arrested and charged with public intoxication after he pulled lobsters from their tank and shouted in a Meijer grocery store, police said."

AbiWord

AbiWord
"AbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word. It is suitable for typing papers, letters, reports, memos, and so forth."

Rhianna has that special glow...

You have a beautiful soul! These are rare and very
special. One who has a beautiful soul had
beauty inside and out, and are always very
kind. You may be the one who always applies
make-up to look better and achieve certain
standards, but you look just as gorgeous
without makeup. You take pride in yourself
because you know that you are worth better.
Sometimes you preen in front of the mirror for
hours, but youre never too busy to help
someone. Everyone loves you and you love them
back, with a lot of friends, and popularity.
But you didnt get it because of your
clothes-you got it because there seems to be a
radiance around you, a sort of glow, that
attracts people to do better and be better.

What Kind of SOUL do you posses? (For Girls only) Incredible Anime Pictures!
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YOU ARE ... DAMSEL IN DISTRESS! (Chii from Chobits)

What Kind of Anime Character Are You?
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VOTE

Herman Munster Wacky Wobbler Bobblehead

President George W. Bush Mask & First Lady (Laura Bush) Mask

Campaign Door to Door this Halloween

Bush Jr Mask

First Lady (Laura) Mask

Bush Playing Cards

"Bush Cards are casino quality, poker-sized, professionally printed playing cards chock full of Bush administration photos, quotes, facts, and figures. These decks are ready to be shuffled, cut, dealt, and collected. But act fast, supplies are limited! Do you know who in the Bush administration is an ex-con? Or who never graduated from college? Can you guess the cabinet member who had an oil tanker named after them? Think...do you know whose nickname is "Yoda" and whose nickname is "Turd Blossom"? Each deck of Bush playing cards features 52 Bush administration officials and their closest cohorts, plus two jokers—perfect for your next game of Texas Hold'em"

Technorati: Search for http://www.rhianna.uni.cc/vamblog.html

FIBER OPTIC WIG

Halloween Scene Updates

Well, it wouldn't be Halloween without Rhianna the Rhiannapire Vampire and so Rhianna has been busy updating her award winning VamCam: Rhianna's Groovy Vampire Cam

Rhianna has always loved dolls and now there's such a selection of gothic/vampire/monster dolls that 2 new pages have been developed:
VamCam: Rhianna's Groovy Gothic Vampire Dolls
and
VamCam: Rhianna's Groovy Gothic Vampire Dolls2.

Rhianna's second ghoulish blog project, Rhianna Rhiannapire Blog of a Groovy Vampire has been uncloaked and is in full swing. The items there have been set to a display limit of 13 posts
mwah ha ha ha ha
and archive rapidly, so please check out the archives when you visit.

Flash Crystal Ball Psychic Mind Reader

psychic.swf (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)
Can the Flash Crystal Ball Psychic Mind Reader reveal the symbol you are concentrating on? There is quite a collection of zodiac signs and other symbols to choose from! What are you thinking of?

Rhianna prefers a real crystal ball to the shockwave flash one, but this page will keep you entertained nevertheless! Have fun and enjoy.

Rhianna Rhiannapire Blog of a Groovy Vampire

New Blog!
Rhianna Rhiannapire Blog of a Groovy Vampire

Greenspan soft patch still soft (September 12, 2004)

NEWS.com.au | Greenspan soft patch still soft (September 12, 2004): "THE upbeat outlook from US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has failed to convince many economists, who argue that the United States is likely to see tepid growth at best in the near future."

Editorial: Turbulent economy / Both candidates need to specify an action plan

"The economy overall presents a discouraging picture, and the actions taken by the Bush administration are showing only mixed results, even if one subtracts the impact of the war. But neither candidate has yet laid down clear lines on how to deal with these difficult problems.

For Mr. Bush, it can't be more of the same: cut taxes, help the rich and the corporations and hope they'll invest their gains so that the jobs will come. For Mr. Kerry, it can't be: Just trust us, we're with you, we'll do better. Let's hear the candidates address the interrelated issues of jobs, medical benefits costs, and Medicare and Social Security funding with the frankness that we and the issues deserve."

Fear-mongering won't make world a safer place

Arizona Daily Sun

"It's bad enough that the war on terror has been made a political football in a presidential campaign instead of treating it in a nonpartisan and deliberative way.

But for Vice President Dick Cheney to claim that a vote for John Kerry in November will increase the chance that 'we'll get hit again' is fear-mongering at it worst.

There is not a shred of evidence that any policy promoted by Kerry will make a terrorist strike on the U.S. more likely.

In fact, if Democrats wanted to play the blame game, they would point out to Cheney that it was on the Republicans' watch that warnings of an imminent al-Qaida attack were ignored and the terrorists struck on Sept. 11, 2001."

glish.com : CSS layout techniques

You are SYLIA STINGRAY! Lingerie saleswoman!

ANIME QUIZ - Which Bubblegum Crisis Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Does Rhianna remind anyone of a blonde anime chica?

You would be the blonde anime chica! Your sweet ,
easy to get along with and usually very happy.
You can be rather superficial as well though.
You need to straighten your priorities out a
little bit.

Anime personality quiz ^_^ ^_~
brought to you by Quizilla

Long description of example illustrating the separated borders model CSS

Long description of example illustrating the separated borders model

Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2

Visual formatting model

Visual formatting model
"In CSS2, many box positions and sizes are calculated with respect to the edges of a rectangular box called a containing block. In general, generated boxes act as containing blocks for descendant boxes; we say that a box "establishes" the containing block for its descendants. The phrase "a box's containing block" means "the containing block in which the box lives," not the one it generates."

The Layout Reservoir - BlueRobot

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Can Kerry beat Bush?

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Can Kerry beat Bush?: "Two opinion polls suggest that US presidential candidate John Kerry is behind his political rival President George Bush by a full 10 points."

Daily poll finds students support Kerry, Edwards

Minnesota Daily : Daily poll finds students support Kerry, Edwards

firefoxtoolbar.com :: Main Page

Guardian Unlimited | Weblog | US Vote 2004

"John Kerry: what next?
If you asked anyone in the Kerry campaign where they were going the answer would be pretty clear: a list of the swing states, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the rest. If you asked them what they were going to do when they got there it is all a little more in the air. 'Disarray' appears to be the word of the day."

Guardian Unlimited | US elections 2004 | Forget Vietnam - it's the economy, Clinton tells Kerry

"John Kerry, alarmed by a post-convention surge in the opinion polls for President George Bush, relaunched his campaign yesterday after taking the advice of Bill Clinton from his hospital bed.

In a 90-minute conversation from hospital, Mr Clinton was reported yesterday to have sketched out a detailed strategy to revive Mr Kerry's candidacy, warning him to tone down the emphasis on Vietnam and to re-focus on jobs and healthcare. "

C'mon, Get Happy!

C'mon, Get Happy!:

"This is the award-winning, ORIGINAL webpage devoted exclusively to the first TV family of pop - The Partridge Family! From 1970-1974, we watched their show, we bought their albums, we learned the songs, and we drooled over David Cassidy (well, some of us, anyway!). Over thirty years later, the Partridges still hold a warm place in our hearts."

How to Draw Manga -- Official Forums

How to Draw Manga -- Official Forums

Online tutorials created by acclaimed artist Julie Dillon

"The tutorials begin with the basics of drawing hair, faces, bodies and clothing. Once you've mastered those, you may want to try your hand at the tutorials focused on illustrating specific anime characters, including those from the celebrated Dragonball Z series. And finally, Julie gives some pointers on using the Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop image-editing computer applications."

^_^ Kawaii Designs ^_^

Japanese Anime Bead effect in Photoshop Tutorial

Japanese Anime Bead effect in Photoshop Tutorial
The Anime Bead effect is the rage in Japan according to this tutorial.

childish...everyone loves a childish girl!

What type of anime girl are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Frances weakens but hammers Florida

Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage

"COCOA, Florida (Reuters) - Storm-weary Floridians have emerged from east coast hurricane shelters as a weakened Tropical Storm Frances moved to the state's west coast after whipping off roofs, washing sailing boats ashore and cutting power to nearly 6 million people.

Frances virtually shut down the fourth-largest U.S. state, home to 16 million people, for two days and promised damage not just to buildings but to the state's $53-billion (29.9 billion pound) tourism industry on the usually busy Labor Day holiday weekend."

MORTGAGE RATES

Northwest Indiana News: nwitimes.com: "WASHINGTON -- Rates on 30-year mortgages, which had fallen for five consecutive weeks, reversed course and rose this week with the rate climbing above the 6 percent level. Freddie Mac said Thursday in its weekly nationwide survey that rates on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.06 percent. That was up from 5.98 percent last week, when rates fell below 6 percent for the first time since late April."

| US job seekers find it tough (September 4, 2004)

NEWS.com.au | US job seekers find it tough (September 4, 2004)

"Employment at professional and business services expanded by 32,000 last month, following a gain of 47,000 in July. Jobs in the education and health care industries grew by 45,000 last month, up from a gain of 16,000 in July. Government jobs expanded by 24,000 last month, following a 13,000 gain.

But retailers cut 11,000 positions last month, the second straight month of jobs losses. Employment in a category that includes transportation dipped in August as did jobs in the information services sector.

There were 8 million people unemployed last month, with the average duration of 19 weeks without work, up slightly from 18.6 weeks in July. "

Frances causes spill of 120 million gallons of acidic wastewater near Tampa

"High winds from Hurricane Frances have caused a breach of a dike holding 120 million gallons of acidic and radioactive wastewater at a phosphate processing plant in southwestern Hillsborough County, state officials announced Sunday.

The spill, which was reported early afternoon, occurred at the Cargill Riverview plant near Hillsborough Bay in the Tampa area."

Protesters predict lawsuits over arrests during GOP convention

KRT Wire | 09/04/2004 | Protesters predict lawsuits over arrests during GOP convention

"NEW YORK - (KRT) - Protesters predicted a wave of lawsuits against the city over the police crackdown on demonstrations during the Republican National Convention.

'There will undeniably be lawsuits about the sweeps and about the detention,' Donna Lieberman of the New York Civil Liberties Union said Friday.

The NYCLU, National Lawyers Guild and civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel said some police tactics unfairly stifled dissent."

Spyware Could Mess Up SP2 Installations

Security Pipeline | News | Spyware Could Mess Up SP2 Installations: "Programs such as Ad-Aware and SpySweeper can scour computers for spyware. Microsoft recommends that users clean their PCs of spyware and back up their data before turning on the auto update feature that automatically downloads Service Pack 2, or SP2."

Parties use Net to rally support

TimesDispatch.com | Parties use Net to rally support: "In an election that both parties agree will be close, Democrats and Republicans are turning to cyberspace to rally supporters and recruit new voters. Meetups and campaign-organized house parties are among the key electronic organizing tools embraced by campaigns to galvanize volunteers."

Rhianna's existence is like an Ann Rice novel

Anne Rice is writing your life. Go you goth girl,
go.

Which Author's Fiction are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

The Official Kerry-Edwards Blog

"Washington, DC - The Kerry-Edwards campaign has unveiled a new television ad revealing once again that there is a difference between what George Bush says and what George Bush does - this time on Medicare.

On Thursday in his convention speech, Bush claimed seniors are getting relief from his Medicare bill, but the next morning, he imposed the biggest hike in Medicare’s history.

Featuring footage of Bush speaking at the convention, the ad gives the American people the opportunity to see that there is a difference between what their president says and what their president does. "

Frances Knocks Out Power, Floods Florida

Yahoo! News - Frances Knocks Out Power, Floods Florida: "FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Hurricane Frances' wind and water whacked swaths of Florida with fire-hose force Sunday, submerging entire roadways and tearing off rooftops even as the storm weakened and crawled inland with heavy rain in its wake. More than 5 million people lost power."

US economic outlook depends on where you stand

"WASHINGTON -- The best of times, or the worst of times. The US economy is the strongest in years, or is mired in the deepest employment crisis in decades.This dichotomy has been highlighted in recent economic data, notably Friday’s payrolls report, which showed 144,000 jobs in August while the unemployment rate dipped slightly to 5.4 percent. The report fueled a heated debate over the state of the economy and the job market going into the Labor Day holiday weekend."

FOXNews.com - You Decide 2004 - Key Players in Bush, Kerry Campaigns

Community is Dead; Long Live Mega-Collaboration

Community is Dead; Long Live Mega-Collaboration (Alertbox)

"One of the latest buzzwords to agitate the Web is 'community.' In fact, most Web sites have less sense of community than a New York City subway car: at least people are going in the same direction on the subway. On the Web, users have very different goals, they come from all over the world, and they don't know each other."

JOURNAL OF COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION

Edwards Outlines the Kerry-Edwards Plan to Create and Keep Jobs in America

Trip Part of Two-Week “A Stronger America Begins at Home: The Path to Prosperity” Focus on Strengthening the Economy

ABC 33/40

"While the president and his economic advisors choose to praise outsourcing instead of fixing a tax code that encourages it, the Kerry-Edwards plan will put an end to tax breaks that reward companies for sending jobs overseas. Instead, their plan will offer tax cuts to companies that create jobs in America."

Jack Kelly: Kerry's fall from grace

"Kerry was using his war service as insulation against attacks on his voting record. (How dare you criticize my votes on defense. I served in Vietnam! How dare you bring up my flip-flops on Iraq. I served in Vietnam!) But thanks to the Swifties, that insulation has been stripped away.

No sitting senator has been elected president since Kennedy in 1960. This is in large part because there are all those votes in the Congressional Record for opposition researchers to sift through.

GOP consultant Rich Galen thinks there is another reason. Senators have small staffs and no real responsibilities. They do not know how to manage and to delegate, as governors do. Galen thinks Kerry's already top-heavy staff will become more so with the addition of the Clinton people, making decision-making even more sluggish and chaotic."

Kerry Talks Economic Issues - - The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register

"President Bush is the first president since Herbert Hoover, during the start of the Great Depression, to lose jobs during his presidency Kerry pointed out. He said that other presidents had to contend with wars, such as World War II and the Korean War, and recessions, but still didn't have a net job loss during the course of their presidency like during the Bush Administration.

Referring to the recent news regarding Medicare, Kerry said, 'They (Bush Administration) turn around and give Medicare recipients a 17 percent increase, the largest increase in 40 years."

Lethal Designs

ABC 33/40 Alabama's News Leader - Kerry Rips Bush Over Record Medicare Hike

"AKRON, Ohio (AP) - Democrat John Kerry said Saturday that a record increase in Medicare premiums for doctor visits was another failed promise from President Bush.

The Bush administration announced a day earlier that monthly premiums for a portion of the program for the elderly and disabled will rise $11.60 next year, to $78.20. The 17 percent increase is the largest in the program's 40-year history."

"Bush's Poker-Playing Skills Used to Thump Kerry" by Isaac Strahl

"Bush's Poker-Playing Skills Used to Thump Kerry" by Isaac Strahl: "What do poker and politics have in common? Much, says columnist Mark Steyn, when it comes to George Bush and John Kerry. Steyn says that Bush's poker-playing skills, honed during college, helped him play his cards well while Kerry bet the family farm on his one ace--his four months of service in the Vietnam War."

Yahoo! News - Massive Hurricane Frances Slams Ashore in Florida

Yahoo! News - Massive Hurricane Frances Slams Ashore in Florida: "COCOA, Fla. (Reuters) - Hurricane Frances roared into eastern Florida late on Saturday with stinging rains and fierce winds that ripped away roofs, trees and boat moorings and cut power to 1.3 million homes and businesses."

Good-Tutorials.com - 3876 Adobe Photoshop Tutorials

Store cards: why punish yourself?

They charge sky-high rates of interest but British shoppers can't get enough of them. Resist the temptation, writes Melanie Bien
Money: "Most people take one out because they are tempted by the discount on their first purchase, usually 10 per cent. Store cards also offer perks for regular use, such as money-off vouchers, sale previews and promotions.

But if you don't clear your balance when the bill arrives, these incentives pale into insignificance. The problem is that few sales assistants bother to draw your attention to the whopping interest on the card when they encourage you to apply for one. There is also some pressure involved, as you aren't allowed to take the form away with you to consider at your leisure whether or not to apply."

Greenspan warns cuts to Social Security may be "abrupt and painful"

"Millions of working people, who pay into Social Security their entire working lives, now face a threat that these benefits will either be cut or eliminated before they ever reach retirement age.

The Bush administration has proposed allowing wage earners to shift a portion of their contributions to Social Security into personal retirement accounts invested in the stock market. While pitched as a plan to “save Social Security” and create an “ownership society,” the real purpose of this plan is to pump vast new resources into the stock market in order to further enrich wealthy stockholders. At the same time, it would place what constitutes the sole source of income for many retirees at the mercy of the shares market."

An Introduction to Business Cycle Indicators and Forecasting

Business Cycle Indicators

Library of Economics and Liberty: Recommended Links

Kerry opened a Pandora's box by boasting about his war record

NapaNews.com | Kerry opened a Pandora's box by boasting about his war record

"By now, John Kerry must rue the day that he and his campaign strategists decided to make his four months in Vietnam the centerpiece of his campaign.

It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Bush 2 as Hoover 2 in Depression Two

"As the White House biography says, 'Hoover became the Republican Presidential nominee in 1928. He said then: 'We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land.' His election seemed to ensure prosperity. Yet within months the stock market crashed, and the Nation spiraled downward into depression.

Doesn't this sound a lot like what's going on with the mood of the markets today?

Elsewhere, we read of Hoover: 'After the crash Hoover announced that while he would keep the Federal budget balanced, he would cut taxes and expand public works spending.'

What can we expect from Bush? According to the official Bush web site: 'He has proposed plans for... reducing taxes on all taxpayers, especially those on the outskirts of poverty; strengthening the military with better pay, better planning, and better equipment; saving and strengthening Social Security and Medicare by providing seniors with more options; and ushering in the responsibility era in America.

I submit to you that public works spending of the 1930's is analogous to spending in the medical and retirement arenas today."

George A. Ure

Democratic Policy Committee

Democratic Policy Committee: "The economy has lost 3.1 million private sector jobs since President Bush took office, a job loss rate of 108,000 per month.

No president since Herbert Hoover has seen job losses during his tenure. Private sector job growth has ranged from 1.3 million jobs under President Ford to 20.8 million jobs under President Clinton."

Hoover and Nixon

"The rise of Joe McCarthy, J. Edgar Hoover and Richard Nixon represented a dark period in American history. Their relentless pursuit of communists, homosexuals and social deviants knew no bounds. Their willingness to forge documents and doctor photos to accomplish their goals created a deep and lasting sense of distrust in the American political system. This distrust reached a critical mass during the Watergate scandal, when President Nixon's many lies were exposed. McCarthy, Hoover and Nixon created the politics of personal destruction, and we are still learning more about the dark side of their professional lives. "

In the News: Fear Factor

Truth is, sunbathing is probably more dangerous than terrorism

Fear Factor; Truth is, sunbathing is probably more dangerous than terrorism

Cass Sunstein
Los Angeles Times
March 10, 2003

"When our emotions are engaged, our judgment gets even more muddled. We focus on what looks like the worst case, giving no thought to the likelihood that it will occur. Vivid, dramatic images of harm -- hazardous waste sites, nuclear accidents, terrorist attacks -- can lead us to excessive fear of highly improbable risks. Social scientists find that when people discuss such risks, their concern usually rises, even if the discussion consists mostly of trustworthy assurances that the likelihood of harm is tiny.

But when we lack vivid images -- as in the case, say, of obesity or sun exposure -- we often treat the risk as if it were zero. The result is that we badly overestimate some risks and underestimate others.

Studies by psychologist Paul Slovic prove the point. Because grisly accidents are more dramatic than deaths from disease, most people think that accidents kill more people than disease. But the opposite is true."

Cass Sunstein teaches law at the University of Chicago and is, the author of Risk and Reason (Cambridge University Press, 2002).

Why Does the American Constitution Lack Social and Economic Guarantees? by Cass Sunstein

SSRN-Why Does the American Constitution Lack Social and Economic Guarantees? by Cass Sunstein

"The realist explanation places a spotlight on the underappreciated fact that the United States Supreme Court came very close, in the 1960s and 1970s, to recognizing social and economic rights under the Constitution. The Court's refusal to recognize such rights was largely a result of the presidential election of 1968 and in particular of four critical appointments by President Nixon. This is an important source of 'American exceptionalism' in the domain of social and economic rights. Here as elsewhere, there is a possibility of multiple equilibria, and with a small difference or two, the United States might well have had an equilibrium that included social and economic rights."

Sunstein, Cass R., "Why Does the American Constitution Lack Social and Economic Guarantees?" (January 2003). U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 36. http://ssrn.com/abstract=375622

Economic uncertainty makes US poll a close call

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Economic uncertainty makes US poll a close call: "Whether Joe Ordinary feels affluent or insecure could determine who wins the White House - but don't look to the data for hints "

Social Security privatization proposals would unravel its ability to insure against loss of income, disability, and death

You're in Good Hands With Social Security

"President Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security, having apparently discovered that it can't rely on sound economics to defend partial privatization, has instead chosen to falsely discredit the existing program by suggesting it is a bad deal for African Americans and women. '[F]ailure to restructure Social Security poses a disproportionate threat to the overall retirement security of women,' the commission stated in its July report, adding, 'African Americans are disproportionately threatened by the financing shortfalls facing the current system.' But the commission's tactic is transparently belied by facts: for the past 66 years, Social Security has offered a safety net for workers and their families in the event the primary source of family income is lost due to retirement, disability, or death. In these situations, women, children, low-wage workers, and African Americans benefit greatly from Social Security."

Shortchanging the Next Generation
Proposed Social Security cut would index benefits to 2006 living standards level, eroding retirement income for e

Shortchanging the Next Generation

"Indexing benefits to workers' wages, as is the case now, means that they will receive retirement benefits that reflect the living standards they experienced during their careers. If benefits instead become indexed to prices (i.e., inflation), retirees would be forced to revert to some past living standard level. Thus, a worker who is 40 years old today and who retires at 66 in 2027 would have his or her Social Security benefits calculated on the wages that prevailed in 2006, not in 2028. If this had been a feature of Social Security since its inception, today's retirees would receive a benefit that was linked to a basic living standard set in 1935, when a large share of households did not even have indoor plumbing."

Rapid increase in foreign liabilities threatens U.S. recovery

"When countries develop large trade deficits and rising net liabilities, private lenders ultimately become less willing to finance those deficits. As a result, foreign governments provided $249 billion, or 46.8%, of all net U.S. capital inflows in 2003. Most of that capital came from China, Japan, and other Asian countries, which sought to reduce pressures on their currencies to appreciate against the dollar. The longer the dollar remains far too high, the greater the risk of a sudden break in the dollar, which would lead to financial disruption and a 'hard landing' that would quickly reduce U.S. current account deficits at huge costs to the economy. The best way to avoid this threat is to bring about a large (i.e., 40%), sustained reduction in the real, trade-weighted value of the dollar. Such a reduction would lower import growth, increase exports, and reduce the trade deficit. By intervening in U.S. currency markets to prevent dollar and trade adjustment, Asian governments are putting the United States and global recoveries at risk."

Soaring imports of oil and Chinese goods drive trade deficit to new record

Trade Picture

"The U.S. trade deficit poses great risks for the economy. The U.S. must borrow abroad to finance its trade deficits. The recent decline in the dollar indicates that private foreign lenders are less willing to supply new credit. Foreign governments have been forced to step into the gap and finance a growing share of U.S. international debt. A rapid, uncontrolled decline in the dollar could push the U.S. economy into a sharp recession. "

US: August jobs report provides no relief for workers

"Approximately 125,000 to 150,000 jobs need to be added each month simply to absorb workers entering or reentering the work force. To make any serious headway against unemployment, twice that number need to be created.

The Bush administration claimed at the time its tax cuts were put into effect in July 2003 that the measure would generate 306,000 jobs each month, or some 4.3 million by this point, 14 months later. That prediction has fallen short by 2.7 million jobs, or more than half.

Since the recession officially ended in March 2001, one million jobs have been eliminated. Jobs in the private sector have declined by 1.7 million, a 1.5 percent contraction during the supposed recovery. The current recovery is the worst on record in terms of job creation."

The Republican convention and the specter of dictatorship

Bush's vision of next years in America is rose-colored reality

www.delawareonline.com : The News Journal : OPINION : Bush's vision of next years in America is rose-colored reality

"The war on terrorism is not preventing its spread or danger in the United States. The president's war strategy seems to have lost focus. Iraq is teetering on the edge of anarchy. The Middle East is in deepening turmoil. The leader of Afghanistan is in charge of little more than the capital; the rest of the country is run by warlords and terrorists.

Domestically, the U.S. economy remains shaky, the federal deficit is ballooning, job creation and retention are far below expectations, and mandated school reforms aim in the right direction but are underfunded and not working well."

HoustonChronicle.com - Job report cuts two ways for Bush, Kerry

HoustonChronicle.com - Job report cuts two ways for Bush, Kerry: "Employers added 144,000 jobs to their nonfarm payrolls in August, seasonally adjusted, barely enough to keep up with population growth, but still a marked improvement after two months in which job growth essentially stalled."

The Command Post - 2004 US Presidential Election - Cheney, Bush labelled 'Draft Dodgers'

Bush and Kerry clash in Midwest over latest jobs report

Northwest Indiana News: nwitimes.com - Features: "The campaign clash over jobs was triggered by a Labor Department report showing the unemployment rate at 5.4 percent in August, down from 5.5 percent in July. There were 144,000 jobs created, lower than the 150,000 economists had been expecting.

Bush seized on the report as good news."

CalPhotos

CalPhotos: "CalPhotos is a collection of 71,658 images of plants, animals, fossils, people, and landscapes. A variety of organizations and individuals have contributed photographs to CalPhotos. "

You are like the snow fairy, she is very beautiful,
she has the power to make things beautiful, but
She is sometimes quite selfish, and spends most
of the time she should be using her magic
staring at her self in the mirror. Other than
the fact that she is vain and selfish. She is
a nice person, when she IS actually using her
magic, her powers are great, and she is very
helpful. Well that's most of the tings about
the snow fairy, can you relate to some of them?
You probably can, because that is what this
quiz is for!

**The ultimate Fairy quiz**(anime pics!) for girls, but if you are a guy you can take it too! !**being improved more**!
brought to you by Quizilla

Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal: A Weblog: What Will the Federal Reserve Do This Month?

Liberal Links: The Progressive Directory of Online Resources - Moving Ideas Network

Robert B. Reich, "What Ownership Society?"
The American Prospect Online, Sep 2, 2004

American Prospect Online - ViewWeb

"The fact is, an Ownership Society based on the stock market would be a casino. The Bush administration would like you to put your Social Security payments into the stock market, but beware. If your timing is bad, you could find yourself retiring in a bear market. It's happened before. That's one of the reasons Social Security -- as social insurance -- was invented.

Face it: The Republican 'Ownership Society' is hokum. Ownership of America is now more concentrated than since the days of the Robber Barons of the 19th century. The richest 1 percent of America owns more than the bottom 90 percent put together."

A Democratic Socialist's perspective: Privatizing America

The Free Press -- Independent News Media

"Not only does the privatization of public institutions threaten the quality and accessibility of service, it allows a government to skirt responsibility, evade public scrutiny and control, and increases campaign contributions from companies benefiting from government contracts.

The current presidential occupant’s faith in the private sector surpasses many of his predecessors’. It is critical that the citizenry understand the danger of unyielding faith in the effectiveness of private, for-profit companies due to its destructive and anti-democratic nature."

Robert Kuttner, "Bush's Ruinous Economic Plans"
The American Prospect Online, Sep 2, 2004.

American Prospect Online - ViewWeb: "In a second term, the policies would be just as unproductive, expensive, and industry-friendly."

Check writers beware

Benton County Daily Record :: Business

"CCOA offers consumer tips to avoid bouncing checks as new law takes effect."

The Cato Institute : Time for a little Economics 101

Benton County Daily Record :: Opinion: "Economic ignorance allows us to fall easy prey to political charlatans and demagogues, so how about a little Economics 101?"

Marginal Revolution: Monetary economics on Gilligan's Island

The Republican convention: Wall Street fetes its political stooges

"However, the Republican National Convention in New York City is breaking new ground in the shamelessness with which corporations are feting Bush administration officials and members of Congress. In numerous cases, firms are rewarding politicians directly charged with regulating or policing their industries.

There is a brazen and almost orgiastic character to the celebrations in New York that suggests a financial aristocracy and political elite so immersed in their own corruption and bedazzled by their astonishing success in enriching themselves over the past two decades that they cannot control themselves."

Crackdown on anti-Bush protests Thousands arrested in New York City

Dubble bubble....

Croydon Guardian: News and Features: Roundup: "BUBBLE gum fanatics are being urged to take part in the country's first ever bubbleblowing competition."

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Bush Labors to Shift Focus of Election

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Bush Labors to Shift Focus of Election: "NEW YORK (AP) - An unpopular war and 1.1 million lost jobs is enough to kill a presidency, so President Bush tried Thursday night to make the election about something else: himself and his leadership style."

Wanna give your social security to Enron execs?

G.W. BUSH- THE THIEF, THE LIAR - ANTI-WAR, ANTI-BUSH FLASH.: "Bush still seeks to privatise social security- Kerry opposes this.

Ask your elderly relatives if they'd like their safety net taken over by the same folks who brought you Enron, Tyco, and Halliburton- I have a hard time thinking they'd think this is a very good idea...

A vote against Kerry is a vote to hand our greatest generation's trust fund into the hands of corporate predators."

"America Gets Privatized" by E.J. Dionne

"What would President Bush do with a second term? Let's take him at his word. Bush is engaged in a bold (and, if you disagree with him, dangerous) project to dismantle the social advances of the New and Fair Deals, the New Frontier, and the Great Society. He wants to throw more risk onto the individual, free corporations and employers from regulations that protect employees and consumers, and reduce government's role in providing retirement security. He would further cut taxes on the savings and investments of the well-off and weaken the individual's right to sue corporations and heath-care providers for malfeasance."

"Hoover's Court Rides Again" by Cass R. Sunstein

"But if several appointments are made under an extended Bush presidency, the new court would likely do much more. It might strike down most campaign-finance reform. It would probably be inclined to invalidate parts of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act as beyond Congress' authority. It might well elevate commercial speech to the same status as political speech--thus forbidding controls on commercials by tobacco companies, among others. It would probably limit congressional efforts to protect disabled people, women, and the elderly from various forms of discrimination. More radically, it might interpret the Second Amendment so as to reduce the power of Congress and the states to enact gun-control legislation."

"What If Bush Wins" by a panel of 16 experts

CNN.com - Protesters disrupt convention events - Sep 1, 2004

CNN.com - Protesters disrupt convention events - Sep 1, 2004: "Wednesday night, a 50-year-old Washington woman was arrested inside the convention hall during Cheney's speech, witnesses and police sources said. The woman was wearing a pink nightgown with 'Fire Cheney-Halliburton' written on the front and 'Cheney is in bed with Halliburton' on the back."

LJWorld.com : Spotlight on Bush's acceptance speech

"Does anyone remember the acceptance speeches of one-term presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush? Neither made the case that four more years of their leadership would serve the country well. Both men also had their conventions all but hijacked by defeated rivals (Sen. Ted Kennedy in 1980 and Pat Buchanan in 1992). Challenger Ronald Reagan also overshadowed sitting President Gerald Ford in 1976. Is it any wonder that the parties have turned conventions into such scripted, predictable events?"

United Press International - UPI Newspictures

United Press International - UPI Newspictures
UPI Newspictures has a daily photo service and a searchable online archive that dates back to 1995. A subscription license is required but a free trial is available.

United Press International - GOP soldiers on despite protests

United Press International - GOP soldiers on despite protests:

"NEW YORK, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A New York sense of indifference ruled the streets around Madison Square Garden early Wednesday following an evening of angry confrontations between police and anti-Bush demonstrators that resulted in harassed Republican convention delegates and more than 1,000 people in police handcuffs.

The protests Tuesday took outside the nearby Fox News Studio, the New York City Public Library, Ground Zero four miles away and on streets adjacent to the convention venue at mini-protest rallies. Some delegate buses trying to reach Madison Square Garden to hear California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Laura Bush speak about President George W. Bush's leadership were stalled and surrounded in their approach to the convention venue by demonstrators blocking streets."

Where Are The Real Issues? :: Intervention Magazine :: War, Politics, Culture

As fast as Republicans manufacture and the media distribute the smears and the lies, these diversionary tactics hide the real issues, and the campaign degenerates into trash and nonsense. By Stewart Nusbaumer

"Republicans are attacking John Kerry for what he said and did 34 years ago so they won’t have to defend what they said and did this year. First they ripped into what Kerry did in the war in Vietnam, and now they are smearing Kerry for what he said in the antiwar movement. It has been a vicious, dirty campaign that has insulted not only combat veteran John Kerry but every Vietnam veteran. It has been enough to make me wonder, has America gone nuts?

But the optimist in me remains, struggling yet still there, and it insists that Americans are darn weary of these gutter assaults on John Kerry and want them to stop. After all, how long can innuendoes, unsubstantiated charges, and outright falsehoods remain the substance of political discussion? How long can George Bush run from their dismal record and from the fact that he has no plan? For those who are not optimists, and need a little help with this answer, I say not for much longer."

Cheney takes center stage at convention as demontrations continue

Cheney takes center stage at convention as demontrations continue: "Thousands of people formed a symbolic unemployment line stretching three miles from Wall Street to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday to protest President Bush's economic policies as Vice President Dick Cheney prepared to tell Republicans that Democrat John Kerry suffers from 'confusion of conviction.'"

Adopt a fairy in a crystal

Classic rock! Without you the other genres
wouldn't exist! You are the raw and original
sound of rock! Other genres may try to imitate
your rawness, but they can never be like you!

What genre of rock are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

You're a Rusty Nail!! A smooth, short blend of scotch whiskey and drambuie. You're seriously cool and you love guitars, cars and the bluuuuuees, man!!

""Which cocktail are you?""
brought to you by Quizilla

Star power lacking at GOP-fest, which may be a plus

Star power lacking at GOP-fest, which may be a plus: "Republicans who bash movie stars for their allegedly empty-headed liberalism should consider the credentials - or lack thereof - carried by conservative pundits, said Paul Levinson, chairman of the media studies department at New York's Fordham University."

It's Hamster Against Hamster in U.S. Election

Politics News Article | Reuters.com

"Kerry's daughter told delegates how the lanky politician once leaped into the water to rescue her drowning hamster, plucked it out and tried to resuscitate the tiny beast.

On Tuesday night, the Bush family took the stage at the Republican convention to soften the image of a man branded by opponents as a leader who took the nation unnecessarily to war. They had a hamster tale as well.

'We had a hamster too,' Bush's daughter Barbara said. 'Let's just say ours didn't make it.'

Like the Kerrys in Boston, Bush's family worked together to soften the image of the president and show him as an everyday American dad at the head of a lively family."

"The Plethora of Pointless Polls" by Doc Farmer

" Am I the only guy in the country that is sick to death of all the polls out there right now? Every day, it seems, there’s a new poll saying Kerry’s in the lead. No, wait, it’s Dubya. Hang on a sec, this just in, it’s Kerry. Now Dubya. Now it’s a dead heat. No, we forgot to factor in Nader. And how about Badnarik’s supporters (all three of them)? The pollsters factor in the news of the day (or the minute), the price of oil, the economic numbers, the weather, the phase of the moon, the rising of Mars and heaven only knows what other obscure and eldritch dynamics. "

Read the article for a funny perspective on polls.

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | NYC Police Arrest Some 560 GOP Protesters: "Police said more than 560 people were arrested at various protests around the city Tuesday - by far the largest number of single-day arrests since demonstrations began last week. More than 1,000 people in all have been arrested since then."

Rhianna's Groovy Tarot BLOG: What's in The Cards?

Thursday, September 30, 2004