-What kind of download speeds are they offering. Most will specify “up to” x number of megabits per second, although this figure will be the maximum, and the actual figure could be less.
-How much information you are able to download, which is usually expressed in gigabytes, or GB.
-Do you still need to pay BT for your line rental, or will the ISP provide that as well?
-What kind of customer service do they offer, is it on the phone or by e-mail?
-You’ll need a router to get online, most ISPs provide one for free, but you need to check.
-Will you need to sign a minimum contract with your ISP

Keeping track of all these different figures and costs, as well as comparing them to see which offers the best deal, can be quite a headache. That’s why one of the best ways of choosing your broadband provider, is to let someone else do the comparison for you. There are several general comparison sites that include broadband providers, as well as specialist sites that focus on them exclusively. Using these to check which offer suits you best, as well as seeing ratings for each ISP, should ensure you make the right choice.

Finding the best deal for your broadband should mean you get good service as well as a good price. Some people do experience problems with their broadband every now and again, but if you’ve got a good ISP, they should be quick to sort out any issues. This is why it’s important to include the quality of customer service and technical support in your decision. If you have issues your ISP can’t resolve, consider going to the telecoms watchdog Ofcom, or if you are free to, change to another provider.

With so much to consider when choosing a new broadband provider, it can be quite a challenge, even if you do know a Gigabyte from a Megabit, so get help from people who get paid to help you choose. The comparison websites are great for giving you all the important figures and information you need to make your decision. But, you get what you pay for, and broadband internet is no different. The cheapest deal might not always be the best deal for you, so knowing what you need before you start looking is an important part of making the right choice.

With the Motorola Milestone XT720, gone is some of the size and weight of devices that came before. The Milestone’s shell measures 116 x 61x 11mm and the phone weighs 160g. The shape of the handset is rather unique. When viewed in landscape mode, there is a protuberance on the top right that seems to serve no other purpose than house three lights that indicate the camera option the phone is in. The front and back of the Milestone seem to be carved from two completely different pieces, as they fit together oddly. Critics have expressed their displeasure with the looks of the phone, stating that the changes were unnecessary. The new design does set the phone apart from the others.

Body aesthetics aside, the Milestone XT720 still offers the popular 3.7-inch screen found on prior handsets. It is a capacitive touchscreen and maintains a 480 x 854 pixel display. Making full use of the larger-than-average screen is an 8-megapixel camera complete with Xenon flash, a feature new to Android smartphones. This alone sets the Milestone apart from other Android devices as far as the camera is concerned. The camera also features face detection as well as a panorama mode. Of course, any smartphone that offers top end camera functions include video capabilities as well. The XT720 captures movies at 720p, and best of all, includes an HDMI port and the required cable that can send your images and movies to the big screen.

Some customers will be saddened to learn that Motorola did not offer Motoblur on the Milestone, but it did include Android 2.1. There may be no built-in social networking, but customers are treated to a trial version of MotoNav and the company’s new Phone Portal app. With this application, users are able to manage the XT720’s data from any browser on a PC or Mac linked to a USB or WiFi network. Youtube and movies are then viewed enjoyably on the 3.7-inch screen.

Motorola may not have returned to the very top of the smartphone world with the Milestone XT720, but it has produced a smartphone that provides the experience that many users are looking for. The XT720 performs its functions practically and quickly.

Since the Wave 2 is not intended for use in established smartphone regions, 3G network support has been replaced with GPRS/EDGE capabilities. The Wave 2 still provides WiFi b/g/n, but Bluetooth v3.0 is gone for v2.1. The Wave 2’s companion model, the Wave 2 Pro, experiences a change in design by way of a slide out QWERTY keyboard. A touch only screen is found on the standard Wave 2. Samsung’s TouchWiz is the user interface installed and the screen is 3.2 inches.

The Wave 2 comes equipped with 80MB of onboard memory and a microSD slot that allows for up to 16GB. Maybe it’s not as much memory as is found on the lighting fast, high priced smartphones on the market, but there is still plenty to keep the Wave 2 from bogging down while performing tasks. It is, after all, a smartphone geared toward social networking. Facebook and Twitter are already installed on the Wave 2 and plenty of other applications can obtained from the Samsung Apps store.

The Samsung Wave 2 is meant to introduce growing markets to smartphones, specifically the Bada OS, so there have been sacrifices in order to retain affordability. This doesn’t mean that the phone is bereft of features. DIvX and Xvid playback are not here, but there is an FM radio and GPS. And don’t forget the microUSB and previously mentioned microSD slot. Samsung has also provided its own Social Hub with the Wave 2 in order to focus on social networking. Social Hub combines Twitter, Facebook, IM, and email into one easy location. There is no need to install additional software in order to download apps like games and navigational tools. For bigger files, the Wave 2 can be synched to a PC. Rounding out the package is a 3-megapixel camera.

With the Wave still making its rounds, the Wave 2 is a nice companion intended to penetrate new markets. Not large on the latest bells and whistles, the Wave 2 focuses on affordability and reliability. The Wave series of smartphones has a winner with the Samsung Wave 2.

Customers do not want to feel as if they are lugging around ankle weights in their pockets, a fact with which Samsung is familiar. The Samsung Galaxy is comparably slim and slender to other smartphones of its type, measuring 122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9mm and weighing scant 119g. The contouring of the shell recalls the iPhone 3GS, with its black plastic and metal contrasts. This is certainly not a deal breaker, but some users may be a little disappointed that the style does not exactly distinguish the Galaxy from another handset.

Samsung certainly set the Galaxy apart from the competition, however, with the 1 GHz Hummingbird processor. Not very many smartphones can claim speeds of that caliber. There are 8GB of internal storage available on the Samsung Galaxy that can be expanded to 32GB for those who need a little more. The 8GB of storage break down to about 6MB for media and 2GB for applications. Connectivity on the Galaxy is triband 900/1900/2100 HSDPA/HSUPA. Add to that Bluetooth 3.0 and a microUSB 2.0 port and you have a handset at the front of the curve.

Though the Galaxy certainly does not lack in the speed department, the phone truly excels with its display. The screen itself is a huge, 4-inch capacitive touchscreen that responds very well. It offers 800 x 480p resolution with Samsung’s Super AMOLED display, already a better option than the standard AMOLED and LCD displays of previous models. Super AMOLED also provides much better viewing on the Samsung Galaxy in direct sunlight than many other smartphones.

Samsung includes its own TouchWiz user interface on the Galaxy on top of Android 2.1. There might be a small learning curve for users familiar with the regular Android 2.1 interface, but TouchWiz has its own perks such as improvement to the notification bar. It maintains persistent shortcuts that allows users to toggle between vibrate and silent modes, Bluetooth, and WiFi. And the Samsung Galaxy puts its own spin on social networking with Social Hub. This function places Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter messages into one stream.

The Samsung Galaxy will surely continue Samsung’s fine legacy of Android smartphones. Placing somewhere near the top of the market, the phone is cutting edge and user friendly. The Samsung Samsung Galaxy will please consumers looking for the newest and best in Android technology.

One of the changes found in the iPhone 4 is on the inside of the phone. The iPhone 4’s predecessor, the 3GS contained a Samsung-based Cortex CPU. This has been replaced by Apple’s own A4 chip, the same one used by the iPad. The iPhone 4 does not quite speed along at the same rate as the 1GHz available to the iPad, but it is still more than fast enough. It brings up graphics quickly and navigates seamlessly. Those who find it too slow are likely looking for something to complain about.

Those quickly-rendered graphics are displayed on a 3.5 inch screen with 960 x 640 pixel resolution. Combine that with a mind-numbing 326 ppi pixel density and you have a display that is absolutely second to none. The incredible resolution makes up for any shortcomings in size, and it has even earned the name of Retina Display. It is so named due to the claim that it presents graphics in more detail than the human eye is able to distinguish. It may seem like overkill to present clarity that the user can’t see anyway, but at least consumers need not worry about a less than stellar display. In fact, many testes of the iPhone 4 have stated that the Retina Display easily provides the sharpest images they’ve yet seen.

It almost wouldn’t be worth having the Retina Display if the iPhone 4 possessed the 3 megapixel camera of past models. There are no worries here, because it doesn’t. The iPhone 4 has upgraded to a 5 megapixel camera that includes a backside-illuminated sensor with improved sensitivity to light. Also featured is an LED flash, although it can blow out some photos, a symptom not uncommon in flashes of this kind. It really is not that big of a deal, because the camera takes great pictures in low light and without a flash.

Finally, Apple has decided that it is time to produce a phone that allows multitasking. Though not backgrounding in the strictest sense of the word, the iPhone lets some APIs that imitate backgrounding to run simultaneously. Critics will cry foul, but for regular, everyday users, it is just fine. Until now, Apple has stated that their smartphones would suffer battery drain by performing multitasking. The iPhone 4 has cleared up any potential issue here, as it has been known to produce almost 40 hours of normal use in some tests.

The iPhone 4 has placed Apple at the forefront of smartphone technology once again. Featuring a Retina Display unmatched in the industry and improved performance over older models, Apple’s iPhone 4 is a standard setter. Customers will be thankful for the efforts.

One convenient feature on the LG Optimus is the QWERTY keyboard. This seems to be the preferred method of typing these days instead of the T9 and words functions. Because of a larger keyboard, the handset is a little larger than comparable models, but it is by no means a behemoth. The body measures 109 x 54.5 x 12.7mm and will fit easily into pockets. It also doesn’t feel as though you are carrying around luggage due to the Optimus’s lightweight yet sturdy plastic construction. The shell is aesthetically pleasing because the development team carved smooth curves out of the shell.

A resistive touch screen presents the images on the Optimus. Some may be distressed to learn that the 5-inch screen is not capacitive, but the phone provides nothing to worry about. The screen is much more accurate than most resistive screens leading to very few mistakes. The display is TFT and carries HVGA resolution. This creates impressive imagery for a phone that enjoys a mid-range price. The resolution is 320 x 480 pixels and supports 256K colors.

The LG Optimus provides the user with two different types of home screens. One of these is the standard Android version and one is LG customized. The customized version allows for the creation of customized buttons that rest at the bottom of the screen and allow messaging capabilities from any point of phone navigation. These buttons offer easy access to any kind of folder, widget, or shortcut the user sets up. Also available are three to seven home screens, all of which can have their themes completely changed.

One drawback of previous LG smartphones has been meager battery life. LG has fixed this problem with the Optimus. The handset is equipped with a 1500mAh lithium-ion battery that provides 7 hours and 20 minutes of talk time and 500 hours of standby time. Most other smartphones can only dream of that level of performance.

Several nice enhancements await users of the LG Optimus. Some of these include an alarm clock as well as a world clock. For those who can’t be bothered to bust out the pen and paper, a voice recorder and organizer are available. The Optimus also remembers entertainment hounds and includes a dedicated Youtube plug-in. A PDF viewer is found among tons of other applications.

The LG Optimus may be new to the Android playing field, but it does not fall short of the competition. It is familiar without being a letdown to seasoned users and easy enough for new users to get used to the Android technology. The balance of advancements and simplicity along with the affordable price tag make the Optimus a worthy smartphone.

Where the Bold really excels is with its improvements on the screen. The 2.6-inch diagonal screen is slightly larger than the one found on the Curve. The Bold also adds three quarters of an inch to the width of the screen, bringing the total to 2.25 inches. The clarity and vivid colors on the Bold make older Blackberry screens seem dull by comparison. The resolution of the Bold is 480 x 320p, and Samsung has utilized the larger screen and better picture quality by updating the UI with bigger icons that are clearer and easier to handle.

The UI in question is the Blackberry OS 4.6. Precision Zen is the default theme this time around and wallpaper can of course be applied to the home screen. Precision Zen’s display arranges six icons dock-style along the bottom of the screen. Dimension Zen is also available, adding color only to the icon selected. Larger icons lead to fewer rows, as the Bold offers only three rows instead of four. This leads to a bit more scrolling around. If you have a hankering for some fun, the Games folder contains Sudoku and solitaire. There are also two online games that let you try your skill against multiple Bold users.

The Blackberry really made its name with email, a fact that RIM knows well. That is why the company chose to keep things relatively the same on the Bold. Older Blackberry smartphones did the job so well, RIM only updated and modernized the email functions rather than giving them a complete overhaul. Now, the user can see pictures in message and get full HTML. Attachment viewing is also nice, but other than that, it is still the same email procedure as usual. The text is obviously easier to see on the bigger and clearer screen, but actual mailing hasn’t changed much.

Much as they often do RIM has taken a good concept and revitalized it. With the Blackberry Bold, the company has taken the familiar aspects of handsets past and improved and tweaked them to maintain relevance. Blackberry fans will find a familiar and fresh device with the Bold.

Contemporary smartphones are much more than telephones. They are now mini computers, televisions, and daily planners. Because of their versatility, it is necessary for the handsets to possess a screen that presents the best possible view to the user. The Nokia N8 succeeds admirably in this regard with a 3.5-inch OLED touch screen display. It supports more than 16 million colors, creating wallpaper, picture, video, and widget images more vibrant than almost all other phones on the market. Included with the N8 is a 12-megapixel camera which will please even the most demanding photographer with capabilities not unlike the most expensive point-and-click cameras. The N8 contains 16 GB of installed storage which can be expanded to 48 GB by way of a micro SD card. Being caught without enough memory to capture the perfect photograph is not an issue.

Videos look equally breathtaking on the Nokia N8 with 720p recording in high definition. The phone comes complete with an extensive editing suite that enables the user to conform the footage to whatever standards he sets. Any piece of recording equipment that is worth its weight should also offer competent playback controls. With its large touch screen, the N8 performs playback quite accurately.

Huge numbers of applications now go hand in hand with smartphones. This is of course the case with the N8 and it offers a dedicated WebTV app that allows for the viewing of any kind of news and entertainment gossip one could possibly want. These programs are also presented in Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. If you are looking for even more punch, the N8 may be hooked up to a home theater system in order to really blow the doors off.

Entertainment is handled beautifully by the Nokia N8, and practicality is as well. Operating on the Symbian^3 platform, the N8 presents new features like multi-touch for functions such as pinch-to-zoom. Walk and talk navigation is also available on the handset which can be used with free OVI Maps to keep you on track. The maps are free forever and are supported in over 70 countries which makes for peace of mind while traveling away from home.

Nokia has shot to the top of the cellular heap with its N8 handset. Other manufacturers would be wise to take note on how to balance entertainment and practicality so well. Customers who already know the N8 couldn’t ask for anything more.

Because this is Sony Ericsson’s first foray into Android technology, they constructed the X10 with familiarity and practicality in mind. Boxed in modest packaging, the X10 is not that plain. Though it performs the numerous functions of other Android-powered models, the Xperia is not overly complicated. It is in fact based on Android 1.6 technology rather than the brand new 2.1 platform. This should please users who are looking for a new phone with familiar technology. Critics need not voice their concern because Sony Ericsson has made the X10 compatible with 2.0 versions. Of course, the three familiar homescreens that contain the folders, shortcuts, and widgets Android users love are found on the handset and the interface is fully customized with Timescape and Mediascape. The main menu is still found at the bottom of the screen as well, ready to be pulled up when needed.

Covering the majority of the front of the phone is the voluminous screen. Coming in at a full 4 inches, the screen requires that the X10 be created somewhat larger than other smartphone models. This should in no way diminish the enjoyment to be had while reading the screen in direct sunlight, because this phone performs that task better than many similar models. In order to accommodate the large screen, the X10 is 119 x 63 x 13mm. It weighs considerably less than other models this size because of the sturdy plastic from which it is constructed. The X10’s full touch screen claims 854 x 480 pixel resolution. The colors are limited to 65K due to the Android 1.6 platform it runs on. This does not cause issues with typical use, and if it proves problematic to some, their objections will be quieted when 2.1 technology is applied with its 16M colors.

An 8 megapixel camera and LED flash are found on the back of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. The camera lens is exposed, so care must be taken not to scratch it. The potential for scratching is however lessened due to the fact that the lens is recessed. Sony Ericsson has made a good first impression with the X10. They are not looking to leave the field behind at this point and are more concerned with providing the customer with a quality experience. The Xperia X10 has certainly achieved this mission.

The Blackberry Curve 2 is basically an update to the Curve 8520. As a matter of fact, the shell is the same, the only change to be found on the back of the handset. It is a smooth, checkered pattern that gives the Curve 2 a slick feel, but not so much that it feels as if the phone can be dropped at any time. The device is also a mite thinner than its Curve cousins with a thickness of 0.5 inches, down from 0.6. The keyboard configuration is nearly identical to the Bold, something that will please users of previous that phone. Although the QWERTY keyboard is on the small side, it still outperforms other handsets, so that is of little concern. The camera shutter and volume buttons are located on the right side of the Curve 2 and the camera lens is found on the back. SIM and microSD card slots can be found under the battery cover, but there is no need to remove the batter to access them.

Because the Blackberry Curve 2 is a GSM, quad band smartphone, it can be used worldwide wherever GSM is found. The speakerphone on the Curve 2 is nice, but one of its strongest features is UMA calling. UMA calling is the type of calling done on WiFi networks. A number of carriers let the customer set the Curve 2 to automatically utilize UMA service in WiFi areas. When the WiFi signal fades, the device transitions back to GSM seamlessly. In addition to UMA calling, the Blackberry Curve 2’s WiFi 802.11 b/g connection makes for effective internet browsing. The phone operates on OS 4.6, which is the same as the Bold, but Curve 2 loads web pages better. The Curve 2 is powered by a speedy 512 MHz Xscale CPU. And what would a Blackberry be without push email? The Curve 2 accommodates both BES and BIS services, allowing for companies possessing Blackberry servers to operate or for users who want their carrier to provide Blackberry services.

Rather than completely change the look and operation of past Blackberry phones, RIM took the Curve 2 as its opportunity to update already successful phones. The Curve 2 builds on what works and what users like. Users will be pleased with the next step in the evolution of Blackberry handsets.

Several groups will be in Washington for commemoration of this very historic American event. The groups include Celebrate the Dream, an organization whose name comes from a reference made in the King speech given in 1963 about his hope for his native land;

“Celebrate the Dream is sponsored by ONE DC, EmpowerDC, Campaign for America’s Future, New Organizing Institute, National Organizer’s Alliance, Media Matters, Americans for American Values, and Jewish Funds for Justice. Further support is provided by the Arca Foundation, the CrossCurrents Foundation, and the Program on Inequality and Common Good, a project at the Institute for Policy Studies and the fiscal sponsor for this event. All donations are tax-deductible.”~from Celebrate The Dream’s web site 

as well as The Other 98 %. The Other 98 % name refers to what is left after the Elite 2 percent of the tax paying population is subtracted from the 100 percent of the citizens who work and pay taxes to support this nation.

“On Tax Day, 2010, we went head to head with the Tea Party armed with two huge banners, one overlooked fact, and a simple message: yes there’s a reason to be angry, but it’s not because some immigrant is sneaking across the border in search of “entitlements” or some “lazy” inner-city family supposedly cheating on their taxes and leaving you holding the bill. It’s because the Elite 2% have rigged the system and aren’t paying their fair share.”~from The Other 98 % web site History page

We believe it is not by coincidence a self professed rodeo clown will be holding an event purported to be a celebration of the late, highly venerated Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.,  the site of Dr. King’s most famous speech.

We’ve been surfing the Internet to read the views of many different people in the United States, some who were alive in 1963, some who attended the event in 1963, and others who weren’t even a gleam in their parents’ eyes during one of the shameful periods in our United States history.

During one of our surfing expeditions we found a chart which shows an interesting comparison, a kind of then and now.  It’s a simplification of the vast differences between the world renowned well-educated philosopher, Baptist preacher, Civil Rights activist, best known for being an advocate of non-violent protests; and the bufoon, who like Bud Schulberg’s creation,  Larry ”Lonesome” Rhodes, a character from the classic 1957 film “A Face In The Crowd” is, in the everyday parlance,  the embodiment of  “ just a lucky bum” with a scheme to fill his personal coffers with lots of cash fleeced from the uninformed and bigoted sheeple who follow him on Fox News – the news network owned in part by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who we know for sure funds terrorist groups in the Middle East via his Kingdom Foundation.

In our opinion Martin Luther King, Jr. was so hugely dynamic and important a figure in the history of our nation even a rodeo clown, and the rodeo owner, are compelled to give him his props.

Since we, as a nation of people of varied races, are not over the subject of race in this country, despite the media telling us we’re living in the “era of Obama” which in some circles is coming to be known as a “ post race era”, we think it’s appropriate  all the hoopla cum nonsense take place prior to and on this the 47th anniversary of Americans sincerely coming together under the leadership of a black man, to demonstrate to our government leaders our desire to make our nation better. We are after all still a nation for, of and by the people, regardless of what the pundits and politicians are telling those of us who still watch, read and listen to them blather on about who deserves to be a citizen of this new way of living

We’re looking forward to a celebration in three years that will exhibit the progress we’ve made toward fulfilling the hopes and desires of all our citizens.

Right off the bat, the Desire separates itself from the Nexus One out of the box with better usability. HTC included its Sense user interface on the Desire, which is rather user friendly. Just a tad larger than the Nexus, the Desire measures 119 x 60 x 11.9mm, which is still not a monster by any definition. Part of the size requirement is due to the huge, 3.7-inch OLED screen. Additionally, it is a capacitive touch screen. A beautiful, AMOLED display maintains a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels that puts it beyond the capabilities of the rest of the Android field.

This high quality display should of course be partnered with a camera capable of utilizing its abilities, and the HTC Desire provides a 5-megapixel camera. Although that is not a change from the Legend, the Desire shows images at an aspect of 5:3. On smartphones nowadays, a video recorder is always coupled to the camera, and Desire’s recorder shoots video at 800 x 480p resolution. This is an improvement over the Legend and the related Nexus One. Frame rate is reduced when recording in low light on the Desire which is most likely to compensate for a dark setting and provide extended exposure time.

As previously mentioned, on top of Android 2.1, HTC has placed its own Sense UI on the Desire. Users can really see what the display is capable of with features such as the whole screen weather effects. Sense also ups the number of homescreens from the usual five found on many Android phones to seven. Live View is another new feature that takes the seven panels and displays them in thumbnail format. Any smartphone worth its salt will offer a vast array of applications and allow for extensive multitasking. Desire accomplishes this better than almost all other models with a whopping 576MB of RAM. This is up to, if not beyond, the standards of most consumers. Desire also brings Friend View to the table. This feature, pretty much the answer to Motoblur, takes updates from Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter and places them in a single timeline.

Comprised of all of the best features of the Legend, the HTC Desire has updated that handset. The HTC Desire is the next logical step after a phone that was already well-received. Instead of breaking the mold, HTC took what worked and improved upon it.

That is why we support Jon Stewart’s suggestion and urge everyone to join us, as a nation, in not watching FoxNews Channel. Take a look at the video from the Daily Show on Monday, August 23, 2010 when the host of the program on Comedy Central made this salient proposal.

Remember Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is to Rupert Murdock is to FoxNewsChannel

Appearance – Mobile phones are taking on more and more capabilities. Flexi screens cannot be too far away. A flexible screen will permit your mobile phone to be integrated into your clothes. Think about it: you are walking along and you lift the cuff of your shirt and type a number on to it. Then your earring or the arm of your eyeglasses serves as your mouthpiece. Actually, there may not even be a need for a keypad – improvements in voice recognition systems would put an end to those.

Battery Life – Batteries have been a concern since mobile phones were first invented. In the beginning they were hooked into a car and were not really mobile at all. Battery life has been something that has been worked on a lot. As people start to use their phones more and the technology advances, the battery life has to advance, too. charging the battery can be done in various now and it will surely advance in the future. There is an idea that one day there will be hot spots where you simply stand and your phone battery charges. Wireless charging is probably not too far off in the future.

Features – Features have been a major change in mobile technology. Entertainment has become common place on mobile phones. You can already text, email and instant message others in addition to just calling them. Mobile phones have become almost like an entertainment center in the palm of your hand. You can access the internet, watch movies, get driving directions and do numerous other things just from your mobile phone. In the future it may be possible to get cable television and play games that are better than what you can get on a video game console. Music is also evolving and with it the sound capabilities of phones.

Lifestyle – You just think you are dependent upon your mobile phone now. The phones of tomorrow will have so many useful features that you will soon wonder how you ever lived before they were developed. Traffic reports and alternative routes will be emailed to you on your phone. You will place your morning coffee and bagel order on your way to work. Picking it up will take no time at all because you will simply aim your phone at the reader and the money will come out of your account. You will preset your air conditioning and heating to come on and off based upon your arrival and departure times. Your phone will anticipate your grocery needs and weekly menus. It will create a shopping lists and budget for the week.

Speed readers go about their thing in a variety of ways like not vocalizing all words, making out words without recognizing every letter in each word and quickly skimming through the text. Each reader will have methods that come more in a more instinctual way and they’ll unveil themselves with practice and time. Overall, the goal is to get your eyes to move at a faster rate and recognize words quickly.

Skimming is the process by which a reader visually searches through the text for clues to the meaning of the article. Generally, this is not the best method for dense informational texts because comprehension rate is usually lower. On the other hand, it allows for a quick overview of the text and its essential meaning.

Meta guiding is another method, perhaps the most widely taught, that speeds up the reading process. It consists of guiding the eye along the lines of text using another pointer like a finger or a pen. This method speeds up the movement of the eye and subdues subvocalization.

A first speed reading exercise to start with consists of using a pointer like your finger to make your eyes follow it across the paragraph to go faster. Moving the finger faster and faster will force the eyes to recognize the words faster and make reading a faster process.

Another exercise to try to attempt to learn a speed reading technique consists of quickly scanning through the material to look for key words attached to the essential meaning of the sentences. In essence, this is reading in blocks and is also done in other exercises which can become more complicated.

This third exercise needs a little bit of preparation time and some index cards. Blocks of words, phrases or sentence fragments will need to be written on the index cards. The exercise itself consists of reading what is written on the index cards instead of reading an integral text. During a few minutes, one must quickly scroll through the index cards while recognizing the set of words that are on every card. In practicality, this increases the recognition of words and accelerates the speed of reading fragments of sentences.

In general, in order for speed reading exercises to be effective, some time must be invested. A rule of thumb is that it is recommended to have a good level of energy and have a good level of concentration to practice these exercises. To see worth while results, it takes time and lots of practice. Reading really fast is possible all the while keeping a good comprehension and retention of what is being read.

Speed reading is a great asset to have in the academic and professional world. It is rather easy to teach and learn and is absolutely free. A little patience and some determination are all that are needed along with the key speed reading exercises.

Gain helpful tips about the topic of internet marketing – read the web site. The time has come when proper info is truly within one click, use this opportunity.

Motorola has also redesigned the device so it has the appearance of a digital camera rather than a traditional cell phone. Reviews of the new design are mixed. Some users appreciate the new design, others are unimpressed. The eight megapixel camera is positioned on the back of the phone, and the quality produces images better than most camera phones. Similar to an Android phone, the menu key, back button, home and search buttons are all placed below the screen. Some users contend the phone has a very masculine design, and that it will appeal more to men and women.

The XT720 comes with Android 2.1 – a reliable operating system in itself, but nowhere near as powerful as devices like the HTC Desire or the Google Nexus One (which both come with a more powerful processor). Motorola realizes the shortfall and has made efforts to decrease the device’s overall loading and lag times. The XT720 comes with an integrated 512 MB of memory, with a microSD card slot capable of adding an additional 8 GB of external memory. The WVGA capacitive touch screen display measures 3.7 inches and offers 480 x 854 resolution. The overall measurements are 60.9mm x 115.95mm x 10.9mm, with a weight of 160 grams.

The 1390 mAH battery can supply up to thirteen days of standby time and 4.5 hours of talk time. If you already own an Android though, you know that it uses a chunk of energy and demands a frequently charged battery. To help bridge this shortfall, Motorola has a Multimedia Station (purchased separately) for charging the device while at a desk setting. The XT720 has an FM radio, in addition to supporting a range of multimedia files, including MPEG4, MP3, AAC, WMA, AMR, and ACC. Users will also appreciate the 3.5mm audio output to hook up their favorite pair of headphones.

Some people will still be wondering if the Motorola Milestone XT720 is worth purchasing. The answer depends on the size of your budget. The Motorola XT720 does not offer the same features and design as the Google Nexus One or the HTC Desire, which many tech-savvy users might prefer. However, if you have more concern about your budget, the Motorola Milestone XT720 is an appropriate and affordably priced alternative to more expensive choices.

Now Try – Motorola Milestone XT720 Deals

The Xperia X8’s three inch TFT capacitive touch screen sports a 320 x 480 pixel resolution and illustrates up to 16 million colors. It rests in the hand nicely, weighing just 104 grams and measuring 54mm x 99mm x 15mm. Sony Ericsson’s Timescape UI is integrated with the Android 1.6 operating system to deliver a well designed, aesthetically pleasing interface that assimilates your various social networks into one location that the user can flip through in a time sequence. The X8 also has an integrated accelerometer that will automatically rotate the display depending on its orientation.

A powerful 600 MHz processor allows the Xperia X8 to easily handle a huge range of demanding applications. The phone’s internal memory of 128 MB can be increased effortlessly with the use of Micro SD memory cards. Cards up to 16MB are supported. As users have come to expect from Sony Ericsson Android phones, the Xperia X8 comes with a wide range of apps handily pre-installed, such as a YouTube video app, voice application Google Talk, Gmail, Google Maps and Facebook for Android.

The X8 gives the user a variety of connectivity options to help make sure the user is never without connectivity while on the go. The device can either use quad band or dual band HSDPA, WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth with A2DP, EDGE, or Class 10 GPRS. A handy micro USB connector is also included on the device.

The phone is also a multi-function media player, with an included stereo FM radio, and multiple format support for both videos and music. The 3.5mm audio input ensures that you can list to your favorite music or movies on your own discreet headphones. The 3.2 Megapixel camera has full video recording capabilities as well as a GPS utility that allows you to geo-tag your images with details about the place you took them.

Now Try – Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 Deals

Despite all the news of new financial regulations, read that as toothless, benign and ineffectual to protect the public from the sordid practices of the cagey banksters, according to this exclusive article in the current issue of Mother Jones magazine, the government agencies, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae along with the bailed out financial institutions are helping the hundreds of law firms around the country known as foreclosure mills, force people out of their homes.  We know of one firm that does 30 thousand foreclosures a year.

Many who are being displaced are being wrongfully removed. Documents are being falsified by unethical legal representatives; judges are so overwhelmed by the number of foreclosure cases there is no time for judicial checks to verify the evidence presented is accurate.

If the name of the homeowner in default is similar to yours, even though you have no loan with the same bank or even if you do, and your mortgage payments are up to date or your home is paid off, you could be in for a world of trouble; it may be as troublesome as having your identity stolen. We’ve all heard what a monumental inconvenience that experience can be. Erroneous information of this type once sent to credit bureaus is real tough to have removed. It can be done. It just takes a long time. Read here for more details of how the government and the bankers are pushing citizens out of their homes.

With the 12 megapixel camera, you can find Carl Zeiss optics, a Xenon flash, and the ability to get 720p HD video recorded onto the phone. What’s more, the sensor on the N8 can beat many high end digital cameras, which is another fantastic feature – besides, the sensor and the optics far outweigh the megapixels when it comes to quality pictures.

You can even play various types of media on this phone. With the help of the Nokia N8, you can watch MPEG4 video, as well as Flash and Real video, and listen to WMA, AAC and MP3 music files, letting you have music on the go. The FM transmitter on the phone allows you to play your audio files through an FM radio completely wirelessly.

For on board memory the N8 has a great 16GB, which is more than adequate for the average user, however if you want to increase the size you can add a micoSD card of up to 32GB. This is ideal if you want to take advantage of the HD recording and make plenty of home movies, or perhaps you want to watch films when you are out on the go. The N8 is one of the few phones that supports 802.11n protocol. It also has WiFi and is 3.5G, supporting all major UMTS bands. You can get a maximum of 10.2 Mbps download speed and an upload speed of 2.0 Mbps on HSDPA.

Nokia delivers more than just impressive hardware on the new N8. The newly unveiled Symbian^3 operating system delivers a notable array of software options with a high level of customizable features. The Symbian^3 provides the user with multiple homescreens, 2D and 3D graphics acceleration, multi-touch support, pinch-to-zoom capability, and kinetic scrolling.

Find Out More – Nokia N8 Deals

The operating system powering the N8 is the new Symbian^3. Most smartphones already use the Symbian OS, but the Symbian^3 is the newest in the line. The N8 is the first phone to run it. A couple of other great features are the touchscreen, which supports flick scrolling and pinch-to-zoom, and the customizable homescreens, which allow convenient access to your favorite apps and widgets.

The user interface is speedy thanks to the 3D and 2D graphics architecture that uses the N8’s hardware acceleration to its fullest. The Symbian^3 OS also allows multiple tasks to be running at once with no slow down thanks to the improved memory management system.

The Nokia N8 will also store whatever entertainment you require – you can connect your smartphone into your entertainment center to enjoy HD video with Dolby Digital Surround sound. What’s more you can bring TV shows and movies straight to your phone through Web TV services that are offered exclusively through the Nokia N8 phone and the Ovi Store, making your options limitless.

You can connect to a number of social networks automatically with the N8 and stay up-to-date with your social circles, as well as the great Web TV features and other Ovi Store apps you can use. You can record in high definition with the 12 megapixel Carl Zeiss camera and you can edit these videos or any pictures you take with the inbuilt photo editing software. The camera is of superb quality with a larger sensor than most compact cameras and a great Xenon flash.

The Nokia N8 smartphone is the social networker’s new best friend. You can easily access your favorite social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace with a flick of the button. These applications are easily downloaded to your phone’s home page. There is also a calendar feature which will sync all of your important events. The Nokia N8 also offers free GPS Navigation and free OVI Maps downloads. This will get you to where you need to go when you need to go all over the world. The Nokia N8 smartphone is a great buy and offers you all the things you need right at your fingertips!

Behind the plastic back is a battery that lasts up to almost six hours of straight talk time on 3G. There is a state of the art 600MHz processor hiding inside the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8, along with 128MB of RAM, which while substantial is slightly slower than some processors found in other Android phones.

Though it lacks a flash or auto-focus, the 3.2 megapixel camera is impressive for the price range. It is very easy to use and navigate around the menus, with the capability to record video as well. Users will not be disappointed with the quality even when uploaded to a full size computer screen. The quality is definitely above average.

Anyone who rushed out to purchase the X8 will be running the Android 1.6 operating system. However, subsequent productions of the smartphone will yield Android 2.1. (Anyone running the older version will be able to upgrade once available.) Of course, users will be able to customize the device with their choice of apps from the Android Market.

So, should you buy the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8? If you are in need of a smartphone that balances size with function, style with price, is easy to use, and you are only a basic internet user, then absolutely!

Why Do You Need broadband – First you need to take your household needs into consideration. If you do not use the internet for much more than email and occasional searches then you do not need an expensive broadband package, some providers will even offer plans at a discount for casual users. However, if you or your household uses the internet constantly you will want a broadband service that offers unlimited bandwidth.

What Services Are Available In Your Area – After you have decided what type of service would best suit your needs, you need to find a provider. If you have access to an internet connection, you can find any number of sites that will help you find a list of providers for your area and what deals they offer for broadband service. Available services may be impacted by several factors, such as proximity to a telephone exchange. If you live a great distance from an exchange, high speed broadband may not be possible. Another factor to keep in mind is whether or not your area has a cable connection.

Equipment Required – You will also have to take into consideration the additional equipment you may need. For example, if your home contains multiple computers that all need access to the internet you may want to invest in a wireless router. Make sure it is a route that allows for wired ethernet connections so that you can connect both your wireless-capable and non-wireless-capable computers to the same network and provide them all with internet access. You can purchase a wireless internet card or wireless internet accessory for your desktop computer if they are not wireless-capable, however most laptops come packaged with wireless connectivity built in.

Terms Of Service – Every broadband provider now has a broadband fair usage policy. Since every user must share the available bandwidth with other users (think of your bandwidth as a rental), there must be a plan in place to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy a fast connection. The Fair Usage Policy will lay out the details of what type of restrictions or fees the company will impose and what events will trigger this. Typically, if you use more than your contract specifies or if you do most of your large downloading during peak times, the company will likely either cap how much broadband speed you may use or charge you an additional penalty. Be sure you read your contract through and understand what services you are entitled to and what behavior may lead to a restriction before you sign.

Although many high end smartphones focus on touch screen technology, they do have their drawbacks. While touch screen phones deliver a larger display on an overall smaller phone, typing can be difficult – especially for longer messages. The QWERTY keypad is one of the many impressive features of the Samsung Wave 2. The keypad slides out to accommodate keys large enough to comfortably type with speed, yet adds little bulk to the overall size of the phone.

With this phone, Samsung offers a Bada operating system that provides full access to many new applications for the phone. Although Samsung does not off a range of apps as far reaching as the iPhone, there are many apps available to enhance the user experience. Available apps include GPS related applications as well as a number of different apps designed to meet every user need in the Samsung App Store. In addition, the Samsung Wave 2 offers a host of other features. The internal memory can be expanded to 16 GB, and it comes with a 3.5 mm audio jack as well as an mp3 playback feature. You will be able to use the Samsung Wave 2 as an mp3 player wherever you go.

Another nice feature of the Bada operating system is that you can totally access all of your favorite social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and Linkedin by taking full advantage of the QWERTY keyboard. And connecting to the internet to check your email is a easy too. The Samsung Wave 2 is a perfect accessory to have anytime, anywhere; especially if you use your phone as a primary source of connecting to all your favorite social networking sites.

The Samsung Wave 2 is the perfect phone not just for teenagers and college students, but it is also great for anyone who wants a good looking and inexpensive phone. The Samsung Wave 2 has an integrated camera, Samsung applications to make your life easier to manage and has expandable memory to make your music listening more pleasurable. It has everything you need in a smartphone but comes at a fraction of the cost of an HTC Desire or an Apple iPhone.

Now Try – Samsung Wave 2 Deals

The interface is a breeze to use and you can switch quickly between messaging or talking, thanks to the well-designed navigation system. All your important keys, like Talk, Menu, Back, End and Navigator sit right below the screen for fast access. Even your side controls are easy to master and can be used with just one-hand. Best of all, the Curve is loaded with the most popular of Blackberry’s OS’s – the OS 4.6.1.114. This fully interactive system was designed to be completely intuitive, and even Blackberry newbies should have no problem using it.

One of the best additions to the Curve is its improved Web browsing. You will be able to enjoy a true HTML web browser capable of supporting RSS feeds as well as media streaming. So now you can sneak a peek at your favorite YouTube video whenever you want. There is also a built-in GPS unit with access to Google Maps, Blackberry Maps and TeleNav GPS Navigator. If you are worried that all this must eat up a lot of memory space, do not worry. The Curve has an internal 64MB memory as well as an expandable memory slot for microSD storage cards.

The Blackberry Curve is a great multi-use device, whether you are looking for a Wi-Fi enabled device for quick downloading or just want to take a few pictures with the 3.2 megapixel camera. The Curve’s beautiful design and great collection of features make it a good fit for almost anyone, no matter if you are a techno geek or first-time buyer. Though this model is likely to become one of Blackberry’s top sellers, there are some good deals still to be had. You should be able to find one for less than $100 through certain service providers.

Find Out More – Blackberry Curve Deals

The Motorola Milestone XT720’s big advantage is its price. It is noticeably cheaper than either the HTC Desire or the Google Nexus One, both of which come with a 1 GHz processor. By comparison, the XT720 comes with a relatively small 550 MHz processor and 256 MB of RAM. This does not mean the phone is slow however. In terms of processing power and speed, it performs almost every task very well.

Motorola did not make any changes with the display – using the same one offered in the original Motorola Milestone (a 3.7″ display of 852 x 480 pixels). The XT720 actually shines in this category, if compared with a much more expensive model like the HTC Desire. Even though the Milestone display is slightly less intense, it actually functions better in sunlight that the Desire’s OLED technology does and boasts a higher resolution.

The Motorola Milestone TX720 features a whopping 8 megapixel digital camera. There is an integrated Xenon flash and several picture taking options. This is one of the biggest changes to the Milestone which makes it a great camera phone for just about anyone. You can also make movies and short videos thanks to its operating software which are easily transferable to any format. You are definitely going to want to take pictures with this phone since your pictures will come out a lot clearer with higher resolution than any other smartphone out on the market.

Motorola uses the Android 2.1 for the XT720’s operating system, which lets the user tap into the impressive array of Android software and the continuously growing Google App marketplace. The high resolution display makes a great venue for web browsing, which is easier with their included, highly efficient browser. Users will not be disappointed with multimedia options either, which include an FM radio and support for a wide range of file types, like WMA, MPEG4, MP3, AMR, and AAC. In addition, the handy 3.5mm audio output allows the user to listen to their favorite tunes with any standard pair of headphones.

The large 4 inch screen is sure to make smartphone enthusiasts excited, as it is one of the largest a smartphone can feature right now. The 854x 480 pixel resolution and 256k color scheme will make pictures and images leap off the screen and be easily seen by the user. The motion sensor will automatically switch between portrait and landscape as the angle changes, giving you the best flexibility with how you want to use it. The scratch resistant touch screen minimizes the damage that typically builds up over time these kinds of phones.

What’s more, camera phone aficionados are sure to love the advanced 8 megapixel camera found on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. The integrated LED flash and autofocus makes taking snapshots easier than ever, and the smile and face detection, in addition to the image stabilization, will help your pictures shine even further. If you love multimedia phones, this is surely the phone you want to invest your hard earned money in – you will not regret it.

With the media player included with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, you will be able to listen to music in a variety of formats such as MP3, WMA and RA, and watch video in WMV and MP4 format, among others. The 1GB internal memory is nothing to scoff at, but it can be enhanced even further with the help of the microSD card slot that gives you the capacity to take it all the way up to 16GB of memory, letting you store as much of your music as you want.

The UX platform, known as User Experience, is a brand new user interface that comes with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. It makes full use of the hardware features of the phone in order to bring everything together into an intuitive, easy to use operating system that gives you access to everything this phone has to offer at a glance. The Android OS powers this UX interface, and you will find a lot of powerful Google apps, such as Maps and YouTube, already installed with the phone.

More – Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Deals

The Samsung Wave 2 boasts the Touchwiz 3.0, which interacts with the user to make navigation on the device a breeze. Just by virtue of rotating the phone, the built-in accelerometer will automatically rotate the screen between portrait and landscape modes as needed for text or image viewing. The Wave 2 also comes with predictive text capabilities and an on-screen soft key QWERTY keyboard. Because the user does not have to wrangle with pecking at a keypad, sending messages on the device is a breeze.

The Wave 2 comes with 80MB of internal storage to store contact and other basic media. For the serious multi-media user, the Wave 2 comes equipped with a microSD slot for up to 16GB of expandable memory – an option to take advantage of if the user wants to play back MP3’s or use the 3 megapixel camera to shoot still images or SD video. It even comes with image editing software to touch up your images on the go, along with MP4 video viewing capabilities. The expansion slot provides another handy feature – the user can use separate cards for various media and interchange cards as desired.

Like most major smartphone manufacturers, Samsung offers its own social networking aggregator, similar to HTC’s Friend Stream, Sony Ericsson’s Timescape of Motorola’s Motoblur. Samsung’s Social Hub maintains all your contact details, email accounts and social networking services in one location for easy access. With just your Wave 2 in hand, you will be able to share a favorite joke with all your friends, manage your account information or see what everyone else is talking about. Social Hub means you can now view and respond to messages, check your social networks and send emails from multiple service providers without having to access each individual network.

The Wave 2’s display is a respectable 3.2″ screen for video and picture viewing; the 240×400 TFT LCD is capable of showing up to 256,000 colors. Most users will appreciate the built-in FM stereo to catch up on the latest music. However, if nothing is on the radio, the integrated music player can store and playback a variety of audio formats, including wav, MP3, and eAAC+.

With the HTC Desire, you get Android 2.1 and HTC Sense that powers your user interface, giving you an incredibly intuitive and easy to customize experience on your smartphone. The touch screen enables you to pinch zoom on the main menu to get to any one of your seven fully customizable home screens, full of the widgets and applications you can get in the Android Market. Check out your contacts, social networking, bookmarks and the like with the press of a button, or the swipe of a finger.

The HTC Desire’s real selling point is its fantastic 3.7″ LCD screen. You would be hard pressed to find a larger screen on the smartphone market today. Its 480×800 pixel resolution enables you to see more on the screen, and the AMOLED technology gives it the sharpness and resolution that you have always wanted. If you are reading long emails or checking out lots of text online, really makes a difference.

Even when you are in tall mode, you will be able to type out emails very quickly and easily with few errors, thanks to the large screen that makes it easy to use the tappable QWERTY keyboard. Compared to other smartphones, it is practically a breeze to send out an email using the HTC Desire. The Quick Office features and PDF reader will help anyone running a business stay in touch when they need to.

Those of you with experience in using Android phones will not be surprised by the user interface, which includes a series of four buttons – Home, Menu, Back, and Search. The Search button is particularly interesting, as it will search both your phone and Google at the same time. As you type out your search criteria, it will sort through both until it is just left with Google, in the event that what you are looking for is not on your phone. This is the kind of intuitive interface that you will be glad you picked up once you get this smartphone.

Now Try – HTC Desire Deals

The Android 1.6 operating system drives the Optimus’ functionality with a newly released S-class interface. It offers the user an array of features, including a customized LG home screen that provides quick access to the drag-up menu, widgets, instant messaging applications, folders, and shortcuts. Of course, the standard Android home screen is available as well.

The LG Optimus makes it easy to talk with friends, family and business associates without a constant need to be plugged in to the cell phone charger. With an incredible 400 minutes of talk time and up to 500 hours of standby battery power, your Optimus will get you through the day and then some. Another advantage of the LG Optimus is the onscreen keyboard that offers comfort and ease of use. All of these included features make the LG Optimus an ideal tool for internet browsing, as well.

With the LG Optimus, you get an innovative 3 megapixel camera, which, while it is not the best camera you will find on a phone, is perfectly serviceable for what most people need. Besides, you are not opening an art gallery with your phone – simply taking a few snapshots which you can use to upload to your Facebook or Myspace accounts!

If you want a great entry level smartphone, look no further than the LG Optimus. It is no iPhone substitute, but it looks great, and has plenty of features that will more than make up for the modest price you can find for it, which is normally about $300. This can change depending on your service provider and your country of residence; just shop around to see what sort of discounts you can find in your area.

Find Out More – LG Optimus Deals

Sony Ericsson has introduced the UX user interface to innovate the way you interact with your phone. This interface, dubbed User Experience, makes it much easier to perform all the functions that come with that device, allowing you to quickly locate that app or music file you have been looking for. Just check out a random contact on your list, and you can quickly expand it to find out all of their pertinent information, including photos they have tags in, their text conversation history, and what is new on their social networking accounts, giving you instant access to everything you need to know.

The touchscreen is also quite impressive, measuring in at 4″ with a resolution of 480 x 654 pixels. The scratch resistant surface of the touchscreen is an innovative feature no other smartphone has introduced yet, and vastly improves the life and durability of your smartphone. If you like taking pictures, you will be impressed with the 8.1 megapixel camera featured in the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. The pictures are of such a high quality that you will be proud to upload them to any social networking site, or even print them off and frame them.

An MP3 player and video recorder are two of the other impressive functions of Sony Ericsson’s new smartphone. It will support WMA, WAV, MP3, eAAC+ files, and many more. It comes equipped with a fully functioning web browser with integrated social networking functions for Twitter and Facebook. The connection options are standard, as with other Android devices, and include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS, and 3G HSDPA. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 comes with an internal memory of 1GB and 8GB of external memory for the micro SD slot, although users may purchase up to 16 GB of additional external memory.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is one of the best smartphones on the market right now, and coupled with the Android platform by Google, is sure to be one of the best sellers of 2010.

Now dimensions aside, that is not the only thing that makes the iPhone 4 spectacular. Apple really pulled all the stops for the iPhone 4. It features a 3.5 inch display just like its sibling, the iPhone 3GS, but the resolution has been upgraded to 960 x 640 pixels making the display super sharp and the clarity amazing. This is the absolute best picture quality that can be found currently on the market.

The Retina display is far better than any other type of smartphone screen you can find on the market – after all, it gets its name from the fact that it has a greater number of pixels than can be picked up by the human eye. iPads and iMacs have also carried over their in-plane-switching techniques to the screen of the iPhone 4, making the screen able to be viewed from more angles than ever before and allowing for maximum visibility and comfort – no more tilting the screen so you can see what is going on.

Apple employed its A4 CPU as the brain for the iPhone4 – the same one found in the iPad. By coupling it with the iOS 4 operating system, the iPhone 4 is able to deliver a wide range of new functions for the user. While users have long awaited multi-tasking ability, they will not be disappointed with the new capabilities of the powerful new iPhone. Just as Apple took its time in perfecting the copy and paste features before release, Apple has created a well-oiled multi-tasking phone that will not plague the user with constant lagging or freezing.

The iPhone 4 also has fantastic ways to use your still and video camera, now featuring a 5 megapixel camera in the body of the phone. What’s more, it comes with a backlit sensor, 5x integrated zoom, and an LED flash, as well as the ability to record 720p HD video at 30 fps, making it an amazing video camera. You can even use tap to focus on the video camcorder as well.

System Capacity – The majority of business telephone systems can handle about 24 telephone extensions in addition to about 12 incoming lines. In most cases, the components of smaller telephone systems may not be transferable to a larger system if you choose to upgrade in the future. If your business is expanding quickly and you think you will be hiring additional personnel in the coming months or years, it is a good idea to make the investment in a system that can handle your growing business needs.

Direct Lines – Direct lines allow calls to be made to members of individual members of staff with a dedicated telephone line, and they require a system that can handle ISDN. ISDN is available in most larger countries and provides services such as direct dialing and caller ID in addition to the ability to transfer calls off site whenever necessary.

Voicemail – With a direct line service you will often be able to get voicemail for each telephone handset in the office, for some systems you may be able to have more than simple voicemails, such as the ability to forward messages by email or simply to other phones. You will also want to make sure the voicemail capacity is enough to handle the amount of messages, and length of messages, you expect to get.

The Handset – The telephone handset is an important consideration in the purchase of a new telephone system since you use it every day, and it needs to be comfortable and easy to use. Some telephone system salesmen will sell you on a lower priced basic handset model. Although it may be difficult to spend more on a higher priced model, you may find that it is well worth the investment. More use-friendly telephone handsets might offer better sound quality, may come with more features and may last longer than a cheaper version.

Installation – Once you have decided what system you wish to go for, all that is left is to have it installed. The company you buy the system from will doubtless offer an installation service but they may not necessarily be the best option. You can get a different service to install the system if you wish who may be more adept at installing it to your requirements. There is no point spending money on a new telephone system only to have it installed in a half hearted manner. Ensuring it is installed properly and that the connections create a high quality line to talk on is important.

Find Out More – Telephone Systems

Now Try – Two Way Radios

Although broadband connections speeds are always increasing; the limiting factor to the attainable speeds is a country’s telecommunications infrastructure. By using copper cables installed for telephone use, broadband initially was able to offer connection speeds massively increased from dial-up connections, though what is needed now is an optical cable system that can transfer data at rates far higher than any copper connection can achieve.

One particularly resourceful way of increasing broadband speeds is by using current electrical power lines to send data. Because internet data is transferred at a different frequency than electricity, the power grid of a country can be utilized to also connect people to the internet. However, there is at least one issue that needs to be overcome if it is going to be a success. Recent test have shown that when data is transmitted through overground, poorly insulated cables, the broadband data transfer can disrupt nearby radio signals, particularly those that are used by amateur radio operators. It could be possible, though, for a broadband connection to be established just by plugging into an electrical outlet and enjoying possible access speeds of up to 200Mbps.

Along with the possibility of using BPL (Broadband over Power Lines) is the newest incarnation of mobile broadband, WIMAX. WIMAX, also known as 4G, will be a vast improvement on the previous versions of mobile broadband that have been available for some time now. The speeds that WIMAX could offer could possibly make broadband access through cables a thing of the past. How does 70 Megabits per second at a distance of 30 miles from a transmitter sound?

One other route that users may be able to take in the future in order to access broadband at a higher speed is by satellite. There are currently millions of people around the world that utilize satellite technology to watch television programs. These connections could also be used to transmit internet data at speeds of up to 3 Gigabits per second, that is 3000 Megabits per second (around 375 Megabytes per second). There are 2 problems facing the use of this technology, the weather and the cost. As most satellite television viewers know, bad weather can play havoc with signal reception and in some cases disrupt it totally. The cost of the equipment for receiving broadband internet access via satellite could also cost in excess of $2500, and would also be charged on a monthly basis, which is much too expensive for the majority of users even with the huge attainable speeds.

To sum up, don’t worry if you are still finding that your broadband connection is not quick enough for your needs, the future holds some impressive advances in technology that will mean the end of blank white screens and video buffering.

Convenience and portability – Mobile broadband is very convenient to use. You can connect to the internet from any location so long as you have a device with mobile broadband capabilities, a computer and a network reception.

No land line necessary- Although internet speeds through a fixed land line are fast, they do not have the mobility of a 3G connection. It could be possible in the future for everyone to be receiving a 3G connection to their homes, thus nullifying the use of a fixed line.

Flexibility – Another great advantage to connecting to a 3G mobile broadband network is its flexibility. You can use any number of modem devices to connect using any number of different computing devices such as desktops, notebooks or netbooks. Whether you are at work, at home or even on holiday, mobile internet broadband is just a few clicks away.

Find Out More – Compare Broadband

This time Mr. and Mrs. intellectually brilliant and very cute, can be seen on HGTV’s House Hunters. The program has already aired once and will be repeated on July 23rd for those of us who missed their appearance the first time. Be sure to check your local listings for time and channel.

We are sure Mr. Suggs, being the romantic he is, he has planned a very special celebration for his bride.

Once again, to Darnell and LaDonna Suggs best wishes for continued success in your marriage.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

We sincerely believe if the real President Barack Obama had said these things, he would have been more eloquent than Ms Maddow and equally as substantive in content.

Finding the name of the caller is of immense importance for various purposes. Sometimes, you just want to know the name of the unidentified caller number who is just teasing you by means of frequent calling. Sometimes, large companies and businesses want to learn each and every thing about the employee they are going to hire. They usually conduct a phone number search by fastest, easiest and cheapest means. They do so in order to determine the legal status of the employee they are going to hire. Therefore, there are thousands of reasons why you can search for the name of a landline number or cell phone number.

The next important thing which people and businesses want to know regarding a telephone number is the address of the person to whom the number is registered or belong to. This can be proved very useful for different purposes. Sometimes, address search is used by intelligence and police organizations in determining the actual origin of the theft or crime. Furthermore, they are also used for verification purposes of the newly hired employees. Therefore, it is also recommended to have only one telephone number on your name and residential address. Providing a fake address or an address where you do not live can be proved very costly.

In today’s technologically advanced world, there are millions of ways of conducting a phone number search. Some websites gives you a complete control over their bulk database. This database includes the name/addresses of all the registered telephone numbers. These telephone numbers varies in digits and type depending upon its usage. Mostly used telephone numbers are that of local public. Other telephone numbers include business telephone numbers which are either golden number or somehow secret. Furthermore, there are various intelligence agencies which do not disclose the telephone numbers they use to conduct their intelligence. Therefore, one should understand that online free phone number search only contains name/addresses of those people who are registered with the government.

Finding the name and/or address of a person is quiet easy. You just need to enter the telephone number of a person (typically landline) and the immense database will provide you with the name and address of the person to whom the phone number belongs to. Finding the name and address of a person holding a cell phone is quiet hard or impossible as most of the private companies do not disclose this type of data. This is because of the reason that many people want to protect their name and address identity from being disclosed in general public.

Visit: Find Name And Address and Reverse Number Search for more information on phone number search.

Name is probably the most important thing that you would like to learn about an unknown numbers. In many countries, there can be only one cell phone or landline number attached to one name or one residential address. But this is not the rule in all the countries and governments. This allows a single person to have more than two landline or cell phone numbers. At several stages in your life, you arrive at a point to learn about the name or holder of a specific telephone number. There are thousands of services either online or local which are used to determine the name of the telephone number holder. This is usually done through phone number search services.

There are many phone number search services which also provide you with the residential address of the person to whom the telephone number belongs or is registered to. This not only helps police and intelligence organizations, but also helps businesses and companies to conduct the research about the new employee they are going to hire. Once you are aware of the address of the person, you can get other information easily. Therefore, phone number search can help you in two ways. First, it can provide you with the name of the person to whom the telephone number is registered and secondly, it can provide you with the address of that person.

There are many free websites which allow you to just enter in your required telephone number and you get the name, address and other basic information regarding the number. You can either Google your search or can directly log on to such websites. Make sure that the true and legal phone number search services are free and they do not charge a single penny for providing their database. If you confront any company during your phone number search that asks you to deposit some money as sign up fee, you should immediately leave the site and report it as spam and fraudulent.

One should understand that the typical phone number search only refers to landline telephone numbers and not cell phone numbers provided by different carriers such as AT&T and Orange. These private companies do not consider it fair to disclose the name and address of their respected customers. Therefore you cannot find the name and address by entering cell phone number. You will need to have landline phone number in order to determine the correct name and address of the caller/number.

Visit: Find Name And Address and Reverse Number Search for more information on phone number search.

By following an online course you can learn at your own speed and convenience, sitting down to do it when it suits you and fits in with your other activities. If you find that you are having difficulties with a certain part of the course it is possible for you to go back to the beginning of that part and start again in order to give you a better understanding of a particular point, whether it be pronunciation or just remembering certain words.

If you browse the internet for sites that will help you learn Spanish online you will come across a number that include audio lessons with videos as well. This will help with your pronunciation. I have found some sites that will let you have a free trial before you purchase the complete course, which allows you the opportunity of seeing if an online course will be the best method for you.

Of course, there is nothing stopping you from using an online course with other people, possibly your partner or your children. If there are a number of you working together you will be able to help each other by testing each other out and once you start speaking to each other in Spanish you will find that you will remember words and phrases more easily. Also, it’s a great way to bring the family together by taking part in a pastime that you all have an interest in.

These materials can usually be viewed or listened to for free in the Internet. There are also sites that require a small fee for subscription before allowing students to access to such materials. In some cases, down-loadable materials are available, either for free or for a fee. The ones that require a certain payment are usually the more complete ones. To learn Spanish for beginners, choosing the method and materials – either books or audio and visual aids – that feels the most comfortable for you would be a good way to start your lessons.
Since most beginners’ lessons are designed as a self-study course, students are usually provided with teaching aids such as reading manuals and audio books or audio recordings.

Get helpful secrets about the best way to learn Spanish and learn to speak Spanish fluently.

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To start, take pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard -  writing down the following information will help you develop and focus your electronic book project.

First, start by writing down the main goals of your ebook. What is the essential knowledge you want the reader to walk away with? Once you have figured this out,  decide how much additional research you need to do in order to provide the reader with the best quality information possible. If this is a topic you already have extensive knowledge about you may not need to do any additional research; if not, you should outline precisely what avenues of research still need to be followed.

Next, outline the order you want to present the information so  the reader will be able to move logically from one step to the next while reading your ebook.

Once you have answered the questions, your next step will be to write your mission statement explaining why you want to write this electronic book. This will explain to your reader your motivations for conveying the information to them; it should instill trust. Then write down why you feel your ebook is better and different from similar books on the market. For example, does your electronic book provide information that is lacking in other ebooks? Do you have more experience to back up your claims? What else makes your ebook unique?

When you have answered these questions, you are ready to create the basic outline of your ebook: the table of contents. At this point, you should have a clear idea of what your electronic book is about, and writing the table of content should be fairly easy. Next, try to come up with the best chapter titles possible. These titles should catch the interest of the reader and make them want to read more.

Now, sit down and write the introduction to your ebook. In your introduction you can repeat in a new form much of the information you have already written for your mission statement where you outline the advantages of your ebook over the others on the market. Try to make the introduction as personal as possible, including a story or something similar to help connect with the reader. Then, write the final chapter of your ebook. This may sound strange, but your final chapter will actually be very similar to your introduction except written in a slightly different format and this is actually the best time to write it.

Finally, look at your remaining chapters and create a schedule for writing them. Or, if you wish, you can outsource these chapters to ghostwriters so  they can write them for you. Once these chapters are finished, you will be ready to publish your first ebook! All you need to do is a create a great cover using some great ebook cover software, and then publish it using some reliable ebook publishing software.

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Why did we end up like this? The revolutionary war was a end result of individuals who had been pushed to their breaking point with regulations and ever growing taxes. Sound familiar? This began with the Boston tea-party in which the tea was dumped into the harbor. Citizens then as currently do not like to have the money from their work taken from them and then spent on things they don’t believe in. It was that way then and it is that way right now. You can not change human nature. People are endowed with rights by the creator and one of those rights is liberty. The founding fathers had no idea that the totalitarianism of King George would ever be able to rot America ever again. They carefully wrote our constitution to prevent it from happening.

What they didn’t comprehend is that the country would shift away from the grace of God to a humanist philosophy of elites deciding what is best for the masses. As excellent as the constitution was, no document is any good if the leaders sworn to defend it simply overlook it. That is what has occurred. Every year little by little, we lose more of our freedoms. Each year more new laws and rules are forced on us that can imprison us should they be enforced. The undermining of our free market system began after world war II when soviet spies were given positions in our government. Read a great book by Ann Coulter called Treason for an in depth history of how that occurred.

Which brings us to today and the proliferation of the tax day Tea Party April 15 events everywhere. These are not the kooks and extremists that the evening news would have you believe. No these are actually the traditional average Americans who know what freedom and liberty are, and see it slipping away. They are not from any one party. They include members from at the very least 5 parties from all walks of life, race and religions. When a community hospital closes it’s doors because some law requires them to treat for free non citizens, that isn’t racist, that is a legitimate hardship to individuals. When it is taught in schools that abortion is a choice yet wearing a seat belt is not a choice, there is something not right. When legislation is going through capitol hill that something a person says can land that person in jail under the classification of hate speech, then something is wrong.

Massachusetts is known as the most socialist sympathetic state as a whole in America. It is nicknamed Taxachusetts. Since the current government with super majorities in both houses can do whatever it wants in theory, this makes millions of people edgy. When it was learned that this government was going to bankrupt the nation with socialized health care, in which each voter would be required to buy no matter how poverty-stricken, the rebellion of the tea-parts even reached into Taxachusetts. Scott Brown, a liberal republican promised to halt the hated health care takeover and he won the election by a sizable margin.

Smooth, Sexy & Light in Design

When folks say that the Flip Minohd Camcorder puts the power of video recording in your pocket, indeed it does accurately and figuratively. The design is just remarkable. It is one of those things you would typically see in a Mission impossible or James Bond film. It is lustrous, sexy and authoritative. Picture a video camcorder of 3.3 ounce of weight can make you capture images in high definition resulting in brilliant quality outcomes.

Compact & Serious in Functions

It is without a doubt very weightless and painless to carry around but the functionality are shockingly quite heavy. It was engineered to create video taping and capturing motionless images as if you are using those intense professional cameras. Check out the subsequent functions on why this
flip minohd camcorder has become a favorite amongst video capturing addicts:

· four GB Built-In memory

· Can take 60 minutes of High Definition Video Recording

· Creates 1280 x 720 resolution on a thirty frames per second rate

· One-touch recording functionality with digital zooming ability

· Comes with a flip-out USB plug for painless TV or Personal computer connectivity

· Uses the FlipShare software for effortless and quick video and image management

· Uses Li-ion battery which can be revived by means of USB

· Plug in play on Television along with cable connector

Nearly all of the videos you observe these days at online video streaming websites like YouTube, My Space, etc were uploaded by means of the Flip Minohd Camcorders. It is so straightforward to make use of with the instant playback, fast forward, zoom, rewind usability that it offers. Deleting unwanted imagery can very easily be completed as well. It provides a user-friendly interface that any person may possibly easily appreciate & is fitting with common computer software like the Microsoft windows Media Player.

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Unearthing this quickest route to customers, the best Web design, and the highest quality website may not be as complex as you probably think, especially in Alaska. The abundance of Web design companies and web application developers can be hard to navigate. That is where business advisers can help. Quality Web designers and developers will offer you the best quality for your money. Initial consultations are most often free. There are an incredible amount of website design companies to be uncovered in all main city of the U.S. that you can select one of many.

The professional Web design firms offer you intuitive approaches to highlight your valuable business over the Web. Professional Web designers and developers possess a lot of expertise in developing custom Web sites. Your Web designers should be considered as partners of your business. Understanding business nuances and converting them to suitable software solutions are services provided by professional Web designers.

If your enterprise doesn’t have time to hunt for the best Web site development or design companies in your area, then just free yourself from all of the hassle and get in touch with business consultants. Despite the tremendous enjoyment you will gain by browsing plenty of informative websites that most often promise to satisfy your Web design requirements, general business advisers can often sort this out for you. One reason to hire a professional consultant could be: “Many Web professionals just don’t provide what they claim.” Most professional establishments work hard to make sure you and their engineers and web designers have the same vision and that that vision will be delivered. Business advisers may most likely investigate more deeply to ensure your association gets what it pays for.

Conserve your association’s precious time by making your difficult search for Web design companies a simple one with a few graceful clicks! You will be amazed at how many services are accessible using business advisers. And if it is “church or banking Web Design” your establishment is searching for, acquire a professional business adviser. If you want to browse the Web initially, be sure that you will have an alternative if you become overwhelmed.

There are students in need of a little extra help in all different age groups. Some individuals seeking tutors are international businessmen needing extra help in order to learn English, whereas others are 5-year-olds that are struggling with reading. Every person struggles learning something at one time or another in their life and that’s when tutors come in.

Tutors not only help students and professionals learn the skill but also increase their self-esteem. It can be upsetting if they are struggling to learn something, but luckily there is help. There are organizations and companies situated all over the world that can help you master a skill.

It doesn’t matter what you need help with, experts are available. There is definitely someone that can help you. In classes from reading and writing to chemistry and beyond whatever you need help with there are tutors that can help you.

Tutoring is presented in different formats. If you are an audio learner then you can do it over the phone or on the internet but if you are visual or hands on then having a tutor in person may be the best answer. Tutors can cater their learning methods to fit their pupils needs. It’s not just on tutoring style fits all. Tutors will do anything necessary in order to help their pupils with the information.

Typically, most tutors teach pupils between the ages of kindergarten through college, in basic subjects. Nevertheless, tutors are available to fit your needs so they will help you with anything you need. It doesn’t matter what subject it is; there is at least one that can help you. And it’s not anything to be ashamed of if you have a tutor and need extra help.

Those that don’t ask questions and get help are not making a wise choise because they never master the skill, they look unwise, and they get behind. Plus, everyone is better than someone else at something so they just have to understand that this is something they aren’t quite as good at. They need to recognize that it may take a little time and help to master.

If you are struggling with learning a particular subject then a tutor is a great idea. These individuals can help you pick up, understand, and remember knowledge by teaching you the concept in the way that you learn best. Knowledge is power and tutors can help you master particular subjects that are challenging to you. It doesn’t matter what your circumstances or needs are because there is a tutor that can help you.Tutors can also help you earn good grades in your online schooling and adult education courses.

Nintendo Lite skins permit simply that. A skin on your Nintendo DS Lite is sort of a glove. It can be pressed on or taken off when you’re ready for a brand new style. It comes in thousands phone skins of different colors and kinds. It even grants you the ability to create your individual design if you are unable to find a pre-made skin that matches your needs. In truth, a Nintendo Lite pores and skin is the most versatile of any possibility for altering the style of your DS.

As a way to come to this conclusion, though, you might need to research ipod cases to know more about the other ways to alter the fashion of your system.

The first and most thorough way is by doing an entire case transfer. A new case on your DS Lite will typically be available in one of a number of preset styles and will utterly modify each the buttons and the casing that your system is housed in; nonetheless, this modification requires a particular tri-wing screw driver with a view to do the modification and it also requires you to completely disassemble the case of your DS and transfer the fragile digital elements inside to the brand new case. If one thing is scratched or a part gets even a small zap from static electrical energy, your DS Lite could change into completely unusable. Obviously, this is not the choice that most individuals will want to take.

The one other possibility is to paint your case yourself. While this doesn’t essentially require that you disassemble your DS, it is preferred to be able to be sure that you don’t get paint on the screen or over the microphone, which is recessed in the case. Taking the DS apart gives you way more maneuverability when portray, however has the same drawbacks as a case modification, and with much more room for error. The paint will even come off throughout these lengthy gaming sessions the place your palms heat up and grow to be slightly sweaty.

All of these reasons are why a Nintendo Lite skin is a preferred choice for changing the model of a Nintendo DS system. It requires no tools. there is no  risk. If you happen to determine you need to change the model later or utterly do away with the type you selected, all you must do is peel it off and you’re again to the base system. If you’re convinced, then all that is left to do is to find and purchase a skin to your Nintendo DS.

If you want to meet a plenty of new people with the hopes of finding Mr. or Ms. Right then you should focus your Internet dating site search to those online dating services that have a large membership. Of course, if you’re much more selective and not as interested in a time wasted on searching for a new dating partner then probably you should focus your attention to the smaller more specialized Internet dating sites.

Remember that the Internet dating community is full of a large quantity of persons that are all interested in finding a special somebody they may start a new relationship with that will desirably lead to a more serious relations. Naturally, finding that special someone requires some quantityof communication between people. For the same reason almost all online dating sites feature a variety of quite active dating chat rooms. These forums enable communication between single people interested in figuring out if they may find an instant chemistry and attraction with other single outgoing people. Spontaneous chat is a good way to find your ideal match and see if it would then develop into a relationship that may be taken offline to truly test the compatibility between each other.

When performing an online search for online dating chat rooms and Internet dating sites you can use keywords such as; free online dating sites, online dating, Internet dating for singles and online dating services to just name a few. When searching through the many online dating sites that you find remember to keep in mind the demands for your online dating needs.

Other services you should check to search for in a quality Internet dating site include email capability between members, the capacity to add a video profile or numerous photos in order to assist find a potential dating partner that has the same likes and dislikes as yourself. Just be sure to keep in mind that the more features a dating sites has, like an online dating chat room, the more expensive the membership may cost. But, in most situations the price is easily justified if it helps you find a possible partner for a long-term relationship.

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An iPhone skin is not going to injury your stickers for game consoles in any way. Actually, the skin is very similar to a sticker and sticks directly to your phone. The skin is usually formed to fit your phone precisely in order that it looks as though it had been the actual case of the phone. Also, in addition to being easy to attach, there are additionally a whole bunch of already created styles. If you cannot discover one you want, you can even laptop skins personalized create your own.

It is also very convenient to be use a skin instead of getting a uniquely styled case for your iPhone. Think about if, a 12 months from now, you wished to vary the type of your iPhone-a case would by no means be as handy of a way to change the fashion as a pores and skin can be. If in a 12 months, you resolve to alter the way that your iPhone appears, all that might be required is for you to peel the old pores and skin off and apply a newly purchased skin. Voila! Your iPhone is again unique.

When you’ve spent as much cash as you might have on your new iPhone, it is necessary that your iPhone be capable to grow and alter as you do. An iPhone pores and skin not only allows your telephone to be as unique as you need it to be every step of the best way, but it also offers very basic protection to your cellphone, a price that Apple just can’t provide in an iPhone shell.

If you wish to be plain and carry a fundamental iPhone, then you’re, after all, always in a position to take action; nonetheless, anybody who has spent quite a lot of time and money on their phone will almost certainly wish to have one thing more unique than everyone around them. If that individual is you, then I implore you to look in to an iPhone pores and skin, the most secure, most cost-effective, and best approach to give your phone the look that you really want it to have.

In 1975 Henry Edward Roberts, called “Ed” by friends, family and associates, through his company Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems or MITS; brought his computer to the public with the help of Bill Gates and Paul Allen who developed the language, BASIC, and wrote the program to operate the machine.

Ultimately  Roberts’ machine would become the PC we’re all using today. The BASIC language of the machine’s operating system (OS) has become the Microsoft Windows operating system we all know and some love to hate.
In a released joint statement from Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the two remember their colleague:

“Ed was willing to take a chance on us — two young guys interested in computers long before they were commonplace — and we have always been grateful to him… The day our first untested software worked on his Altair was the start of a lot of great things. We will always have many fond memories of working with Ed in Albuquerque, in the MITS office right on Route 66 — where so many exciting things happened that none of us could have imagined back then.”~Paul Allen Bill Gates on the death of their associate Dr. Henry Edward Roberts.

Another interesting fact about Ed Roberts is, after selling the company in 1977 he returned to Wheeler County, Georgia, where he’d spent summers as a youngster with his grandparents. He purchased a farm and became a gentleman farmer. As fate would have it he was presented with an opportunity to fulfill his dream of becoming a medical doctor.

Mercer University, located near Roberts’ home,  began a medical school training program in 1982. Ed Roberts was among the first to enroll and graduate. In 1986 he received his M.D.. He completed his residency as an internist and established his practice in Cochran, Georgia, a small town near Macon.

Dr. Roberts died of pneumonia in a hospital in Macon, Georgia. He was 68 years-old.

Click on image to view full page ad for Altair 8080 from August 1975.

Starbucks announced today, through its VP of Volume, the introduction of two new beverage sizes in stores in the U. S. and Canada this Fall.

Plenta™ (128 fl oz) and Micra™ (2 fl oz) cups arrive in Starbucks stores this Fall. Derived from Italian word for plentiful or small, the Plenta™ delivers coffee lovers record amounts of the world’s finest coffee beverages while the Micra™ delivers a quick and satisfying morsel of goodness.

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” I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, ‘They’re looting.’ You see a white family, it says, ‘They’re looking for food.’ And, you know, it’s been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I’ve tried to turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I’m calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help — with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way — and they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us!”

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people!”

~Kanye West, musical artist, during fund raising event in the aftermath of the devastating hurricane Katrina on NBC live telecast Friday, September 2, 2005

We assembled the smartest people on our staff to view and discuss the following controversial 39 second video clip:

George W. Bush appears to have wiped his hand on Bill Clinton’s shirt after shaking hands with a crowd of Haitians.
The conclusion of our gathered collective brain trust is Kanye West was right.

If seeing is believing we think the preceding video is proof positive George H.W. and Barbara’s first born is a racist. Not that right thinking people needed any additional proof of his bigoted ways.

Kanye’s statements on the evening of September 2, 2005, when NBC’s levees broke, seem to have been very accurate. Five years later when NBC is an acronym for “Nothing But Controversy”; and the whole world can watch via YouTube or on any blogger’s site, including this one, how in lieu of hand sanitizer the former president GWB, aka “President Dumbya”, could not resist wiping his hand on the shirt of another former president, who erroneously is called by some “America’s first black president” we have evidence of how George W. Bush really feels about dark skinned people of African descent.

We saw how well George related to President and Mrs. Obama when he greeted them at the White House during the administration transition.

We’ve been allowed to see him interact with President Obama and the other past presidents, Carter and Clinton at a luncheon last year at the White House.

We were shocked when it was announced George and Bill would be working together to raise money for the people of Haiti. We realize Bill is a closet Republican, better known as a Dixie-crat. George knows he is in competition with Bill for G.H.W. Bush’s attentions. As if it isn’t enough to have to compete with JEB for Daddy Bush’s love-
” ’cause everybody knows JEB is the smart one”.

We’re just saying with all the lies being perpetrated by the die-hard members of the G.O.P about how caring the former president is for poor people and some black people who aren’t even poor for us the video makes all their claims null and void.

We want to thank our cleverly comic friends at The Onion for providing this wonderful, and on some level salient, video piece spoofing the news. They’re telling it like it T-I-S!

DISCLAIMER: Be advised the language may be offensive to some, so turn down the volume, or pop in those ear buds/headphones for privacy if your grandma, or your boss is within earshot. This piece is hilarious. Enjoy!

Breaking News: Some Bullshit Happening Somewhere

The Vatican’s chief exorcist for 25 years, 85 year old Father Gabriele Amorth says:

“When one speaks of ‘the smoke of Satan’ [a phrase coined by Pope Paul VI in 1972] in the holy rooms, it is all true – including these latest stories of violence and paedophilia.”

As the president of honour of the Association of Exorcists, Father Amorth attributes  70,000 cases of demonic possession to the consequences of satanic infiltration. This includes power struggles at the Vatican along with  “cardinals who do not believe in Jesus, and bishops who are linked to the Demon”.

No doubt it’s the devil in the details as to why so many Roman Catholics do not practice their beliefs nor regularly attend weekly services or confession.

And there you have it.  The Vatican’s version of unsolved mysteries; only this time the mystery has been solved.
The devil made them do it!

Gabourey Sidibe is  young, vivacious and beautiful. Let’s commend her fine award winning, Golden Globe and Oscar nominated performance. Her portrayal of an abused, emotionally challenged urban female youth brought attention to the issues of child abuse, mental illness and poor nutrition, features of home life for too many American families.

While we applaud her success can we just give the lady a break on the assessment of her appearance? There is no doubt Ms Sidibe is aware she is fat. There I said it. Just like she knows she’s intelligent, witty, clever, acclaimed for her work on film, she knows she is a dark skinned African American female who is overweight. She disclosed in an interview with Oprah she was on her first diet to lose weight at age six years old.

“It’s something I’ve had to work at. My first diet started when I was six years old. I’ve never been a small girl. One day I had to sit down with myself and decide that I loved myself no matter what my body looked like and what other people thought about my body.”~ Gabourey (Gabby) Sidibe in an interview with Oprah Winfrey November 2009

How could she not know these things about herself? These are facts she has lived with for all of her 24 years. Nearly a quarter of a century of knowing who she is and what she looks like. Gabourey says when she was 21 or 22  she finally became comfortable in her own skin.

“I got tired of feeling bad all the time. I got tired of hating myself.”~ Gabourey (Gabby) Sidibe in an interview with Oprah Winfrey November 2009

It’s because she is self aware she is confident to successfully perform the work she does.

Gabourey Sidibe, like many American black people, knows she is black; and like many overweight Americans, black,  white or any other race, she knows she is fat.

What Ms Sidibe has done in addition to providing a stellar film performance, and showing the world her lovely personality and her spunky youth as she promotes the movie and other projects, she has brought to our attention two important issues. One issue is child abuse and the other our poor eating habits.

Whether the abuse is mental, sexual or physical, child abuse can be prevented. Remember hurt people hurt people. There are means to helping those who have been hurt by helping them to understand themselves, helping them to heal so they stop abusing themselves and those they love.

Yes, Gabourey Sidibe is fat. There are many actors who are fat who are taking some kind of drug to suppress their appetites to keep their poundage low with no guarantee this will insure they are hired for the next big teevee or blockbuster movie role.

I am equally concerned for those anorexic, bulimic looking actresses and models who every week, every month grace the covers of popular magazines. I believe they are as unhealthy as the ones we call obese.

I say let’s have a national conversation about changing the way our foods are preserved and processed. I say let us have a national conversation that leads us to demand the food supply is clean and free of fat inducing sugars and chemicals. We can do this if we are really as concerned about the matter of childhood obesity, and adult obesity along with other preventable health issues.

As for Gabourey Sidibe, and the equally unhealthy skinny dolls in the entertainment industry they have been sufficiently told about their appearance, as if they did not already know. Let them choose of their own accord to lose the weight,  gain weight or do nothing about their weight. They are all grown ups. Let these people be who they wish to be.

They’re adults and this is after all America–land of the free, home of the brave, anorexic or fat if we choose to be.

However, when we viewed what happened we could not believe our eyes. Of all the reports we found we liked this one video report because of the fairness of the presentation–both sides were told and we liked the frumpy looking anchor’s closing remarks. Watch and you’ll see what we mean…

There is no doubt this is a family who put the D-I-S in disrespect,  or the D-Y-S and the  F-U-N in dysfunction.

Our favorite quote from the shop owner,

“They don’t know how to deal with things in the United States. They think they in Fallujah or the mountains of Iraq or somewhere.”

His comments not only give us a hint as to the ethnicity of the people who attacked his store; it tells of the cultural difference between the bride, her family and the businessman and his family.

This statement also reminds us it’s one thing to come to the United States to be free; we must be mindful of the many strange customs to be learned that make assimilation a real challenge , too.

For example asking to have a gown valued at more than one thousand dollars on credit or even using a credit card that is not your own–it’s in the name of someone who is not present at the shop with you–these are unacceptable practices  in the U.S. Throwing a hissy-fit, making threats assaulting the shop owners  and tearing up their place of business is an even less than acceptable behavior in these United States. If they do not know they certainly need to ask somebody. Hot ghetto mess demeanor is not the way to go.

We suggest a suitable punishment for the perpetrators would be for the groom (??) and his boyz to be confined to the local jail on the day of the wedding; the nuptials will have to be held at the jail house for all the trouble they caused. The bride should be made to wear the government issued orange or blue incarceration jumpsuit to match her groom and his groomsmen, for her part in instigating the melee. In fact the traditional black and white broad horizontal striped garb would be suitable for the occasion- a wedding behind bars. Black and white is a very chic fashion statement!

Remember, if you want to clown in public you may receive your fleeting fifteen minutes of fame notoriety on the Internet as a featured YouTube video.

We’re still trying to figure out why after all this time we are still hearing from, people are talking about,and we are seeing almost everywhere reports about Sarah “The Quitter” Palin. Take a look at
this video excerpt from a recent episode of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central…..

Which brings us to Palin’s use of the word “satire”. She says the big fat guy on the radio was using satire when he referred to liberals as being retarded. She says it wasn’t an insult. She says President Obama’s Chief Of Staff should be fired for his use of the same word in a private conversation because she’s offended by his use of the word. Was he talking to her? About her?

We are pleased to accept Stephen Colbert’s invitation to say Sarah “The Terrah” Palin-the former Alaska governor is an effin’ retard!

“Failure is not a word I accept”~ John H. Johnson, Publisher

John H. Johnson was an American businessman, founder of the Johnson Publishing Company. He was the chairman of Johnson Publishing Company and he also chaired the Fashion Fair Cosmetics Company, a company created by his wife Eunice Walker Johnson.

Under his leadership both Jet and Ebony Magazines flourished. Readership and circulation grew every year from 1945 the year in which they were first published.

The magazines were named by his wife Eunice and the start-up money came from a $500 loan  from his mother. She allowed Johnson to use her furniture as collateral for the loan.

His business success is nothing short of meteoric. He rose from the depths of poverty, spending a short time on the welfare rolls to becoming the first Black African American to be included in the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans.

“Indomitable spirit”, that is how many describe Johnson’ secret to success. He was creative and innovative. He always found a solution. when faced with blatant racial discrimination when he was denied approval to buy a lot in downtown Chicago, Johnson hired a white attorney to buy the property in trust for him.  By this action he became the first black to construct a major structure in Chicago’s bustling downtown business area.

From President Bill Clinton, John H. Johnson received the nation’s highest  civilian award  the Presidential Medal Of Freedom.

During his business career because of his business expertise Johnson was chosen to serve as director of several important American corporations including Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Continental Banks and Dillard’s Department Stores. He was also a trustee of United Negro College Fund and the Conference of Christians And Jews.

John H. Johnson  is recognized as the first entrepreneur to acknowledge the
awesome buying power of the Black African American consumer.

The word of warning is DON’T! Do Not share everything about your life on the Internet…as fascinating as you may find it, or you believe others may find it so, some nefarious individuals may find it even more so…

We advise what is private must remain private.

It is said a word to the wise is sufficient and if you happen to be unwise then a picture is worth at least a thousand words…

“We use the ability to lower the armrests as the gauge, as the armrests are truly the definitive boundary between each seat.”

Blanche Africa Reilly Dark has her say about Southwest Airlines and movie director Kevin Smith.

Over the past weekend the Internet was all a buzz with news a young fat movie director was ejected in a manner he considers inappropriate whether he is a well known fat dude flying the people’s airline or just one of the unknown people who fly affordable air transportation. I should add right here I agree with Smith. The disrespect and humiliation demonstrated toward him was absolutely unacceptable! It’s unsatisfactory to be rude to any paying customer in any industry.

According to Southwest Airlines own web site this policy for “customers of size”–read that phrase as a euphemism for fat, overweight or obese,  has been followed “for 29 of our 38 years of operation, but only became more vigilant regarding the additional purchase when we began seeing an increase in the number of valid complaints from passengers who traveled without full access to the seat purchased because a large Customer infringed upon the adjacent seating space.”

Many Americans are overweight. Many airline seats are too small and uncomfortable to accommodate regular size, “normal” size, American travelers. Seventeen inches wide indeed!  My office desk chair is an inch wider. It does not mean I wish to sit in it for a two hour flight!

I believe Smith and his wife when they say he’s got the body of a stout fellow; that he’s not a  portly man whose body can be accurately described as one encroaching into another passenger’s territory .

“.Purchasing two seats on Southwest Airlines is significantly less expensive than purchasing one first class seat on another airline..” from the Southwest Airlines web site Customer Of Size Q & A page

I believe Smith when he says he buys two seats on the regular because he can afford to do so to insure his traveling privacy and comfort given the seats are really small.

To end this controversy I suggest there be a scale to weight passengers, just like the luggage is weighed, before the board the aircraft.

A tip to the heavyweights who choose air travel over car, bus or train, make sure you’re not the last fat chick or fat dude to board the plane.

I say this because as I listened to Kevin Smith’s description of his experience of Southwest Airlines poor customer service it became quite clear he was, as a passenger flying on stand-by status, the last fat man to board the plane. This by no means justifies the maltreatment he received.

In fact it is a call for larger seats, and more respect for the not so skinny average American traveler. Shame on you Gary Kelly and your band of corporate associates. All your platitudes and lofty musings have not trickled down to the rank and file as courteous action. Tsk! Tsk!

Blanche predicts more passengers will begin to ditch Southwest and book flights with the competition.

Unless Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly, Greg Crum, VP Operations, who I understand is responsible for those who interact with the public, as well as Matt Hafner, (Ground Operations executive) and Mike Hafner, (Inflight Services); –I wonder are those two brothers?… and company can reinvigorate in their personnel with some of that Southwest Airlines culture– the “warrior spirit”, “a servant’s heart” and that well promoted “fun-LUVing attitude” along with some real love toward the flying public whether they are Kate Moss skinny, Moni’que big or chubby like comedian Earthquake or hefty like Ralphie May.

If you ignore this matter Southwest Airlines could go the way of Pan Am.

“We are the world, we are the children…”
Lionel Richie

In March of 1985 forty-five American singing stars gathered at the A&M music studio to record a song composed by the late Michael Jackson and lyricist Lionel Richie. The featured singers from several genres of music joined to make a record that would be sold to raise money for the charity USA For Africa. They raised over $30 million to help the less fortunate overseas.

On February 1, 2010 a new generation of celebrities, count’em 80, singers, actors, and the like–joined by some old school participants from the first recording, have gathered to do a remake of the original song We Are The World. This time money raised will go the benefit the survivors of last month’s devastating earthquake in Haiti. The organization is We Are The World 25 For Haiti.

“There’s a choice we’re making.
We’re saving our own lives…”-Lionel Richie

Nearly twenty-five years after the initial recording of the song created by the late Michael Jackson with lyrics by Lionel Richie, a new generation of Hollywood celebrities, singers, actors, models and people just known for being known, gathered to record a remake of the song that raised in 1985 more than $30 million for the charity USA For Africa.

This new crop of celebrities met on February 1, 2010, almost 25 years after the first gathering headed by music producer Quincy Jones, to record the cover to raise money for the survivors of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti.

We’ve decided to revisit the original recording from 1985:

We’ve posted the lyrics indicating which artist is singing what part.

Lionel Richie
There comes a time when we heed a certain call

We are the world….

See if you can recognize who is present for the historic session from twenty-five years ago. In the next article we will take a look at the 2010 version We Are The World 25 for Haiti.

The first person of black African descent to travel in space was the Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, who is also the first Hispanic in space.

Guion “Guy” Bluford, now retired from NASA and the Air Force since 1993, currently serves as vice president and general manager of the Science and Engineering Group,  Aerospace Sector of Federal Data Corporation in Maryland. Dr. Bluford has received  many honors not the least of which was his 1997 induction into the International Space Hall of Fame .

This Pennsylvania State University grad
holds degrees in aerospace engineering, including a doctorate with a minor in laser physics, is the veteran of four shuttle flights where he performed the tasks of mission specialist and flight engineer.

Guion Bluford is an Eagle Scout, and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, who is also a member of Omega Si Phi fraternity with more than 600 hours logged in outer space.

We want you to know and remember Martin Luther King, Jr was substantive, not just a dreamer. He was a strategist and a man of action who used the same principles as India’s Gandhi, to lead the greatest movement for equality and freedom the world has ever seen. There is a difference between non-resistance and non-violent resistance to evil acts.

The late Dr. King, a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace, inspired a national movement and a worldwide following.

This landmark presentation delivered by the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr describes the conditions that brought about the public demonstration by thousands of Americans, of all races and religions, to change the policy of the times. He implores the government to remove the barriers that limit freedom for anyone who is not white.

He expresses the purpose for the gathering. He eloquently explains what is desired by the national black community.

Note how he predicts continued unrest if the demand for equal rights is not adequately addressed and soon. The philosopher reminds those who protest the racist policies to remain peaceful but steadfast. King also speaks of the interconnectedness of both blacks and whites.

And in the end he describes his dream and his hope the nation will live up to its full promise allowing freedom to ring from every mountain, village, hamlet, city, and state.

Mostly this bad behavior is from the so-called “loyal opposition”. From what we’d previously observed the Republicans in the Congress know the rules and the policies. That’s how they always manage to best the Dems at the game.

This lapse in socially acceptable, good behavior, gives us reason to believe the Democrats may have a shot at growing a spine or having one implanted if the official GOP reps continue to act out.

Last week during President Obama’s very first State Of The Union Address a federal Supreme Court justice was seen mouthing an opposing reaction. Traditionally the justices of the court are to remain impartial. That means no public demonstration of support or opposition to anything the president says during the SOTUA.

Of course the lack of impartiality became very apparent during the selection of George W. Bush in 2000 when the court took sides and chose Bush over Al Gore; we think this happened because the decision was based on who arrived at the courthouse door first. In this case it was BushCo.

Last year during a speech to the Congress some representative could not control himself and blurted out from the audience calling the president a liar. He later apologized. No apology would be necessary if he did not demonstrate such blatant disrespect

Where do these people think they are? The UK? The Parliament or the House of Lords? Shouting and calling out at the administrative leader is what is done across the pond. It is not good form in the U.S. of A.

We’ve noted many have expressed their rudeness and disrespect for our current president. Jimmy Carter says the maltreatment Barack Obama is receiving is because he’s black. Perhaps. It may also be a sign of the frustration of the times. Our country is in a mess. It isn’t his fault. It was like this when he came into office.

Mark Fiore, political cartoonist gives his version of the president giving a speech….

This piece which uses some outstanding trick photography, is by Joezjny a comic filmmaker on the Dutch Comedy Central…remember it’s only a joke.

Rather than dismiss Larry Platt as just some old guy who received a benevolent 15 minutes of stardom, we found him interesting enough to conduct some research.

We found he is an American treasure. He is a part of living American History. General Larry Platt is an activist who survived the Civil Rights Era to bring us this lively tune; it is the foundation on which so many others have built a creative tower.

Just watch as Jimmy Fallon, who we believe was the first to pick up the tune, performs it as Neil Young.

See Jimmy Fallon, as his television persona, when he plays Larry Platt’s song with one of the American Idol judges, bassist Randy Jackson in a jam session with musical group The ROOTS. BTW we are fans of The ROOTS.

Now watch, comic actor, comedienne and writer/producer, Wanda Sykes, as character “General Mamma Gram”, do her parody of Larry Platt’s song, “Boobs Outcha Blouse”.

Interestingly enough this is what Bill Cosby, President Barack Obama, Shiela Johnson owner of three professional sports franchises, are speaking of when they discuss the style of dress of young people.

We know everyone who dresses inappropriately won’t get the hint.
We hope many will be successful in beautifying America.

There has been much buzz about the new iPad, which looks to us like a big-A phone for old people.

We found this video produced about three years ago by MadTV around the time the first murmurs of an iPad product were heard. We concur with the opinion expressed by the off the wall writers at MadTV.

Watch an enjoy…

We found this piece called “How To Report The News” by British journalist and writer of satire Charlie Brooker to be comical as well as  informative.

Fellow bloggers–especially those who produce online videos, please take note…

Bachmann was rude and disrespectful to Senator Specter. She continuously interrupted him, and when he requested she allow him to speak she continued to talk over him.

We understand she was ecstatic about the victory of Scott “I’m-Pimping-My-Daughters-Worldwide” Brown, that Republican male model guy who won the Massachusetts senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy for forty years. Brown won election  over the Princess of Entitlement Martha “I-Don’t-Know-Nuthin’-About-Nuthin’-Not-Even-The Law- And-I’m-The-Head-Lawyer-For Massachusetts” Coakley.

We will also add the defeat of Coakley by Brown is really nothing to brag about. Brown’s victory over Coakley is like stuntman Steve-O beating out Lauren Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen USA from a few years ago in a speech contest. It’d be real easy for Steve-O to win. There only competition is who is the least inarticulate.

We understand there is a difference of opinion considering Specter left Bachmann’s party to return to his roots in the Democrat party. However Bachmann, junk yard bulldog in lipstick and heavy make-up, that she is could give a shot at being civil. Tone down the hyperbole and the histrionics to

However there is no excuse for behaving in an unseemly manner.  There is something to be said for the many years the 80 year-old Senator has been in politics, the years in the Senate and the roles he has played in major historic events

Bachmann badgered Specter until the elder statesman had to remind her to behave like a lady.

If this newest of the female Republican firebrand isn’t careful she could end up like the late, great for 15 minutes, former congresswoman Katherine Harris of Florida..tossed away like a used Kleenex.

It would be hilarious if it not for the possibility our future may be policed in every aspect. Our lives could be over turned and disrupted for the sake of providing security. Our privacy destroyed.

Imagine driving across town and being stopped several times en route to have your vehicle searched and your person patted down. Routine security checks would be the norm when traveling by train in the city, from one city to another, from state to state, not because the authorities are searching for a fugitive, because this is how your safety is manifested as the priority of law enforcement.

It begins with complying with the request for personal information when it isn’t necessary to provide it. Once we, the public, are trained to be accepting of such requests, and we’re almost there–why does Wal-Mart need your identification when returning an item for refund? They did not require it when you made the purchase either cash or credit card…we will be totally under the control of whatever power that rules for whatever purpose they choose.

Here’s an excerpt from an episode of Bravo Channel’s Inside the Actors Studio featuring Conan O’Brien as guest.

This interview took place in 2009 prior to O’Brien taking over as host of the Tonight Show.

Tune was selected because O’Brien admired the late comedian and actor Bob Hope. It was also chosen because Lipton who worked with Hope on several of his birthday specials also crafted customized lyrics for those televised celebrations.

The sentiment expressed is for the sadness of having O’Brien leave the 1230 late night time slot for the alleged greener pastures of the 1135 time period.

Watch this video showing how these creatures use their intelligence to create a clever way to capture their food.

We love Sea World and
all the places where humans can interact with these seemingly docile animals…and no they are not fish. They are mammals like us humans.

Think about that for a minute.  The man is the spokesman for millions of people who tune into his program. Millions of people who are faceless.

We also decided that his statement about the fact the other nation that shares the island of Hispaniola, the Dominica Republic is thriving because in his estimation, they did not make a deal with the devil. WE beg to differ with Pat Robertson.

In fact we found a letter, allegedly from Satan stating exactly the reasons why Robertson is o wrong….

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I’m all over that action.

But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I’m no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished.

Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven’t you seen “Crossroads”? Or “Damn Yankees”?

If I had a thing going with Haiti, there’d be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I’m just saying: Not how I roll.

You’re doing great work, Pat, and I don’t want to clip your wings — just, come on, you’re making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That’s working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan

LILY COYLE, MINNEAPOLIS

The former drummer for Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, left the group to become a wildly successful solo act and star of Philadelphia International Records, especially when he became the first to perform “Ladies Only” concerts, establishing a musical program marketing brand targeted for the ladies….demographic 18 to 80. All the females swoon for Teddy.

All of Philadelphia mourns along with his surviving family members, as does the world, the passing of one of music’s legendary figures.

Memorial services are scheduled for Friday, January 22, 2010 in Philadelphia.

Though the lyrics are repetitive the sentiment is catchy and we believe Secretary Janet Napolitano might find it will help TSA employees better perform their airport security duties.

The lyrics for General Larry Platt
Pants on the ground,
Pants on the ground,
Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground!

With the gold in your mouth,
Hat turned sideways,
Pants hit the ground,
Call yourself a cool cat,
Lookin’ like a fool,
Walkin’ downtown with your pants on the ground!

Get it up, hey!
Get your pants off the ground,
Lookin’ like a fool,
Walkin’ talkin’ with your pants on the ground.

Get it up, hey!
Get your pants off the ground,
Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground!

Certainly parents, guardians, school and work counselors everywhere will be singing this tune….

Robertson recently announced on the religious television variety/talk show The 700 Club that the disaster in Haiti is the punishing curse the result of a pact made with the devil some years ago by the Haitian people (??) during the war for liberation from the French under the Emperor Napoleon. This is Robertson’s lame atteempt at revisionist history.

Limbaugh has suggested the recent natural earthquake disaster which has decimated the island nation has helped to enhance the image of  U.S. President Barack Obama. Among Limbaugh’s ridiculous remarks, the big man on the radio says the earthquake has played into Obama’s hands, allowing the president appear “compassionate” and “humanitarian” while simultaneously bolstering his standing in both the “light-skinned and dark-skinned black community in this country.”  The last part is a riff on the factual statement recently made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D. Nevada). [In describing then candidate Senator Obama's potential marketability to the American voters he said obama is a light skinned with no Negro dialect unless he wants to have one.]

We believe neither Robertson nor Limbaugh should complain because the United States has sent its military to Haiti to help keep the peace. All the other nations of the world have donated humanitarian aid such as medicines, doctors, food provisions, money; from China to Germany, from Spain to Ireland; from France to Mexico all have given aid that does not include a military presence.

The United States has continued its tradition of sending its military to intimidate  and control Haitians, a policy established when the U.S. made that great real estate transaction with the French government more than 200 yuears ago known as the  Louisiana Purchase which today is now 13 American states.

We believe the nutty preacher and the really big guy on the radio, clearly a very odd couple,  have no reason to complain. Our U.S. government are doing what it has always done in Haiti.

If you wish to help the survivors of the Caribbean disaster make donations
to Yele Haiti the fund organized by Haiti’s musical gift to the world Wyclef Jean.

We especially like that Dave Letterman has sanely, reasonably, generously offered a solution to the late night programming issues at the competing network NBC. Needless to say, but we’ll say it anyway, we like old Dave’s suggestion. Watch what he has to say around 3:30 into the 5 minute piece you’ll see Letterman deliver a great solution to the problem.

It’s the 21st Century answer to a boring tired, getting-to-be-lame format that everyone believes needs an injection of ” Truly NEW and IMPROVED”.

We believe David Letterman makes this suggestion because he believes, as a respectful broadcaster who honors the innovators of the past, and as a basically good guy, like Conan O’Brien, the Tonight Show franchise is the greatest in the history of the medium.

No offense to Jay Leno who has never worked in television prior to his appearances on variety shows and talk shows. Jay is a stand-up comic who is at his best on the road in club dates and theaters.

Jeff Zucker, whose background does not include any time before a camera or behind a microphone, isn’t listening to anyone. Zucker reportedly threatens to keep Conan O’Brien off the air for three and a half years because O’Brien will not go on the air with the Tonight Show at 12:05, which according to all clocks is no longer Tonight, but in fact tomorrow. Conan’s representatives counter Zucker/NBC could be looking at the wrong end of a law suit if any attempt is made to make that threat a reality. All this is according to reports we’ve received from Hollywood late this afternoon.

Stay tuned….this can only get better…..

Few people are aware of another man’s dream.
In 2007 Tiger Woods, the greatest PGA champion of all time said,
“I had a dream. In my dream I became the first billion dollar sports figure. I dreamed my beautiful wife and two lovely young children, a son and a daughter, were living happily with me in our home in the ritzy gated community in the Orlando, Florida area. I was living a charmed life…in my dream life was great!”

Several months before the single car accident on Thanksgiving evening at his home in Florida; before the shocking revelations which followed that car crash Tiger had a dream, too.

“Then, in my dream, there came an argument with my wife about sex. She was questioning me about sexual affairs she suspected I may have had during the PGA tour. I denied everything, telling her how much I love her and the kids, as I sent text messages to my latest jump-off.

“It all begin late one night during a holiday. I can not recall if it were Thanksgiving or Christmas in my dream. All I know is that my wife was relentless in her questioning and when I did not give the answer she was seeking,  she struck me across the face me with a nine iron. She inflicted some serious damage in my dream. More about that later.

“In my dream I tried to  escape from her fury by driving off in my SUV. Dressed only in  shorts and Tee-shirt, without shoes or sandals I jumped into the vehicle to make my escape, but in my dream Elin smashed the rear window, I hit a fire hydrant and a tree. I never made it out of the driveway.

“In my dream, when I awoke I was in a local hospital trying to answer questions as to how I obtained my injuries. I was pretty messed up. A deep gash across my face and a couple of broken teeth. Whoever said ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’ knew what he was talking about. In my dream Elin could swing a mighty mean golf club even though I maintained I’d done nothing to hurt or betray her or our children.

“The next morning, in my dream, by the end of the day, only one or two instances of indiscretions were disclosed. By the end of my dream an astronomical number of sexual liaisons with too many hootchies to count were disclosed to the media;

“I was accused of engaging in sexual manage-a-trois with men, as well as women. Fortunately they did not include animals in their tales of my sex-capades. I was so distraught, in my dream, I was calling other personalities for advice such as Hugh Grant, and Senator David Vitter, since they both have dealt with similar situations and they’re still popular and earning substantial incomes. I even sent a text message to Florida Republican former member of the House Mark Foley, asking for his advice.

“My wholesome family man image was destroyed and the pieces of my life were left like confetti in a media whirlwind. It was worse than a media circus. It was a typhoon of calamity.

“Everyday there were new revelations about me and some other female saying she’d done more than kissed and now she was telling…for cash payment. Actually I can not blame them for getting the money since I never spent a dime on them…in my dream.

“In fact there were so many women one tabloid made a picture calender of all the females I allegedly bedded.

“I even dreamed one of my friends, one of my closest comrades, it may have been Michael Jordan or Charles Barkley or maybe one of the less well known members of my TW inner circle, who had talked to the media telling all he knew about my roguish escapades. He did this after I had spoken to him in confidence. Well you know what we Buddhists say about those who break confidence…it’s the responsibility of he who breaks the confidence to deal with his own conscious.

“Fortunately, I woke up from this dream turned nightmare just as my contracts for commercial endorsements were being canceled because of something called “moral turpitude”. I woke up from that horror relieved knowing I’m Tiger Woods and nothing or nobody can damage my wholesome, cardboard, Cablinasian family man image.

“At least nine Detroit area high school juniors are in trouble for wearing sweat shirts bearing a design that evokes the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers.”
The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press report a spokesman for the authorities of  Dearborn Public Schools believe the shirts worn by the boys on Monday at Edsel Ford High School, members of the graduating class of 2011, is “offensive” and in “poor taste”. The boys are scheduled to meet with the school authorities.  News reports say no suspensions are planned.

In defense of the young men who live in a predominately Arab suburb of Detroit, we say perhaps the education officials are a might too sensitive, given the possibility many of the relatives of those same young men have been killed or maimed or displaced  because of the overzealous actions of the U.S. government’s disruption in the Middle East.

We like the intention these young men are conveying. We interpret their statement as one of confidence and tenacity of purpose. To us they are saying we are young, determined and we can not be brought down. We believe theirs is as patriotic a statement as one could want from the children of immigrants. No doubt the young men involved in the controversy are American born and wish to show their interest in doing good in the world despite the bigotry and institutional racism they face daily.

Let us not return to the so-called good old days when we were searching for a Communist sympathizer under every shrub and rock. Or to the days when young black males were hunted down and killed for being young, male and black.

Let cooler heads prevail. The CIA, the TSA and the military by their actions are doing more than the terror cell recruiters to grow more really scary bomb igniting young terrorists into this fight.

Let’s not be so sensitive about our situation. Let’s walk a mile in the shoes of some other folks for a change.

After all it’s only a piece of clothing. It’s not a sophisticated missile  or even an improvised explosive device.

We just read an article written by Mike Adams who is known online as the Health Ranger. Mike’s salient explanation of how a bomb of the type it is said Mutallab was packing works seems as plausible as the explanations being given to the gullible American public the last three or four days.

Here’s what Adams says…

“Had this explosive packet actually been set off, I can tell you exactly what would have happened: There would have been a really loud pop, immediately followed by in-flight pieces of exploding butt cheeks.

I’m not trying to be funny here. This is a true description of the way bombs work. They explode outward, destroying whatever is closest to them first. And this guy actually had this bomb wedged in between his butt cheeks. A sort of “wedgie bomb”, if you will. A wedgie with a bang….”

And this is the most important point of Adams’ article:

“Think about it. In World War II films, you know how you always see brave soldiers throwing themselves on an enemy grenade to protect their squad buddies? That actually works because whoever is on top of the grenade absorbs the explosion. It’s basic physics…”

Instead of being the villain it’s possible to spin this story so that Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab is the lifesaving hero and not the blood thirsty bumbling teevee sitcom terrorist he’s being made out to be.

Hmmm now that’s something to think about.

Contemplate these questions too

Are American still too gullible and easily manipulated by the government and the media? Have we lost our ability to think independently? Is this another plot by the government to keep us livning in fear…remember shock and awe..?

We have been asked to believe the young Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, who comes from a wealthy family, is a bumbling idiot near do well, whose father reported him to the U.S. security authorities. (Think Brad Pitt’s character in “Twelve Monkeys”.) We are asked to accept the fact Mutallab was in the terror data base with out restriction placed to keep an eye on him

We think our country is like the spouse whose life partner has chosen to be unfaithful and no one, no friends, family or acquaintances will tell the naive spouse they gettin’ played.

We propose this scenario which may be better received from a public growing more cynical every day.

Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab was in the data base and selected by the CIA or some other nefarious U.S. security agency to fake attempting to blow up a transcontinental flight on Christmas Day. We’ll call it the fake Al-Qaeda…Al See-aye-A-did. In the Obama Era, as proven during the BushCo years, even a failed attempted act of terror can keep the public in awe and completely shock the sheeple.

Let’s even say Mutallab didn’t even know he was gettin’ punked to be a part of the scheme to keep Americans frightened of the big bad Al Qaeda boogie man. Let’s say Mutallab thought he was taking a stand against the great Satan on behalf of dissident insurgents throughout the world. Let’s say he was given a tranquillizer to dull his senses, and faulty equipment like charcoal lighter fluid, silly putty and some bogus powdery substance to simulate the explosive.

What we present is just as plausible as the story presented by law enforcement authorities.

UPDATE: The fake Al-Qaeda…Al See-aye-A-did has taken responsibility for the failed attempt to blow up the flight 253 on Christmas Day just moments before it landed in Detroit.

After it was reported the Christmas Day bomber, 23 year-old Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, had fashioned the explosive into the shape of an extra long penis, the TSA has been inundated with applications for employment by females wanting to work as security checkers at the gates.

TSA is considering hiring these females because it believes men might not look at the penis closely enough to determine if it is real or not.

TSA is also now warning to beware of terrorist bombers with plastic breasts, amputees with fake legs and anyone with excessively long fake nails. All of these items can be lighted and used an endangerment to the flying public.
It’s also being reported Al Qaeda has adopted as its anthem the song, made popular by Jose Feliciano and later by the Doors, “Come One Baby Light My Fire”.

Rivera, the mother of two, became blind due to a rare disease called uveitis.

Fortunately, Dr. C. Michael Samson, his fellow Dr. Vincente Diaz, and their surgical team at the New York Ear and Eye Infirmary (NYEE) were able to restore the young woman’s vision.

Watch the following video to see and hear Rivera describe the first time she saw her daughter….

Many were proud and pleased to see him receive the honor; others were perplexed by the irony that the man who recently determined to escalate the war in Afghanistan is the most recent recipient of a prize that pays tribute to peace.As we present an excerpt from the opening of his acceptance, we, too, note the contradictory nature of this historic event.

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world:

I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations – that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.

And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize – Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela – my accomplishments are slight. And then there are the men and women around the world who have been jailed and beaten in the pursuit of justice; those who toil in humanitarian organizations to relieve suffering; the unrecognized millions whose quiet acts of courage and compassion inspire even the most hardened of cynics. I cannot argue with those who find these men and women – some known, some obscure to all but those they help – to be far more deserving of this honor than I.

But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; one in which we are joined by forty three other countries – including Norway – in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks.

Still, we are at war, and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. Some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict – filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.

To Be Continued…..

We were among the thousands who wrote to the president asking him not to commit more troops to the war in Afghanistan.

We are among the millions who know there is more to this story than meets the eye.

We heard Mr. Obama’s elegant and eloquent obfuscation of the facts. We heard him say the security of the United States is at risk.

Hmmm, that sounds to us like they have something in Afghanistan, like the Panama Canal, or the oil in Iraq, vital to our existence. It sounds like they have something we want. It sounds like the usual spin on the facts. Something belonging to another sovereign nation must be confiscated by our military in order to further the U.S. goal of world domination.

Tell the truth Mr. President. We implore you! The true reason for the surge in Afghanistan. Tell us the truth about the strategy to take what does not belong to us. Tell us the truth about minimizing the sovereignty of another nation. Didn’t we do this already in Iraq when our troops invaded in 2003?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As we look back on that fateful night in November 2008 when Barack Obama won election we realize the surge in Afghanistan announced this week is not what we bargained for.

We did not elect Obama to give us more of the same. The language of President Barack Obama’s speech  is the same as predecessor George W. Bush when he determined 30,000 troops, the same number as for Afghanistan, would be the number of troops needed for the 2007 surge in Iraq.

Many  voters, young and old alike believed you would bring us change and hope for our future. We believed you when you said your administration would not conduct politics as usual.

The only change we can see is the color of the leader of the free world. Although you are considered to be an iconic leader of the nation, an icon for the planet, you are not living up to the expectations or the promises you made to all of us young and old who believed you…at least as regards the warring nature of our country.

President Obama is better than most American politicians. He’s told half truths and not complete lies.

We do not believe the military commitment to Afghanistan will be for 18 months. We believe it will be as you stated your opponents’ wish an engagement lasting for many  years into the future.

The millions of lives that will be lost as a result of your devastating decision to send more troops to Afghanistan is just the tip of the iceberg.

For years our expert military generals planned strategies to roust the Soviets from the same area. Karma dictates the former Soviets, now Russians, will pay back American generals for the terrible time given them when they were in Afghanistan for eight years. This could become even more of a boondoggle  entanglement than Viet Nam.

We are extremely saddened to realize you are the same as your predecessors. You are not our man. You not a man of the people. You have proven yourself to be their man. You are one of them.

Given the choice between John McCain and Barack Obama perhaps we should have gone with good old Johnny and Sarah the Terror instead of Barry and Joey.

During the past month more than 25 Georgians have been briefly detained in South Ossetia and Abkhazia for border violations. These actions are straining tempers which flared over a year when South Ossetia was the focus of a five-day war between Russia and Georgia.

All except the teenagers have been quickly released. South Ossetia says the Red Cross has been given access to the teenagers. As representative  of the EU and Sweden, Reinfeldt urges the Ossetians to release the teens.

The European Union president has also denounced the Azerbaijan court’s decision in the case of two bloggers.

On Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Emin Milli received a sentence of 2 years 6 months and Adnan Hajizade, was sentenced to two years for their part in a fight in a restaurant last July. Some in Azerbaijan believe the young activists were arrested for their activism.

Even the EU presidency states its regret “the trial proceedings did not reflect due process and believes that the court decision may further undermine the freedom of expression” in Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister/President Reinfeldt has also spoken against the recent execution in China of nine people for their participation in the ethnic riots in Xinjiang last July. That’s when the Uighurs attacked majority Han Chinese in regional capital Urumqi after taking to the streets to protest against attacks on Uighur workers at a factory in southern China in June that left two Uighurs dead. The area is the Chinese-controlled far western majority Muslim region.

Reinfeldt condemned the executions calling on China to abolish the death penalty. it was concerned about the way the trials were carried out.

“The EU calls on China to review urgently the cases of those who remain under sentence of death for their alleged involvement in this year’s unrest and for their sentences to be commuted.”

The Chinese foreign ministry responded with a MYOB statement. (Mind Your Own Business). In his comments Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang charged the European Union was interfering in China’s internal affairs.

“We are extremely dissatisfied,”

Qin said in reference to the remarks by Reinfeldt. The full statement and the news conference in its entirety can be found on the ministry’s website (www.mfa.gov.cn).

China is a country ruled by laws, carried out the trials properly, and no outsider has a right to get involved, he said.

Qin said China

“demands the European side stop making the same mistakes again and again, earnestly respect the principles of equality and mutual respect, and do more to benefit the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations,”

We’re wondering if the EU Presidency will be speaking out against incidents of injustice, human rights violations here in the good old U.S. of A, Incidents like those reports describing law enforcement personnel tazing defenseless elderly and the young; incidents where police attack citizens who generally pose no serious life ending threat to police …Hmmmmm gives you something to think about.

Send your donation of money, clothing, computers, other school supplies and food to:
Love and Charity Homeless Mission
1031 Douglas Avenue
Racine Wisconsin 53403
Or telephone: 262-634-7059 to offer your time to be a helper in whatever way you can.

from their June 2008, five week appearance on the Today Show as contestants in the Race to The Altar competition; where one lucky couple wins an all expense paid televised wedding and private, lavish honeymoon.

I knew they were winners going into the competition. Handsome, confident, intelligent Darnell from St. Louis, Missouri and Decatur, Georgia along with, at the time his lovely fiance LaDonna from historic Tuskegee, Alabama–a true southern beauty, who is as brilliant as she is good looking, were the couple to watch.

And indeed millions did watch, as I did , as these two very accomplished young adults won the competition and were married on June 25, 2008, live, on the NBC television network.

Well this is what electrical/computer engineering professionals do after they marry each other. They establish a foundation. The Suggs Foundation, Inc, is a non-profit corporation, to promote scholastic values for those who follow them.

LaDonna and Darnell, oh I think they are so cute together; have decided to encourage others to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields, known as STEM, through the Suggs Foundation while providing young people with resources for simplifying the decision making process when facing the challenges of making pivotal life changes;  advancing responsible citizenship, shielding the beneficial social and cultural ecology and inspiring social action.

They’re a very clever couple. The focus of their foundation’s work is defined in  three parts. It’s a formula for what they call SUGGS-cess©. You know the children have the term copyrighted. I told you they’re smart.

Firstly, there’s the goal to increase the number of Americans pursuing careers in the STEM fields. Darnell and LaDonna use their foundation to promote the professional opportunities within these career areas. Lawd knows we need more scientists and engineers. Is there anyone out there today who can do simple math without a calculator?

Secondly, the Suggs recognize the difficulty many young people experience when making important decisive change from scholarly pursuits, the world of work/profession and relationships. In particular, the sometimes fragile transition between high school and college; followed by college and the work force, dating and subsequent marriage. The Suggs have noted the major moments in the life of a human being and have set out to make the life odyssey a more  welcome adventure.

Finally, the third part of the SUGGS-cess© formula is service. Their philosophy is advocating and teaching civic responsibility along with environmental responsibility can inspire community activism/ involvement.

What I admire about these exemplary, smart, good looking young people is they have decided to use their celebrity as a stage from which to sincerely share their passions.

They are available for public speaking engagements through which they will raise money for the foundation. Darnell and LaDonna are using the Suggs Foundation to raise funds by holding charitable events, and they also accept public and private donations.

The Suggs Foundation is striving to give a voice to academic and professional issues affecting our society, in order to strengthen the fabric of our country.

Darlings, that’s what I call SUGGS-cess©!

For more information on how to support STEM education
contact The Suggs Foundation by email thesuggs@meetthesuggs.com

The Unitarian Universalists Society’s Religious Education Committee’s successful Explorations collaborative, now presented on Wednesday evenings as the Wednesday Evening Explorations, (WEE), will be featuring two Life Long Learning series with Jim Strayer, biologist and lecturer, as moderator. Both programs will be covering the subject How Science is Done:Two Examples and will begin at 7pm. Contact 386-441-2811 or 386-672-2556 for more information.

First on Wednesday, November 4, Part 1 Joseph Priestley.
Joseph Priestly was a scientist who is widely known for his discovery of oxygen. According to the Wikipedia

“Priestley’s science was integral to his theology, and he consistently tried to fuse Enlightenment rationalism with Christian theism.[3] In his metaphysical texts, Priestley attempted to combine theism, materialism, and determinism, a project that has been called “audacious and original”.He believed that a proper understanding of the natural world would promote human progress and eventually bring about the Christian Millennium. Priestley, who strongly believed in the free and open exchange of ideas, advocated toleration and equal rights for religious Dissenters, which also led him to help found Unitarianism in England. The controversial nature of Priestley’s publications combined with his outspoken support of the French Revolution aroused public and governmental suspicion; he was eventually forced to flee, in 1791, first to London, and then to the United States, after a mob burned down his home and church. He spent the last ten years of his life living in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.”

In the second presentation in the series How Science is Done:Two Examples, on Wednesday, November 11 Part 2 Masters and Johnson. Scientist Jim Strayer will provide information about William Masters, renowned American gynecologist and his research associate Virginia Johnson, psychologist; together they comprised one of the first scientific research teams to investigate human sexual response in the laboratory.

Alfred Kinsey, earlier, had conducted his controversial research through personal interviews.

The study of human sexuality, sexology, was an area mostly neglected by scientists due to provincial social conventions during the mid 20th Century.

Join the Unitarian Universalists for an evening of thought provoking topics. For complete details call 386-441-2811 or 386-672-2556

“France has been with the No. 59 Brumos Porsche since the inception of the Daytona Prototype class in 2003. He was the first overall winner in the history of the class, joining Hurley Haywood in the No. 59 Fabcar for back-to-back victories at Homestead and Phoenix in 2003. He has co-driven the No. 59 Riley for the past two seasons with Joao Barbosa. His best finish since then was third in the 2009 Rolex 24, joined by Haywood, Barbosa and Terry Borcheller. A veteran of three different types of motorcycle racing – flat track, road racing and motocross – France drove in the KONI Challenge in 2002 before joining the Rolex Series.

France and Barbosa are currently eighth in the Daytona Prototype standings, only two points out of sixth. The 2008 winner of the Jim Trueman Award, France holds a 202-point lead over Rob Finlay as he bids to become the first two-time winner of Grand-Am’s  ‘Gentleman Driver’ award.”~ from news item August 2009.

The recent arrest and subsequent charges surrounding the adolescent episode of 44 year-old Jamison C. (Jamie) France, grandson of NASCAR founder,the late Bill France Sr., son of Jim France, founder of the Grand-Am circuit and cousin to Brian France, NASCAR CEO and chairman; reminds us of a scheme that might have been concocted by two characters from the Will Ferrell, John C. Riley film called “Step Brothers”. It’s the 21st Century version of “Dumb and Dumber” starring middle-aged men.

The film comedy is the story of Brennan Huff and Dale Dobeck two middle aged, very spoiled guys, who become competitive step brothers when their formerly single parents marry. We had no idea, in addition to being local ce-lout-brities big deals, a Hollywood film had been made about France and his step brother.

Jamison C. (J.C.) or Jamie France and his step brother, Russell Van Richmond were racing around the streets of Daytona Beach, Florida early Thursday morning in their expensive sports cars.  Both were charged with DUI, speeding and possession of illegal substances.

This story is so bizarre it caused the staff of YouThinkWhat to speculate along with our leader Henry T. Gandolph as to why a rich guy, who owns the Grand-Am car, a Brumos Porsche,  he and the team drove to win at least one victory this racing season; with one more race left, would choose to self sabotage a racing career. What would cause him to make the boneheaded decision to race on the Seabreeze Bridge in Daytona Beach, Florida after a night of partying?

Everyone knows, even tourists, the Daytona Beach Police are very vigilant for drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs late at night or early morning  coming across the bridge to the mainland at a high rate of speed, especially in the days leading up to what amounts to a local racing enthusiast biker “holiday” week of events.

In this part of Florida October means BIKE-tober Fest. It’s the time of year when bikers from everywhere come to Daytona to party. The City Of Daytona calls in law enforcement officers from all over the state just to keep the local residents and the visitors safe during this time.

Considering all the extreme safety consciousness of the authorities and  the Daytona Beach, Florida community why would a member of the town’s allegedly premier family flaunt such reckless behavior?

We’ve kicked this around and come up with what we believe is a plausible answer. Using the perspective of the screen characters, Brennan Huff and Dale Dobeck, mentioned at the beginning of this article. If you’ve seen the film you’ll understand the irrational logic we’re using to reach our unscientific, speculative conclusion.

The grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France, the son of Grand-Am founder Jim France; and cousin of Brian France chairman and CEO of NASCAR, is not comfortable being a driver on the Grand-Am circuit. The family has given him this spot in the family business in order to keep it all in the family.

He buys a car. They let him drive and let him think he’s captain of the team. He’s a co-driver with a guy who has trained and really knows and loves his job. We believe at this point, six years into driving and traveling the circuit, France is itching to get back to his decadent lifestyle. The cynosure to the Daytona Beach drunks, druggies and whores was desperate to return to his life before becoming a Grand-Am racing circuit driver.

On the circuit he has to stay morally straight, clean and upright. No booze, no drugs, what a drag. Drunks and druggies are not permitted to drive the circuit. Additionally they are disparaged by Brian France CEO and chairman of NASCAR which owns the Grand-AM.

Despite the fact there is a crew, a team of mechanics, engineers, drivers and man servants who wait on him hand and foot 24/7 who rely on him for a paycheck, France is self absorbed, self centered and conspires with his step brother to go out in a blaze of notoriety by doing some outrageous act that will get him suspended from the circuit for an undetermined amount of time, indefinite period,  forever, perhaps even for life.

In the deranged mind of this infamously shameful local slug-lebrity , thug-lebrity celebrity and his wanna-be step brother, the plan is logical because it serves his main intention which is to get back to all that hard partying and drugging he’s been missing. There’s a lot of catching up to do in that area.  The cost to him of $15K is like jukebox money; that’s the total fee for bail in this incident for him and his stepbrother. it’s the price of doing business to get out of racing. It’s way less than the cost of paying salaries in the off season or even for the last race of the season.

With no regard for those who are depending on him and only one race left the grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France, the son of Grand-Am founder Jim France; and cousin of Brian France chairman and CEO of NASCAR managed to disgrace himself, bring shame to his associates–his name is toxic to anyone who works worked for him who wishes to be hired by a reputable entity; the family and negative publicity to the family business Grand-Am and NASCAR . There are some who believe, as Henry T. Gandolph does, all publicity is good publicity when you are in business.

Win or lose he could have announced his departure from the circuit for less worthwhile endeavors. The mind mentally disordered by drugs often gives no consideration how his actions will affect, or disrupt the lives of others; and mostly he does not give a care.

Nonetheless this spawn of the France family has won the tri-fecta of stupid self serving decisions; he got what he wanted, screwed up several lives so he is further vilified by more people than already know him as a lout while garnering headlines around the world, the racing world that is, proving once again it doesn’t take a genius to bring the media to ones turf.

And so the grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France, the son of Grand-Am founder Jim France; and cousin of Brian France chairman and CEO of NASCAR,  will, if fortunate, live to see another day.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the story unfolds. Will the judge favor France, like the bail that was set for $4500 for France and $10K for his step brother? Or will there be disparity of treatment because France is a bigger cheese than most who come to court in Daytona Beach, Florida. Stay tuned….mean while… (see next article)

The bold progressives over at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) are celebrating and promoting a boost/shoutout they recently received from teevee commentator Rachel Maddow.

Last night on her highly viewed and extremely popular cable teevee program Rachel Maddow mentioned a petition begun by and being circulated by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee demanding an “up or down vote” on the strongly debated healthcare legislation.
Maddow showed the petition addressed to Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid, (D-Nevada),  on her program last night, which simply states the signers are giving an ultimatum to the Democrat senators. The signers of the petition agree those who support ” a Republican attempt to block a vote on health care reform should be stripped of their leadership titles.”

The PCCC says Reid was instrumental in returning Joe Lieberman to the Democrats’ caucus after he boldly endorsed  Republican John McCain for the presidency. PCCC believes Reid is obligated to lead the senators as his title suggests for the benefit of the voters who put him in office.

Democrats who side with Republicans on basic procedural things like allowing or denying a vote are behaving in a manner unacceptable to the welfare of the people.

Millions of Americans are without proper health care coverage; foot-dragging along with bureaucratic sandbagging is not what is needed when our people are in such desperate need.

The goal is to get 75,000 registered voters to sign the demand for a proper vote on the matter in the senate.
Visit the Progressive Change Campaign Committee’s web site to sign the petition and while you’re there make a donation. These bold progressives do good and important work.

Some may wonder why we are so outraged by the actions of prosecutors in California, members of the federal justice department and the department of state. These authorities are upholding a thoroughly abhorrent American tradition in law enforcement. The long arm of the law has a very long memory. It was not so long ago in the United States where a slave was a slave forever. Operating under the rule, “Once a slave, always a slave”, despite emancipation by an owner in one state, one could always be arrested and enslaved again in another jurisdiction. America has a tradition of turning likely productive citizens into fugitives.

The timing of this arrest of Polanski and the ensuing attempts to have him returned to the U.S. could not have come at a worse time. President Obama is trotting all over the globe attempting to improve our image among the world community, when some bonehead judge, assisted by an equally incompetent prosecutor, in flaky California, decides his ego is too big to  let a 76 year-old man live in peace; he has to cause an international incident, disrupting the life of a great artist and his family in order to satisfy the arbitrary whims of government. This is major bullsnit and the whole world knows it.

We are happy and glad to know there are at least two countries in the world with the courage to speak up on Polanski’s behalf; of course doing so may very well cause the French government and the government of Poland to incur the wrath of the United States. As someone once said, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Especially when a not-so- super power opposes the United States of America in matters pertaining to liberty. We seem to think we’ve cornered the market in that area. Imagine that. The big lie appears again.

Polanski is in detention after Swiss police arrested him Saturday on an international warrant as he was arriving in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award from a film festival.

We say American authorities are foolishly belligerent about a matter that at this point is of no consequence. Samantha Geimer, who was the young girl involved in the sex scandal more than 32 years ago, has settled with Polanski for an undisclosed sum of money; she says she wants the case to be over. Are you listening Mr./Ms Los Angeles Prosecutor.

The original judge in the matter, who has been found culpable for his misconduct in the case–seems he agreed to a plea bargain and then tried to renege on the deal. This anti-judicial role model is dead.

We are appalled to know the current Los Angeles judge hearing the case, the one who refused Polanski’s request for the dismissal of the case, has a huge ego, no compassion and watches HBO dramatic presentations pertaining to the cases for research when making decisions which will influence the lives of plaintiffs and defendants whose case are brought before him.

As Blanche Africa Reilly Dark, mother of Clark Dark and a very wise lady would say, “Y’all need to stop it! Just stop it!”

We paraphrase the words of the late Godfather of Soul, “Give it up! Turn’im loose!” Free Polanski Now!

“the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the employment situation report for August, which is the 20th month of the economic downturn.  The report showed an additional 216,000 jobs lost in August for a total of 6.9 million jobs lost this recession.

The good news is that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is providing a significant boost to the labor market.  Over the last three months, the labor market has shed an average of 318,000 jobs per month.”

Basically the unemployed are not finding gigs; the speed of job loss has slowed.

14.9 million workers are  unemployed with about 5 million having been without employment for more than six months. That is more than the record set in 1983.

In July 2009 there was a slight decline in the unemployment rate. An unusually large number of workers dropped out of the labor force causing the numbers to ratchet back up during August.

EPI reports:

” …unemployment reestablished its steady upward climb in August, rising from 9.4% to 9.7%.  Unemployment has more than doubled since its pre-recession low of 4.4% in March 2007, and has nearly doubled from 4.9% at the start of the recession in December 2007.  While the unemployment rate has not reached its post-WWII peak of 10.8% at the end of 1982, the increase in unemployment over this recession — 4.8 percentage points — has far surpassed the overall increase of 3.6 percentage points in the recession of 1981.”

What they’re saying is we’re going for the record in this installment of capitalism it’s an adventure.

And as usual we can count on our government to tell us their version of the truth.  EPI found this fact:

“… the official unemployment count understates the slack in the labor market by counting neither those who want a job but have given up looking for work (‘marginally attached’), nor workers who are working but can’t get the full-time hours they want (‘involuntary part-time workers’).

There are currently 14.9 million unemployed workers in the United States, but if the marginally attached and involuntary part-time workers are included, the number swells to 26.4 million.  Currently one in six U.S. workers (16.8%) is either un- or underemployed.”

Always during these times as in the past certain groups are typically more affected than others. Those groups are racial and ethnic minorities, men, workers with lower levels of schooling, and younger workers.

Last month, August 2009 among Blacks and Hispanics the jobless rate was
about 28 %–15% and 13% respectively; while the rate among whites was 8.9%

More men were unemployed than women; and workers with high school education was more than twice that of those with college degrees.

For workers 16 to 24 the rate of joblessness was more than 18% and for those 25 to 54 the rate was about half; in the 55 plus age group the rate of unemployment was nearly 7%.

But wait…that’s not all…6.9 million jobs lost since December 2007, which is when the government says this recession officially began. Let’s not forget the population continues to grow.  To keep pace with population growth the economy requires two and a half million jobs for the period December 2007 through August 2009, 20 months of economic decline; that would be about 127,000 jobs each month.

The bottom line here is that when the Congress meets again next week the first order of business should be to extend the benefits for about 500,000 unemployed workers whose benefits will end September 30, 2009