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Analysis: Bush's personality shapes his legacy

hausfrau — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:58:22 -0800

*************PUBLIC POST************** (probably sure to bring out the haters)

I read this in my Sunday paper and I thought it was a very nice homage to an exiting President (instead of the last minute vitriol that we have been seeing, seriously, why is that neccessary? The guy is out, you honestly have to get one last sucker punch in? I've never been more stunned by how hateful people can be than during the last 8 years, but I digress...)

Here is the link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090103/ap_on_go_pr_wh/distinctly_bush_analy...

Some highlights:

- In sessions with policy experts, Bush tends to ask questions that get right to the nub of a sticky issue. His top aides speak regretfully about how the country never got to see that side of him, even after all this time. They describe a man who is deeply inquisitive, not blithely incurious as much of the world thinks.

- His tangled moments have undoubtedly helped shape an unflattering public perception; there are entire books of his "Bushisms." Invariably, though, people who talk to him privately — historians, journalists, dissidents — come away with a very different impression of a meticulous thinker.

- Bush can flash a temper and impatience. But if he takes criticism personally — and he gets lots of criticism — he tries not to show it. When former press secretary Scott McClellan wrote a scathing book about Bush's leadership, the president told his senior aides to let it go. "Find a way to forgive, because that's the way to lead your life," White House press secretary Dana Perino remembers Bush advising her.

- He shows consideration to people close to him in little ways. He sends birthday notes to staff members. He remembers little details about their families. When he visits an Army post to thank the troops, he's been known to wander into the kitchen, too, to praise whoever cooked him the french fries.

- Nowhere is that more true than at his beloved, secluded ranch in Crawford, Texas. He has spent more than a year of his presidency there. Bush chops cedar, clears brush and builds mountain bike trails there. The summer heat doesn't bother him so much as enthrall him. He even set up a little competition, true Bush: People who work for him get a coveted T-shirt and bragging rights if they run for three straight miles on days hitting 100 degrees.

"Hollywood Wheel Of Knowledge"..... Fun game

Grantz — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:51:55 -0800

Hollywood Wheel of Knowledge. The way this game works is each person guesses a letter. The former winner posts yes or no, until the Movie Title, Actor, or famous phrase from a movie is guessed. Each player can only guess one letter per day. But can guess the Answer as many times as they like. The correct guesser starts the new phrase, name or title. Ok, we'll get started.

A Movie

"__ __ __" .......... "__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __"

A--B--C--D--E--F--G--H--I--J--K--L--M--N--O--P--Q--R--S--T--U--V--W--X--Y--Z

Russian gas disruption spreads across Europe

ccpdm — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:24:42 -0800

By Christian Lowe Jan. 6, 2009

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia sharply cut gas flows to Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday in a dramatic worsening of a pricing dispute with Kiev that threatened to disrupt supplies as far west as Italy and Germany.

The escalation in the price dispute and severe cold weather drove the British gas market, Europe's biggest and most liquid, to its highest level since October.

Officials from the Eruropean Union, which is dependent on Russia for a quarter of its gas, met both sides in the dispute on Tuesday and the bloc urges them to find a solution this week.

The Czech Republic, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said it was considering the "extreme option" of a three-way EU-Russia-Ukraine summit.

"The only solution is to get straight to the negotiating table," Czech Industry Minister Martin Riman said after talks with Alexander Medvedev, the deputy CEO of Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom.

"The Russian side... is ready for this step. We are too and I expect the Ukranian side, after the talks in Kiev, is also ready," said Riman after meeting Medvedev in Berlin. Earlier in the day he met Ukrainian officials in Kiev.

The head of Ukraine's state energy firm said he would fly to Moscow on Thursday.

Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the crises, which has struck at the height of the European winter and spread alarm across the continent.

EU members Austria and Romania said deliveries were down 90 percent and 75 percent respectively, and German energy firms said there could be gas shortages in Europe's biggest economy if the dispute dragged on and sub-zero temperatures persisted.

"Even our possibilities will reach their limits if these drastic cuts in shipments last and if temperatures continue to stay at very low levels," E.ON Ruhrgas Chief Executive Bernhard Reutersberg said.

Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Macedonia, Greece and Croatia said Russian gas flows via Ukraine had halted, creating what Bulgaria called a "crisis situation" in the middle of winter.

An Italian source close to the matter said Gazprom would only be able to guarantee less than 20 percent of the expected gas supplies to Italy on Tuesday, and the industry ministry said Rome planned to increase gas imports from alternative suppliers.

France said supplies had plunged 70 percent although its economy is less vulnerable than Germany and Italy as 80 percent of its electricity is produced by nuclear energy.

BLAME GAME

Day-ahead baseload gas touched a session high of 73 pence on the dispute and by late trade was 7.75 pence, or 12.76 percent higher, on the day at 68.50 pence per therm.

Gazprom said it supplied 65 million cubic meters (mcm) to Europe on Tuesday through ex-Soviet neighbor Ukraine, a fall of 78 percent from the 300 mcm it had been shipping since the dispute erupted on January 1.

"According to the latest information, Ukraine is stealing about 15 percent of the gas that moves to the Russian-Ukraine border," Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller told Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin.

Gazprom had previously accused Ukraine of shutting down three Russian export pipelines early on Tuesday and said it was a hostage of Kiev's "irresponsible behavior." It said it would try to use alterntive delivery routes to avoid a crisis.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Moscow would continue cutting gas supplies to Europe or stop them altogether and the government ordered regional utilities to start using fuel oil instead of gas.

Neighboring Slovakia will declare a state of emergency, Czech news agency CTK reported. Poland cut gas supplies to industrial clients, while Serbia and Bosnia said Russian supplies had completely stopped.

JAN. 1 CUT

The dispute threatens to worsen Russia's ties with the West, already fraught after its war with Georgia last year.

Europe's heavy dependence on Russian energy - and vulnerability to supply disruption - was highlighted when Moscow reduced volumes to Ukraine on New Year's Day after failing to reach agreement with Kiev over gas prices.

But most bigger EU countries say they have large amounts of gas stockpiled after several mild winters and have access to supplies from sources such as Norway and Algeria.

"If there are significant drops in supplies to the European Union, the key question is whether it goes on for a very long time. But it would have to go on for weeks or months for serious problems to arise for Western European customers," said Simon Blakey, director of European research at Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Russia and Ukraine have clashed repeatedly on a range of other issues, particularly the ambition of Ukraine's pro-Western leaders to join NATO.

The disruption comes at a bad time for Europe, which is experiencing a cold snap likely to drive up gas demand.

"We are in a crisis situation," Bulgaria's Economy Ministry said in a statement. State firm Bulgargaz told industrial users it was suspending or cutting supplies to a minimum and urged them to switch to alterntive fuels like oil. Two fertilizer companies had to halt production.

Worries about European gas supplies, coupled with Israel's military operation in Gaza, have pushed oil prices up to a three-week high close to $50 a barrel. Russia, whose main export is oil, stands to benefit from a recovery in prices.

We are in B-I-G trouble

ccpdm — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:42:50 -0800

Watch these two videos in order:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRGru2CPC4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sj91NH5fvw&feature=related

I hope you can click on these links...

The So-called International Community

samantha999 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:30:06 -0800

The So-called International Community

By Mona Charen

Just for a lark, I decided to google "international condemnations of Hamas" this morning. You can guess what came up, right? Naturally, searching for condemnations of Hamas, one finds only international condemnations of Israel. An Australian report noted that the "British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is calling for an urgent ceasefire, while Russia's Foreign Minister says he's told his Israeli counterpart to urgently halt the military action." The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, "strongly condemned Israel's disproportionate use of force," as did Brazil. Indonesia called on all countries to "sever all forms of diplomatic and business ties with Israel." French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who currently holds the rotating chair of the European Union, did call upon Hamas to halt its rocket attacks but also censured Israel's "disproportionate response."

Let's fantasize. Let's pretend that the "international community" (it's not a community, thus the quotation marks) actually lived by the principles it claims to advance. It happens that international communiteer par excellence, Jimmy Carter, (he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts") was in Syria on Dec. 14, meeting with Hamas leaders. Nobel laureate Carter was silent when Hamas announced its decision to allow an Egyptian brokered ceasefire with Israel to expire. Nor did he — or any international leader — comment upon the 4,000 rockets that Hamas has rained down on Israel just since 2005.

Hamas held an anniversary party of sorts during the time of Carter's visit. Marking the 21st anniversary of the organization's founding, Hamas staged a large demonstration in Gaza City that featured video connections to Damascus (where Carter was meeting with Khaled Meshaal). Ismail Haniyeh addressed the crowd of 300,000, promising more terror and violence toward Israel in the name of Allah. There was also a skit. A Palestinian dressed as Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped and has been held by Hamas since 2006, was portrayed pleading for his life. "I miss my Mommy and Daddy," he sobbed into a microphone for the crowd's delectation. Search in vain for international condemnations.

The so-called international community has a script already prepared for any news from the Middle East. In this script, there is only Israeli violence, Israeli repression, Israeli guilt. The script reads as follows: Palestinian violence and terror against Israel is not to be condemned because it is the response to occupation and repression. On BBC radio, host Owen Bennett-Jones objected when Israel's ambassador to Great Britain pointed out that Hamas has been bombarding southern Israel with rockets on a daily basis. "But your analysis is seen by people around the world to be completely wrong-headed. The idea that Hamas sort of came from nowhere and radicalized Palestinian society overlooks the fact that Israel occupied and repressed these people for over 40 years."

In 2005, perhaps accepting Bennett-Jones's interpretation of history, Israel pulled out of Gaza completely, uprooting all of the Jewish settlers, and leaving the area completely to the Palestinians to administer. Rather than build a society of their own, Hamas, which controls Gaza — the Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank — has used its independence to launch a ceaseless barrage of missiles against Israel.

It's often pointed out that Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist. It's more than that. Hamas, with Iran's backing, is committed to Israel's violent destruction. Missiles have fallen on schools and homes. Hamas is explicit about desiring Israeli counterattacks, because while Hamas aims to kill Israeli civilians, they know that Israel tries very hard not to kill Palestinian civilians. But every Palestinian death at the hands of Israel is seen as a propaganda victory for Hamas — which is why they place their munitions and terrorists in mosques, hospitals, and homes crowded with children. Hamas representative Fathi Hamad stated it explicitly: "For the Palestinian people death became an industry, at which women excel and so do all people on this land: the elderly excel, the Jihad fighters excel, and the children excel. Accordingly (Palestinians) created a human shield of women, children, the elderly and the Jihad fighters against the Zionist bombing machine, as if they were saying to the Zionist enemy: We desire death as you desire life."

It's impossible for Israel to hit back at Hamas without harming and killing innocent civilians. As Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu has pointed out, by aiming at Israeli civilians and using Palestinian civilians as human shields, Hamas is committing a double war crime.

But you will wait in vain for an international outcry.

Remember when I said I have a lot of mascaras??....

CCee — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:03:04 -0800

I do have a lot, don't I... (some are even not on the picture)

The list pictures here is (from left to right):

* Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes
* DiorShow Waterproof
* Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara
* Smashbox Bionic (3x)
* Vincent Longo The Curl Mascara
* Too Faced Lash Injection Pinpoint (I also had a normal Lash injection but gave it away)
* Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash
* Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! (4-in-1 mascara)
* Sephora Atomic Volume
* Urban Decau Fatty Mascara
* Korres Provitamin B5 & Rice Bran Mascara
* Stila Multi-Effect Mascara
* DuWop Lash Venom
* Cargo TexasLash
* DiorShow
* Max Factor Masterpiece Beyond Length (in pink grey and gold)

If there's a mascara you're very curious about let me know, I got most of these from Sephora's Lash Stash 1 and 2. I'm not going to open them all straight away, because then they're all ready to be thrown out at the same time aswell, but I think most are curious about the same brands so, share in the comments your opinions about the mascaras you know and your curiosity about the ones you don't.

The power of thoughts

lazybones101 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:59:10 -0800

I listen to a radio program called "Get Real Girls" Their webpage features a Get Real Girl of the week. This week is was a woman named Ann. Ann wrote the information below. It blew me away to realize the power of our thoughts. I wanted to share it with you. I am going to do my own test as Ann descibes. I am excited to see if I get the same results. I would love it if you did the experiment too. The results would certainly result in a fascinating discussion.

My awareness of the importance of Love and Gratitude was inspired after watching "What the Bleep Do We Know!?®". In this film, I was introduced to the work of Masaru Emoto and his book “The Hidden Messages in Water”. His message, in his words, "we must pay respect to water, and feel love and gratitude, and receive vibrations with a positive attitude. Then, water changes, you change, and I change. Because both you and I are water."

In Dr. Emoto's important studies he secured water samples from around the world. He placed the samples in bottles and subjected the water samples to positive words, visuals and music. When these samples were frozen and then thawed, Dr. Emoto's scientists took photos and these samples and the photos showed beautiful hexagonal images. He also subjected bottles of water from the same sources to negative words, visuals and music. These samples were also frozen and as they thawed photos were also taken of these images and these images were ugly, dark, unsightly blobs.

I was encouraged to conduct my own test, with cooked rice which proved “proof positive” and was the inspiration for Lovitude. The experiment started on April 15, 2005 through May 15, 2005. I took four cups of cooked rice and put two cups in one plastic covered container where I wrote Love, Thank You, Lovitude® and the Lovitude® symbol on this container.

I took the other two cups of cooked rice and put them into another plastic container and I didn't write anything on that container.

From April to May I greeted the rice with the positive words on it each day with my positive energy. I disrespected, "dissed", the rice with no messages. After one month the rice that I greeted with positive energy remained white, and it remains so today. The rice that I had dissed was black and molded and it remains so today.

"If your thoughts can do this to rice/water just think of what they can do to you and others around you". I know what negative thought energy can do to us.

Take the TeamSugar Reader Survey!

TeamSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:19:49 -0800

Hey TeamSugar members, we would like to get each and everyone of you involved! We want to make sure that you are getting the most out of the TeamSugar community and the Sugar Network.

We would like to invite you to participate in our quick and painless 2008 Sugar reader survey. We aim to please, so give us the scoop on your likes, favorite features, where you spend your time online and even things you may dislike. By sharing your feedback, we'll be able to make sure your Sugar experience is the very best!

Show how much you care about TeamSugar by taking just a couple of minutes to fill it out. Click here to begin the survey!

Favorite Online Recipe Site?

Lainetm — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:14:38 -0800

I've been trying to dig up a few new recipes, to vary my old standbys.
I like Allrecipes.com, because they have a good, broad selection, user reviews and comments, and you can save the recipes to your "recipe box" (if you register, which is free). I've never gotten any spam from the site. You can also print them in any of three formats: full page, 3 x 5 card, or 4 x 6 card.

I occasionally browse the Food Network site, too. Very rarely, epicurious.com.

Anyone else have a favorite online recipe or menu planning resource?

Why our country is in trouble

lazybones101 — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:00:51 -0800

A DC airport ticket agent offers some examples of 'why' our country is in trouble!

1. I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. (On an airplane!)

2. I got a call from a candidate's staffer, who wanted to go to
Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the
passport information, and then she interrupted me with, ''I'm not
trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts .''

Without trying to make her look stupid, I calmly explained, ''Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa ''

Her response -- click.

3. A senior Vermont Congressman called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando.

He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that's not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state.

He replied, 'don't lie to me, I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state!'' (OMG)

4. I got a call from a lawmaker's wife who asked, ''Is it possible to
see England from Canada ?''

I said, ''No.''

She said, ''But they look so close on the map.'' (OMG, again!)

5. An aide for a cabinet member once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas.When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had only a 1-hour layover in Dallas.
When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, ''I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between gates to save time.'' (Aghhhh)

6. An Illinois Congresswoman called last week. She needed to know howit was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 a.m., and got to Chicago at 8:33 a.m.I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she couldn't understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went fast, and she bought that.

7. A New York lawmaker called and asked, ''Do airlines put your
physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?'' I said, 'No, why do you ask?'

She replied, ''Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I'm overweight. I think that's very rude!''After putting her on hold for a minute, while I looked into it. (I was dying laughing). I came back and explained the city code for Fresno, Ca. is (FAT - Fresno Air Terminal), and the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.

8. A Senator's aide called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, ''Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?''

9. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman who asked, ''How do I know which plane to get on?'' I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, ''I was told my
flight number is 823, but none of these planes have numbers on them.''

10. A lady Senator called and said, ''I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola,
Florida. Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?''
I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola, FL on a commuter plane.
She said, ''Yeah, whatever, smarty!''

11. A senior Senator called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him that he needed a visa. 'Oh, no I don't. I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those.'' I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa.

When I told him this he said, ''Look, I've been to China four times.
and every time they have accepted my American Express!''

12. A New Mexico Congresswoman called to make reservations, ''I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York .'' I was at a loss for words. Finally, I said, ''Are you sure that's the name of the town?'' '

'Yes, what flights do you have?'' replied the lady. After some
searching, I came back with, ''I'm sorry, ma'am,I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a rhino anywhere.'
''The lady retorted, ''Oh, don't be silly! Everyone knows where it is.
Check your map!''

So I scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, ''You don't mean Buffalo, do you?''
The reply? ''Whatever! I knew it was a big animal.''

Now you know why the Government is in the shape that it's in!

Could anyone be this DUMB?

YES, THEY WALK AMONG US, ARE IN POLITICS, AND THEY CONTINUE TO BREED

How long does it take you to put on your make-up?

misfitgirl — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:38:48 -0800

I think many of us have read/heard that your make-up should only take 10 minutes in the morning. I am reminded of this because I was flipping through the Jan. issue of InStyle and saw a quote from Bobbi Brown that said your eyes should take you 3 minutes tops, 5 minutes for an evening look.
I've got to admit, I take longer than the experts advise. Probably 20 minutes on a weekday (it's kind of hard to say, I'm always doing 17 things at once in the morning) and I'd say up to an hour if I really want to do something special (rare, haha). How do you ladies fare?

ASK SANDY

jezrel — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:58:33 -0800

First, I'd like to thank all of you ladies who signed up for the club. I am so overwhelmed with joy with the kind of love and support you've so far given to Sandy and the club. It is encouraging to know that so many ladies on Sugar are inspired by Sandra Werner. In fact, two of our recent members who are very new on Sugar informed me that they had no clue who Sandra Werner is but they "fell in love with her" right after they have seen her LB and they right away signed up for the club.

Since the inception of the SW Fan Club, I have received messages from several ladies requesting if they could ask Sandy some questions about her wardrobe. I have informed Sandy about this and she willingly agreed to answer whatever fashion related question you might have. So if you need some personal fashion tips or advice, please leave a question on the comments section below and Sandy will return to you as soon as she can. Only those who are members of the club are invited to leave comments and ask Sandy a question. Thank you!

Water bottles cause wrinkles (around the mouth)

CCee — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:51:05 -0800

Hey ladies,

I saw this and I had to tell you guys, it's not too late to make it your new years resolution to stop drinking from a water bottle.

Did you know? Will you change your hydration habits?

2009 Beauty Resolutions?

sofi — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:26:31 -0800

So how about some beauty resolutions from all the BPJs out there? It doesn't matter if it is big or small, but do tell what you are going to do/try differently in 2009 in regards to your beauty regimen?

For me, I think I finally have to jump on the mineral makeup bandwagon and see what all the fuss is about. I know I am missing out on something, and I think part of me was afraid of falling and all the cash I'd have to spend on my new obsession-lol!

Is this what it takes to be popular?

Brendelwoman — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:05:15 -0800

PUBLIC

"Michelle Obama's 7 Secrets of a Sexy Marriage" is one of the articles featured on the December or January cover issue of Women's Health. I don't understand it and feel like it jumps the line into inappropriate. We live in a country that worships celebrities so much that we have to make our politicians sexy and hip in order for them to be likable. How about smart and right for the job? I think we have other things to focus on in this country besides the Obama's sexy marriage. It's also just too much information about this couple that is supposed to be leading our country in just a couple weeks. Ew.

I have not bothered to read the full article itself because I find it so WRONG. I suppose there are millions waiting for these secrets but for me I think it further illustrates the problems with journalism. Have you read the article? Tell me what you think - good or bad.

If you're planning on going to inauguration - PLEASE READ THIS!

syako — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:42:37 -0800

Inauguration is quickly approaching, and if you are planning on braving the million+ crowds, it may help to read some of this information that's been published about the event locally. While I cannot share your excitement for the president being sworn in, I can share with you some advice and tips on how to stay safe, healthy, and most of all happy.

Despite restrictions, city still will be packed
By Leah Fabel - Examiner Staff Writer 1/9/09

Near-impossible car access to the District on Inauguration Day could limit crowd size and leave many stranded on the region’s roadways, but within the city packed conditions likely will remain.

Even if only 1 million people make their way through Metro congestion and security checkpoints, that’s about twice as many as can fit on the National Mall...

Allowing for 5 square feet per person, slightly larger than an opened newspaper, just over 500,000 people can fit between the West Lawn of the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Pack in 1 million onlookers and the nearness would be comparable to packing about 2,000 people onto a basketball court.

“I don’t know where you’ll put a million people,” said McPhail, who has analyzed dozens of D.C. crowds.

Security officials have been expecting between 1 million and 2 million people in town for the inaugural events even before yesterday’s announced road closures, according to a Wednesday morning briefing by top police and FBI officials.

Up to 300,000 could funnel through 13 security checkpoints along the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route, and countless more could be trapped in their cars on congested roadways when Barack Obama takes his oath of office.

... But for the people who trekked across the country to witness the inauguration and find themselves unable to board a train or cross a Virginia bridge into the District, frustrations could boil over.

...“People are coming to celebrate, and I’m hopeful that this won’t become so onerous that people get angry,” Mendelson said...
Read full text here

Inauguration security measures a hassle for everyone
By Kaitlyn Funk - Special to The Examiner 1/9/09

While only the city’s bigwigs will be attending ritzy private parties along the parade route, all attendants of the Jan. 20 celebration downtown will have limited access to transportation that threatens to interfere with plans.

Building closures are also spoiling high-profile, celebrity inauguration events ...

Checkpoints inside the security perimeter will also limit mobility once the parade has started.

“It’s going to be a much more sequestered parade from the standpoint that once someone gets somewhere, they’re there for the day,” said Patrick Murphy, senior vice president of M Capital Management, a firm that will host a private party at the Capital Grille at 601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. “I get the sense that there’s going to be no ability to go from spot to spot."
Read the full text here.

If you are going, make sure you continually check the local newspapers about road closures, building closures and more importantly bridge closures. As of right now, it seems the only way to get in to DC will be via the metro, which will be operating at more than full capacity.

As my mother would say, be safe. And Be Smart.

A tribute to my dear friends Sandra Werner and Jezrel

eu — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:49:39 -0800

Most of my looks are inspired either by celebrities or by beautiful images that I get to see on my everyday life. Some times in adverts, other times on web sites, like on FabSugar's LookBook. One member here as always stand out since the beginning for her style and elegance. Here is my little tribute to her and to our dear friend the founder of this group. Of course I am talking about Sandra Werner whom gets to inspire a lot of us including Jezrel that also shares with Sandy the most beautiful sense of style.

Look inspired by Sandra Werner and Jezrel.

I aint fat enough for lap band

SWEET C — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:07:41 -0800

for insurance to cover it so im doing WW ... i am at a ALL time high and feel very disgusted ...i went to WW last nite and then did 2 miles on the tread mill today... i guess its a start

Pink 'Barbie' Doll Lips

almost famous — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:49:58 -0800

So here's what I use to achieve the perfect baby pink/Barbie doll lips.
Nyx Lipstick in Thaila (I used a pink gun to point out the color I use)

AndMega Shine gloss in Beige.

I really don't need too much lipstick nor gloss to to achieve such pigmented color. I will say that this lippie showed up vivid pink on me because of my skin tone. On fair skinned women, it will show up a nude pink color. All I had to do was dabble on the Beige lip gloss over the lipstick to get the slick, wet look. Using the gloss over such a creamy lipstick, really doesn't feather the lipstick i.e. Feathering is having the product on the inner lip, slowly creating a new unwanted lip line. So I love NYX lipsticks and looking to get more of their lippies.

For the polish go to ----> http://almostfamous.onsugar.com/2665258
Thanks for viewing!

Demise of the Office Christmas Party

Grandpa — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:05:34 -0800

Demise of the Office Christmas Party

December 1 Memo

FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 1
RE: Christmas Party

I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party
will take place on December 23, starting at noon in the
banquet room at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. No host bar,
but plenty of eggnog! We'll have a small band playing
traditional carols...feel free to sing along. And don't Be
surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus!

December 2 Memo

FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 2
RE: Christmas Party

In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our
Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an
important holiday which often coincides with Christmas,
though unfortunately not this year. However, from now on
we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy
applies to employees who are celebrating Kwanzaa at this
time.

Happy now?

December 3 Memo

FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 3
RE: Holiday Party

Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics
Anonymous requesting a nondrinking table ... you didn't
sign your name. I'm happy to accommodate this request, but
if I put a sign on a table that reads "AA Only" you
wouldn't be anonymous anymore. How am I supposed to handle
this? Somebody?

December 7 Memo

FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 7
RE: Holiday Party

What a diverse company we are! I had no idea that December
2 begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids
eating, drinking and sex during daylight hours. There goes
the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon
this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim
employees' beliefs. Perhaps Luigi's can hold off on
serving your meal until the end of the party the days
are so short this time of year or else package
everything for takehome in little foil swans. Will that
work?

Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Overeaters
Anonymous to sit farthest from the dessert buffet and
pregnant women will get the table closest to the
restrooms. Did I miss anything?

December 8 Memo

FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 8
RE: Holiday Party

So December 22 marks the Winter Solstice...what do you
expect me to do, a tapdance on your heads? Fire
regulations at Luigi's prohibit the burning of sage by our
"earthbased Goddessworshipping" employees, but we'll try
to accommodate your shamanic drumming circle during the
band's breaks. Okay???

December 9 Memo

FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 9
RE: Holiday Party

People, people, nothing sinister was intended by having
our CEO dress up like Santa Claus! Even if the anagram of
"Santa" does happen to be "Satan," there is no evil
connotation to our own "little man in a red suit." It's a
tradition, folks, like sugar shock at Halloween or family
feuds over the Thanksgiving turkey or broken hearts on
Valentine's Day. Could we lighten up?

December 10 Memo

FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 10
RE: Holiday Party

Vegetarians!?!?!? I've had it with you people!!! We're
going to keep this party at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue
whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the
table furthest from the "grill of death," as you so
quaintly put it, and you'll get your freaking salad bar,
including hydroponic tomatoes. But you know, they have
feelings too. Tomatoes scream when you slice them. I've
heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right now!

December 14 Memo

FROM: Teri Bishops, Acting Human Resources Director
DATE: December 14
RE: Pat Lewis and Holiday Party

I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Pat Lewis a
speedy recovery from her stress related illness and I'll
continue to forward your cards to her at the sanatorium.

In the meantime, management has decided to cancel our
Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd
off with full pay.

We hope that this change does not offend anyone.

It's Wednesday And I am Grateful!

Beachwalker — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:03:21 -0800

Tri Colored Heron

It's Wednesday and I am Grateful to have arrived safely back in Canada. The drive back from Florida took about 26 hours, and it was a little icy and dicey, but we arrived alive and happy. I really appreciated the time to disconnect a bit from my usual routine, and get into a holiday mode. We had some wonderful Christmas Celebrations with family and friends, then left for Florida to celebrate the New Year with by BIL and SIL at their new condo. They were very kind to invite us to share in their joy, as they just bought it recently in September. The condo is situated on a small lake, so I was able to do some bird watching, and get some great shots of egrets, herons and cranes I will be posting. The weather was mostly good. I am really happy to be back home, but it was nice to have a change of scenery.

How have You been, and what are You Grateful for in this New Year? Happy 2009!!!!!!!

Love,
Beach

Who'd have thunk it?

ccpdm — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:51:10 -0800

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3- and 4-star generals at Arlington National Cemetery. His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer.

I always liked Lee Marvin but didn't know the extent of his Corp's experiences. In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces, they were often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions. Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima. There is only one higher Naval award - the Medal of Honor.

If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery. Following is dialog from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. His guest was Lee Marvin.

Johnny: "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima, and that during the course of that action, you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."

Lee: "Yeah. I got shot square in the bottom, and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting shot hauling you down. But, Johnny, at Iwo, I served under the bravest man I ever knew. We both got the Cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red Beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere, he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his mens' safety was more important than his own life. That sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi, we passed the Sergeant, and he lit a smoke and passed it to me lying on my bellly on the litter, and said, 'Where'd they get you, Lee?' 'Well, Bob, if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!' Johnny, I'm not lying. Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew."

The Sergeant's name was Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo.

On another note, there was this wimpy little man (also passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he protrayed to our kids. But Mr. Rogers was a US Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam, with over 25 confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV to cover the many tattoos on his forearms and biceps.

He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat. After the war, Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore, a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human, he also dedicated the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.

America's real heroes don't flaunt what they do. They quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy. Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst. Often they are the ones you'd least suspect but would most like to have on your side if anything every happened. Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom. With encouragement, they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers.

Minnesota, another Washington State, Chicago style politics at its best (worst)

Grandpa — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:49:35 -0800

Republican Norm Coleman led by 725 votes on election day.
But after the recounts, the democrats in Minnesota mysteriously discovered nearly a thousand votes to give Al Franken a lead in the US Senate race over Coleman.
Today Minnesota state officials are going to declare Al Franken the winner.
Reuters reported:

Democrat Al Franken will be declared the winner of the tight U.S. Senate contest in Minnesota, emerging from a ballot recount with a slim margin over Republican Norm Coleman, state officials said on Sunday.

But Coleman, the incumbent, has asked Minnesota's supreme court to require that a few hundred additional absentee ballots be included in the recount -- and he could then ask the court to investigate the contest all over again.

"At the moment, Franken has a 225-vote lead," after the weekend counting of what were deemed the last uncounted absentee ballots, said Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a Democrat who oversaw the process.
It's hard to see this one slip away.
But, once again, when Coleman only led by 725 votes after the election you knew this senate seat was lost.
That's how dems roll.

More... The Wall Street Journal reported today that 25 precincts now have more ballots than voters who signed in to vote.
And, there's this:

Last month, Mr. Franken's campaign charged that one Hennepin County (Minneapolis) precinct had "lost" 133 votes, since the hand recount showed fewer ballots than machine votes recorded on Election Night. Though there is no proof to this missing vote charge -- officials may have accidentally run the ballots through the machine twice on Election Night -- the Canvassing Board chose to go with the Election Night total, rather than the actual number of ballots in the recount. That decision gave Mr. Franken a gain of 46 votes.

Meanwhile, a Ramsey County precinct ended up with 177 more ballots than there were recorded votes on Election Night. In that case, the board decided to go with the extra ballots, rather than the Election Night total, even though the county is now showing more ballots than voters in the precinct. This gave Mr. Franken a net gain of 37 votes, which means he's benefited both ways from the board's inconsistency...

Minnesotans like to think that their state isn't like New Jersey or Louisiana, and typically it isn't. But we can't recall a similar recount involving optical scanning machines that has changed so many votes, and in which nearly every crucial decision worked to the advantage of the same candidate. The Coleman campaign clearly misjudged the politics here, and the apparent willingness of a partisan like Mr. Ritchie to help his preferred candidate, Mr. Franken. If the Canvassing Board certifies Mr. Franken as the winner based on the current count, it will be anointing a tainted and undeserving Senator.
Shameless.

Do You Know Where Does The Real Hair Extensions Come From?

Tabloid — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:03:13 -0800

Many women in America purchase real hair extensions, but aren't aware of where it come from. The most desirable hair for extensions comes from India; with 25% coming from a Hindu temple where women shave their heads in sacrifice for their religious beliefs. The temple makes 18 million dollars a year selling the hair.