The United States is engaged in what could be a generational conflict akin to the Cold War, the kind of struggle that might last decades as allies work to root out terrorists across the globe and battle extremists who want to rule the world, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday

Yeah, I guess it would irresponsible to pull out now. Or like, EVER.

20 Year Plan for Iraq?

The squeamish should think twice before visiting the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, D.C......

A Gruesome Stroll Through Medical History

In the workplace, the people pleaser often resorts to time abuse to vent her anger. For example, she agrees to take on a task she doesn't want and then devotes obsessive attention to its minutest details. Although this form of overcompliance can win approval from others, unchecked it can lead to conflicts with the very authority figures she is endeavoring to please.

People pleasers are the worst!

The Time Abusers

flynn23 wrote:
]] Time abuse is a symptom of a problem, not the problem
]] itself. It is therefore impossible to cure a person of
]] time abuse by actually managing his time. Instead, you
]] must understand your time abuser's need for control and
]] fear of evaluations.

From "Brother's Little Helper", enjoy this clip:

Lisa: [runs into Bart's room] Bart, Bart! Krusty just fired his associate producer.

Bart: [looking up from his book] I'm reading.

Lisa: No way. [looks at book cover] The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pre-Teens? Is this all because of the ... [pantomimes gulping pills, and then walking like a zombie]

Bart: Joke if you will, but did you know most people use 10% of their brains? I am now one of them. Before, my energy was all over the place. Now, it's concentrated like a laser beam. [stands up] Well, this has been terrific. Let's do it again sometime.

Lisa: Are you standing up to get me to leave?

Bart: It's from the book.

Lisa: [reads] Hey, I'm not a time burglar.

Bart: [types in electronic organizer] Memo to self: Lock door.

Lisa: All right, I'll go. You don't have to be a jerk about it.

Bart: [types] Memo to self: Shut up, Lisa.

Lisa: Grrr! [leaves]
-- Highly effective, indeed, "Brother's Little Helper"

Hey, I'm not a time burglar!

The resolution, such as it is, involves the complexities of time travel — wormholes, tangent universes and so forth — in a way that asks larger questions about free will.

The Resurrection of 'Donnie Darko'

] Here at the Spawn of Satan convention in Boston,
] conservatives are deploying a series of covert signals to
] identify one another, much like gay men do. My allies are
] the ones wearing crosses or American flags. The people
] sporting shirts emblazened with the "F-word" are my
] opponents. Also, as always, the pretty girls and cops
] are on my side, most of them barely able to conceal their
] eye-rolling

For your reading pleasure, "pretty girl" Ann Coulter's article on the DNC that USA Today passed up. Proceed only if you have a strong stomach.

As usual, Coulter presents the worst of conservatism, wasting time calling democratic women ugly*, hybrid cars "dinky", and the speakers "nuts." Why make real criticism when you can name-call!?

I totally agree with USA Today's decision in not printing this unprofessional, petty, vapid piece of pseudo-journalism.

-Tina

*For the record, I know plenty of cute democrats. Anyone seen Maggie Schutz or Chris Heinz?

Ann Coulter's USA Today Column

] One of the most commonly used tools for voter education
] is the voter information pamphlet. These pamphlets
] provide a great deal of information about ballot
] issues-and sometimes about candidates, as well. Voters
] may peruse the pamphlet at their leisure, and may even
] take it with them into the voting booth. Clearly, voter
] information pamphlets are a worthy voter education
] effort.

A summary of which states have official voter information pamphlets and how much some states spend on them. In most cases under a million a year.

Voter Information Pamphlets

The League of Women Voters put out this brief candidate guide. This is best example of non-partisan candidate information I've found so far, and while I'm glad this exists, I think its pretty sad that more information is not available.

I was thinking this morning that I don't really like the changes that have taken place in order to reform campaign finance. I think we're curtailed the freedom of speech. If I support a candidate then I ought to be able to say it, and I ought to be able to say it with a great big billboard if I so desire. This is America. I also think we've seriously violated people's personal privacy. I can find out what campaigns my employees and business partners have donated money to!! This is extremely dangerous and widespread abuse is only a matter of time.

What have we gained from this? Is the present election less corrupt then previous ones? I hardly think so. I haven't heard any explanation of that. I'm still walking into local elections knowing nothing about many of the races. Knowing none of the candidates.

There is a lot of bad speech in our democracy. A lot of signs on street corners that do not reveal anything about a candidate's competence, their voting record, their goals, even their party affiliation. A lot of our democracy goes directly to those who can generate the best name recognition by having the biggest marketing budget and simplest message.

But in my experience the answer to bad speech has always been more speech.

In California a booklet similar to the one the League of Women Voters put together here is put together by the government. Each candidate gets a least a page to state his or her case. Every office and referenda item is covered. You spend an hour looking it over and you walk into the ballot office knowing something about who you are voting for. Sure, people ignore them, chuck them in the trash, but at least its available. At least everyone gets a chance to tell you who they are, regardless of their budget. In Georgia its very hard to find out what all the races are and whose in them even if you really want the information. An uninformed Democracy is not a democracy at all.

Georgia Voter's Guide

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa083102a.htm

http://www.nukewatch.org/media/more_media/04-00-03/04-28-03/nbbsought.html

Well I'll be damned! Just when I thought the War on Terror couldn't get any worse I hear about the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrators (dubbed bunker busters). From what I read the bunker-buster is a low-grade nuclear weapon meant to detonate deep in the ground. It is meant to,as the name states, destory underground bunkers (presumably filled with weapons and other nasty things).
Ok, I understand the reasoning behind the weapon, but honestly, is it a good idea to formulate new nuclear weapons? The production of this weapon changes the idea of nuclear weapons. Before they were a tool of deferment, reigning in the actions of governments against one another(point in case North Korea). Now what?
I included the link to two different articles about the bunker-busters so you can compare.

Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrators or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb

"Pop-psych punditry about fragile male egos may cloud the real problem inherent in many alpha-alpha marriages. Psychologists agree that difficulties most often arise not because a man feels emasculated by his wife's star power ("No one can emasculate you except you," avows Pak), but because the woman grows disappointed with her partner...If a woman is powerful, smart and ambitious, her expectations for her husband, and for the relationship, rise," says Nando Pelusi, a New York City psychologist who has counseled plenty of alpha-alpha pairings. McCarthy says it's the primary reason that middle-class marriages fail in the first five years: The woman feels her spouse is not keeping his end of the pact"(Seigel).

Is this the sign of a change? The next step is paternity leave.

The New Trophy Wife