Sudan protesters: Execute teacher

When we at times may believe that we do not have the rights we would like to have honored here as a nation, when we reflect on recent current events such as the one where Gillian Gibbons was sentenced to 15 days in jail for naming a Teddy Bear, "Mohammed" seems like an outrage. Yet, in Sudan there are those calling for her to be executed. Right now attempts are being made to arrange for Gibbons to be released and to be taken from Sudan. It's clear her safety is at risk given the protests today.

Get that Gun a Holster for Xmas...

Of course one of the things that comes to mind when you say "Libertarian" is guns and the right to keep arms, while of course not all Libertarian's own guns, I couldn't resist using that as a title for this post on the different holsters that Optics Planet has for sale. For those of you with a gun enthusiast in your household that might not be sure as to what type of a holster you need, one of the things I love about Optics Planet is that they provide you with a great many details and resources, such as their how to buy a holster guide.

If you are not sure what type of gift to get, you can take advantage of their Gift Guide as well as get some good gift hints from their list of Best sellers. Rather than to go through the many reasons Why buy from OpticsPlanet, they share the many reasons why they are the best on their website and on their Blog.

Beacon crosses the line to being Big Brother

What your expectations of privacy can be when using a site like Facebook is at the heart of the discussion of their new launch of an ad program called "Beacon", where recent complaints by Move On Org have brought this discussion to the forefront. It's an important consideration with today's social networking as to what your expectations are and how much control you have when it comes to sharing your personal information.

As this post on Truthout points out:

The complaints may seem paradoxical, given that the so-called Facebook generation is known for its willingness to divulge personal details on the Internet. But even some high school and college-age users of the site, who freely write about their love lives and drunken escapades, are protesting.

"We know we don't have a right to privacy, but there still should be a certain morality here, a certain level of what is private in our lives," said Tricia Bushnell, a 25-year-old in Los Angeles, who has used Facebook since her college days at Bucknell. "Just because I belong to Facebook, do I now have to be careful about everything else I do on the Internet?"

Two privacy groups said this week that they were preparing to file privacy complaints about the system with the Federal Trade Commission. Among online merchants, Overstock.com has decided to stop running Facebook's Beacon program on its site until it becomes an opt-in program. And as the MoveOn.org campaign has grown over the past week, some ad executives have poked fun at Facebook users.

While Cyber Monday is over you can still save...

More and more people are shopping online as can be seen by the recent media attention to "Cyber Monday", yet not only can online shopping be more convenient it can also save you money when you take advantage of online shopping coupons. Coupon Chief is one of the leading locations when it comes to providing a huge variety of online merchants, with many well known companies such as WalMart, where you can find some fantastic online deals and discounts. Not feeling the joy of WalMart? Then perhaps some of the deals from Target would appeal to your online shopping needs. From Apparel for Men to Travel & Luggage, Coupon Chief has the categories of stores for just about everyone on your gift list.

Every US Citizen should know these...

It's the title of the YouTube video and I agree with it. The results were very disappointing and gives evidence our educational system is pretty horrid. I recommend that you watch the video and as you watch along see how many of the questions you can answer.



I had my 13 year old watch it and her best friend watch it, thankfully due to my supplemental teachings I've done with her she was able to answer most of the questions. Her friend did not fare so well...

Mark Silva joins the misinformation train...

Late to the table and wrong comes Mark Silva with the piece on Ron Paul and the whole Moonlite Bunny Ranch story:

Hof has reported being so impressed with Paul at a campaign stop in Reno that he has decided to raise money for him. Hof and two of his prostitutes, including a woman who goes by the name of Air Force Amy, also attended a Paul news conference. The women reported liking what they saw, but suggested they still want to shop around the rest of the field.

Thankfully readers are trying to set the story straight...

Use the interface, find your cartridge...

It's never been easier to find the right cartridge for your printer than to use, Cartridge Finder. The easy to use interface is designed to not only find the right one for your particular printer or fax machine but will also use PriceGrabber's search engines to make sure that once you have the right one? You get it for the cheapest price possible, so save time and money in one quick easy step.

Tucker Carlson tries to set up Ron Paul?

Not thrilling news considering that whole little issue of the media isn't supposed to show bias...

A recent Associated Press story about Ron Paul carries a headline that was carefully crafted to turn off many American voters. The headline proclaimed: "Paul Endorsed by Nevada Brothel Owner."

The AP story began: "Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, an underdog Texas congressman with a libertarian streak, has picked up an endorsement from a Nevada brothel owner," Dennis Hof.

"Picked up," however, is the wrong phrase, since it implies, incorrectly, that Ron Paul had solicited Hof’s endorsement. In actuality, it was a member of the media, MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson, who had done the soliciting. Carlson not only contacted Hof to ask him to check out Ron Paul while Paul was in Nevada, but he even arrived at Ron Paul’s Reno news conference in the company of Hof and two of Hof’s prostitutes. Hof’s presence, which surprised the Ron Paul campaign, then gave Hof the opportunity to be interviewed by the media.

Tucker Carlson's involvement is acknowledged by AP, though not until the end of the story. The AP story notes that "Hof was accompanied to the Paul news conference by television news personality Tucker Carlson." It then finally quotes Carlson as admitting that "Dennis Hof is a good friend of mine, so when we got to Nevada, I decided to call him up and see if he wanted to come check this guy [Ron Paul] out." The AP article, though, fails to point out that the Ron Paul campaign was surprised when Carlson emerged from a limousine with Hof and two of Hof’s celebrity prostitutes to attend the news conference. (That part of the story was covered by the Reno Gazette-Journal.)

Sad to say I used to like Tucker...

Paul says he won’t support GOP nominee

It didn't surprise me to learn that Ron Paul had stated this during one of the earlier debates, this whole try to destroy each other when campaigning then have the hand holding moment where you decide that the "other party" is really the real bad guy (or girl) and you have to now do what is best for the party never seemed to be something that Ron Paul was going to buy into.

Yet, it's made the news and quite of the blogs recently that:

Last month, during a Republican debate, Ron Paul was asked whether he promised to support the GOP nominee next year, no matter who emerges from the primary process. “Not right now I don’t,” Paul said, “not unless they’re willing to end the war and bring our troops home.”

Apparently, in the ensuing weeks, “not right now” has become “no.”

Paul called his Republican presidential rivals, including frontrunner Rudy Giuliani, “neo-conservatives” whom he couldn’t support in the general election should his own bid fail.

“They think we’re supposed to spread our goodness through force,” Paul said. For example, none will pledge not to wage war on Iran, he said. “How could I support something like that?”

Apparently, he can’t. But it means that of the top seven candidates in the Republican field, Paul is the only one who isn’t prepared to support the party’s eventual nominee. It’s not the kind of thing that will go over well within the party, but then again, Paul’s interest in the Republican Party appears nominal — it’s a venue for him to advance his ideas and agenda, not necessarily an opportunity for him to lead the party.

Many uses of LED lights...

An interesting suggestion I heard for LED light strings was to use them for wedding lights to either decorate where the wedding was being held or for the wedding reception. The ease in use of the lighting was one of the main reasons this was suggested since you can potentially connect 125 strings of lights to one plug. That would certainly cut down on trying to run extension cords everywhere. With the different styles and colors these lights come in you'd be able to find the right set to match your theme as well as being able to use them again and again for other holidays or events. You could even use them for accent or mood lighting in your home, with the lights being a reminder of your special day, considering the lights last at least 100,000 hours that's a lot of time for memories...

More on the Ron Paul coins...

The story of the coins created with the picture of Ron Paul on them are still in the news as this Washington Post article points out:

But the coins have been another rallying point for Paul's supporters, who have asked Paul to pose for photographs with the coins on the campaign trail. Jim Forsythe, a Paul organizer in New Hampshire who ordered 150 of the copper Ron Paul dollars, said yesterday that the seizure of the coins would likely fuel more support for Paul, who scores close to double-digits in some New Hampshire polls. "People are pretty upset about this," he said. "The dollar is going down the tubes and this is something that can protect the value of their money and the Federal Reserve is threatened by that. It'll definitely fire people up."

Basics of Title Insurance...

The basic premise of title insurance exactly as it sounds, it is insurance that protects you from problems that could be related to the title to your property. Before you purchased your home or the land that it sits on there were most likely previous owners and if there was a problem related to one of the previous title transfers it could create a situation where your title could be called into question. This is why the business of title insurance companies came into existence, with title insurance designed for the lender that protects the amount of the mortgage and then there is also owner’s title insurance that covers the full value of the home.

If you are planning on buying your home through a mortgage, title companies and the lender will require that you have title insurance, if you have put down a substantial down payment or are doing a purchase that does not require a mortgage, it is still advised that you purchase an owner's title insurance policy to make sure you are properly protected. Like almost every type of insurance, if you have it, it seems you'll never need it but if you didn't take the option to purchase it and run into a problem? In hindsight you could wish you would have done it differently...

Coins with Ron Paul on them seized

This is being reported by several media sources, with similar details as shared in this New York Sun piece that suggest that this could cause problems for the campaign of the very internet popular candidate Rep. Ron Paul.

Federal agents, in a move that could have an impact on the presidential race, raided the Indiana office of the issuer of a private currency known as the Liberty Dollar — and seized tens of thousands of coins bearing the likeness of a presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul.

As the article points out, Libertarians are reacting:

Blay Tarnoff, a former chairman of the Libertarian Party of New York, a statewide organization, said he could not think of any good rationale for the raid as long as the company issuing Liberty Dollars was not misrepresenting their coins as government currency. "People can trade anything they want of value," he said. "It wouldn't surprise me if the government would want to seize Liberty Dollars if they believed that people were actually beginning to use them."

Car visor customized for you...

When I first saw this website where you can customize your visor for your vehicle, I immediately thought of all the cute sayings I could use in buying these for various family members. You can select the color that you want, pick a background palette, add text and even add accessories as well as being able to email your design to friends and family to show them what your favorite "stuck up" is.

For one of my daughters, the saying "BUCKLE UP" would be a nice reminder right there on her visor since she has a bad habit of not remembering to buckle her seatbelt. Then there is the one who could use, "PROPER ASSURED DISTANCE" as a reminder and my other lovely daughter, "DO YOU HAVE YOUR PURSE" would be helpful since she's lost her wallet and her purse more than once by leaving it somewhere. As you can tell, the possibilities are pretty endless as to the type of messages and fun you could have with these custom visors.

Chinese spying threat to US businesses...

When I attended a recent Town Hall on US Manufacturing Job losses, the topic of the Chinese copying/stealing our technology was discussed as being a major problem for US manufacturers. This CNN report is timely considering it addresses a similar point of discussion, Report: China spies threaten U.S. technology:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chinese spying in America represents the greatest threat to U.S. technology, according to a congressional advisory panel report Thursday that recommended lawmakers consider financing counterintelligence efforts meant to stop China from stealing U.S. manufacturing expertise.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission also said in its annual report to Congress that small- and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers, which represent more than half the manufacturing jobs in America, "face the full brunt of China's unfair trade practices, including currency manipulation and illegal subsidies for Chinese exports."

China's economic policies create a trade relationship that is "severely out of balance" in China's favor, said the commission, which Congress set up in 2000 to investigate and report on U.S.-China issues.

Why make threats you can't follow through on?

No matter who the presidential candidate is or any candidate for that matter creates a feeling of distaste with me when they make statements/promises that can never come about. This recent situation with John Edwards is a prime example:

John Edwards' new ad says that when he's in the Oval Office, he'll tell Congress to act within six months to make sure all Americans have health insurance or "I'm going to use my power as president to take your health care away from you."

What's the problem? He can't do it...

Presidents can't just negate federal laws at will, and it's under law that members of Congress, cabinet members, and other government employees get health insurance.

The saddest part of all is there will be voters who will believe this and it's very disappointing that John Edwards would use this type of inaccurate information as a part of his campaign for President.

Energy Efficient Christmas Lights...

A great many of us, especially those of us who live the upper half of the country, want a traditional white Christmas with lots of snow and that beauty of snowflakes falling on Christmas day, but the additional lighting no matter where you live can increase your electric bill. If you are concerned about the environment and energy costs you might want to consider using LED Christmas lights instead of traditional Christmas light strings. Not only do the LED bulbs last longer but they also do not burn with as high of a temperature and they cost much less to operate than the traditional lights. LED lights are also made tougher so you don't have to worry about the easy breakage that can happen with regular lights. There is a very interesting article that gives you Nine Things you can do to make your holiday greener that I highly recommend reading. It gives some fantastic tips on how you can celebrate the holidays but do so with a bit more of a focus on being environmentally friendly at the same time.

HolidayLEDs has more than a huge variety of LED Holiday lights for sale, they also have many articles that contain not information and helpful tips. For this they get the Lisa Renee recommend...

Ron Paul rasies over 8 million and....

Our media shows it's bias towards or against candidates by the way it reports on stories. Take the recent news about Presidential candidate Ron Paul raising $8.1 million since November 1. It states:

Claims by Paul's campaign that it has raised $8.1 million in November, cannot be verified by CNN until fourth quarter reports are filed with the Federal Election Commission on December 31.

Dr. Paul's campaign raised a few eyebrows in Washington last week when it announced that it had raised $4.2 million in just 24 hours, on November 5. Since that announcement, the campaign has received another $1 million in donations online, his campaign announced Tuesday.

Why would his campaign lie about that? The information will be accessible to the public so it would be rather stupid to make claims that could not be proven and the media would be all over that as a story if it were not true...

Score for Math Tutoring...

There are other companies out there that offer Math Tutors and some promise the same level of results, yet the majority of teachers I have asked when discussing tutoring have recommended Score. As I've stated in the past, my son had problems with math that we did not catch soon enough and he struggled until the problem was identified. Had we acted sooner in getting him the additional tutoring he needed, most of the problems he experienced would have been avoided. As a parent, math was my weak area and I did not realize until years later that I did not stress math skills enough with my children when they were younger. All of us have our strong and weak subjects, which is an additional reason Score can be of great assistance in making sure your child excels even in areas you don't.

Betting on Ron Paul?

I found this one to be a bit unusual, Ireland's largest online bookmaker, PaddyPower.com listed Ron Paul with 8/1 odds of being named the GOP Candidate a few weeks ago and now on November 10, he came in with 5/1 odds.

Only Mitt Romney (with 9/4 odds) and Rudy Giuliani (11/10 odds) are listed higher. Romney would pay $9 for every $4 bet while Giuliani would pay out $11 for every $10 bet.

"Ron Paul has officially surpassed John McCain among Republicans where oddsmakers are concerned, even around the world," announced Payton O'Brien, Senior Editor of Gambling911.com See Payton O'Brien quoted in Chief Executive Magazine Here "He's now favored over Fred Thompson as well, who is listed with 6/1 odds at PaddyPower."

US residents are prohibited from placing bets at Paddy Power.

Richardson not giving up...

Email received from his campaign yesterday:

Dear Lisa Renee,

I just spent the last two and a half hours in our Friday strategy session and I wanted to let you know where things stand before I head out to meet up with the Governor at his 10th campaign event today.

It's come down to this. We have 54 days until the Iowa caucus and every one of us has a clear job to do. You do, too. I'm going to tell you about that in a minute.

First off, let me say this. The Democratic presidential primary is still very much in play. And Bill Richardson is still very much in it.

I was just looking at some poll numbers for Iowa and New Hampshire that show Bill gaining ground and that prove we will be competitive on Election Day.

All bets are off until those early states vote. That's really the first time voters get a chance to decide if they think a candidate can go all the way. And it's when front-runners stumble.

That's how Paul Tsongas lost his front-runner status in 1992. It got down to brass tacks and voters realized he couldn't beat George Bush. And suddenly Bill Clinton was catapulted to the front of the line and ultimately into the White House.

But here's what you need to know. Even though Senator Clinton and Senator Obama have bigger war chests, it won't make a difference when voters finally get to decide. There is only so much media to be bought in Iowa and New Hampshire. Which is why we're concentrating our energy there. And that's why I need your help now.

We have put $1.2 million in the plan for media in those two states for the month of November. But today, we only have $950,000.

If we can raise that additional $250,000 between now and Thanksgiving, we can match Clinton and Obama ad-for-ad.

When shopping online for furniture...

If you are like me you prefer to shop from the comfort of your computer as opposed to driving from location to location. The selection of Home Furniture offered by Furniture From Home is impressive. Selections range from items such as an office desk, my personal favorite is the Tobacco Finish Hardwood Computer Desk and Storage Unit, along with Dining Room Furniture, Bedroom Furniture, Living Room Furniture and accessories. The website is easy to navigate and the prices are not overly expensive when you consider the quality of the furniture offered. This is not some bargain basement shopping site where the furniture is of less than stellar quality. They do offer free shipping and go above and beyond what is considered the standard even for companies that offer free shipping, that is a huge positive that earns them my recommendation as a site to visit/shop at.

Ron Paul said he is "not interested" in a third party run for president

DURHAM, N.H. -- Texas Congressman Ron Paul said he is "not interested" in a third party run for president if he is unable to win the Republican presidential nomination next year.

"I have no intention of doing that," Paul told local reporters. "This country is not very democratic and only allows for two parties."

In 1988, Paul ran for president as the nominee for the Libertarian Party. He said that experience showed him a third party run would be futile.

On Friday afternoon Paul spoke to 350 students at the University of New Hampshire, one of the largest audiences a presidential candidates has received on this campus.

Rebecca Romanoski, a UNH student who grew up in Newton, N.H., said she came to see Paul because she heard he was a bit of a "radical". But she was turned off after hearing Paul say he would do very little to address global warming.

In the question and answer period Paul encouraged students to be "contrarians" about global warming and said the federal government really didn't have a role to address the problem anyway.

Quality faucets matter...

When it comes to faucets you might think you can get away with a cheap set for your kitchen or your bathroom. Yet in the end you will most likely spend more money than if you went with a Price Pfister faucet set in the first place. Just one example of dripping water may not seem as if it would be an issue but over time that adds to the cost of your water bill as well as the waste to the environment. Longevity of the faucet is another thing to consider, paying a bit higher of a price for quality as opposed to having to replace parts or pieces or even a whole faucet several times does not make long term financial sense. Design is an additional factor, since when it comes to that you also get what you pay for. Price Pfister is the name I've cone to trust when it comes to a good price for the quality you receive in turn...

Freedom of Speech and the Harm Principle

A highly recommended site that deals with the topic of the Harm Principle and Freedom of Speech. It is a well written piece that takes a thought provoking look at this issue.

One more voter!

My fourth oldest was able to vote for the first time yesterday, and unlike almost 70% of the registered voters of my area, voted. While she was a bit embarrassed by the applause she received from the senior citizen volunteers at the polling station yesterday, I understood exactly why they are applauding. They spend hours volunteering at the polls and in our particular district only 16.6% of the voters came out to vote so seeing a young person care enough about their right to vote to actually do it, was worthy of applause.

Quibblo adds special pages...

Now not only can you have fun taking the many quizzes that Quibblo offers, like anime quizzes, but they have added special pages of information and a way for you to discuss your favorite quizzes. The topics include a list of the quizzes related to the subject matter, like for those of us who are political junkies, the 2008 Election category is one you don't want to miss and if you don't see one that interests you? You can always create your own...

Teen Wins Fight for Antiabortion Club at School

While I can't say I agree with all of her message, I support the right for her to be ale to state it and given there are quite a few other high school clubs that are not related to education, I'm glad that the school district involved permitted the creation of an antiabortion club.

Pakistan constitution said "ripped to shreds"

The arrests of lawyers and the upheaval in Pakistan should be causing a great deal of concern here in the US, it's obvious when reading this Washington Post article, Ousted Pakistani Chief Justice Urges Lawyers to Continue Protests that there is freedom at stake here. While some lawyers are protesting, others have gone into hiding:

Under house arrest since his firing along with six other Supreme Court judges, Chaudhry reached a gathering of lawyers in the capital via cell phone and told them to "go to every corner of Pakistan and give the message that this is the time to sacrifice," the Associated Press reported. "Don't be afraid. God will help us, and the day will come when you'll see the constitution supreme and no dictatorship for a long time."

While some political opponents and rights activists also participated in the protests -- the most significant since Musharraf declared emergency rule Saturday -- it was the lawyers who dominated. In recent months, they have clashed repeatedly with a government they accuse of interfering with the judiciary, and on Monday, they voiced outrage over the president's decision to suspend the constitution and fire a group of dissident Supreme Court justices.

Equally disturbing is the reports of arrests of human relief workers and the fact that non-government owned media has been kept off the air for the third day in a row. This makes getting information about what is happening even more difficult.

Online shopping better for the environment...

Sure the title is a little bit of a stretch, but in a way it is true since by staying home and shopping from home you actually do save driving from place to place looking for just the right gift. You could even say that by using online shopping coupons you save trees since you don't have to print them out on paper...

Another advantage of online shopping is being able to get deals that you can't get at the store, like the ones offered by Tracfone, some of which include a free phone. If you go to the store, you aren't going to get a free phone...Or you can find items from Brian Tracy that would not only be a great gift but could help you improve your own life by taking advantage of his experience when it comes to personal and business success.

My personal preference is to always shop online first and to use online shopping coupons whenever possible, the money I save enables me to buy even more for the ones I love and at times myself too.

Time change increases death risk?

This was an interesting article that made some points that I had not realized when it comes to the change in daylight savings time:

It also means that pedestrians walking around dusk are nearly three times more likely to be struck and killed by cars than before the time change, the researchers calculate.

Ending daylight saving time translates into about 37 more U.S. pedestrian deaths around 6 p.m. in November compared to October, the professors report.

Considering I'm not a fan of the whole messing with mother nature as far as creating an artificial time in the first place, perhaps this is just one additional reason why our government should just leave it alone...

I've thought about freelancing...

As the writer of a popular weekly newspaper column on blogging and a self-published author of a book on Ohio History, I have often thought about becoming a freelancer. I've also thought about freelancing when it comes to advising political campaigns since many of them just need someone to do a quick fix for a public relations problem or issue as opposed to needing someone long term. For me the biggest obstacle is a time factor, not so much as doing the work but doing the promotional aspect to do the work.

Ron Paul winning the internet ad campaign...

So far it would appear that when it comes to making commercials and putting commercials on the internet that Ron Paul is leaps and bounds a head of his other presidential opponents. I've seen more of his advertising recently than I have all of the Republicans and Democrats added up together. What this will mean for the feisty independent who is also making the late night tv rounds is still way to early to tell but I'm also noticing more bloggers coming out and stating they are supporting Ron Paul as well...

Love means having to say your sorry...

Even the best of marriages run into troubled times at one point or another, yet there is this stigma that exists in some circles of society about marriage counseling that can create huge problems for a couple. You'd get a second opinion when it came to a myriad of issues in your life, so there is nothing wrong with getting some advice/assistance when it comes to your marriage. It can be extremely beneficial to have someone who is a third party give you insight into areas in which you can improve your relationship. In the end it'd be a much better option than an unhappy marriage or a divorce...

Does the Military have the right to take their land?

At times I wonder what happened to the concept of liberty, and freedom of choice. I have no problem with the military making an offer for land that they want to purchase, and as an example in this case the ranchers to sell their land but there should be no force and the price should not be what the military decides it wants to pay. Some of those ranchers families owned the land way before the military ever came on the scene and even those who came later? Where exactly are they supposed to go?

That's not even touching on the topic of the history of that area that could be destroyed...

I totally disagree with this statement:

State Sen. John P. Morse, a Colorado Springs Democrat, (said) that "patriotism is about accepting your cost, even when it is disproportionate."

That's total bunk, especially since it really is questionable why we need to train more of our troops to fight in a place where we shouldn't even be in the first place. If Congress and the President would put a stop to sending our troops to the middle east none of these millions of acres of land would be needed for desert training. Yet to attempt to question the patriotism of the ranchers because they don't want to give up their life, their livelihood and their history? I sincerely hope when Morse is up for re-election the residents of Colorado remember his lack of concern for their well being.