Latest trends in electric cars.

With the social unrest in the Middle-East, and speculators driving the price of oil to record highs; it is easy to see why so many consumers are searching for more fuel efficient autos.
"Greener" cars have had a select group of followers, but in the past two years we have seen a far greater, and more diverce group of buyers show an interest. Electric autos are not just for the " Flower-Children," no today we see people being driven by a far more practical set of concerns.

This short film reveals some of the latest innovation, most are, or will shortly be available in showrooms across America.

Is Romney the "Anti-Romney" candidate

This is one interesting election cycle.


President Obama is faced with an under performing economy, that has most Americans believing that we are on the "Wrong-Track." Yes, most people recognize that the bad economy was a "Gift" left to him by the prior administration, but after 3 years there is a feeling that the Obama administration has fallen short of expectations. There is a saying in politics, "People vote their pocketbooks," well with the middle class buying power falling, the European debt disaster at a tipping point; there is a great deal of fear and desperation. Those sentiments don't typically work well for an incumbent. On the plus-side, the people seem to like him personally, and do give him some points for catching Bin Laden, and Muammar el-Qaddafi



That said, the Republicans should be in a very strong position, and would be if they had amassed a more main-stream group of candidates.

For nearly a year, Mitt Romney has been seen as the front-runner for the nomination. During that time various candidates have risen up to take the spot as "The Anti-Romney Candidate" but each have fallen nearly as quickly as they rose. The newest flavor of the month is Newt Gingrich. All candidates have some past; there are points of pride but often also flaws. The bright-lights focused upon a candidate tend to uncover even carefully hidden mistakes, and questionable choices. the media focus has set it's sights on the new front-runner- Let's see what Skeletons Newt has in his closet. The fact that he was forced to resign the House, pay over $300,000 in fines in the face of ethics charges, had cheated on TWO wife's (one while under going cancer treatment), got paid $1,600,000.00 by Freddy-Mac, then called out anyone that supported them; strikes me as some real problems. But if not Newt, than who will be the Anti-Romney candidate?

,

Cain: For weeks he was at the top of the polls; but beyond the closet, Cain's Skeletons, Are all over the house, in his trunk, in various hotels. It is difficult to see his campaign lasting a few more days, let alone becoming the nominee.



Perry: We looked in Perry's closet and found few Skeletons, but found the whole closet EMPTY. In fact he could not remember where his 3 closets were.



Bachman, they searched, and search, but found the whole closet filled with nothing but crazy ideas.


Paul: Has an isolationist and anti drug-law platform, that scares many on the "Right" and social policy agenda that terrifies the "Left"


Romney: In has closet they found his battery-pack and owners manual. (Robot 135-R). Maybe Romney is the "Anti-Romney" candidate; after all, he seems to be against everything he was for last year. It is clear that the republican base, does not care for him, despite polling that shows he's the candidate most likely to beat Obama.



The President has a tough fight before him. The fact that the Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent in November, and that.the country added 120,000 jobs, is clearly some good news for Obama's ability to convince the public that we are on the right-track. At the same time, problems in Europe loom-large and there is a serious question where our economy will be in coming months. As of today, the president's strongest selling point is the weakness of his challengers.

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Go to Church or go to Jail.

In the news today is a story about  an Alabama town that has started an alternative sentencing program that would give non-violent offenders a new choice:
Go to jail, or go to church.


"Starting next week, the program will allow a city judge to sentence misdemeanor offenders to work off their sentences in jail and pay a fine, or go to church every Sunday for a year. Offenders who select church can pick the place of worship but must check in weekly with the pastor and the police department. If the one-year church attendance program is completed successfully, the offender's case will be dismissed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/23/offenders-in-ala-town-can_n_977687.html

“This is a simply offensive idea, that both violated the "Separatio­n of Church and State", while denigratin­g Christiani­ty.

We need to begin with the basic truth that "America is a Secular nation, populated by predominan­tly by Christians­".

To force non-Christ­ians to go to church violates their right to freedom of religion. Remember America was founded in large part by Christians fleeing a Christian country, on the basis of religious persecutio­n NO AMERICAN SHOULD BE FORCED to attend church.

I am amazed that all Christians are not deeply offended by the idea of going to church being use as a "Punishmen­t" Going to services should be a JOY, not a form of discipline­. This is an insult to all of those attending services out of true belief.


Our founding fathers designed a form of government that kept the Church and the state separate, not to punish religion but to protect it from government­.”

Einstein continues to stand the test of time

In a week where there was a suggestion coming out of CERN that perhaps a Neutrino partial violated Einstein's E=MC2 equation by traveling faster than the speed of light; a new study of Galaxy Clusters Back Up Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
Every time someone tells me that Evolution is "Just a theory" I'm tempted to suggest that since gravity is also"Just a theory" maybe they would like to step off the top of a 40 story building. Funny, but I have yet to find any takers, it seems that gravity in something we can all agree on. Yet while we can all nod our heads in agreement over the fact that gravity exists, actually explaining how it works becomes a bit trickier. Albert Einstein’s Theory of general relativity describes how the mass of an object warps the space and time that surrounds it around it, the greater the mass, the greater the gravitational pull and the more intense the effect on Time/Space.


In 1905 when Einstien first published his Theory of general relativity, physicists marveled at the beautiful simplicity of the final E=MC2, the math made sense (to the few at the time that were able to comprehend it's ramifications) but testing the equations proved to be allusive. We had not yet invented a Super particle accelerators, no Cern, no Hubble, no real way to test the validity of his theory. Over the years we have been able to confirm that General relativity works on the scale of the solar system, but proving it held true on cosmic scales, while logical, had not been proven - but now a group of astrophysicists in Denmark have done just that.


One of the basic tenets of General Relativity is that light is influenced by gravity and will loose energy as it escapes a gravitational field. The stronger the gravitational field, the greater the amount of energy will be lost as the light escapes. The same way that a rocket will need more power to reach escape velocity Earth than from the Moon. As you increase the gravity, you increase the power needed to escape it's influence. The work led by Radek Wojtak of the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, was devised to test this central prediction of general relativity. Their method was to recognize that photons emitted from the center of a massive object containing thousands of galaxies, should reveal that they lost more energy than those photons that came from the edge of the galaxy cluster because gravity is strongest in the center.


So how do you test to see how much energy was lost by the proton's coming from various locations within a galaxy cluster, you measure the wavelength. The test is connected to the observations made by Hubble when he looked at the light spectrum of stars and recognized that their light was shifted towards the "Red" side of the spectrum. "Gravitational Redshifting demonstrates that light is moving away from the observer. It was this realization that lead to the knowledge that our universe is expanding. The team at the Niels Bohr Institute knew that the greater the energy loss, the greater the degree that the light waves should show a shift towards the red. What Radek Wojtak and his team found was a that the degree to which the light was redshifted was in direct proportion to the distance from the center of the cluster, just as the theory of general relativity predicted .


David Spergel, an astrophysicist at Princeton University, compliments Wojtak and his colleagues on “cleverly combining” a large cluster data set to detect a “subtle effect.” Spergel says, “This is another victory for Einstein. … This cluster test suggests that we do live in a strange universe with dark matter and dark energy, but one in which Einstein’s theory of gravity is valid on large scales.”


Well if I have to venture a guess, I would say that Cern most-likely miscalculated and that Einstein's E=MC2 equation will continue to stand the test of time.



Based on information in an article By Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, ScienceNOW

Texas Board of Ed. fails to Evolve

Eleven years into the 21st Century and still seem to be debating that which was settled science in the 19th Century- Evolution.

The Texas State Board of Education will meet this week to debate on the teaching evolution in the public schools. This marks the first time the Texas Board of Ed. will meet since Gov. Rick Perry had appointed Barbara Cargill chairwoman earlier this month. Ms. Cargill is a "Social Conservative" that has repeatedly expressed her displeasure with the theory of Evolution being taught in the classroom.Cargill,is considered to be one of the most conservative board members, and dismisses the theory of evolution and has voted to require that the theory's "Weaknesses" be taught in classrooms. Her reputation of the well establish science explaining the "Origin of Species" is to the very "Extreme Right" of the political spectrum, by going beyond just demanding equal time for "Intelligent Design." No, Ms Cargill actually wants the public schools to work to disprove, or attempt to poke holes in the theory of evolution.

Texas Governor Perry, has reached out to the social conservatives,as he considers a run for president in 2012. He clearly is playing to his base as he is well aware that in 2009 they adopted new standards that encourage public schools to scrutinize "all sides" of scientific theory. At first hearing, to many, the idea of the schools presenting "All Sides" and then let the kids decide, might sound OK, perhaps even progressive; but imagine that same "Logic" being applied to all areas of study. Some people deny that the Holocaust ever occurred. That T-Rex and man lived at the same time, that the Grand Canyon was formed in just a few hundred years or that the Sun revolves around the Earth.

Here is a scary statistic - The US students ranked 29th,in Science behind countries like Croatia, the Czech Republic. Yes the same country that holds the largest number of Nobel Prizes in science, that put men on the moon, now ranks behind Croatia. America can not win the battle of what country can produce "Happy Meal Toys" at the lowest cost.Countries like China, and Vietnam are filled with dirt-poor people willing to work for $3 dollars a day. If America is going to create jobs and maintain our power and standard of living, we are going to need to be the best educated in the world. Texas Governor Perry and Barbara Cargill are taking the nation in the opposite direction.

To those that say "Evolution is JUST a Theory" I have a suggestion. I will draw a big "X" on the sidewalk and have you stand in the center of that "X"; and then I will go up to the top of a 20 story building and wait 5 minutes before I drop a piano off the roof directly above that big "X". During those 5 minutes you can lecture me about how Gravity is "Just a Theory". The simple truth is science better understands Evolution then it does gravity.

When Conservatives talk about fiscal matters, I listen and will often find points of agreement. But groups try to force their ideology off as science, I will voice my concern that they are preventing our children, and nation from reaching it's full potential.

Water for Elephants, and Animal Defenders

Circulating around the Internet are emails linking you to emails explaining why they believe that you should boycott the new film Water for Elephants.


The Email claims to show a Video released by "Animal Defenders International" the shows Tai, the elephant in the new film Water for Elephants, being beaten and electric-shocked during training.

I must say that I can not approve of any mistreatment of animals and a few of the actions of the trainers I viewed seem disturbing. It is relevant to remember the video is a "Snippet" of 6 years old video filmed in 2005 by Animal Defenders International at the Have Trunk Will Travel facility in Southern California. I assume the group was there for far longer than the 3 minutes of film the spliced together. I also assume they only used those clips that supported their position. There is no question that there are business this mistreat animals, those business should be closed down, but we need to look for acts of cruelty, not just animals not being used. Keep inmind imiages can be confusing. A crop striking my thigh with enough force to cause me great pain. The same level of force strikingly a full grown Elephant might not even get his attention.



The Movie was very well crafted, and the acting was wonderful. I saw the "Clip" of the training done by the group that owns the elephant; and sure a studio should think twice about using that company; but there is NO indication that any of the actors or director had any knowledge of the training techniques. If the animal was mistreated then Boycott "Have Truck will Travel" but not the film. The film sends a POSITIVE message about the treatment of animals.





Film makers have a thousand things on their plate at once. It's not just the Elephant that has to "Hit his mark", it could be up to a hundred actors, Sound crew, Focus-Pullers, lighting, costumes, all have to come together, and do so before you "Loose the light."

Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson had a great online chemistry, and Christoph Waltz never fails to keep you glued to the screen. I can understand why people care about animals being treated in a humane way; I share their concerns: but don't focus you anger at a cast and crew that never engaged in any improper treatment of animals.

Osama bin Laden is Dead

“The world is safer. It is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden,” he said at the White House. “Today we are reminded that as a nation, there's nothing we can't do when we put our shoulders to the wheel, when we work together. And we remember the sense of unity that defines us as Americans.”



President Obama
In the Wizard of Oz, when the wicked witch is killed, we are happy to see the guards and the evil flying monkeys, rather than take revenge, they welcome the witches demise.
I'm not holding my breath, but wouldn't it be nice if the remaining  al-Qaida followers suddenly burst in to singing "Ding Dong Bin Laden's Dead."

Well, Hope springs eternal !

The Secret of Area 51 Revealed

Maybe some people's minds were changed by Loretta J. Fuddy, the director of health at the State of Hawaii, releasing "two certified copies of Obama's original certificate of live birth.". Especially after the Republican Governor had already stated that she had seen the original bound in the official book, and the hospital and Hawaii papers stated that they only printed birth announcements when submitted by the hospital.

But there are still some questions that remain:

1. How do we know there were not Two Barack Hussein Obama II born on the same day, each with a "White" Mother named Ann Stanley and an "African" father named Barack Hussein Obama; one born in Hawaii and the other born in Kenya?

2. How do we know that three years ago, Barack Obama did not hire a team of co-conspirators to break into the office where the birth records are kept locked away; pass through security, break into the safe, take apart the bound book, then insert a "Fake Page" into the collection on the right day with the correct sequential number; then rebind the book, relock the safe and make a clean getaway?

3. What about the Moon Landing, no one has "Proven" that it actually took place; where was Neil Armstrong on the day Obama was born? Could this be just one more cover-up that he's involved in perpetrating against the American people?

4. How do we know the government is not secretly "Creating more Barack Obama's" deep inside Area 51? Yes that's it..... A secret Islamic Army of aliens have been being cloned ever since a ship landed at Roswell from their home planet of "Koran." Thank God for Donald Trump, our last great line of defense against the Alien's plan to destroy our planet and make it their own.

France's new ban on Islamic face veils

I've been to France several times, it's a beautiful country. I don't want to "Bash France"; but they have done a dismal job of handling their immigration. I understand they are a high-wage country with a slightly aging population; so I understand why many French companies would welcome cheep foreign labor. Immigration is a good thing, but any country has to follow two rules.


1. Let people into your country at a rate equal to your ability to absorb those new arrivals.

2. Have a clear path that brings them not just into the country; but into your society.

France did neither!

They opened flood gates at a rate greater than the economy's ability to absorb them, and more important while they let these Muslims in to France they never welcomed them in to the fabric of French couture.

The first rule of security is to draw a line; to delineate between "Inside the circle" and "Outside the circle". There was a reason that castles were built with motes, high-walls and drawbridges; it is far easier to fight a force that is "Out-side your walls" then to wage battle once they have gained access.While it was clearly not the intent of France, or other EU countries to create a Ghetto of disgruntled immigrants; that has been the result of their policies. Now many of these countries a facing the difficult question of what to do with a sizable population that rejects some of the basic tenets of which your country are based, and have flourished.

France for one, reacted by enacting laws to designed to keep Muslims from showing their faith, and trying to curtail their prominence. So I find little surprise that "France's new ban on Islamic face veils was met with a burst of defiance Monday". I don't fault countries for wanting to "Draw a line" to maintain the secular pluralistic culture on which they were built. My problem with these new laws is that I believe them to be Ass-Backward; rather that try to stop people from practicing their faith, prohibit them from forcing their faith on anyone else.

Let them build a Masque, open a restaurant that does not sell alcohol, but then also strictly defend a Christian's right to open a wine bar that specializes in pork chops in the very next store front. Don't let the disgruntled immigrants use Freedom and Democracy against larger society, instead send a clear message that says "We welcome you into our country, but we demand you honor the rights and freedoms of all of our citizens. Ok France I understand why you feel the need to "Draw the line", your just drawing it in the wrong place.

Time to Pass the Budget

As the nation is brought to the brink of a shutdown, some things are clear.

1. The Federal debt is spiraling out of control.


2. This debt is hampering the long-term success of America.


3. Even if the Republicans get the full cuts they wanted, we will still see our debt rise.


4. The Democrats have agreed to about 70% of all of the cuts that the Republicans asked for.


5. There is no way to balance the budget with out draconian cuts to basic government services, including Medicare and Social Security, unless they also address the revenue side.


6. Obama brokered a deal between the House and Senate bills, The numbers have been worked out.

The looming government shutdown is NOT about the budget; not about numbers that one could mark down on ledger paper, or enter into an Excel file.The Shutdown is over abortion and the EPA.

With over 800,000 people set to stop receiving paychecks, and ten of millions left without the services they depend on, the American government closing its doors is not an event that will serve us well. As Americans fight $4.00 gas prices, falling home prices, rising healthcare costs; we should not be held hostage by the far right's plan to end abortion. What ever your position is on that "Hot-Button" issue; clearly this is not the bill to address the matter. Keep in mind, the Hyde amendment already bans any federal money to be use to fund abortion. This last-minute rider sets to refund any woman's health service provider that, in addition to it's principle functions, also offers abortion services, even though NO government money goes to pay for that abortion. This bill will make it harder for many millions of woman to get checked for Cervical cancer, STDs, Rape counseling and birth control pills, (despite that fact that the birth control will reduce the number of abortions).

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer says "Democrats have compromised enough on the 2011 budget, and it’s time for the Republicans to give on social policies they want included in the spending package".


“It’s going to take some willingness on the other side to give a little bit,” Hoyer said. “We have given 70 percent towards the dollars that they wanted to reduce and they have not given an inch on the policies that they want included".


The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is the other target of the "Right". It would seem in a year that saw the BP oil spill and the unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan; the American people would welcome an agency that is there to help keep us safe. This is clear proof that the Koch brothers got what they paid for when they invested in the Tea Party.

When asked, Governor Daniels of Indiana said: ‘Look, make an agreement on numbers, let’s get that stabilized first — leave the social issues to other bills.’ That’s what we ought to do,” “The fact is that shutting down the government is a bad policy .

It is clear that the average American does not want to see the United States put out a "Closed" sign out on the door. By all accounts the two sides have reached a compromise on the budget, it is time for them to pass it and get back to work.

The Easiest Way To Clean Your Brushes

SB0152, “Mandatory Arbitration” will raise car Insurance Rates in Illinois

At a time when the “Middle-Class Worker” is watching their small-slice of the American pie shrink, as their expenses go up and their wages go down. I’m confident that when Sen. William R. Haine introduced SB0152, it was done with the best of intentions, and the sincere belief that “Mandatory Arbitration” will benefit the people of Illinois. I am not questioning his motivation, but I do question the wisdom of a bill that will put people out of work, and increase insurance costs on those least able to afford them....

» Read "SB0152, “Mandatory Arbitration” will raise car Insurance Rates in Illinois"...

List of Illinois Senators

Here is the List of Illinois Senators that play a role in the vote on SB1052 bill.

Sen. John Cullerton

President, Illinois Senate

327 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-3242


Sen. Don Harmon

President Pro Tempore

329 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-3242


Sen. Bill Brady

Assistant Republican Leader

105 A Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-0116

Sen. Matt Murphy

Republican Caucus Chair

309 C Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-7818


Sen. Christine Radogno

Republican Leader

309 A Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-7818

Sen. Dale Righter


Deputy Republican Leader

309 D Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-7818


Sen. William Haine

121 C Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-5340


Sen. David Leuchtefeld

Assistant Republican Leader

103 B Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-4079


Sen. Dave Syverson

Assistant Republican Leader

M 103 D Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-9586

Sen. John O. Jones

Assistant Republican Leader

309 H Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-4885


Sen. Pamela Althoff

Republican Caucus Whip

M103 C Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-9586


Sen. Susan Garrett

Majority Caucus Whip

129 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

(217) 782-2331


Sen. Kimberly Lightford

Assistant Majority Leader

323 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 558-2068


Sen. Antonio Muñoz

Assistant Majority Leader

323 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 558-1042


Sen. James Clayborne Jr.

Senate Majority Leader

329 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 558-6013

Sen. Donne Trotter

Majority Caucus Chair

Sen. Donne Trotter

Majority Caucus Chair

627 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-8201


Sen. Carol Pankau

Minority Caucus Whip

105 K Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 557-3908

Sen. Maggie Crotty

Assistant Majority Leader

123 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 558-6006


Sen. Mattie Hunter

Majority Caucus Whip

615 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 558-6006


Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg

Assistant Majority Leader

218 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-0715


Sen. John Sullivan

Assistant Majority Leader

417 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 558-0168


Sen. Ira Silverstein

Majority Caucus Whip

121 A Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-5340


Sen. Terry Link

Majority Caucus Whip

321 Capitol Building

Springfield IL 62706

Fax No. (217) 782-4450

Natanie Portman VS Mike Huckabee

The room was quite as the list of names for "best Actress" were ticked-off. there was much applauds, and little surprise when the Academy Awards announced That Natalie Portman took the stage. The surprise came a day latter when, Mike Huckabee slammed actress Natalie Portman on a radio show for glamorizing out-of-wedlock pregnancy at the Academy Awards and sending an irresponsible message to women.

Yes this is the same Natalie Portman that put her movie career on hold for years while she got a degree from Harvard. In 1999, she was cast in a leading role in Star Wars Episode I, at the same time she had recently enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology. As if graduating for an Ivy League college was not enough of a challenge She completed her bachelor's degree while she was working on the Star Wars films. This is the same young woman that skipped the premiere of her film The Phantom Menace so she could study for her high school final exams. (Does anyone truly believe that Bristol Palin would have made that choice?)


When asked by the New York Post about her putting School first she said "I don't care if [college] ruins my career," "I'd rather be smart than a movie star."

Natalie Portman (Natalie Hershlag) did graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. degree in psychology and for a time was a research assistant to Alan Dershowitz.

Portman, with a history of charitable giving, just donated $50 million dollars to Hadassah Hospital.  

On December 27, 2010, Portman confirmed to the press that she and her boyfriend, Millepied are engaged and expecting a child, this summer.
Mike Huckabee former governor and would be presidential candidate went on "The Michael Medved Show" and basted Ms/ Portman for being a poor role-model for woman.

"You know, Michael, one of the things that's troubling is that people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts of, 'Hey look, you know, we're having children, we're not married, but we're having these children, and they're doing just fine,'" Huckabee said. "But there aren't really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie."

Rather than look at her and see an accomplished woman, with a long history of making responsible decisions, who took graduate courses at Hebrew University, and speaks 6 languages; he just played to the “Bash Hollywood Values” crowd, in an attempt to prove that he is further to the “Right” then any other Republican challenger.

But Huckabee said marriage should have come first and admonished the actress for glamorizing single motherhood.
"Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care. And that's the story that we're not seeing, and it's unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea of out-of-children wedlock,"


Ignoring the fact that A record 41 percent of American children were born to single mothers in 2008, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.
This was he same day, Huckabee continued to feed the "Proven false" Birther Conspiracy by saying on another radio show that President Obama has a different view of the West, "having grown up in Kenya."

I know so many smart, competent, rational Republicans. People that have graduated from top universities, who have built successful careers, and helped make America strong and prosperous. It is time for that silent majority to take back their party. We need leaders that are smart enough; and yes, logical enough to actually to a serious look at our nation's challenges and work across the isle for the common good.

The president was born and raised in the United States. Area 51 is a place the government tests new planes, not a place hiding UFOs and "Little green men", the Earth is more than 9,000 years old.

We need leaders that stop catering to the lunatic fringe on the left or the right, and realize we have great strengths, yet we are also facing some very real problems. These problems were the result of decisions make by both Democrats and Republicans. and it is going to take both groups; working together to come-up with answerers to fix our economy, and keep America strong. That which divides us- makes us weaker.

Ms. Portman, strikes me as a strong role model for young women.

Cops fatally shoot panhandler, Officer shot in back.

February 23, 2011|By Becky Schlikerman and Jeremy Gorner, Tribune reporters
Abel Uribe, Chicago Tribune
Photo by Larry Lubell



A panhandler was fatally shot near a busy River North intersection Wednesday afternoon when he opened fire on two Chicago police officers, wounding one of them in the back, police said.

Witnesses said the chaotic scene at Chicago Avenue and Wells Street unfolded in broad daylight in an area amid nightclubs, upscale restaurants, art galleries and the Moody Bible Institute.

Police said the two Near North District officers had taken the panhandler into custody about 4 p.m. after he had become combative, yet despite being handcuffed, the man was able to pull out a gun in the unmarked police car and shoot one officer in the back.

The officers scurried from the vehicle as it continued to roll down the street and fired their weapons, killing the panhandler, police said.

The unmarked police car, a Crown Victoria, came to rest partly on a sidewalk on Wells, butting against a light pole with the rear window shot out. Spent bullet shells were strewn on the street behind it.

A weapon used by the panhandler was found at the scene, police said. The man, whose identity has not been released by officials, had numerous arrests for petty offenses, according to a law-enforcement source.



The wounded officer, 44, a 16-year veteran, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He is expected to recover, police said. The other officer, 60, a 37-year-old veteran, was treated for minor cuts to one hand at Northwestern.


"This is a clear understanding of the uncertainty and the danger that the officers face every day," police Superintendent Jody Weis told reporters outside the hospital's emergency room. "There's probably nothing more routine than this type of investigation, and look what we have today — an officer has been shot. But he's going to be fine."


The Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates shootings involving Chicago police officers, was looking into Wednesday's incident, said its spokesman, Mark Smith.


Larry Lubell said he was sitting at the desk at Urban insurance when he heard loud popping sounds. He figured that a car must be backfiring but realized it was far more serious when numerous police cars suddenly converged on the area.

Lubell said he's never felt unsafe in the area, especially during the daytime.

"I see homeless people around here asking for a quarter, but no one seems to bother you if you give it to them," he said.

April Rohn, 35, a clerk at a shop near the shooting was shocked.

"Things like this don't happen around here," she said. But "it's a big city."

Death by Texting

You turn NASCAR on TV, it's exciting to watch, but you can't help be realize that danger is chasing those drivers at 200 miles per hour. A single moments distraction can end the life of even the most skilled racer. It's danger is recognised by all watching. Yet so often when any of us step behind the wheel, we commonly underestimate how a single lapse of attention, can also result in death and life-changing injuries.

Most of us feel naked leaving the house without our cell phones. We are talking, reading our email, and sending text messages from home, the trail, restaurants, and yes even from our cars.  The danger of Texting while driving, claimed it’s latest victim; this time a your girl. This case is particularly troublesome because it was her own father who’s texting led to her death. Jonathan Harp of Lima, pleaded guilty to attempted vehicular homicide in the accident that took the life of one of his children and left his
7 year old daughter in critical care.

AP Photo/Jim Cole

By his own admission, Mr. Harp was going 55 miles an hour while writing a text, the distraction resulted in him crashing into the back of a truck. If found guilty he may go to prison for a year; though, as a father myself, I can’t imagine any punishment greater than knowing your carelessness led to the death of your own child. I wonder if you are already “Living in Hell”, you care about being moved to a prison.


MAD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) has done a great job drawing attention to Drunk Driving. It is clear that driving while intoxicated is irresponsible, dangerous and illegal; it is time to recognize Texting while driving as an even greater distraction. There is a "Moral" component at work her. If you see a person siting in the park with a cellphone writing a text; we do not have contempt for them as we would if they were in that smae park drunk. We have to recornize that there is nothing wrong with useing our electronic devices, as long as it's not while opporating a 5,000 lbs machine down the raod. While Seven states and the District of Columbia have banned “Driving while texting,” it has failed to seriously limit people from continuing what statistics show is reckless behavior. A new survey found that 26% of drivers admit to Texting while driving. With a son a year away from driving, I find it additionally frightening that nearly 60% of drivers between ages 16 to 19 admitted on the survey to doing so. For those under 25, texting is the principle way they communicate; actually using a cell phone to TALK, is only done after several texts back and forth.

We need to raise awareness, before more parents need to bury their child.


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Cutting off funds for Planned Parenthood

The Middle-East is in turmoil as tens of thousands of people take to the streets. In Bahrain protests have been met with "Strong-Arm-tactics" leaving several dead which has only escalated the anti-government demonstrations. Violence was spreading at today's funeral processions in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. Upheaval and uncertainty follows in the wake of revolts in Tunisia and Egypt. America is dependent on Oil, and we have troups fighting two wars from the reagion.

While America has stopped the horrific job losses of two years ago, With unemployment holding at 9 percent and millions out of work we are far from the "Healthy job market." Small business are struggling to stay open, while many big businesses are hording cash.

There is not a state that is not in a financial mess, many cutting back on critical services, at a time when they are desperately needed. Our cities are in debt, teacher layoffs are causing class sizes to spike. Health care costs are skyrocketing at more than twice the rate of inflation leaving more and more people without access to quality care.

Oh yea, the nation is going to run out of money and have to default on loans unless congress passes a new debt-ceiling.

So with all that on the table what did congress do today?

Rather than address any of the pressing issues listed above, they instead turned to the ideological topic of abortion. Yes, the House of Representatives voted 240-185 in favor of Rep. Mike Pence’s amendment cutting off funds for Planned Parenthood.

I understand the desire to "Throw Red-Meat" to the Tea Party; but with the government days away from shutting down, while our solders are in harms-way, why not focus on solving the very real problems that we face, rather than Abortion and National Public Radio?