YumSugar

Five myths about the U.S. Postal Service

liliblu — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:51:56 -0800

What are your thoughts on the United States Postal Service?
By John E. Potter
Sunday, February 28, 2010
For 235 years, the U.S. Postal Service has delivered your mail in snow, rain and dark of night. However, tough market conditions are creating new challenges for our business. Misconceptions about the future of our enterprise abound; dispelling these myths will show that we can continue to deliver the mail.

1. The Postal Service wastes taxpayer dollars.
The Postal Service, reorganized in 1971 as an independent agency of the executive branch, operates as a commercial entity. We rely on the sale of postage, mail products and services for revenue.
A small annual appropriation from Congress reimburses the USPS for free mail for the blind and absentee-ballot mailing for overseas military personnel. Otherwise, we have not received taxpayer funds to support postal operations since 1982; in fact, though we're often described as "quasi-governmental," we're required by law to cover our costs.
2. The Postal Service is inefficient.
Ten years ago, it took 70 employees one hour to sort 35,000 letters. Today, in that same hour, two employees process that same volume of mail. Though the number of addresses in the nation has grown by nearly 18 million in the past decade, the number of employees who handle the increased delivery load has decreased by more than 200,000.
According to the U.N.-affiliated Universal Postal Union, we deliver nearly half of the world's mail. The World Economic Forum, host of the annual summit of global power players in Davos, Switzerland, consistently ranks the U.S. Postal Service among the top 4 percent of more than 120 nations' and territories' postal services.
But keeping operating costs down is the greatest testament to efficiency. Since 2002, the Postal Service has cut its costs by $43 billion, including by $6 billion in 2009. These savings have come through workforce and overtime reduction, the renegotiation of more than 500 supplier contracts, the consolidation of facilities, the closing of administrative offices, and cuts in travel expenses and supply budgets.
Despite such efforts, the Postal Service was added to the Government Accountability Office's "high-risk list" last July to help put it on a more sustainable financial path. The GAO assessment, with which we agree, accurately reflects the Postal Service's fiscal condition, but the announcement also noted that many of the actions we've taken to reduce costs should continue.
We've also asked Congress to eliminate the statutory requirement that we deliver mail six days a week. A switch to five-day delivery would help us save more than $3 billion a year while still devoting appropriate resources to delivering the mail.
3. Mail is not reliable.
Independent quarterly surveys conducted by IBM confirm that the Postal Service has achieved record reliability levels. In the last quarter of 2009, on-time overnight delivery of single-piece first-class mail was at 96 percent for the fifth straight quarter, an agency best.
We're not only punctual, we're trusted and secure. According to the Federal Trade Commission, as little as 2 percent of identity crimes occur through the mail. Theft of a wallet or purse is responsible for 5 percent -- meaning your documents are safer in the mail then they are in your pocket.
4. The USPS is not environmentally friendly.
There's no way around it: Delivering mail uses fossil fuels, and mail often produces paper waste. Still, the Postal Service is greener than you think. As long as consumers and businesses use physical mail, we're committed to finding ways to process it responsibly.
Our fleet of 44,000 alternative-fuel-capable vehicles is one of the largest in the world and includes electric, three-wheeled electric, hybrid electric, ethanol, fuel-cell, biodiesel and propane technology. More than a half-billion packages and envelopes that we provide free annually are recyclable and made of environmentally friendly materials. The quality of the raw materials in our packaging, including tape and labels, makes the USPS the only shipping company to meet the stringent eco-design and manufacturing standards set by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry in its Cradle to Cradle program.
Last year, we recycled more than 200,000 tons of paper, plastics and other waste -- the equivalent of saving 1.67 million barrels of oil, according to an online Environmental Protection Agency calculator. There are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified post offices, a 2.5-acre green roof on a major facility in downtown Manhattan, solar photovoltaic building systems and other sustainable building designs in use across the country.
Still, saving the environment doesn't begin and end with the Postal Service. That's why we encourage our customers to "read, respond and recycle." In 8,000 post offices nationwide, signs remind P.O. box customers to open their mail, take whatever action is necessary and place the waste in our recycling bins. The EPA reports that standard mail represents less than 2.1 percent of the material in our nation's landfills. (By comparison, disposable diapers represent 2.2 percent, glass beer and soft-drink bottles 3 percent, and yard trimmings 6.9 percent.)
5. The USPS can't compete with the private sector.
The Postal Service can and does compete. Our closest competitors, UPS and FedEx, don't threaten our business; as two of our biggest customers, they help build it. Our competition pays us to deliver more than 400 million of their ground packages every year in residential areas and on Saturdays. In turn, the USPS contracts with UPS and FedEx for air transportation to take advantage of their comprehensive air networks.
Although stamp prices have increased about 33 percent over the past 10 years, this increase is in line with inflation. By comparison, private carriers raised their prices by as much as 60 percent between 1999 and 2009. The Postal Service is, and has always been, a bargain.
It's no secret that the Postal Service has been losing money since 2007. What are not well known are the financial demands of the Postal Reform Act of 2006 -- demands not faced by the private sector. Though the USPS is self-supporting, its finances are tied to the federal budget because postal employees participate in federal retirement plans. In 2006, Congress required that the USPS prefund 80 percent of future postal retiree health benefits. This will cost more than $5 billion a year through 2016. No other federal agency or private company carries such a heavy burden.
Without the prefunding requirement, the Postal Service would have been better able to weather the recent recession. In 2008, prefunding contributed to a loss of $2.8 billion. Without it, we would have been $2.8 billion in the black.
Though we operate in a difficult legislative and economic environment, we are prepared to forge ahead. On March 2, we are releasing our plan for future financial viability and greater business flexibility -- a plan that will keep the Postal Service thriving for years to come.
John E. Potter is postmaster general of the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022504888.html?hpid%3Dopinionsbox1&sub=AR

10 Party-Ready Pantry Items

partysugar — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:50:36 -0800

December is a time for edible gifts, festive lights, and fabulous parties. Since I never know who may stop by my apartment on their way home from Christmas shopping or before a spirited Saturday on the town, I'm always party ready. Not only does that mean keeping my house presentably clean, but I also have the previsions on hand to throw together a quick snackable spread. Here you'll find out what 10 ingredients are essential to hosting an impromptu evening of holiday entertaining.

View Slideshow ›

50 Cheap Date Ideas

PinkNC — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:17:05 -0800

Discount Dating

A lighter wallet is no excuse to turn date night into a luxury. Get out of your sweatpants, put down the cold pizza, and check out these 51 budget-friendly date ideas that will get you off the couch and into each other's pants.

Get on thin ice. Depending on the weather, head to an indoor or outdoor ice-skating rink - it's the perfect excuse to hold hands, "accidentally" fall on top of each other, and grab a cup of hot chocolate and cozy up to each other to keep warm.

Skip the pricey wine bar and grab a few beers at your local dive bar. Make sure you pick a place with a pool table or dartboard set up, and challenge him to a few games. Loser owes the winner a song on the jukebox.

He may hate to shop, but he'll end up thanking you if you drag him to a flea market. There's something for everyone and plenty of things you never knew existed - you might even discover he has a hobby or weird collection you didn't know about!

Settle in for a night of pampering: No pricey spa required. Use your empty wallets as an excuse to stay in - and up - all night. Run a bubble bath and then treat each other to full-body massages. Sleep in the next day.

Get an adrenaline rush at the roller-skating rink. As long as you don't mind being the oldest people there who aren't chaperoning their children, it's a great way to have fun and let loose with each other. Top it off with a bowl of ice cream when you get home.

Play house: Dress up in your most serious grownup outfit and leave your tiny apartment to visit some open houses. Spend the day arguing over where you would put the love seat, discussing the difference between eggshell and ecru paint, and giggling over strangers' hideous decorating choices.

Does he drive you up a wall sometimes? He probably feels the same way about you, so put on your sneakers and head to an indoor rock-climbing gym. Challenge him to a race to the top and relieve sore muscles with a hot shower together afterward. Just try not to gloat too much about beating him.

Celebrate the first snow of winter with a day of sledding. Pick a hilly spot in your town and use garbage can lids as makeshift sleds. Wear a bike helmet to up the dorky fun factor, and celebrate living through the experience with a cup of hot cocoa.

Spend the day picking fruit at a local farm, either one-on-one or with a few couples you know - the more the merrier. Once you've picked all the apples you can carry back to the car, get creative in the kitchen and think up some recipes with the fruit you picked. Judge each other's creations, Top Chef style.

Plan a trip. You might need to save up for awhile, but that doesn't mean you can't daydream. Plan your dream vacation with each other - it might be the incentive you need to start putting your loose change in the piggy bank.

Challenge your guy to a little friendly competition and surprise him by taking him to a rifle range. After each round, compare your targets - loser buys the next round of bullets; winner gets gloating privileges.

Spice up your movie-night routine by finding a drive-in movie theater. Stop at the supermarket on your way to load up on your favorite snacks, and bring blankets and pillows to make the car extra cozy. Let him pick the movie - you'll get points for being easygoing, even though you know you'll probably miss most of the movie.

The easiest way to booze it up on the cheap? Take a tour of a winery or brewery, and pick up some wine facts for your next dinner party while getting tipsy.

Dying to see a musical or play but can't afford the tickets? Call around to see if you can buy tickets to the dress rehearsal instead - you'll pay a fraction of the price for the same experience.

Wherever you live, chances are there are local bands dying for an audience. Check out MySpace for bands in your area and go to a show. Alternate with your guy on who gets to pick the band so that you both get a chance to enjoy your favorite music genres, and save cash on booze by bringing a flask.

Head to the bookstore and walk through the aisles together, showing each other your favorite books, bonding over the books you both hated, and flipping through a Kama Sutra book for ideas for later.

Bowl him over at the bowling alley. Psych him out by reminding him of how many gross people wore his shoes before him, and don't forget to program his sugary-sweet nickname ("Muffin Face") onto the computerized scoreboard instead of his real name.

Show him your rugged side and build something together. Ask him to help you build something like a coffee table or dresser for your place - he'll be psyched that you asked him, just as long as you can bite your tongue when the table he puts together falls apart the moment you set your cup of coffee down.

Appeal to his inner child (it shouldn't be too hard to tap into) and buy tickets for a carnival. Embrace the cheesiness - share cotton candy, let him try to win you a prize, and ride the Ferris wheel until you get nauseous. It's a great way to get to know each other if you've just started dating and will serve as a reminder of how much fun you can have together if you've been dating for awhile.

Keep up on the specials. For a break on your dinner bill, check out sites like Restaurant.com for the restaurant deals in your area. And check out the websites of your favorite bars - they might have drink specials on certain nights, like a free pizza with every drink.

Ask him about his fantasy cars and he'll probably talk your ear off. Head over to a local car dealership and test-drive the most expensive car they'll let you take out of the parking lot. Take turns at the wheel but resist the urge to nitpick each other's driving skills.

Indulge your sweet tooth with your sweetie - visit a chocolate or cookie factory. Do a quick Google search to see if there are any in your area and give one a call to see if it does tours. If it only does group tours, make it a group date and invite a few other couples.

Get spooked at a haunted house. Check out Hauntedhouse.com for listings in your state. Start off the night by watching a scary movie before you go, and then try not to laugh when he launches a foot into the air at every corner.

Get out those matching aprons and fire up the skillet for a night of cooking - for both of you. Learn how to cook each other's favorite meal and then do it together. Whether you end up with a delicious steak and tuna casserole for two or speed-dialing for Chinese takeout, you're guaranteed to enjoy the process.

Forget eating dinner parked in front of a Mad Men marathon until you and your boyfriend are tired of looking at each other. Invite another couple over that you don't know well for a potluck dinner. Ask them to bring the appetizer and dessert, and work on the main course with your guy. At least one of the dishes should come out edible, and you can bond with your new friends over your shared culinary failure.

Tap into your animal instincts by visiting a petting zoo. Bring some bread to feed the animals and spend a few hours debating him on why getting a pet monkey is a bad idea. When you get home, jump in the shower with him to scrub off the zoo smell.

Play 20 Questions. Whether you've been together for three weeks or three years, there are probably things you don't know about each other. Each of you should write down 20 questions about the other - make sure they're open-ended so you don't get boring one-word answers - and fire away. Take turns answering the questions and get to know each other a little better than you already do.

Take a pottery class together and decorate your apartment in misshapen vases and funky-looking coffee mugs. Resist the urge to make your guy recreate the scene from Ghost every time you walk into class.

Have pretentious conversations about art at a local show. You'll find them going on all year at community centers, schools, and libraries - you might even find a great piece of art to add to your home.

Take a hike. Spend the day hiking and taking pictures together. When you're ready to recover, add some extra romance to the evening - lie across the hood of the car and look at the stars.

If you're tired of a quiet dinner at home disintegrating into chips and dip on the couch with no conversation between the two of you except for requests to change the channel, grab a blanket and some food and have an indoor picnic. The best part of staying inside? No ants in your food - plus, you're free to get busy right then and there.

Take a class together. Sign up to learn something neither of you knows how to do. Community schools generally offer a lot of options for classes you can take in eight-week sessions, from cooking to karate.

Put on your walking shoes and head to the museum. Almost all museums have one day a week where you can get in for free or for a small suggested donation. Pick the exhibits you each want to see beforehand, and spend some time at each of them together.

Celebrate something special with a trip to a bed and breakfast. A one-night stay in the colder months won't break the bank, so you can put that extra cash toward a room with a hot tub or breakfast in bed. If you're in for a long car ride, grab a book on tape from the local library.

Look into the future: Go together for a psychic reading. Practice your poker faces and spend the rest of the night talking about how funny - or eerily accurate - the reading was.

Score major points and head to a baseball game with your guy. Tickets can be as cheap as $5 a person, but bring extra cash for some beer, hot dogs, and a giant foam finger.

Check the theater offerings at local colleges and high schools. Schools usually have a spring and a fall show, and it's a great way to see a version of your favorite plays and musicals for a fraction of the cost.

One man's junk is another couple's treasure. Grab your guy and see what you can dig up at local garage sales. Up your chances of scoring something great by going to the ritziest neighborhood in your area.

Rent bikes - a tandem one, if you're adventurous - and go for a long ride through the park. Pack a few sandwiches and plenty of water for a picnic, or just grab hot dogs from a stand when you're ready for a break.

See the stars without braving the cold by getting tickets to the planetarium. Sneak in a thin blanket and cozy up. For extra privacy, go during off-peak times - call ahead to see when those are.

Bummed that you can't afford a weeklong vacation with your man? Put things in perspective and volunteer together for a cause you both care about. TiVo Gossip Girl and sign up to work at a soup kitchen once a week, or cuddle up with lovable cats and dogs at your local animal shelter.

Want some quiet time? Exercise your creative talents by drawing each other. All you need are two pieces of paper, some art supplies, and a bottle of wine for a quiet, romantic night in. Go as artistic or as fun as you wish.

Get physical. Get free day passes to a gym whose membership you could never afford and have him spot you. Challenge him to a fitness competition, bribe him into taking a spin class with you, and take advantage of the gym's sauna or pool, if it has one.

You can knit holiday sweaters like nobody's business. Your man is a Guitar Hero rock star. It's great to have separate hobbies, but it's also fun to share. Pick a weekend to teach each other your hobbies, and serenade him with a guitar solo while he knits you a pair of mittens.

While you're waiting for your Netflix delivery, stop at your local library and rent a few old movies. Toss a coin to see whose pick you'll watch first, and promise not to interrupt with bored sighs, eye-rolling, or snoring sound effects during each other's choices.

Travel back in time and reminisce. If you or your guy still live close to where you grew up, give each other a tour of your childhoods. Grab a camera and take pictures of your all-grown-up selves as you visit each landmark.

Can't get away for a vacation? Sightsee in your own city. If you've lived in your area for a long time, chances are you never got around to seeing a lot of the tourist attractions. So grab your guy and pretend to be tourists for a weekend. Stop at a used bookstore or look online for travel guides for your city, put together an itinerary, and don't forget to take pictures!

Grab a cup of coffee and check out a local coffee shop's open mic night. You might luck out with a great show, or you may find a mixed bag of angsty guitar solos and bad poetry - either way, you'll have something to talk (or laugh) about on the way home.

You probably live within driving distance of a college or university. Log on to the school's website and check out the scheduled events - often, schools will open large events, like lectures and panels, to the public. Check back often - your guy's favorite movie director might be appearing at a screening at the school's drama department, or you might find a panel of your favorite authors speaking to the English majors.

Share a few laughs at a comedy club amateur night. Admission usually costs two drinks per person, and you're in for a hilarious night - whether you're laughing with the comedian or at him.
.
.
.

Dem. senators spent weekend with bank, energy, tobacco lobbyists

Grandpa — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:06:37 -0800

Dem. senators spent weekend with bank, energy, tobacco lobbyists

Twelve Democratic Senators spent last weekend in Miami Beach raising money from top lobbyists for oil, drug, and other corporate interests that they often decry, according to a guest list for the event obtained by POLITICO.

The guest list for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's "winter retreat" at the Ritz Carlton South Beach Resort doesn't include the price tag for attendance, but the maximum contribution to the committee, typical for such events, is $30,000. There, to participate in "informal conversations" and other meetings Saturday, were senators including DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez; Michigan's Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow; Bob Casey of Pennsylvania; Claire McCaskill of Missouri; freshmen Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mark Begich of Alaska; and even left-leaning Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Across the table was a who's who of 108 senior Washington lobbyists, including the top lobbying officials for many of the industries Democrats regularly attack: Represented were the American Bankers Association, the tobaco company Altria, the oil company Marathon, several drug manufacturers, the defense contractor Lockheed, and most of the large independent lobbying firms: Ogilvy, BGR, Quinn Gillespie, Heather Podesta, and Tony Podesta.

The retreat's guest list is a marked contrast to Menendez's recent rhetoric, which has echoed the White House denunciation of "special interests" and "fat cats."

“In the upcoming elections, voters will face a choice between Republicans who are standing with Wall Street fat cats, bankers and insurance companies -- or Democrats who are working hard to clean up the mess we inherited by putting the people’s interests ahead of the special interests," Menendez said in a press release last Wednesday.

The contrast between Menendez's words and how he spent his weekend is a mark of how, even in the age of Obama, who has barred contributions from lobbyists, Democrats -- and particularly Congressional Democrats -- are riding a new wave of corporate support, the natural fruit of their majority status.

The weekend's mellow schedule political included a Friday night dinner followed by a Saturday morning Political Breakfast Briefing, two Saturday evening "informal conversations with Senators, followed by a reception and dinner at DiLido Beach Club.

The Miami beach fundraiser guest list, to which a DSCC spokesman didn't immediately have a reaction, was a standard, corporate-heavy event that both parties have long used for high-dollar fundraising. Other guests included lobbyists for two Indian tribes, for McDonalds, for beer and wine sellers, Ford, and a small handful of advocacy groups, including the gay group Human Rights Campaign.

CORRECTION: The Edison Electric Institute supports climate change regulations; an earlier version of this item said, falsely, that the industry group opposes them.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0210/Dem_senators_spent_weekend_w...

Top 10 Celebrities I Heart

agent2278 — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:37:36 -0800

1) James Franco, is at the top of the list, for obvious reasons. He's scorchingly hot, possesses a massive intellect, and happens to be super talented, to boot.

The 2009 New Yorker Festival: James Franco Interview
2) Michele Williams makes amazing films, and, as a mother of three, I can appreciate the amount of effort she seems to put into raising her equally beautiful daughter.

2010 Sundance Film Festival - "Blue Valentine" Premiere

3) Ryan Gosling, who I feel is the next great talent of my generation. Plus, he seems like he would be really cool to drink a beer with.

12th Annual Hollywood Film Festival's Awards Gala - Show

4) Maggie Gyllenhaal can do no wrong in my book. From the film roles she chooses to her choice of husband, she's got GREAT taste.

Louis Vuitton 2010 Cruise Collection Launch
5) Speaking of Ms. Gyllenhaal's husband, I just saw An Education. Peter Saarsgard is smokin', even when he's playing a lying perv. They should call it An Achievement.

"An Education" Premiere - 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
6) To heck with the naysayers, I happen to think Kristen Stewart is very gifted, and a lip-chewing problem is not going to change that. I would love to pick her brain. She just really seems to march to the beat of her own drum.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon - UK Fan Event - Inside

7) Okay, this one's purely superficial. Sam Worthington. Wow. Just ...... wow.

67th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals
Zooey Deschanel is cute as a button, has starred in some of my favorite quirky comedies, and has a set of amazing pipes I could listen to all day long.

Hamilton Behind The Camera Awards - Arrivals

9) I've had a crush on Joshua Jackson since I was 7, and I still have the hots for him, all these years later. Ducks fly together.

"Fringe" At PaleyFest09
10) I love True Blood, and Anna Paquin is a big part of why. The gap between her teeth is gorgeous, she's totally fierce on the red carpet, and her portrayal of Sookie Stackhouse is priceless.

16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Arrivals

Obama's six worst mistakes in 2009

Grandpa — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:48:36 -0800

Six for Six

By Aaron Goldstein on 1.11.10 @ 6:06AM

I know we are in the first month of 2010 and should be inclined to look forward rather than backward. Yet I think it's only fair to look back President Obama's past year in office and revisit some of the dumber things he did.

Now one must realize that the challenge here hasn't been to come up with six stupidest things Obama has done. That's the easy part. The challenge is what to leave off the list. There was his joke about the Special Olympics. There was the time he told our troops they made a good photo-op. Who could forget when he told the nation we could have Obamacare without adding a dime to the deficit? How are those cabinet appointments for Janet Napolitano and Eric Holder working out? Snubbing fellow Nobel laureate the Dalai Lama was not one of Obama's brighter moments. Not to mention all that incessant apologizing and bowing. So here's the stupidest of the stupid.

6. Accusing Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sergeant James Crowley of "Acting Stupidly"
When a politician is asked about an ongoing judicial matter it is customary for a politician to say that it is a matter before the court that he cannot comment upon.

But instead of displaying propriety in his response, President Obama let his friendship with Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. cloud his judgment. Although Obama admitted he didn't have all the facts before him, he nonetheless concluded that Sergeant Crowley had "acted stupidly." To his credit, Sgt. Crowley stood his ground and called Obama's comments "way off base."

Of course, the air would be cleared with a beer summit at the White House. But there would have never been a need for such a meeting had President Obama politely declined comment.

5. Declaring War on the Fox News Channel
What was the White House thinking when it decided to single out the Fox News Channel for derision? Sure it might have impressed some of Obama's most ardent followers, but as a general rule it's not a good idea to insult the viewing public. After all, Obama won over a lot of FNC viewers when he appeared on The O'Reilly Factor in September 2008.

President Obama did himself no favors by dismissing FNC as "a talk radio format."

Shortly after White House Chief of Staff David Axelrod stated FNC was not "a legitimate news organization" the White House attempted to exclude the network from a press pool interview with the White House pay czar Ken Feinberg. The other networks, to their credit, refused to play ball and the Obama Administration relented.

This was a fight the Obama Administration picked and lost badly.

4. Scrapping Missile Defense Programs in Poland & the Czech Republic
It's difficult to see how it is in the interests of the United States to scrap the construction of a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. In fact, there are only two reasons for President Obama to have made this decision -- to placate Russia and to take yet another swipe at President Bush.

Now Russia is supposed to help us rein in Iran. Yet scarcely a month after abandoning the missile defense program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said,

"We are convinced that threats, sanctions, and threats of pressure in the present situation are counter-productive." Lavrov made this comment right after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had paid him an official visit in Moscow. Gee, great work guys.

The Obama Administration hasn't exactly endeared itself to its Eastern European allies. Czech parliamentarian Jan Vidim remarked, "If the (Obama) Administration approaches us in the future with any request, I would be strongly against it."

Talk about rewarding your enemies and punishing your friends.

3. Saying We Will Not Meddle in Iran
So overwhelming has President Obama's desire been to engage Iran he was prepared to throw its democracy activists under the bus even when it became clear its "elections" were a fraud. "It is not productive, given the history of U.S.-Iranian relations to be seen as meddling -- the U.S. president, meddling in Iranian elections," said President Obama last June. But that didn't stop Iran's regime from accusing Obama of meddling, now did it?
Of course, this is the same President Obama who was more than happy to meddle where it concerned Honduras, Israel and Sri Lanka.

2. Transferring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to U.S. Civilian Court
KSM and four co-defendants were quite prepared to plead guilty before a U.S. military tribunal last December. But last November, President Obama came to their rescue and transferred them into civilian court. So now KSM and his lawyers can compromise national security interests and put the Bush Administration's interrogation techniques on trial all in one fell swoop.

This decision was ostensibly Attorney General Holder's to make. Yet when appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder could not tell Senator Lindsey Graham if an enemy combatant seized on the battlefield had ever been tried in U.S. civilian court. As Graham told Holder, "We're making history here and we're making bad history." And if KSM gets acquitted, then we're also making stupid history.

1. Closing Gitmo
President Obama's dumbest decision of 2009 took place his first day on the job.

It was a clear message that he does not take terrorism committed in the name of Islamic fundamentalism seriously. If he did then KSM would have his day in court before a military tribunal. Nor would Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, the man who attempted to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day, be in a position to ask for a lawyer, maintain his right to be silent while telling us there are others like him.

We can only hope that President Obama will be a little less stupid in his second year.

http://spectator.org/archives/2010/01/11/six-for-six/1

I Don't Like My Boyfriend's Friends. Advice?

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:28:56 -0800

I hang out with my boyfriend almost everyday and we both have plans to be with each other for a long time. He's the only person I've ever really loved and it's starting to become apparent that I am emotionally sensitive and somewhat untrusting of him. I feel like I should be his number 2 priority, next to his family, but sometimes I feel like I'm at the bottom of the list.
He brings his friends over once a week to hang out and drink, and this never used to bother me. But as time goes on I feel like hanging out with me is never good enough for him, because even when we're on dates he will be texting and answering calls the whole time. I don't like his friends because they are all very immature and they're lives seem to center around drinking (my boyfriend is 27 and all his friends are 21). Some of them are actual alcholics, drinking every single night until the sun comes up. Now as you can imagine, I do not like hanging out with these people (who would want to be around a bunch of immature alcoholics?). I don't like how my boyfriend acts around his friends because the only way he can relate to them is through alcohol. He will end up hugging beer cans in his hand the whole night, forgetting I am even there.
Ive told my boyfriend how I feel and he always tells me I am overreacting. So basically what I want to ask is, am I overreacting? I just feel as though it is time for my boyfriend to grow up and acquire more responsible friends who we can BOTH enjoy hanging out with..

FACT CHECK: Health insurer profits not so fat

StolzeMama — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:15:14 -0700

WASHINGTON – Quick quiz: What do these enterprises have in common? Farm and construction machinery, Tupperware, the railroads, Hershey sweets, Yum food brands and Yahoo? Answer: They're all more profitable than the health insurance industry.

In the health care debate, Democrats and their allies have gone after insurance companies as rapacious profiteers making "immoral" and "obscene" returns while "the bodies pile up."

Ledgers tell a different reality. Health insurance profit margins typically run about 6 percent, give or take a point or two. That's anemic compared with other forms of insurance and a broad array of industries, even some beleaguered ones.

Profits barely exceeded 2 percent of revenues in the latest annual measure. This partly explains why the credit ratings of some of the largest insurers were downgraded to negative from stable heading into this year, as investors were warned of a stagnant if not shrinking market for private plans.

Insurers are an expedient target for leaders who want a government-run plan in the marketplace. Such a public option would force private insurers to trim profits and restrain premiums to compete, the argument goes. This would "keep insurance companies honest," says President Barack Obama.

The debate is loaded with intimations that insurers are less than straight, when they are not flatly accused of malfeasance.

They may not have helped their case by commissioning a report that looked primarily at the elements of health care legislation that might drive consumer costs up while ignoring elements aimed at bringing costs down. Few in the debate seem interested in a true balance sheet.

But in pillorying insurers over profits, the critics are on shaky ground. A look at some claims, and the numbers:

THE CLAIMS

_"I'm very pleased that (Democratic leaders) will be talking, too, about the immoral profits being made by the insurance industry and how those profits have increased in the Bush years." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who also welcomed the attention being drawn to insurers' "obscene profits."

_"Keeping the status quo may be what the insurance industry wants their premiums have more than doubled in the last decade and their profits have skyrocketed." Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, member of the Democratic leadership.

_"Health insurance companies are willing to let the bodies pile up as long as their profits are safe." A MoveOn.org ad.

THE NUMBERS:

Health insurers posted a 2.2 percent profit margin last year, placing them 35th on the Fortune 500 list of top industries. As is typical, other health sectors did much better - drugs and medical products and services were both in the top 10.

The railroads brought in a 12.6 percent profit margin. Leading the list: network and other communications equipment, at 20.4 percent.

HealthSpring, the best performer in the health insurance industry, posted 5.4 percent. That's a less profitable margin than was achieved by the makers of Tupperware, Clorox bleach and Molson and Coors beers.

The star among the health insurance companies did, however, nose out Jack in the Box restaurants, which only achieved a 4 percent margin.

UnitedHealth Group, reporting third quarter results last week, saw fortunes improve. It managed a 5 percent profit margin on an 8 percent growth in revenue.

Van Hollen is right that premiums have more than doubled in a decade, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study that found a 131 percent increase.

But were the Bush years golden ones for health insurers?

Not judging by profit margins, profit growth or returns to shareholders. The industry's overall profits grew only 8.8 percent from 2003 to 2008, and its margins year to year, from 2005 forward, never cracked 8 percent.

The latest annual profit margins of a selection of products, services and industries: Tupperware Brands, 7.5 percent; Yahoo, 5.9 percent; Hershey, 6.1 percent; Clorox, 8.7 percent; Molson Coors Brewing, 8.1 percent; construction and farm machinery, 5 percent; Yum Brands (think KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), 8.5 percent.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091025/ap_on_go_co/us_fact_check_health_ins...

Reception tips and ideas

TrishaWood — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:13:57 -0700

Henry Hager And Jenna Bush Wedding
Your wedding will no doubt be the most romantic day of your lives, it's a celebration of love and commitment. But it's also the biggest party you'll probably ever throw. So pull out all the stops and make it a night to remember. We've researched the top wedding experts to find their best ideas for throwing a fun and unique reception, while maximizing the romance and tugging at the heartstrings of your guests. Whether you use one or 10 of them, we hope you will find at least a few new and creative ideas to make your reception even more fabulous.

If you're planning an outdoor event, don't forget to spray the grounds for insects about an hour before the guests arrive.
Skip the huge head table at the reception, share an intimate dinner for two, or share a small table with your parents or children.
Ask your caterer to prepare a late night snack for the bride and groom. As more often than not you are too busy with guests when dinner is served.
Want to use those disposable cameras on the reception tables. To avoid having hundreds of the same pictures by turning your guests into creative photographers with a photo hunt. Leave a list of ten great photos you would like that table to take during the reception. Photo ideas could include; build a pyramid, group table shot, funniest pose, a guest kissing the bartender or grandparents holding hands.
Don't like the disposable cameras but still want to get memories captured by your guests? Set up a docking station so guests can load their photos to your computer on the spot.
Offer your guests one or two signature cocktails that you've personalized with a cute name and your wedding colors.
Want the expensive look of calligraphy for your invitations without the cost? Calligraphic fonts that look like the real thing are readily available. Free font sources: searchfreefonts.com, highfonts.com, dafont.com
Have a graphic artist create a custom wedding logo that you can use on printed materials and other elements of your wedding to create a cohesive look. (If you’re artistic you can do this yourself. Another option: Purchase a logo at marrymonograms.com)
Tell it to the world! Hire a skywriter to spell out “Congratulations, Trish and Jason!” during an outdoor cocktail hour.
Ask your camera people to set up a live feed of the bridal party’s photo session for guests to enjoy over cocktails and appetizers. This way, no one is excluded from what the stars of the day are doing.
Glam up the ladies room. It will be an unexpected suprise for your guests and will add a touch of elegance to your event.
Put your stamp on water, wine or beer bottles with personalized labels.
Don’t forget your youngest guests. Create an activity book-print coloring pages on your computer, for example-and place at each child’s seat. Personalize the cover with your names and wedding date.
Having a beach wedding? Personalized beach towels are the perfect gift for guests. You could adorn them with your wedding logo or motif or have each towel embroidered with guests’ initials.
Another destination wedding idea, give every female guest a single flower, say, a vibrantly colored hibiscus, to wear in her hair.
Research family traditions. For an Irish/Scottish wedding, for example, you or a group could learn an Irish step dance. (And then invite your guests to join in, to add to the fun.)
Give a short speech before dinner in which you thank your parents as well as your guests. Mom and Dad will treasure these words forever. Weddingspeeches4u can help with the writing.
Surprise your parents and your new in-laws by having the band play the first songs from their weddings.
Instead of numbering your tables, name them. If France is your honeymoon destination, call one table “Paris,” another “Cannes,” another “Provence” and so on.
Groom’s cakes are back in a big way. Select one that represents your new husband’s hobby, favorite sports team or hometown.
Place blank CDs in envelopes preaddressed to you on a table near the exit. Enclose a note with this request: “When you download your pictures, please burn us a copy-and send!” Or, set up a docking station so guests can download to a computer for you, right there before they leave your event.
Another clever touch that you might want to try, place a giant antique suitcase near the dance floor with a sign that says “For tired toes.” Inside the trunk add pairs of inexpensive slippers, for the ladies who want to dance but need a break from their high heels.
Instead of the traditional sit-down dinner or buffet, opt for smaller food-serving areas where a particular entrée or side dish might be paired with a complementary drink-like sushi with sake or a carving station with a rich cabernet. Stations get people up and moving, and that makes for a dynamic party, and they give guests something to talk about. Or, consider having a family-style dinner. Passing around platters of food creates a much more intimate feel among guests than a waiter-served meal would.
Vodka ice slides are a popular trend right now. A bartender pours flavored vodka through a long tunnel carved into an ice sculpture, and by the time it empties into a glass held at the bottom, the vodka's been chilled. It's a creative and interesting twist on the martini bar.
Give champagne an extra kick by placing fruit-peaches and blackberries are popular choices-in the flutes, because it'll stimulate the bubble action. Fresh fruit works well, but frozen fruit provides even more fizz.
Here's a hot new trend, make your guests smile by renting a photo booth for your wedding so guests can take turns mugging for the camera. Place the booth in a corner of your ballroom, and get ready for all sorts of silly photo strips to come out of the machine-perhaps even one of you and your new husband sneaking kisses behind the curtain.
Hire an unusual entertainer to thrill party-goers. Some fun ideas: a juggler, belly dancer or a magician. Have a favorite celebrity? Hire an impersonator to liven up the cocktail hour by performing, mingling with guests and posing for photos with them.
Make dessert a group activity. Arrange to have pots of chocolate fondue delivered to each dinner table, along with pieces of pound cake, pineapple and strawberry for dipping. Or, serve s'mores, camp-style-guests can roast their own marshmallows over mini sterno-fueled grills placed at the center of each table.
Carve out a little alone-time in the midst of your party. Sneak away to a private room in your reception venue-you can ask your caterer in advance to have champagne and strawberries waiting for you. Kiss, toast to your future, and relish the fact that this is your wedding day.
The salad course of your wedding meal can make a lovely statement. Dress up the greens with edible flowers, such as nasturtiums or delicate peach blossoms. Serving soup instead of salad? Showcase your new monogram-in the soup. Serve a thick concoction (like pumpkin soup in fall or vichyssoise in winter) and have your caterer spell out your initials with heavy cream in each bowl.
Imagine taking your first spin around the dance floor while listening to the words that joined you together as husband and wife. Apparantely it's relatively easy for your DJ to record your vows at the ceremony, and then splice them into your first-dance song.
Make the cocktail hour interactive by setting up a wine, champagne or liquor tasting. A beverage expert or a sommelier can offer guests a sampling of libations and a little lesson on flavors.
Hire dance instructors to teach guests how to swing, merengue, boot-scoot or polka. There's no better way to get everybody on the dance floor.
Hire a caricaturist to render on-the-spot drawings of guests (which they can take home, of course).
Love dress-up? Have a trunk full of costumes and silly props on the dance floor. Guests can try on hats, boas and oversize sunglasses, and "play" faux guitars.
Burn CDs of the songs you'll be playing at your wedding. Ask the parking valets to put the discs in guests' car stereos, and to leave a note from the two of you on the front seat. On the way home, guests can replay all the fantastic musical memories of the day.
Favors shouldn't be for guests only. Send yourselves off with a treat, too. Ask your caterer to create a basket filled with champagne, cheese, crackers, fruit, cookies and chocolate that you can dip into when you're up in the honeymoon suite.
If certain guests-college friends, family members-are needed for a group photo at the reception, a clever way to get them all together with minimal fuss is to make a note on their place cards about the time and location.
The classic floral vase has given way to mix-and-matched clusters of vintage pitchers, vases, jars, and galvanized buckets. Other ideas: apothecary jars with colorful rocks, sand, or even candy; uniquely shaped glass vases featuring fresh fruits like raspberries and blueberries; and mason jars loaded with fresh flowers like daisies and dahlias.
Say good-bye to pale pastels and bright poppies. Rich gem colors like navy, plum, and amber are this season's hottest trend. And instead of chocolate brown, look to a soft creme brulee hue, bronzes, coppers, and black. Yes, that's right -- black is the new black.
Plan an after party. Any bride will tell you that the reception flies by. But the last dance doesn't have to signal the end of the celebration.
There are wedding watercolor artists who will draw in pastels, or paint in watercolors, the reception as it unfolds. This can be a great gift for the bride and groom, but it's also some quiet entertainment for guests and especially good for weddings set in great scenery.
A luxury lounge can take your reception to the next level. Drape off seating areas around the dance floor or on the lawn for guests to rest their feet. Set up white couches, chairs and tables decorated with bright blooms, colorful pillows and throws for a club-like feel.
Consider wedding insurance. Wedding insurance are policies specifically designed to protect you from financial loss in the event your wedding must be cancelled or postponed due to circumstances beyond your control, or if one of the major elements of your wedding (e.g., photographs, wedding attire, and/or gifts) is lost or damaged.
Arrange for an old fashion popcorn machine or ice cream or candy cart to park outside your reception at the end of the evening so your guests can munch while they wait for the valet.
Don't want to wear an heirloom dress but still want to honor your Mother or Grandmother? Clip a piece of fabric to wrap your bouquet, or drape the escort card table for an elegant custom look.

S. African mine discovers 507-carat white diamond

starangel82 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:26:12 -0700

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Mining group Petra Diamonds has discovered a 507.55 carat white diamond at South Africa's Cullinan mine, one of the largest high-quality rough diamonds ever found, the firm said on Tuesday.

"This spectacular gemstone was recovered on Thursday 24 September and is currently with experts for analysis," said a statement released by the London-listed company which operates mainly in Africa.

Initial examinations of the diamond which weighs just over 100 grams (3.5 ounces), have shown it to be of exceptional colour and clarity.

The diamond is undergoing colour grading, but is believed to be a rare Type II diamond, with very low traces of nitrogen -- considered an impurity -- making them among the most transparent and colourless of the gems.

"The Cullinan mine has again given the world a spectacularly beautiful and important diamond... we now eagerly await the findings of the expert analysis," said Johan Dippenaar, Petra's chief executive.

The precious stone was found alongside three other special white gems of similar colour and clarity, a large diamond of 168.00 carats and two other stones of 58.50 and 53.30 carats.

The mine which was previously owned by diamond mining giant De Beers, is renowned for the discovery of the famed Cullinan Diamond in 1905, which is part of the British crown jewels and weighed 3106 carats.

In May 2008, the mine produced a sparkling 101.27 carat diamond, roughly the size of a ping-pong ball.

The Cullinan Diamond Mine is the third richest diamond producing mine in South Africa.

Source: Yahoo! News