Exxon Valdez: One of the worst environmental human-caused disasters occurred shortly after the Exxon Valdez left the southern terminus of the Alaska Pipeline on March 23, 1989. The actions of Captain Joseph Hazelwood have been scrutinized heavily and he was acquitted of the charge of being drunk at the time. But what is not disputed is that, within two hours of the departure of the vessel, Hazelwood left the wheel house in the charge of a Third Mate and another member of the crew. These two had been scheduled to receive their mandatory 6-hours off-duty before beginning a 12-hour shift. But because of a scheduling mixup, they went back on duty and were bleary-eyed at the helm when the Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef shortly after midnight on March 24th, less than 3 hours into its journey to Long Beach, California. It is quite likely that, had the intended schedule been kept and had these men received the proper time-off, this rookie error would not have occurred and 10.9 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude would not have been dumped into the waters and pristine coastline of Prince William Sound, which resulted in the deaths of 500,000 seabirds, at least 1,000 sea otters, 300 harbor seals and 22 killer whales, and the decimation of countless other fish and coastal life.

Hindenburg: The iconic Hindenburg disaster almost certainly would not have happened, or with so much loss of life, if the schedule had not been put out of whack by weather-related delays. The Hindenburg left Frankfurt, Germany on May 3, and on the morning of May 6th  it was about six hours behind schedule when it achieved land over Boston on its way to the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Manchester, New Jersey. Its landing was further delayed by stormy weather at Lakehurst, and so the airship took a tour of Southern New Jersey coastline while waiting for the storm to pass.

But the tragedy to come could not have been foreseen by the ground crew called to muster at the docking point. Sadly, they were not ready to perform their critical duties as the fated ship pulled into the station for the first time, after having been delayed almost 12 hours from the original scheduled landing. So the ship took what then seemed to be a harmless stroll around the airfield to get in position again in 15 minutes, by which time the crew would be ready to tie the ship down and unload the passengers. Those 15 minutes turned out to be the last 15 minutes of the lives of the thirty-six crew and passengers who perished in the fiery wreck. Had the crew been ready to receive the ship when it first arrived, the death toll may very well have been just a fraction of this total.

Titanic: The Titanic’s original maiden voyage was March 20, 1912. But during the last year of its construction, its sister ship the Olympic sustained damage from an encounter with HMS Hawke due to poor scheduling of the shipping lanes in the Solent, the stretch of water separating the Isle of Wight from the English mainland. What began as a simple scheduling error cascaded into a tragedy of colossal proportions. To repair the Olympic, many of Titanic’s construction crew were diverted for work on its less-ill-fated sister ship. This ended up postponing the Titanic’s maiden voyage by three weeks, until April 10, 1912.

Most of history’s iceberg shipwrecks have occurred in the months of April – August, when the glaciers are calving at the height of their season. A March launch could have seen the Titanic move through its transatlantic trip without incident. Rather, on its maiden voyage, the Titanic’s captain and its owners were determined to wow the watching world with a speedy trip for a ship of its size and status. The ship’s captain, believing the advance publicity of the unsinkability of his ship, took few precautions as the Titanic blasted through the iceberg-laden waters of the North Atlantic. In his confidence, the captain retired to his bed while his pilot and crew entered the treacherous and ultimately fatal portion of their final journey. Of course, we know that the iceberg struck the starboard side of the ship, and slashed open the four chambers that, as they filled, sealed the doom of the not-so-unsinkable ship. But had the Olympic not been at the wrong place at the wrong time months before, it would not have sustained the damage that delayed the construction that delayed the launch that doomed the ship that ended the lives of 1500 passengers and crew.

Lincoln’s Assassination: President Lincoln had come out of his wartime depression, and was unusually cheerful and upbeat on the morning of April 14, 1865. All the news from the war lately was encouraging, and it seemed as if the Confederacy couldn’t last much longer. He and his wife Mary had plans to attend Ford’s Theater that evening. John Wilkes Booth, an actor, had stopped by Ford’s during the day to collect his mail, and he overheard the news that Lincoln and General Grant were to be attending the theater together. This was the chance he had been looking for; killing both Lincoln and Grant in the same attack would deal the Union a mortal wound that might give the Confederacy time to recover. (As it turns out, Grant did not plan to attend.)

The first schedule mishap that evening almost prevented the President from attending the play, which would have saved him. Missouri Senator John B. Henderson came to the White House to personally appeal for a pardon for a Confederate spy sentenced to die. Lincoln had more compassion on this Confederate than he was later shown by Booth, and he granted the pardon, his ironic, and yet fitting, final presidential act. Arriving late to Ford’s theater, the play already in progress, Lincoln and his wife were installed in their box seats before their bodyguard showed up. This second schedule mishap was the crucial one; the bodyguard assigned to protect the President came late and left early from his appointed station outside the President’s box. He therefore offered no impediment to Booth, who likely would not have been able to succeed in his fatal intentions if he had been met with threatening force.

The Sack of Rome: Alaric, King of the Goths, sought to use the threat of violence rather than actual violence as means to get his way with Honorius, the Roman Emperor from 395-423. Twice before he ultimately sacked Rome, Alaric had entered Italy with his troops, but Goth compromises and Roman promises kept the barbarians on reasonable terms. Alaric had, in fact, allied himself and his armies with Rome in service of both his people’s need for food and Rome’s. Alaric had originally supported Attalus to replace Honrius as Emperor, but when Attalus proved indecisive, Alaric returned to Honorius to discuss his re-establishment as Emperor.

But the peace that would have ensued never came, because a scheduling error prevented the meeting from ending felicitously. Honorius, not knowing in advance of Alaric’s offer toward him, sent a rival Goth, Sarus, to attack Alaric’s men. Having double scheduled both the attack and the reconciliation, Honorius was in a poor position to receive Alaric’s offer. Alaric’s men repelled the attack and Alaric withdrew from Honorius. Bent out of shape as people who are double-scheduled upon often are, Alaric was no longer inclined to show mercy on Rome. He and his marauding Goths entered the city on August 24, 410 AD, and he allowed his men to have a free hand to rape, pillage and burn. As they left the city they left behind tens of thousands of dead bodies and broken spirits, hundreds of piles of rubble, and an empire in shambles.

Each of these deadly calamities could have been averted with powerful calendaring and collaboration software as is now widely available. Let us now fast forward to modern times. Do you have any scheduling disaster experiences to share with us? We would love to hear from you in the comments below.

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I should start by noting that theater has never much been my thing. I’ve seen Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Avenue Q etc. etc. and I enjoyed them to be sure, but not enough to pay the exorbitant price tag that inevitably goes with them. Here, in New York, I have discovered the masterpiece of theater for those of us whose goal is to drink and have a good time; Flanagan’s Wake.Flanagan has just died and the citizens of his hometown (and you, as a great deal of the play is improv and interactive) have come to speak of the man’s life and mourn his death. The set is simple and comfortable with a pea green paint job and grainy old pictures circling the casket which is conspicuously upside-down. The actors are never without a bottle of Guinness in hand and the bar boasts Guinness on tap. The Guinness is a little steep at $8 a pint, but is a great addition to the atmosphere; they keep the prices simple and no matter what you order it’ll be between $7 and $12.

The actors are required to take audience suggestions as to Flanagan’s favorite song, his life dream, his favorite story and how he died. They do so with excellent good humor and more than once I nearly laughed myself out of my chair. The participation aspect is incorporated well and does not encumber the play with embarrassment or discomfort on the part of the audience members. Suggestions and participations are quick and often simply shouted one word answers to actor’s questions.

If you happen to be in Times Square on a Friday or a Saturday between 5:45 and 6:30 the play is running a bagpiper followed by Flanagan’s casket through the neon madness. I managed to capture a video of it; the man dressed in the priest outfit in front of the casket is Father Murphy, by FAR my favorite character! The fellow at the front of the casket is the play’s producer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

They are currently running promotional tickets for $25, though I do not know how long this will last; regular priced tickets are $49.95. I would inquire through the website directly. http://www.flanaganswakenyc.com/

All in all, this is a brilliant beginning to a drinking night out on the NYC; the show ends around 9:15pm with a bellyful of beer and laughs and there are at least a dozen Irish bars within 2 blocks so if you want to continue with similar thematic elements you will not have any trouble.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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Grilling outdoors can be great fun.  In addition to grilling tips, I have listed a few safety tips that I deem important, as well as those of some prominent organizations.

So have tackle these tips, have a great barbecue season, and be safe.

Fire Safety

Keep in your general vicinity a bucket of sand and some baking soda for extinguishing small fires.  It’s also a good idea to keep your garden hose just a few steps away, especially if you are cooking on a wooden deck.  Always keep the cooking surface or grill at least several feet away from any objects or walls.

Food Safety

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has put together a series of safety tips for this summers grilling season that are certainly worth a quick read.  The list covers techniques on safe food transportation, thawing, and even a blurb on cancer studies regarding charred foods, although they make no claims either way.

SAFE MINIMUM INTERNAL TEMPERATURES

Poultry, Whole, Ground 165 °F

Hamburger, Beef 160 °F

Beef, Veal, Lamb:

Medium Rare 145 °F

Medium 160 °F

All Pork 160 °F

Source: USDA.gov

Use Good Wood

I like to grill with a combination of coal and wood.  Simply follow the same rules you would if you were burning wood in your fireplace at home.  Do not use pressure treated woods, painted woods, or any manufactured woods that may have been chemically treated.

Stick to natural, dry hardwoods when possible.  I try to use maple, oak if possible, or hardwoods still being sold from local homes for fireplace burning.  Fortunately I live in an area where every few streets it seems have several stacks of wood for sale each winter, with some remaining through summer for camping season.  I can pick up a large bundle of seasoned hardwood for about three dollars.

Keep a Clean Cooking Area

Be sure to use separate dishes for raw and cooked foods.  As soon as the raw food is on the grill, bring the dishes to a cleaning area and douse with hot, soapy water.  Cross-contamination is a huge risk, especially when outdoors in the heat and sun.

Lubricate the Cooking Surface

First of all, “Grease” is something you use on your car.  Oil or fat is what’s used to lubricate cooking surfaces to prevent food from sticking.  If your grilling surface is free from debris and any cooked on foods from the last use, then a small towel with a little oil on it should suffice to rub the grates.  Try not to use paper towels when the grates are hot.  Just a quick rub right before placing the meats on the grill will be enough to keep even the leanest of meats from sticking as long as the grates are hot.

Season Later

It’s best to season your meats just minutes before they are finished.  Salt pulls moisture from foods early in the cooking process, so keep those juices in and salt when done.  Marinades and rubs should be tapped against a bowl to remove anything that might drip when placing on the grill to avoid flare-ups.  Be sure to mob, baste, or brush sauces later in the cooking process.  When used early, charring can occur, and your grates can get gummed up slowing cooking time and causing foods to stick.

Additional Information

If you’re looking for additional information on barbecuing from the professionals, here are some additional sources you may want to consider.

Paul Kirk: The Undisputed Barbecue Champion

Easily the best Barbecue book I have read, this collection of Paul Kirk’s 575 Championship Recipes book is full of tips and ideas for pulling off the most successful Barbecue ever.

TheSmokeRing.com

The Smoke Ring is a list of over 1,000 member barbecue sites with all you ever need to know about barbecue.  From recipes and products, to sauces, rubs, and professional barbecue instruction.

BBQ-Festivals.com

Another site of all-things-barbecue, BBQ-Festivals.com offers a calendar list of barbecue festivals around the United States.

National Barbecue Organization

http://www.nbbqa.org/Similar articles that might also interest you:

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Everyday there were more people arriving. We experienced only mild traffic congestion but every new day we had friends report that it was a bit more difficult for them to get into the Capitol. Everywhere we went people would cheer “Obama! Obama!”, it was much more reminiscent of the Beatles then an incoming President, although cheers for pop stars are generally reserved for their presence. Obama could have been in another country, people were still cheering his name. At one point i walked down Adams Morgan and cheered with the crowd of people that lined up and down the bars on the street. A young woman and i looked at one another and immediately embraced in a strong and heartfelt hug. I had never met the woman before. The energy was infectious.

The night before the inauguration we were all out till 3 am partying, dancing, drinking. Unfortunately we had to wake up at 6 am to drive further into the city so we could get close to the Mall. We all dragged our weary and mostly still drunk bodies from our slumber and got in my car. We made our way down past Howard University before Soldiers prevented us from getting any closer and asked us to park in the neighboring area. What marveled us most was that none of them had weapons on them, Obama had requested that all soldiers not carry armed guns (at least noticably to the public). We parked the car and began our trek in the bitter cold. We were not alone. The streets filled with people singing and dancing in the wee hours of the morning. The sun had yet to greet us, it was 20 degrees outside, yet everyone was in high spirits.

As we made our way closer to the Mall the crowds grew and momentum carried us. There were no real signs directing us but just a general direction we were all being pulled. We came across the highway that leads under the Capitol Mall, it was closed to automobiles but open to citizens. Thousands of people, like herds across the plains migrating to see this historical event. It was surreal and eery. You only see people walking down highways like that in movies and usually its apocalyptic imagery.

We arrived at our blue gate around 8 am only to find no signs of direction and thousands and thousands of people lined through the street. We immediately placed ourselves in line and waited. The wind was blistering and all of us were huddled together. Yet the mood was jovial. People told jokes, sang songs, hugged one another and chatted as if they were long lost friends. The hours went by though and it became quite apparent that we were not going to get through the gates in time for Obamas Speech. Basically it was general chaos and complete disorganization. Luckily our fortitude lead us to explore and we arrived through the silver gate just in time for an awful song by Aretha Franklin.

Obama came on, like most of us know by now and gave a somber and realistic speech on the state of our country and world. Although his words lacked the hope from his earlier speeches you wouldnt find its effect apparent on the faces of the millions watching live. People were crying, but with those tears were smiles.

Here are a few pix from the weekend:

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On November 4th i was at the Campaign headquarters at 15th and Sansom with hundreds of others watching history unfold on tv. We sat there exhausted with the final push yet exhilirated by the possibility of the extraordinary. We cheered as Obama won state after state, wondered what if and cried when it became a reality. Our voices already gone, our eyes already dry we took to the streets. First there were just thirty of us marching along Broad St. As we passed City Hall our momentum took us down Market and towards Independence Mall, the birthplace of America. By the time we reached the Liberty Bell we were over a thousand strong and an impromptu rally took place. We then headed back up Chestnut St. towards Broad St again and ran smack into another rally and all of a sudden we were 10,000 deep. Here are some pictures of the evening. I hope you enjoy.

oh.. and YES WE DID!!!

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I arrived on Sunday morning to the sounds of the The Unknown Americans, a five-piece rockabilly group hailing from Boulder.  Unfortunately, this group played for a rather thin crowd.  The band did not seem to let this fact phase them and continued to rock out (and wisely promote their show at Mountain Sun later that night).

Up next, on the “Main Stage” (which positioned itself directly next to the not-so-main-stage of equal size), was the band I came to see – Jubal.  Fronted by Boulder local Jubal – a member of several outfits – this seven-piece band blends ska and reggae rhythms with a rock sensibility.  Just when they settle into a groove, they rouse the crowd with tempo shifts and guitar solos that scream pure rock.  They called upon some talented friends, including Mohammad Alidu Bizung and Matt Wasowski from the traditional West African band The Bizung Family.  The talented performers sat in with the band through the second-half of the set, providing another cultural twist to an already solid lineup with a diverse sound.  Think Keller Williams melting into the Black Crowes, with a dash of Bruce Hornsby (which may have just been jogged in my memory by the sound of the organ).

Jubal croons lyrics that John Mayer wishes he’d written.  The accompanying harmonies of surprisingly robust-voiced Monica Colbi (she’s a petite woman) blended smoothly with the mohawked frontman.  The band played for an hour, mixing covers and originals from both Jubal and Bizung.   They covered one of my favorite songs, the David Bowie/Queen collaboration “Under Pressure,” but adding their own funky twists.  As for the originals, “The Time We Never Spent” ranks as my personal favorite.  It’s a song that doesn’t quite commits to its reggae roots but is positively jubilant in nature.

As Jubal’s set continued, a thicker crowd filtered in.  They were treated to Octopus Nebula, the bastard child of String Cheese and Rush.  That’s the best way I know how to describe their music.  I was pleasantly surprised by their unique style, as was the crowd (a blend of hippies, hoopers, ravers, and music buffs).  Next up was Boulder favorite, Rose Hill Drive.  Brothers Jacob and Daniel Sproul front this three-piece effort, with Nate Barnes kickin’ it on the drums.  They definitely represented the “rock” at Tatanka, bringing the significantly fuller crowd (and this humble reviewer as well) to their feet.

At this point, I had to leave the festival, which was becoming more crowded.  There was one act left before the night’s headliners, The Disco Biscuits.  By then the tickets were discounted as well.  In all, the acts blew up the stages – they deserved a fuller audience for the weight of their talent.  If Tatanka is to be an annual event (and a profitable one at that) it needs to do two things: 1) allow overnight camping and 2) allow outside food and water, maybe not in the concert area, but at least in a designated area.  The early start time (10am) proved too early for an audience forced to commute to the venue after an undoubtedly late Saturday.  Despite a lackluster turnout, Tatanka booked quality acts and provided a welcomed festival in the Indian Summer of Boulder.

—–

Check out the acts I mentioned on their websites:
The Unknown Americans

Jubal

Octopus Nebula

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Kurtz holding it down outside

Window Displays

Bubba flexing some new ink

Storefront

Uber Limited edition shirts, stop in and cop one before there are no mo’

Even the Ninja came out!

Again, thanks to LVAN and Homebase for putting this on and Giancarlo for his amazing work. Stop in and check it out this month!

Special thanks to Andrew who took more than half of these photos while I was busy being social.

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Prepare to be schooled. Legitimately.

On the second Tuesday in November, history will be made. America will have elected either its first African American president, more than 140 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, or the first woman vice president, nearly 90 years following the ratification of the bill that gave U.S. women the right to vote. It’s a spectacular opening of doors for future generations in America, and a new source of untapped talent for the highest offices in the land. Regardless of the scurrilous gossip strewn about the candidates personal lives, about the disagreements over flip flopping and petty fighting between party lines, there are real issues here at stake that actually matter to our lives and the lives of our children. As Lauren stated, it’s exhausting to witness the bickering, and maybe this is only another voice in the crowd of many. I’ve painfully recognized how uneducated and seemingly uninterested Americans are on the actual FACTS of this election. We have let our reality become distorted by the most backwards and terrifying process of dehumanization out there, the agenda of the corporate American press.

In an attempt to be as bipartisan as possible, I thought that I would try to outline some of the basic issues of both candidates and what they stand for. This is in no way a purpose for me to be stumping for either party (even though you know I’m not afraid to let you know who I support), this is simply an attempt to break down the basic facts. Just because you’ve always voted Democrat, or you’ve always voted Republican, does not mean that you should blindly support whomever that party has nominated. Do you agree with their stance on foreign policy? Their answer to the war in Iraq? Their energy policies? What about education? When it comes down to it, this is a personal decision, but one that should be an informed choice. We can’t base our sources of knowledge in hearsay, propaganda or in the opinions of spouses or parents or friends. I’ve done the gruntwork for you, and here it is. Make your own choices.

In black and white, I give you the facts:

• Taxes
  

In comparison to the policies in place under our current administration, the McCain tax plan will reduce taxes by approximately 4.2 trillion. The Obama plan will cut taxes by 2.9 trillion. McCain’s tax cuts will hit across the board, with the biggest cuts going to the highest income households (top 1% of US citizens making over $1.2 mill/year), while Obama would give larger tax cuts to low and moderate income households and pay most of the cost by raising taxes on high income taxpayers (top 1% making over $1.2 mill/year). Both policies from both parties will substantially increase our national debt over the next ten years: McCain’s would increase our debt by $5 trillion, Obama’s by $3.5 trillion.

What does this mean for you? The typical American, middle class income (incomes of less than $200k yearly for individuals and $250k per year for married couples) will raise 3% with McCain’s plan. In comparison, with Obama’s plan, middle income households will see a boost of 5% back into their wallets.

Things to consider: National debt. Want to see how much we owe? Check this out. We need to pay taxes in order to dig ourselves out of debt and get this tattered economy back on it’s feet. Bigger tax breaks and higher spending pushes this debt onto our children and our children’s children.

(Please note, these are estimations based on currently proposed tax plans. Source: Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute and Brookings Institution)

• Health Care

McCain proposes a refundable income tax credit of $2500 individually or $5000 for married couples purchasing health insurance. He believes that competition between insurance companies will lower the cost and improve the quality of health insurance. This, among other changes that McCain proposes, would cost the US deficit $1.3 trillion over ten years. Obama’s plan is to modernize the US healthcare system and make relatively low cost insurance available to everyone, along with subsidizing premiums for low and moderate income folks. This will cost the US deficit $1.6 trillion, but would also cover virtually all children and the majority of currently uninsured adults. McCain’s proposed plan would cut the number of uninsured people by a little over 6 million in ten years. Obama’s plan would bring the numbers of uninsured people down by 34 million.

(Source: Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute and Brookings Institution)

Things to consider: One in seven Americans are uninsured, living sicker and dying younger. Uninsured Americans effect everyone’s health coverage. Even the insured pay the price with crowded emergency rooms and escalating health care costs, which in turn make health insurance less affordable. The United States spends nearly $100 billion annually to provide uninsured patients with health services, often for preventable diseases or diseases more effectively treated with an earlier diagnoses. Can you guess where this money comes from, loyal tax payer?

• Iraq

The basic discrepancy between candidates on this issue is whether or not to pull out from the war and withdraw our troups. McCain says fight it out, Obama says end it. McCain believes that it is our moral obligation to stay in Iraq until it is capable of governing itself and safeguarding its own people. He supports counterinsurgencies (sending additional troops) in order to control the population and violence in Iraq. McCain will promote efforts within the international community to support regional stability and to bolster Iraq’s economy. He also supports structuring the US’s military posture in order to put pressure on Iraq’s neighbors (Syria and Iran) to stop aiding Shi’ite militias.

Obama believes that we are in the midst of a war without end, and proposes a plan to finish it. He believes that our military resources are dwindling and leaving us less safe at home, and that with a responsible and phased withdrawal, both Iraq and the US will be better off. Obama’s basic plan will have brigades removed at a pace of 1 to 2 per month, to be completed in 16 months. He will also have a residual force remain in Iraq to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions as well as continue efforts to train and support Iraqi security forces with the support of the Iraqi government. Obama believes in a moral obligation to Iraq’s humanitarian crisis, providing $2 billion to support the millions of displaced Iraqi families while reserving the right to intervene militarily, with international support, to suppress potential genocidal violence within the country.

McCain highlights that the past year has shown a significant reduction in violence in Iraq, and he places the success on the shoulders of the troop surge. Obama supports redirecting our efforts towards Afghanistan where Taliban has since reemerged, pointing out that 2007 was the most violent year in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001.

Things to consider: With hundreds upon thousands of innocent lives lost, almost 5,000 American soldiers dead since the start of the war, and $3 trillion in national debt… the cost of the war continues to rise by the second.

• Environment/Energy Crisis

It seems as though major authorities on the environment and energy crisis don’t think that either candidate has enough policy in regard to these topics. It also seems that both candidates bleed into one another’s solutions, there is a meshing between sides. The major differences are that McCain is touting increased fossil fuel production and nuclear energy, while Obama emphasizes alternative sources and conservation to meet our energy needs.

McCain’s emphasis on increased production of nuclear energy and oil is based in a re-commitment in these energy sources. Nuclear energy produces zero emissions, and could decrease our dependency on foreign oil, however safety can be an issue due to the high levels of radioactivity that can be emitted from the waste (newer plants have a much better safety record, but it makes some reminisce about Chernobyl). There are also concerns about the cost of researching and building nuclear power plants. McCain’s plan also will give $2 billion per year in order to advance clean coal technology.

McCain supports off-shore drilling, deep sea drilling off U.S. coastlines in search of oil in order to increase domestic supplies. Increasing domestic oil production could put a patch on the situation we’ve found ourselves at the gas pump, however ecologically speaking, oil is a non-renewable resource and not a great thing to be dependent on, not to mention the threat of what oil spills can do to our environment. McCain has the idea of providing a $300 million award for “the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.” Anyone know how to make batteries?

Obama will back limited off-shore drilling, as he believes that oil companies should first drill on the 68 million acres that they have which are so far unused. Previously against the idea, Obama has recently said that he now believes a compromise will have to be made in order to prevent gridlocking between oil companies and the government. His main objective is that we need to reduce our dependency on oil completely and move towards new fuel choices and alternative energies. Obama’s proposed policies take it a step further by investing $150 billion over ten years in order to build a clean energy future, along with creating 5 million “green collar” jobs. As for an immediate solution, he’ll give a $1,000 emergency energy rebate to help families pay for rising bills, the money coming from oil company profits. Obama would mandate the auto industry in order to influence them towards making vehicles capable of running on alternative fuels, and increase federal support of mass transit. McCain is against these mandates, and once a cap and trade is implemented (keep reading…), would rely on the market to cultivate alternative energy itself.

Both candidates support tax credits to those that buy hybrid cars. Both support a cap-and-trade system that would place a cost on emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to global warming, in order to encourage a shift towards renewable energy. Both also agree that regardless of the solution to stop the immediate oil bleeding from the gas pumps in America, something needs to be done to catalyze our shift from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources.

Please see this as well as this for further info.

Things to consider: Where you’ll be in 2050 when the Arctic Ocean has completely melted, the glaciers are gone from the Alps, and over one million species of animals are extinct. I’ll be (hopefully) still kicking it at 68.

• Education

The low standards that our education system has currently in place are dismal at best. American children rank 28th out of 40 countries in mathematics and 19th out of 40 countries in science. Education should be a top priority. Bush’s No Child Left Behind plan was a complete dud, most agree the reason for this is because it was neglected in funding. We have huge issues in America with teacher quality and accountability. (Although this article is Obama based, if you are interested in the current state of our national education system, it is phenomenally written, please devour.) McCain will work to improve the No Child Left Behind Law, Obama will fundamentally extricate it.

McCain doesn’t seem to have a clear plan in regard to changing our education system, although lets hope he focuses more on this issue with the addition of his running mate and mother of 5. He does believe that public schools need to be publicly accountable for test results. McCain supports the basis of using competition in order to obtain greater quality teachers, and thinks that if parents are unhappy with the public education of their children, they should be allowed to change schools. He’ll also reward teachers with individual merit pay. Obama‘s main concerns are in the US’s high school dropout rate (30%), quality of teachers, and extremely high college costs. He will work to create a voluntary national performance assessment for new teachers, as well as work with school districts to create a program for salary increases for accomplished educators that work to mentor new teachers. Obama will also enact an unprecedented American Opportunity Tax Credit of $4000 to families universally. He will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year’s tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due.

Things to consider: Children are our future!

The basis of this article has grown out of Project votesmart. I believe that being informed is so important, and I am up for anyone willing to question. If we are open to it, we can all learn something here.

Signing off before my fingers fall off, as your CNN addict/political adviser chick, I bid you adieu…. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!Similar articles that might also interest you:

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1. I have been to a dozen or so weddings the last few years. They have ran the whole gamut of weddingness. A wonderfully ornate and over the top wedding in Egypt, followed by a low key one in a friends back yard in Philly. Another wedding set up in the most beautiful islands of Lake Superior in Canada and another in the concrete jungle that is NYC. What I’ve realized is that it doesn’t matter where you are, it just matters how drunk you get with your friends. If you drink a lil and remain conscious then ultimately you’ll be left with your thoughts and thats always dangerous in large groups of drunk people. If you are single like i am you start wondering why you are indeed still single while all your friends have seemingly found happiness. So its necessary that you drink so you can forget that. Also drinking makes it easier for the next point…

2. The wedding hook up. There are always single people at weddings and thats what can really make a wedding fun. Now I’m not saying to whore yourself out. But really its up to your own moral agenda how promiscuous you decide to act. And thats whats great about weddings, there is no moral agenda. Its like this vacuum of ethical ambiguity that excuses all type of scandalous behavior. In fact being a slut is almost encouraged at weddings, as long as you are not the bride or groom. People expect emotions to flow. When emotions flow so do bad decisions. Weddings are the only place where bad decisions are allowed, well weddings and war. So embrace it. And if you cant find someone that you are particularly attracted to, then just keep drinking. At a recent wedding a friend approached me with a scouting report. We both acknowledged that out of our personal rating systems we only found girls who were a 6 out of 10 at best. Hours later i was quoted as saying “Drunk at 3am those 6′s become a 7.” So true. Moving on…

3. Weddings are frickin’ expensive. We all know this to be true. But with the economy tanking its even more so. Plus with their actually being a “wedding season” they hit you one after the other and its easily enough to bankrupt a person. What is worse is that you cant make the bride or groom feel guilty about it because its “their day.” Maybe a few months down the road but not at the wedding. The key to all this is to remember each guest has one year to deliver the wedding gift. Its amazing how many people don’t know this. I guess one year there had to be a guy who went postal during wedding season after the banks foreclosed on his home. So they made an addendum and now we all have up to a year after the date of the wedding to get a gift for our beloved “just married” friends. Thank god for this rule. Just remember though that you get to bankrupt all your friends one day with your own destination wedding. Im going to Hawaii.

4. DANCE! Don’t be a sour puss at a wedding. Dance your ass off. Even if you are a horrible dancer, which most of us are (except for myself, I’m awesome at dancing) dance anyway. Its the best way to have fun with your friends. Generally good bands play at weddings, fun bands that play up to the crowd, so just let loose. But be aware of the dreaded “electric slide”. If you get caught in that crush you are likely to pull a muscle or tear a ligament.

So if you are single these are just a few tidbits to remember or just live by. If you have trouble remembering them then please feel free to rent Wedding Crashers or just wait for it to air on TBS (but thats not nearly as good because they have to edit out a lot, including all the boobies). Oh, its true what they said too, tattoo on the lower back – might as well be a bulls eye. Similar articles that might also interest you:

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Wrestle up some money and a couple of friends and get your butts down to Doc’s to show some love. I’m interested to see what Diet Kong offers as a duo… and to see how much baby powder Diet Keith will have on his head.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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