Elliot Ness, Where Are You?

Maybe just politics as usual in Illinois. But it is pretty convenient.

From Atlas Shrugs:

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/10/chicagoland-dirty-politics-obama-stumping-for-gangster-alexi-giannoulias.html


A good friend of mine, a Democrat, told me he wasn't going to vote in the Mid Terms. I told him. "It's OK. you just did."

Read all of the above carefully. Follow all of the links. Interesting reading, to say the least.

In Liberty,
Skeez

How Immigrants Create More Jobs

This study explains that the surplus of immigrants here encourages businesses to hire them and then they do not send jobs offshore. There is no need to outsource if they can find workers here for the lower skilled jobs. - - Donna Poisl

By TYLER COWEN

IN the campaign season now drawing to a close, immigration and globalization have often been described as economic threats. The truth, however, is more complex.

Over all, it turns out that the continuing arrival of immigrants to American shores is encouraging business activity here, thereby producing more jobs, according to a new study. Its authors argue that the easier it is to find cheap immigrant labor at home, the less likely that production will relocate offshore.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

Trail marker would tell story of immigrant laborers

This historian has researched the story of immigrant workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the Tacoma area and wants to make sure everyone can learn it too from a display he wants to build. - - Donna Poisl

John Dodge, Soundings

If Northwest historian and Tenino native Edward Echtle has his way, the Yelm to Tenino trail maintained by Thurston County will someday have a historical marker detailing the role inland lumber mills and their immigrant work forces played in South Sound economic life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Echtle is researching the history of the Perry Mill at McIntosh Lake, which sat about at Milepost 9 on the 14-mile trail built on the original Northern Pacific Railroad line that ran from Kalama to Tacoma.

His goal, which has the support of the Thurston County Historic Commission, is to develop an interpretative display along the trail at the old mill site, to explain the rise and decline of lumber mills built next to rail lines in Thurston County.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

New website on Biblical Archaeology Launches Today!

I am very pleased to announce that my new website aimed at providing resources for those studying the archaeology of the Bible lands is officially launched today.

Over the last few months it became apparent that the range of material relating to archaeology would no longer fit within the structure of the biblicalstudies.org.uk website. The new site will eventually offer detailed coverage of all aspects of biblical archaeology from artefacts to bibliographies of noteable archaeologists. Collapsible menus will be added once the site structure is finalised.

Click here to visit the new site.

BREAKING NEWS: Khadr sentenced to 40 years

Omar Khadr has just been sentenced to 40 years by the military jury in GITMO. He will not serve that, because of a plea deal prior to his admission of guilt to all charges as the military commission reached its final stages. From the BBC:

31 October 2010 Last updated at 18:02 ET

Guantanamo Bay's youngest militant Omar Khadr jailed

Omar Khadr pleaded guilty to five war crimes charges last week

A US military tribunal has sentenced a self-confessed Islamist militant to 40 years in jail on charges that include murdering a US soldier and conspiring to commit terrorist acts.

Canadian Omar Khadr, now 24, pleaded guilty to the charges at the Guantanamo Bay tribunal last week.

However, Khadr's plea deal limited his sentence to eight years.

Caught in 2002 at the age of 15, he is the fifth Guantanamo inmate to be convicted at the military tribunals.

A seven-member military panel deliberated for nearly nine hours over a two-day period before reaching its decision on Sunday...(more here)

I will have more. Stay tuned.

VIDEO- Sharron Angle Ad: 'Welcome To Nevada Mr. President'

Awesome ad that ties Harry Reid with Barack Obama.

Welcome to Nevada, Mr. President, via YouTube.



Hard hitting, to the point and one of the best Sharron Angle ads to date.

H/T Table9.

.

Ouch.. Latest Whitman Ad Shows Jerry Brown Admitting Campaign Promises All Lies

Major freaking Hat Tip To Hot Air for the video below.



Via Hot Air.

The Michael Kinsley definition of politcal gaffe is the accidental telling of an embarrassing truth — and if that’s the case, Jerry Brown committed the ultimate gaffe. Only Brown didn’t commit the gaffe in this campaign; he committed it fifteen years ago in an interview with CNN. Brown told the network that politicians in his experience don’t really have plans for governing, or at least specifically in his own experience. He admitted that he lied in order to win election in 1974, and Meg Whitman pounces on it in this eleventh-hour ad:

Transcript:

Interviewer: You said something a moment ago that I have to follow up on and I have to draw you out on. You said you don’t have to lie anymore now that you’re not a politician. What did you lie about when you were governor?

Jerry Brown: It’s all a lie. You’re pretending there’s a plan…

Interviewer: What did you lie about?

Jerry Brown: You run for office and the assumption is “Oh, I know what to do”. You don’t. I didn’t have a plan for California. Clinton doesn’t have a plan. Bush doesn’t have a plan.

Interviewer: You said you had a plan for California and you lied because you didn’t have a plan?

Jerry Brown: You say you’re going to lower taxes, you’re going to put people to work, you’re gonna improve the schools, you’re going to stop crime… crime is up, schools are worse, taxes are higher. I mean be real!

the hardest hitting ad to date because Whitman is using Brown's own words, his own confession about telling whatever lies he has to in order to win an election.

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Obama Cannot Fill Seats Anymore

Via The Hill's Ballot Box, headline "Thousands of empty seats for last Dem voter rally by Obama, Biden."

Photo:



A far cry from when Obama had standing room only for his speeches.


(Saint Paul, Minnesota-2008)



The pictures speak for themselves. The honeymoon is over.

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Arkansas Senate Race: Obamacare Is Key Factor In Decline Of Blanche Lincoln Chances For Reelection

Rasmussen reports that Republican Congressman John Boozman is ahead of Senator Blanche Lincoln in the Arkansas Senate Race, 55 percent to Lincoln's 36 percent.

Boozman has kept a consistent lead over Lincoln since February 2010. In early voting Boozman continues to lead over Lincoln with 55 percent to 38 percent.

It is clear that Lincoln's vote for Obamacare, which was opposed by the majority in Arkansas, has been an influence in her decline.

Lincoln, who is seeking a third six-year term, was reelected in 2004 with 54% of the vote. But her procedural vote to keep the Obama health care bill alive in the Senate last December appears to have been a key factor in her declining political fortunes in a state where the president and many of his policies are highly unpopular.

Seventy percent (70%) of Arkansas voters favor repeal of the national health care law, while 28% oppose repeal. This is much higher support for repeal than is found nationally and includes 61% who Strongly Favor repeal and 20% who are Strongly Opposed.

Yesterday it was reported that Democratic politicians that voted for Obamacare were suffering and likely to lose seats in the upcoming midterm election, held November 2, 2010.

Democratic Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.), Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.), Debbie Halvorson (Ill.), Kathy Dahlkemper (Pa.), Carol Shea-Porter (N.H.), Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio), Steve Driehaus (Ohio) and Betsy Markey (Colo.) were all late yes votes on health reform. Most, if not all, of them will lose on Tuesday, according to nonpartisan campaign experts.

Other Democrats who announced their support in the last few days before the March 21 vote are in tossup races, including Reps. Harry Mitchell (Ariz.), Paul Kanjorski (Pa.), Chris Carney (Pa.) and Bill Foster (Ill.).

Blanche Lincoln is suffering from her betrayal of her constituents, as many other Democratic politicians are.

I wonder if on November 3, 2010 she will think it was worth going against the will and wishes of her constituents.

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Achorage CBS Affiliate Conspiring to Manufacture News To Influence Election? UPDATE KTVA Admits To Call, Denies Interpretation

If this proves to be true it will be one of the major media/ CBS scandals to rock the 2010 midterm elections.



Headline: "Anchorage CBS Affiliate Caught on Voicemail Conspiring Against Alaska's GOP Senate Candidate."

The following voice mail message was inadvertently left on the cell phone of Joe Miller campaign spokesperson Randy DeSoto.

The voices are believed to be those of the news director for CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA, along with assignment editor Nick McDermott, and other reporters, openly discussing creating, if not fabricating, two stories about Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, Joe Miller.

The following is a transcript of a call recorded after CBS Alaska affiliate KTVA called Joe Miller’s Senate campaign spokesperson. The call failed to disconnect properly. It was later authenticated by McDermott, who sent a text to Randy DeSoto stating, “Damn iPhone… I left you a long message. I thought I hung up. Sorry.”

There is a transcript of the call provided of the YouTube audio above.

Hot Air's Ed Morrissey has a request in to Nick McDermott and news director Staci Feger asking for confirmation and comment and will update their post with any response they get.

Miller's website issues a press release:

Anchorage, Alaska. October 30, 2010 – In an apparent accidental voice mail message left on the cell phone of Joe Miller’s spokesperson, Randy DeSoto, what is believed to be the news director for CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA, along with assignment editor Nick McDermott, and other reporters, openly discuss creating, if not fabricating, two stories about Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, Joe Miller. The voice mail message was later authenticated by Mr. McDermott, who sent a text to DeSoto stating “Damn iPhone … I left you a long message. I thought I hung up. Sorry.”

“Frankly, when I first heard this I was shocked,” said DeSoto. “Though a bit garbled at times, there are disturbing comments in this conservation that never should have occurred.”

In the first discussion, the KTVA reporters discuss getting a list of Miller campaign supporters in order to ‘find’ a “child molester.” “You have to find that one person,” says the male reporter, to laughter in the news room. The reporters at KTVA then discuss creating a “Rand Paul” incident at the then upcoming Miller Rally (held on October 28, 2010) and hoping for violence so that they can “send out a tweet” and “Facebook” that “Miller got punched” at the rally.

Attached is a transcript of the conversation from KTVA reporters.

Here is a link to the audio where you can hear the discussion

Sarah Palin calls them "corrupt bastards", via twitter.


Palin also discusses this in an interview, via Right Scoop, shown below.



Via the Contact page for KTVA, the information should readers wish to contact the station itself to ask for answers about their alleged deliberate collaboration to manufacture news to influence the Alaska election.

Alaska Broadcasting Company, Inc

1007 W. 32nd Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Phone: 907-273-3192
Fax: 907-273-3189


Sales and Administration Office
3330 Arctic Boulevard, Suite 206
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Phone: 907-646-2100
Fax: 907-646-2166


Vice President & General Manager: Jerry Bever

General Sales Manager: Laurie Bruce

Marketing Director: Shelley Byrd

Business Manager: Susan Sinclair

Programming Manager: Cyd Terhune

Traffic Manager: Monica Bouvier

Operations Manager: Bush Houston

Manager of Information Systems: John Berglin


News Department

1007 West 32nd Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Phone: 907-273-3186
Fax: 907-273-3188
E-mail: 11news@ktva.com


News Director: Staci Feger

Assistant News Director: MJ Thim

Assignment Manager: Nick McDermott

Executive Producer: Carolyn Kuckertz

Web Producer: Colleen Kelly


[Update] CBS Affiliate releases a statement denying the allegations, reported by The Politico, while admitting the call was real and originating from KTVA .

A press release issued Saturday October 30, 2010, by the Joe Miller campaign claims that KTVA personnel, "openly discuss creating, if not fabricating, two stories about Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, Joe Miller." KTVA General Manager Jerry Bever says, "It's unfortunate that this recording has happened. It's unfortunate because it does not accurately reflect the journalistic standards of our newsroom and the garbled context will no doubt leave more questions than answers. The Miller campaign's analysis of the recording is incorrect in many material ways ranging from personnel involved in the conversation, the interpretation of conversation snippets and the reported transcript of the perceived garbled conversation."

"While the recording is real, the allegations are untrue," said Bever. "The recording was the result of a cell phone not being hung up after a call was placed to Randy DeSoto, Joe Miller campaign spokesperson, Thursday afternoon to discuss Joe Miller's appearance on that evening's newscast. That phone call was placed near the end of a coverage planning meeting in our newsroom regarding that evening's Miller rally in downtown Anchorage. The group of KTVA news personnel was reviewing potential "what-if" scenarios, discussing the likelihood of events at the rally and how KTVA might logistically disseminate any breaking news."

Bever continues, "The perception that this garbled, out of context recording may leave is unfortunate, but to allege that our staff was discussing or planning to create or fabricate stories regarding candidate Miller is absurd. The complete conversation was about what others might be able to do to cause disruption within the Miller campaign, not what KTVA could do."

While Bever would not discuss any personnel issues linked with the recording, Bever says "Have we had internal discussions about the level of professionalism we need to bring to our conversations, internally and externally? Of course we have, this is a lesson to learn from."

Not looking good for KTVA at this point.

Back to the transcript which shows how weak an argument KTVA provides:(H/T Hot Air)

FEMALE REPORTER: That’s up to you because you’re the expert, but that’s what I would do…I’d wait until you see who showed up because that indicates we already know something…
[Laughter]
[INAUDIBLE]
FEMALE REPORTER: Child molesters…
MALE REPORTER: Oh yeah… can you repeat Joe Miller’s…uh… list of people, campaign workers, which one’s the molester?
[INAUDIBLE]
FEMALE VOICE: We know that out of all the people that will show up tonight, at least one of them will be a registered sex offender.
[Laughter]
MALE REPORTER: You have to find that one person…
[INAUDIBLE]
FEMALE REPORTER: And the one thing we can do is ….we won’t know….we won’t know but if there is any sort of chaos whatsoever we can put out a twitter/facebook alert: saying what the… ‘Hey Joe Miller punched at rally.’
FEMALE REPORTER: Kinda like Rand Paul…I like that.
[Laughter]
FEMALE REPORTER: That’s a good one.

They are going to have to do better than saying it is a matter of interpretation.

(Minor adjustments made to this post)

NFL 2010 Week 8 Recap

NFL 2010 Week 8 Recap, updated throughout the day.

http://www.tygrrrrexpress.com/2010/10/nfl-2010-week-8-recap/

For Hal Levine (Halloween for the non-Jewish), tonight is the freak show in West Hollywood, always a fun time.

eric aka the Tygrrrr Express

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll: GOP Has 10 Point Advantage In Generic Ballot

Two days before the midterm elections and CNN/Opinion Research Corporation publishes the results of their latest poll showing the GOP has a 10 point advantage in the congressional generic ballot, where voters are asked whether they will vote for a Republican or Democrat without any names given.

Republicans do better in the likely voter model than they do with all registered voters, with 52 percent of likely voters saying they will cast their vote for the Republican and 42 for the Democrat on the ballot.

Majorities of Republicans and Democrats both state they will vote for their own party candidate, which is why Independents are the voting blog to watch.

Among Independents, those not affiliated with either party, 55 percent will vote for the Republican choice with only 32 percent saying they will vote for the Democratic choice.

"Six in ten suburban voters say they plan to vote for the Republican candidate for the U.S. House on Tuesday,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “That's not good news for the Democrats since most of the seats in play are in suburban districts."

Full poll results can be found at this link. (PDF)

While I have often said polls are simply a snapshot and are not always correct, they are a great indicator of patterns, meaning if polls all head in one direction consistently, then a pattern emerges that gives those watching the polls a general idea of how an election will turn out.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation polling numbers are on the high end of the scale for Republicans, with a Washington Post-ABC News poll showing the GOP with only a 4 point advantage among likely voters and Democratic advantage among registered voters.

The pattern is still there, the actual figures differ but two interesting portions of the Wapo article written about their poll stood out.

A narrow majority of likely voters, 52 percent, also disapproves of the way Obama is handling his job as president.

[...]

Among voters who are inclined to skip Tuesday's vote, Obama boasts a heartier 58 percent approval rating.

What this tells us is all the stumping around the country by Barack Obama to help Democrats limit the projected losses, hasn't helped.

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Immigrants Benefit as Economy Recovers

Immigrants are seeing the economic recovery now, partly because they are more flexible about the jobs and the wages they will accept. - - Donna Poisl

By MIRIAM JORDAN

For Gustavo Torres, head of an immigrant employment center near Washington, D.C., the uptick in the economy is measured by the surge in demand for his blue-collar workers, who hail mainly from Latin America and Africa.

"The recovery is working for our community," said Mr. Torres, executive director of Casa de Maryland, which boasts five job centers in the state. "It's unbelievable how many jobs are becoming available."

In the year that ended June 2010, Casa placed 19,000 immigrants in jobs, compared with 16,000 in the year-earlier period.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

Hispanics divided on illegal immigration

Hispanics are split on their opinion of people here illegally. - - Donna Poisl

BY ALAN GOMEZ

Hispanics are growing more divided about how they view illegal immigration, and native-born Hispanics aren't as convinced of the contributions of illegal immigrants as they used to be, according to a study released Thursday.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

ESL groups on campus unify to create tutoring program

This new program organized by a group of university students is a good model for other communities. More volunteers, teachers and classes are needed. - - Donna Poisl

BY BRIA EULITT, Collegian Staff

During the summer, a core group of about eight University of Richmond Bonner Scholars came together in order to establish one cohesive English as a Second Language program where students at Richmond could help teach English to members of the community who want to assimilate into society.

The idea was presented to the group of students by Kelly Behrend, a 2010 graduate, who thought this would be a great project for the Bonners to undertake.

In the beginning, the idea was to unify the three main English as a Second Language, or ESL, groups that were organized by Richmond students.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

The Hispanic Vote In The Upcoming 2010 Elections

This Pew report analyzed the Hispanic vote in the 2002 and 2006 midterm elections and will be able to compare to the one this week. - - Donna Poisl

by Steven A. Camarota and Ashley Monique Webster

Some commentators have argued that the failure of Congress to pass "comprehensive immigration reform," coupled with Arizona’s new enforcement efforts, will increase Hispanic turnout in the upcoming midterm elections. More recently, others have argued that these same issues will dampen Hispanic turnout.

This Memorandum provides a means for evaluating these arguments by examining the Hispanic voting trends in past midterm elections and projecting what their turnout might be next week based on data from the Census Bureau. Once the election is over, the extent to which Hispanic turnout follows or deviates from past patterns can be used to evaluate if this was an unusual election with regard to Hispanics.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

For Koreans, the Issue Is Assimilation, Not Immigration

A new book about Korean-Americans and immigration and assimilation. - - Donna Poisl

Expert Describes How Koreans Struggle to Reconcile Being Americans While Maintaining Their Heritage

by Russ Handler

ENGLEWOOD, NJ--(Marketwire - October 27, 2010) - TaeHun Kim is an American, through and through.

A successful executive and attorney with a good education, he lives the American Dream every day, but he also knows that there is another side to being Korean-American, in which it is very difficult to claim complete assimilation into American life.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.

THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION

Click the headline to read stories from this week from the Immigration Policy Center.

Harry Reid To Try To Pass DREAM Act During Lame Duck Session

Stunts like trying to pass the DREAM Act during the lame duck session (the time between the election and when new Senators take over their positions) is the exact type of disrespect Harry Reid has shown to the American public since he became Senate Majority Leader and why many want to see Sharron Angle defeat Reid in the Nevada Senate race.

“The DREAM Act would give a group of young immigrants here without immigration status through no fault of their own the chance to attend college, serve in the military and earn citizenship,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice. “These valedictorians, future scientists and future soldiers are Americans in all but paperwork, and we are thrilled that Senator Reid is committed to moving this common-sense measure before the end of the year.”

“We support and will be looking for viable efforts to pass the DREAM Act after the election,” said Center for American Progress Vice President for Immigration Policy Advocacy Angela Kelley. “In order for that to happen however, like-minded Republicans will have to step forward and show their support for this modest measure to provide relief to young people. There hasn’t been a lot to suggest that bipartisan constructive conversation on immigration is possible, but I’d love to be proven wrong.”

Notice how they use the term "young people"?

To be eligible for the DREAM Act, illegal immigrants must be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time the bill is enacted.

Reid tried attaching the DREAM Act to the Defense Bill and it was filibustered and now he is promising to bring it back up during the lame duck session, amazingly enough, this announcement is made right before Tuesday's election... subtle huh?

Republicans that even consider joining in or helping this bill pass in any way, shape or form, during the lame duck session, would be smart to remember exactly what is happening to Democrats this election cycle by passing legislation the majority of Americans were opposed to. Because in 2012, I guarantee voters, the Republican's constituents WILL REMEMBER and will replace them also.

If Reid loses his reelection bid, he not only loses his Senator status in January but he can no longer damage our country with his back room deals and bribe and showing complete disdain for voters of this country by abusing his Senate Majority Leader status with these type of stunts.

In between November and January though, Reid could do a lot of damage unless we stay on our Senators and Representatives.

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Catch Phrase

Before I open this piece. Please stand, place your hand over your heart, and recite "The Pledge Of Allegiance. As told by the most famous comedian, and truest Patriot, Red Skelton. ALL words included, and explained.


Amazing Man, with the fore site of what we deal with today. We have become a people of Catch Phrases. No more brilliant soliloquy. Who knows where it started? "Hell No! We Won't Go!"? How about "I Like Ike"? I'm sure it was a lot longer back, probably to save time and space in the newspapers.
Catch phrase of the day seem to be, "The Last 8 Years". I'll counter, "The Last 2 Years!". We also have "We Warned You", "Miss Me Yet", "Hope And Change", "How Is That Change Working Out".
Many more,...but one of my faves is "Bumper Sticker Politics". (This one would not have worked 200 years ago)

But probably the oldest, and truest today, as in the past. "DON'T TREAD ON ME". It goes along with what Red was explaining about Government. We the people, are the Government. Not the other way around.
Maybe Barack should watch something like this. I doubt it happens, and wouldn't make a bit of difference if he did. But we can Hope! :)

In Liberty, and Freedom in 3 days.
VOTE! and tell your friends.
Skeez

Had to add something.


Last Catch Phrase "Hell's Comin' With Me!" November 2nd, 2010

Hal Levine 2010--Pimps, Players, Mack Daddies, Hotties, Hootchies, and Doofuses

Hal Levine (Halloween for the non-Jewish) 2010 shall be dedicated to pimps, players, mack daddies, daddy macks, hotties, hos, hootchies, and doofuses. I have no idea what I just said.

http://www.tygrrrrexpress.com/2010/10/hal-levine-2010-pimps-players-mack-daddies-hotties-hootchies-and-doofuses/

eric aka the Tygrrrr Express

A Few Democratic Obamacare/Pelosi Sacrifices

When Nancy Pelosi needed votes for Obamacare to get it passed through the House of Representatives without any bipartisan support, many Democrats were leery of doing it in case it came back to bite them on the ass, but Pelosi pushed, twisted arms and eventually got the 219 votes it took to pass the legislation.

Now, those politicians that Pelosi/Obama was willing to sacrifice, seem to suffering from that huge fall off the cliff they forced them to jump off.

The Hill reports:

Democratic Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.), Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.), Debbie Halvorson (Ill.), Kathy Dahlkemper (Pa.), Carol Shea-Porter (N.H.), Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio), Steve Driehaus (Ohio) and Betsy Markey (Colo.) were all late yes votes on health reform. Most, if not all, of them will lose on Tuesday, according to nonpartisan campaign experts.

Other Democrats who announced their support in the last few days before the March 21 vote are in tossup races, including Reps. Harry Mitchell (Ariz.), Paul Kanjorski (Pa.), Chris Carney (Pa.) and Bill Foster (Ill.).

If losses for these politicians are part of the wave expected to hit the Democrats and the GOP takes control of the House of Representatives, not only will Pelosi have sacrificed their political careers to Obamacare, but she will have also sacrificed her own gavel as Speaker of the House.

I still wonder how many of these Democratic politicians, when alone, put their hands to their heads and ask themselves "what have I done?"

If they aren't now, perhaps they will ask themselves that question on November 3, 2010, the morning after the midterm election.

The answer is simple, they betrayed their constituents and then called that betrayal an "accomplishment."

[Update] As a side note here, one of the paragraphs in The Hill's report states:

It is unclear whether lawmakers will survive or fall solely based on their support of healthcare reform. But polling shows that Democrats have lost the message war this year on the landmark health law and in tight races, the yes votes could be the deciding factor.

It may be unclear to The Hill's writer, but it is not unclear to those of us that predicted, at the time of the Obamacare passage, that Democrats that voted for it would suffer in November. It is not unclear to those of us that showed poll after poll showing the majority of the country opposed to Obamacare at the time of passage.

The only people this seems to be unclear to are Obamacare proponents that insists American voters are "detached", "ignorant", "scared", and "not thinking clearly".

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Sarah Palin Spanks Lisa Murkowski For Her Intimidation Tactics Against Radio Show Host

Yesterday we saw over 100 people file as write-in candidates in the Senate race for Alaska after a judge gave Lisa Murkowski an unfair advantage by allowing polling officials to provide a list of name of write-in candidates after another judge had already ruled that went against Alaska laws.

The idea to encourage people to file as write in candidates came from multiple sources, Dan Reihl at Big Government, Conservatives4Palin and a radio talk show host, Dan Fagan.

Sitting Senator, Lisa Murkowsi, who lost her bid for reelection in the GOP primary against Joe Miller, then decided to run as a write-in candidate, sent her "hired guns" over to threaten the radio station, which without the money for a defense, folded and took Fagan off the air.

Palin stands up for Dan Fagan's right to free speech in a Facebook posting titled "Lisa, are you going to shut down my Facebook page for writing this?"

Teaser:

The concept of “electioneering” involves several issues, but typically refers to campaigning at the polls, which is appropriately banned. Under federal law, it can also mean paying for advertising on broadcast media during a federal election cycle, and it requires disclosures if done by groups and corporations. Fagan used satire to mock Murkowski’s write-in efforts and encouraged Alaskans to run as write-in candidates. That is not illegal. That is free speech.

Individuals like Dan Fagan have a fundamental right to speak their minds without threats from the incumbent Senator from Alaska. It is hard to find a constitutional right Americans cherish more than the right to free speech. This was a right Joe Miller, as a decorated combat veteran – a tank commander tested in battle, was willing to die to defend. Dan Fagan has not always agreed with me, but I will gladly defend his right to speak freely on his radio show, which he has often used to criticize me. In fact, Fagan has actually used his radio show to attack and insult me, my husband, my children, and my family in just about every way possible. He was especially insulting to my son, who left for a war zone to defend Fagan’s right to attack our family. But when I was his governor, I never would have dreamed of threatening his right to free speech. I support him in this fight because this D.C. Beltway thuggery, as exemplified by Lisa Murkowski’s latest threat, is ruining our country. The powers that be want ordinary Americans to sit down and shut up and let the ruling class ride us right off the debt cliff we’re heading towards with Obama, Pelosi, and Reid steering the nation’s car. We can’t let them. Now is the time to put aside our past differences and stand up to the establishment powers.

Murkowski has shown time and again her disrespect for her constituents, with lies claiming if Miller won the GOP primary she would "respect" that decision, she didn't, instead she decided to ignore the will of those constituents and run as a write-in.

Now she is is showing just as much disrespect for the right of free speech by using intimidation tactics again a man who was using his right of free speech.

[Update] The unfair advantage Murkowski could have had by the write-in list being provided at the polls, is now not a problem, because of the amount of names on the list.

Lawyers on both sides of the fight conceded that the rush of new write-in candidates lowered the stakes in the dispute over whether to give voters the list.

Given all the new candidates since Thursday, said Ms. Paton-Walsh, "I don't think that list could really function in a meaningful way as electioneering."

The Republican Party attorney Kenneth Kirk said that, given the spike in the number of write-in candidates, all the fuss over handing out lists of their names could "become a moot point at this point."

The playing field is now level and Murkowski has shown her true colors at the last minute, so to speak, by using her intimidation tactics against Fagan too late to stop the last minute additions to the list provided.

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"Canadian Fallen Hero" by Haggarty and Hutchings

Canadian Fallen Hero

Canadian Fallen Hero


From Canadian Fallen Hero Project:

Press Release

TORONTO, October 27, 2010 – Canadian Fallen Hero Project. In response to the unwavering support of the Canadian Troops, we have brought together two talented individuals singer songwriter Barry Haggarty and lyricist Harold Hutchings the originator of the project. Together they have created a truly heart felt song and slide video to honour the Canadian Military and their families.

“As a part of our ongoing commitment to provide support to the widows and orphans of Fallen Troops; we have created the - “Fallen Hero Project”. All proceeds from the sale of our song and video, or funds raised through sponsors or donations, will go directly to the Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services.” – Harold Hutchings – Lyricist.

[...]

A Tribute to the Military and their Families. All proceeds from the sale of the song will go to the Support the Troops Foundation. Website address for donations is: www.militaryfamiliesfund.ca "Fallen Hero Project" any ­donations over $10.00 will receive a receipt. You can purchase the song on iTunes –​ “Canadian Fallen Hero” -​ Barry Haggarty.

[...]

For many years we as Canadians have enjoyed the benefits from the sacrifices that our military have provided by creating a safe and a free society. This freedom comes at a price. We truly feel that we do live in the best country on this earth. All Canadians should be proud of the way our military have performed. This in our small way of honouring our troops.

- 30 –

There is much more about this great project here at the Canadian Fallen Hero site. There was a news story about the genesis of this great song on the Haliburton Echo:

Song to raise funds for soldiers' families

By Jenn Watt

It was a trip down the Highway of Heroes that first inspired lyricist Harold Hutchings to pen the words to Canadian Fallen Hero, a nearly five-minute song honouring the lives of those who fought and died for Canada.

After witnessing the mixture of sadness and pride as the convoy passed along the corridor of Highway 401 between CFB Trenton and the Toronto coroner's office, Hutchings, who lives part-time in Wilberforce, had to get his feelings on paper.

"I pulled [the car] over afterwards and I started writing," he said in an interview.

The song starts: "Black car takes them to their new home/Green grass, flowers and rows of headstones/Proud soldiers who have fallen, women and men/And we pray it will end."

Those words would wait a few years until the circumstances were right to become a song – and music video – launching Oct. 27 online and on iTunes.

"I wanted to donate 100 per cent of the money" to help soldiers' families, he said, so it wasn't until he hooked up with songwriter Barry Haggarty that he was able to make the song happen.

Initially, the idea was to sell the song with proceeds going to the Military Families Fund, but the project kept getting bigger until it grew into a music video and website: www.canadianfallenhero.com.

"It's getting bigger than I ever thought it was going to be," Hutchings said...

Read more here.

Suspicious Cargo Triggers Terror Alarms

AP:

Authorities on three continents thwarted multiple terrorist attacks aimed at the United States Friday, seizing two explosive packages addressed to Chicago-area synagogues and packed aboard cargo jets from Yemen. Parts of the plot might remain undetected, President Barack Obama's counterterror chief warned.

Obama called the coordinated attacks a "credible terrorist threat" amid worldwide fears that al-Qaida was launching a major new campaign of assaults.

"The United States is not assuming that the attacks were disrupted and is remaining vigilant," Obama adviser John Brennan said at the White House.

Wapo:

The packages, mailed via UPS and FedEx, were addressed to two places of Jewish worship in Chicago, the president said.

Obama, speaking four days before the midterm elections, did not specify any new security measures that would be taken or say that the nation's terrorist alert level had been raised. But he described the threat as serious, and pointed once again to Yemen as the source, saying his top terrorism adviser, John Brennan, had been in touch with that country's president.

The two packages were intercepted at different locations, one on a UPS plane at the East Midlands airport near Nottingham, England, and the other at a FedEx facility in Dubai. Officials provided no detail on the kind of explosives found.

U.S. counterterrorism officials believe the foiled attack may have been orchestrated by the al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, which has been behind a series of recent attempts to strike the United States.

NYT:

The wide-scale alert spread to the United States on Friday morning, when officials isolated two cargo planes at airports in Newark and Philadelphia and searched them for packages originating in Yemen, and New York police searched a delivery truck in Brooklyn. None of the shipments reaching the United States from Yemen were found to contain explosives.

CBS:

A source told CBS News that the packages in the U.K. and Dubai contained a syringe, powder and cell phone components. (Scroll down to see a photo of one of the cartridges.)

A Joint Terrorism Task Force source told CBS News that investigators were looking for between 10-20 packages shipped out of the UPS office in Sanna, Yemen during the same time frame.

Fox News:

Given the origin of the packages, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula "is at the top of the list" of suspects, a U.S. official told Fox News.

"Since two of the suspicious packages that were intercepted were addressed to religious institutions in Chicago, all churches, synagogues and mosques in the Chicago area should be vigilant for any unsolicited or unexpected packages, especially those originating from overseas locations," Chicago FBI spokesman Ross Rice said.

More at Memeorandum.

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Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing National Championship

The Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing National Championship is going down this weekend in Moab, Utah, one of the top adventure destinations in the U.S. The race got underway this morning at 8 AM local time, and will run through noon tomorrow, followed closely with a BBQ and Halloween Party!

The event features all the standard adventure racing disciplines including 15-25 miles of kayaking, 20-30 miles of trekking, and 35-45 miles of mountain biking. The course will also feature 2-3 miles of the always popular river boarding and a ropes course that includes a 350' Tyrolean Traverse. The race also has teams in various categories including a 4-person open and elite coed options as well as 2-person and solo categories as well.

The race will cap a full season of races in the Checkpoint Tracker series with a number of races held in a variety of locations around the country. The winners of the Moab event will be crowned the 2010 Checkpoint Tracker champions. Seems like it should be a fun and competitive event in a fantastic environment. I hope all the teams race safely and have a great time.

Democrats Call Them Accomplishments, Others See It As Betrayals

I see a running theme throughout the blogosphere on the far left progressively liberal sites claiming Americans are "detached from reality", "confused," and/or "ignorant", because they do not consider the legislation passed through Congress as "accomplishments."

For example, some guy named Steve Benan titles a piece called "THE CHALLENGE OF OVERCOMING IGNORANCE, PART II," where he states:

"A plurality of Americans, though, perceive this Congress as having done less than usual. I'm not even sure how a political system is supposed to function with an electorate so far detached from reality."

He is speaking of two polls taken recently, one from Gallup and one from Pew, where pluralities in both polls believe Congress has "accomplished" less or the same amount as usual for Congress.

He also states this:

Evaluating the quality of these accomplishments is a subjective question, open to all kinds of competing opinions. Evaluating whether the accomplishments exceed the norm is an objective question and the answer, whether people realize it or not, is unambiguous.

WRONG

The problems stems from which definition of "accomplishment" one chooses to look at.

Dictionary.com- Accomplishment

1. an act or instance of carrying into effect; fulfillment: the accomplishment of our desires.

2.something done admirably or creditably: Space exploration is a major accomplishment of science.

Dictionary.com - Admirably

1. worthy of admiration; inspiring approval, reverence, or affection.

2.excellent; first-rate.

People like Benan choose the first definition, people like myself, and obviously those respondents that were polled by Pew and Gallup use the second definition, because many see nothing "admirable" about a Democratic majority going against the will of the people, a majority of Americans opposed to legislation, such as Obamacare, and passing it anyway.

Many believe our Representatives are supposed to actually represent us, the voters who elected them, and when they do not do that, but instead vote along party lines against our opposition, we do not see it as "admirable" nor as an accomplishment but instead it is seen as a betrayal.

To arrogantly assume that just because Benan and liberal Democrats believe the legislation passed can be considered "accomplishments" that the discussion is over and therefore they are accomplishments obviously shows that it is Benan and those pumping this crap out that are ignorant.

The only people that actually think of the recent legislation as accomplishments are liberals and liberals are the smallest ideological group in America (20 percent), which is why those that were opposed do not see it as accomplishments, but rather a betrayal by Congress upon those they are sworn to represent.

Dictionary.com- Betrayal

1. to deliver or expose to an enemy by treachery or disloyalty: Benedict Arnold betrayed his country.

2. to be unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling: to betray a trust.

3. to disappoint the hopes or expectations of; be disloyal to: to betray one's friends.

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November 2, 2010 will determine how many agree with Brenan about Democratic so-called accomplishments and how many agree with me in calling them betrayals.

Example: A man, a gang member, goes out with the intention of robbing someone, hits the person, takes their wallet and runs and divides the proceeds up with his gang. To the robber and the gang he accomplished his goal... it was his accomplishment.

To the rest of us and especially the guy who had his wallet stolen... meh , not so much!

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Going Google across the 50 States: Texas brothers convert 30% more leads by staying on track with Google Apps

Editor's note: Over 3 million businesses have adopted Google Apps. Today we’ll hear from David Bullock, CFO of YETI Coolers based in Austin, Texas. To learn more about other organizations that have gone Google and share your story, visit our community map or test drive life in the cloud with the Go Google cloud calculator.


YETI Coolers, co-founded in 2005 by brothers Roy and Ryan Seiders, offers durable, super-insulated ice chests for serious outdoor enthusiasts. Roy first recognized the potential of a premium cooler during an early entrepreneurial endeavor and decided to design his own. He recruited his brother to help and the two settled on YETI for the company name – a new brand that consumers could easily associate with frigid toughness. Today, YETI coolers are “certified grizzly-proof” and distributed through over 500 dealers across the country.


When Roy and Ryan started the company, they recognized the value of Google’s free email service, Gmail, and started with one email address – yeticoolers@gmail.com. However, fast forward three years and the company had grown to 10 employees. We hit a tipping point where we needed to expand and create a more professional look with @yeticoolers.com email addresses. The question was how to retain three years of information and still offer the entire office the same easy-to-use interface and access to remotely-stored email history. The solution was Google Apps.

Soon after implementing Google Apps, we hired our first National Sales Director who resides in North Carolina. Despite the geographical barrier, Google Docs has allowed us to collaborate with him and other remote employees in real time, and has became a critical component of our sales process.

Our goal is to increase the number of dealers that sell YETI coolers but for a long time, our volume of dealer inquiries was unmanageable and we missed out on sales opportunities. This is where a Google spreadsheet saved us. We created a “Potential Dealer Tracker” to track, prioritize, and, most importantly follow up with potential YETI dealers. By capitalizing on dealer inquiries in an organized, methodical way, we’ve been able to convert 30% more leads just this year. The profit from the new accounts nearly pays our National Sales Director’s salary!

We also use Google Calendar to track internal and external meetings and even non-work events like Red Raider and Longhorn football games. More recently, we started using Google Sites and launched our company’s first intranet. We look forward to adding even richer content to the site as the company continues to expand.

Given the rapid growth we’ve experienced over the last few years, it has been extremely difficult to stay on top of all areas of the business. Google Apps has changed this, providing the tools we need to succeed. It’s low cost, secure and easy to use – from our standpoint, Google Apps is the perfect solution for any small business.

Posted by David Bullock, YETI Coolers

Democrats Loaded A Gun, Shot Themselves, Now Wonder Why They Are Bleeding

I ask myself, "Do Democratic leaders even realize what they have done to themselves?"

I see the spin Democratic politicians, especially the leaders like Obama, Pelosi and Reid say publicly but I have to wonder if when alone, no cameras or microphones, they actually believe their own hype or if they truly understand how badly they have screwed up and what they have done to their own party?

Obama insists people are scared and not thinking clearly and that is why the GOP is projected to win massive gains on November 2, 2010 and predictions all say they will take control of the House of Representatives.

I see Nancy Pelosi refusing to acknowledge how bad things are, then again, until after election day, what else can she do publicly? Harry Reid is fighting for his political career with his Republican challenger taking a four percent lead against him in all the last minute polls.

It is reported that in the eight districts where a Democrat switched from “no” to “yes,” vote on Obamacare, only one race shows a Democrat in the lead in polling.

By The Numbers

Look at the numbers:

Forty-three percent (43%) of all Likely Voters say someone who voted for the health care law deserves to be reelected. Fifty percent (50%) oppose their reelection.

Thirty-six percent (36%) say if their local representative voted for the taxpayer bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler, he or she deserves to be returned to Congress. Fifty-three percent (53%) say that person does not deserve reelection.

Similarly, 41% say their representative in Congress should be reelected if he or she voted for the stimulus plan. But 50% don’t see it that way and say the individual should not be reelected.

[...]

But, tellingly, voters not affiliated with either party also feel strongly that supporters of the health care law, the auto bailouts and the stimulus should not be returned to Congress.

59 Percent of Americans believe it's always better to cut taxes than to increase government spending because taxpayers, not bureaucrats, are the best judges of how to spend their money."

Only 12 percent of Likely U.S. Voters now think Congress is doing a good or excellent job.

Nancy Pelosi recently was quoted as claiming she believes Democrats are not getting the "credit" they deserve for what they have done.

Change the word credit to blame and yes, they are getting it in spades.

Healthcare

Polling at the time of the passage of the Democrats health care law aka Obamacare shows the majority of the American public was opposed to the passage of the law, yet Pelosi and Reid made backroom deals, twisted arms and obtained the votes they needed from Democrats alone to pass the bill to which Barack Obama signed into law. (Scroll down at that link to see polling done at the appropriate time frame)

Some Democratic politicians even admitted they hadn't read the entire bill and now some that voted for it are saying it needs to be fixed or repealed, now that their political careers are on the line.

“I don’t think you want me to waste my time to read every page of the healthcare bill,” Baucus said, according to the Flathead Beacon. “You know why? It’s statutory language. ... We hire experts.”

(Source)

Auto Industry Bailout

61 percent of Americans opposed the auto industry bailout, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Yet Democrats fought hard for it and passed the bill in the House and Senate which were both Democratically controlled at the time, and Bush compromised and it was done against the will of the majority of Americans.

Time and again Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have ignored the American public's opposition and in most cases the will of their own individual constituents in their districts and passed legislation that was unpopular.

Those are just a couple examples.

Other things Democrats are getting "credit" for is broken promises, as the one where Nancy Pelosi said "After years of historic deficits, this 110th Congress will commit itself to a higher standard: Pay as you go, no new deficit spending."

Debt Has Increased $5 Trillion Since Speaker Pelosi Vowed, ‘No New Deficit Spending’

At the close of business on Jan. 4, 2007, Pelosi’s first day as speaker, the national debt was $8,670,596,242,973.04 (8.67 trillion), according to the Bureau of the Public Debt, a division of the U.S. Treasury Department. At the close of business on Oct. 22, it stood at $13,667,983,325,978.31 (13.67 trillion), an increase of 4,997,387,083,005.27 (or approximately $5 trillion).

Pelosi, the 60th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has added more to the national debt than the first 57 House speakers combined.

$3 Trillion of added national debt has been added since Barack Obama became president, via CBS News.

New numbers posted today on the Treasury Department website show the National Debt has increased by more than $3 trillion since President Obama took office.

The National Debt stood at $10.626 trillion the day Mr. Obama was inaugurated. The Bureau of Public Debt reported today that the National Debt had hit an all time high of $13.665 trillion.

The Debt increased $4.9 trillion during President Bush's two terms. The Administration has projected the National Debt will soar in Mr. Obama's fourth year in office to nearly $16.5-trillion in 2012. That's more than 100 percent of the value of the nation's economy and $5.9-trillion above what it was his first day on the job.

Everything added together shows a clear picture of why Americans are headed to the polls on November 2, 2010 in what predictions are projecting as a massive "wave" for Republicans and Democrats can spin it any way they like but it is their own fault.

Democrats forgot one very important fact, they are voted in to represent their constituents, above and beyond party and instead they have ignored their voter's opposition to legislation and done exactly what they, the politicians, wanted instead. They did this strictly along party line votes making it theirs.

They own, lock, stock and barrel things like Obamacare.

They forgot, or simply did not care that voters always get the last word.

Republicans better remember this if they take control of the House and/or the Senate.

One has to wonder if when alone, when looking in the mirror at night, do they ask "what have we done?" If they are not asking themselves that now, perhaps they will on November 3, 2010, the morning after.

Democrats picked up a loaded gun, shot themselves repeatedly and now they look at the mess and wonder why they are bleeding? I think they know the answer, they just refuse to admit it.

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Election 2010--My message to liberals

As Election 2010 approaches, I have a very simple message to liberals.

http://www.tygrrrrexpress.com/2010/10/election-2010-my-message-to-liberals/

Monitoring the story of suspicious packages sent to Synagogues. Not writing anything until we know more facts.. The mainstream media could learn from me in this regard.

eric aka the Tygrrrr Express

More Than 100 Alaskans File As Write In Candidates To Thwart Lisa Murkowski

Background- Joe Miller won the GOP primary to run as the Republican candidate for the Alaska Senate seat currently held by Lisa Murkowski.

Murkowski said prior to that win she would accept the results of the primary, until she lost. Soon afterward, Murkowski announced she would run as a write- in candidate to retain her seat in the Senate.

Recently Alaska Superior Court Judge, Frank Pfiffner ruled that a list of write-in candidates could not be handed out at polling sites, calling it a "clear violation" of Alaska's regulation. Immediately following the Alaska Supreme Court stayed that order and allowed polling officials to provide a list of write-in candidates.

I am not clear on the order of events after that but a number of people stepped up. Dan Reihl, wrote about the situation at Big Government, providing links to registration and financial disclosure forms to become a write-in candidate and KFQD 750 AM radio host Dan Fagan told his listeners "Rush on over there before 5 o’clock and register as a write-in candidate. Especially if your last name is Murkowski. That would really help the cause."

Conservatives4Palin also headlined a piece titled "Attention Alaska Readers: Assist Joe Miller Through 'Operation Alaska Chaos.’"

Results

As of now, over 100 people have managed to put in their registration as a write-in candidate, list here of names.

More at The Politico and Anchorage Daily News.

Next Tuesday, midterm election day, promises to be a huge mess in Alaska.

Irony here would be if one of those last minute write-ins actually win.

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Sharron Angle Poised To Defeat Harry Reid In Nevada Senate Race

First the first time we see, via Real Clear Politics, three separate polls from different polling organizations, all conducted in late October, showing Sharron Angle with a four point lead over the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The polls:

LVRJ/Mason-Dixon- Angle 49 percent, Reid 45.
Rasmussen Reports- Angle 49 percent, Reid 45.
CNN/Time- Angle 49 percent, Reid 45.

If Angle wins, this will be the biggest upset in the 2010 election and as the latest Sharron Angle ad shows (shown above), her closing argument to the people of Nevada is simply to tie Harry Reid to Barack Obama stating at the end, "it's our turn."

Via Las Vegas Review Journal, we see that handicapper and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, Larry Sabato, has rated Nevada as "leaning GOP," although he readily admits Nevada is one of the hardest races to call at this point.

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, is one of the few national pundits to risk predicting Angle could pull off the biggest upset of the 2010 election. On Thursday, he put out his "crystal ball" picks that has the Nevada race leaning GOP for the first time.

"Of all our predictions, I'm least certain about the Senate race in Nevada," Sabato acknowledged in an interview. "Our assumption is, independents around the country have moved solidly behind the Republicans. But the Democrats are throwing everything they've got at the effort to save Reid. If Reid survives, it will be an escape worthy of Houdini. If Angle wins, it's a measure of the strong anti-Democratic trends of the 2010 mid-term elections.

"This is a referendum on Reid and Obama."

Angle gets 85 percent of the Republican vote and Reid 84 percent of the Democratic vote and Angle holds a double digit lead over Reid with Independents, 55 percent to 38 percent.

This one is going down to the wire and Democrats have been throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Nevada to help drag Reid over the finish line, yet polling patterns show Angle still continuing to pick up percentage points, albeit one-to-two points at a time.

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Joe Puryear Dies While Climbing In Tibet

37-year old Joe Puryear, one of the top alpine climbers in the U.S., perished while climbing in Tibet this week. The former Mt. Rainier guide was attempting to scale the 7367 meter (24,170 ft) Labuche Kang, located in the southern region of Chinese controlled Tibet, when the cornice he was scaling collapsed, sending him falling 1500 feet to his death.

Puryear earned a reputation as a fearless climber in the 90's when he put up new routes in a variety of places around the world. He was even hired by the National Park Service to be a ranger on Rainier where he could conduct mountain rescues if necessary. Joe also earned a living as a climbing guide, often working for some of the top mountaineering companies in the world.

You can read more about this tragic story and about Puryear himself in this article from the Seattle Times.

Gerber Tool Giveaway: Round 2

Regular readers know that I've been holding a contest for the past week to give away a Gerber Multi-tool This morning I selected a winner (Congrats to Suzanne Graham of Dublin, Ireland!) and I'm launching a second giveaway, this time for a Gerber Mini Fast-Draw knife. The version that I'm giving away has a serrated edge, includes a pocket clip to make it easy to carry, and comes with the same high quality that you expect from Gerber products.

Like the multi-tool that I just gave away, the Fast-Draw has been provided by OutdoorPros.com, a site that handles the full line of Gerber knives and other products, at great prices. I can't thank Josh and the crew at the site enough for providing some cool products.

So, here's the drill. If you've already entered the contest for the multi-tool, you'll automatically be entered again for the Mini Fast-Draw knife as well. You don't need to send me another e-mail. But if you'd haven't entered yet, simply send me an e-mail with the subject line of "Gerber Tools" to kungfujedi@gmail.com. Next week I'll randomly select another winner. Good luck everyone!

Everest Now Has 3G Cell Service

Visitors to the South Side of Everest now have more options for staying in touch while trekking and climbing in the Khumbu Valley. According to this story over at Mashable, Nepali cell phone company Ncell has installed a 3G base station on Everest, and tested it out by making the world's highest video call from 5300 meter (17,388 feet).

The story from Mashable says that the base station was installed "at the summit" but this article from Reuters says that it's actually in Base Camp, which makes more sense. The new 3G network will offer good voice coverage of course, but climbers should be more excited about the improved data service this will offer allowing for faster, more reliable Internet access while in BC, and climbing,for two months at a time. It should be a lot cheaper than using satellite as well.

Reading stories like this it never fails to amaze me how good cell service can be in other parts of the world. While I was in the Khumbu this past spring, our guides had cell service for much of the trek, yet I could barely get coverage in Yellowstone while visiting there in early September. Likewise on Kilimanjaro a few years back, when my guide seemingly had service all the way to the summit, and yet I get dead zones right here in Austin, Texas.

This is seriously great news for climbers though. They can now feed their iPhone addictions while acclimatizing in Base Camp. Big thanks to Rick from BestHike for sending this my way.

The Crystal Ball’s Final Calls; GOP +55 House; GOP +8 Senate

Handicapper Larry J. Sabato issues his final predictions for the House and Senate.

GOP +55 House; GOP +8 Senate

Personally I think the GOP will take a few more than that, but the GOP needs only 39 to take control of the House of Representatives and strip the gavel of Speaker of the House right out of Nancy Pelosi's grubby hands.

While 8 falls two short of taking control of the Senate, as reported earlier, Sharron Angle is now ahead of Harry Reid in the polls for the Nevada Senate seat and if she wins, no more Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid either.

Having control of one of the congressional chambers is enough to stop Barack Obama's agenda from being rubber stamped and jammed through Congress to become unpopular laws.

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Women We Love: Dr. Jennifer Riria

Who She Is:

Dr. Jennifer Riria is the CEO of Kenya Women’s Finance Trust and the Chair of the Association of Microfinance Institutions (AMFI) in Kenya.




Why We Love Her:

Kenya Women Finance Trust began in 1981 but when Dr. Riria took over a few years ago it was being run into the ground, losing over $300,000 a year. Today, with her help, it is back on track and has served more than 200,000 clients through microfinance services.
She was also the first female Board Member of the Nairobi Stock Exchange and the Chair of Post Office Savings Bank for four years.

Dr. Riria is a true believer in women’s empowerment through microfinance in Africa so it seems appropriate that KWFT is the only microfinance institution in Kenya that specifically targets women. She imagines microfinance as a tool without limits, not just to create jobs but also to enable women to have education, improved health-care, and even safer cooking methods.

One of the reasons Dr. Riria is so passionate about microfinance is because she came from a poor background herself. From birth, she struggled to be accepted by her family for being a girl. While she grew up she had to walk over 10km to school everyday. She studied hard and succeeded whenever there was an opportunity. Today she strives to create an easier life for others.


Quote:

“Because, really, the woman is the core. She holds us up. In Africa, you just have to deal with the issues that affect the productivity of women. They bring food to the table. They bring education to the household. They bring medical care in the household.
Ask me! I know it. I live among them. That is one of the drivers: my personal zeal. It is essential to support women, if we want to make a difference, if we want to transform the way the world works for them and their families.”

Himalaya Fall 2010: Season Finally Ends On Lhotse

The Fall Himalayan season has been slowly crawling towards the finish line for a few weeks now. While most of the mountains have been deserted for awhile, there have been a few lingering climbers hoping beyond hope that they would get an opportunity to summit. It seems for two of them, that hope has now been dashed.

ExWeb is reporting that the two Jordis, Corominas and Tosas, have now called it quits on Lhotse. The pair of Spaniards were attempting to climb along the South Face, but have been stymied by the conditions there, which included poor weather and lots of snow. While they waited, the two men had a go at the Lhotse Shar, and have made two separate bids up the face. But the conditions have been slow to improve and now high winds near the summit it have made any further attempts to climb the mountain nearly impossible. Because of these ongoing issues, they've elected to go home for the year.

Meanwhile, Marty Schmidt, who had been attempting a solo, alpine style attempt on Lhotse, gave up his attempt on that mountain in order to guide a client up Ama Dablam. Turns out that expedition isn't happening either, as when Marty joined his companion in the Khumbu Valley, the client revealed that he wasn't ready to make the climb and had decided to go home instead. With no interest in climbing Ama Dablam himself, Marty is now heading home as well.

Finally, ExWeb is also reporting that Alpine Ascents, one of the companies that Chhewang Nima Sherpa worked with while guiding in the Himalaya, has set up a checking account to accept donations to help support his family, for which is was the sole provider. The 19-time Everest summitteer went missing last weekend when an avalanche swept him off of Baruntse. Search and rescue operations were ceased after it was determiend that no one could have survived the accident. To make a donation to the fund, ExWeb says checks can be made payable to: “FBO Chhewang Nima Sherpa” and can be mailed to: Alpine Ascents International at 109 West Mercer St. Seattle, WA 98119. Contact AA for further details.