Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
WEBSITE MAPS SURNAMES WORLDWIDE
A website which maps global surnames has been launched to help people find the origins of their name and how far it may have spread.
The Public Profiler site plots eight million last names using data from electoral rolls and phone directories. The site covers 300 million people in 26 countries, showing the origins of names and where families have moved to.
David Beckham, for example, has an English name, but there are more Beckhams in the US than Britain. But the region of the world with the highest concentration of people called Beckham was even further from the footballer's east London origins - in the New Zealand province of Northland.
The site also reveals which of the five million forenames are most closely associated with different surnames and lists the top regions and cities for each surname.
It was developed by a team of geographers from University College London.Professor Paul Longley, one of the researchers, said: "The information is not just historical but geographical.
"We can link names to places - a name is now not just a statement of who you are but where you are."
• Swimmer Rebecca Adlington's surname is most prevalent in New Zealand
• Cyclist Chris Hoy's surname is Irish but more common in Denmark
• Cyclist Bradley Wiggins's surname is most popular in the US
• Prime Minister Gordon Brown's surname tops the list in Australia
• Conservative leader David Cameron's surname is most prevalent in New Zealand
• Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's surname is still most common in Britain
A COLUMNIST'S OPINION: HOW DUMB DOES MCCAIN THINK WOMEN ARE?
The spin on John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is that it reinforces his maverick credentials. I see it the opposite way: It undermines them. McCain looks like any other calculating politician, willing to do whatever it takes to win.
The maverick argument is that Palin is an outsider -- the only one of four on the presidential ticket. "She's not from these parts and she's not from Washington," McCain said in Dayton, Ohio. Palin complements McCain's reformer credentials, having spoken out against corruption and earmarks in a state that has an oversize share of both. She is a young, fresh and, yes, female face. "A running mate who can best help me shake up Washington," McCain said.
But I can't believe that McCain truly thinks Palin is the best choice to be a heartbeat away -- especially in a White House that would be occupied by the oldest man ever to be elected to the office.
McCain runs the risk that Palin will turn out to be Dan Quayle with an up-do -- except with less experience. By the time he was selected as George H.W. Bush's running mate, Quayle had served in the House and Senate for a dozen years. Palin has been governor for less than two.
Did anybody watching McCain introduce Palin on Friday doubt that he would have preferred to be standing there with Joe Lieberman? When he and Palin hugged on stage, it had the air of the new daughter-in-law joining the family.
Click here for more of this commentary.
BUSH SAYS ECONOMY IS ON THE UPWARD SWING
President Bush said Saturday that Americans may have cause this Labor Day weekend to start worrying less about the nation's - and their families' - economic health.
"There have been some recent signs that our economy is beginning to improve," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Among the positive signs that Bush referenced was a report Thursday that the overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, rose by 3.3 percent in the April-June quarter. This surprised analysts and was a significant rebound from growth of just 0.9 percent in the first quarter of the year. Most credit was given to the $93 billion in economic stimulus payments the federal government has sent to households since May.
However, other economic news this week showed that right after that second quarter, in July, consumer spending slowed to a crawl and personal incomes plunged.
With few stimulus payments still to go out, some economists worry consumer spending will continue to falter. Since it accounts for two-thirds of economic activity, that could send economic growth tumbling again in the second half of the year, particularly given rising unemployment, a continuing credit crisis and the deepest housing slump in decades.
Democrats, including presidential nominee Barack Obama, are calling for the government to pass a second stimulus package to guard against that.
But Bush has resisted, expressing concern about the impact on the budget deficit and insisting the rebate payments will continue to support the economy in coming months.
He praised the impact of the current stimulus package in language that suggested he remains opposed to another.
"The economic stimulus package that I signed earlier this year is having its intended effect," the president said. "Many Americans who received tax rebates are spending them. Businesses are taking advantage of tax incentives to purchase new equipment this year. And there are signs that the stimulus package will continue to have a beneficial impact on the economy in the second half of the year."
Still, despite his optimistic outlook, Bush took care to express sympathy with those grappling daily with pocketbook worries.
"There are families across our country struggling to make ends meet," he said. "There is an understandable concern about the high price of gas and food. And many Americans are worried about the health of our housing and job markets. I share these concerns about our economy."
IF YOU LIVE IN NEW ORLEANS...PLEASE LEAVE!
From CNN: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city beginning 8 a.m. Sunday morning but urged residents to consider escaping "the mother of all storms" before then.
New Orleans residents leave Friday via Interstate 10 westbound ahead of Hurricane Gustav.
"You need to be scared," Nagin said. "You need to be concerned and you need to get your butts moving out of New Orleans right now. This is the storm of the century."
The city's west bank is to evacuate at 8 a.m. and the west bank at noon.
Nagin said the city had evacuated roughly 10,000 people on Saturday on buses, traines and planes. Buses from collection points would continue running until midnight and resume at 6 a.m. on Sunday, he said.
"This storm is so powerful and growing more powerful every day," Nagin said of the hurricane, which reached Category 4 with sustained 150 mph winds as it tore through Cuba's western coast. "I'm not sure we've seen anything like this."
Authorities began ordering mandatory evacuations along Louisiana and Mississippi's Gulf Coast earlier Saturday as Gustav roared past Cuba and into the Gulf of Mexico.
"This storm could be as bad as it gets," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Saturday afternoon. "We could see flooding even worse than we saw in Hurricane Katrina."
Thousands of people had begun fleeing the coast by the time a hurricane watch was issued Saturday afternoon for southeastern Texas to the Alabama-Florida border as Gustav pursued a projected path toward the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The watch, which means hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours, was announced the day after many in the region marked the third anniversary of Katrina's landfall.
At 5 p.m. ET, the eye of Gustav was about 130 miles (210 km) east-northeast of Cuba's western tip and moving northwest about 15 mph.
Hurricanes are ranked 1 to 5 in intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A Category 4 has winds of 131 to 155 mph and can cause extreme damage. Watch a report on the hurricane watch »
Hundreds of people lined up for buses and trains to take them out of New Orleans and thousands of other Gulf Coast residents drove inland, clogging major highways.
Jindal said the state planned to begin "contraflow" procedures, opening both sides of interstates to outgoing traffic only, at 4 a.m. Sunday.
More than a dozen parishes in Louisiana have declared states of emergency, and several others called for mandatory evacuations to begin Saturday and Sunday.
In Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish, where mandatory evacuations began 4 p.m. Saturday, authorities called the order "a matter of survival."
Many parishes also were imposing tough dusk-to-dawn curfews, hoping to assure residents that they could evacuate without fear of their vacant homes being looted.
Jindal did not order mandatory evacuations at a state level, but he urged residents to take the evacuations seriously.
"I wouldn't worry about whether the evacuation in your parish begins at 4 p.m. today or 8 a.m. tomorrow," he said. "When it comes to evacuation, do it sooner rather than later."
In New Orleans, Louisiana, anxiety was high Saturday as residents fled, leaving behind a ghost town of boarded-up homes and empty streets.
Friday, August 29, 2008
WATCH THIS - WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS
If you like Cameron Diaz (I do!) and you like Ashton Kutcher (I do!), then you'll really enjoy this light-hearted romantic comedy. I tend to only like them if the stars make me forget how formulaic these things can be, and in this case, they definitely did. But in all fairness, it wasn't as formulaic as most.
END JAPAN'S CRUEL DOLPHIN HUNTS
August 28, 2008  Every year between September and April thousands of small whales and dolphins are brutally killed off the shores of the Japanese coastal towns of Taiji and Futo. In what are known as "drive" hunts, fishermen in these towns drive pods of dolphins towards shore and kill them using crude, inhumane methods. Every aspect of these hunts is extremely cruel, from the exhausting drive from the open ocean that can separate family groups, to confinement in a netted cove where the dolphins are trapped and stabbed. Some young dolphins are spared this terrible fate, only to be sold into captivity - they spend the rest of their lives in small tanks in aquariums and marine parks where they are used for public display. Government authorities in Japan know that the world will not tolerate the killing of these beautiful animals, and they go to great lengths to hide these hunts from public view. Fishermen even put up tarps behind which the dolphins are slaughtered, and people are barred from filming and photographing the bloody hunts. Take Action Urge the Japanese government to stop these cruel dolphin drive hunts immediately. Let the Japanese government know that they cannot hide these inhumane hunts from the public, and join the growing global community in calling for an end to these hunts. Protest for Dolphins Dolphin advocates around the world will unite for the 5th annual Japan Dolphin Day - an international day of protest against Japan's bloody dolphin drive hunts. The Boston protest will be held at noon on Friday, September 5th, and WSPA's US office will coordinate the event. Speak out for dolphins and show your support by participating in an event near you. Read more >> © Photo copyright Sea Shepherd Society |
PUT THAT Q-TIP DOWN!
When it comes to ear wax, it's best to leave it alone, new national guidelines state.
While many people feel they need to remove ear wax -- technically called cerumen and a mixture of secretion, hair and dead skin -- it is actually protective since it has lubricating and antibacterial properties, said Dr. Peter Roland, an ear specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He chaired a panel that released new guidelines Friday from the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.
The guidelines are the first comprehensive clinical recommendations meant to help health-care professionals identify patients with impacted wax and treat them properly. Panel members reviewed scientific studies and sought expert opinion to create the guidelines.
"The conclusion is that the mere presence of ear wax does not require anything," Roland said. If the ears are functioning, and there is no problem, most people should do nothing. And that includes resisting the urge to use a cotton-tipped swab to clean out the ear, he said.
Using a swab can actually drive excess wax in further, he said, and then medical attention is often needed to remove it.
Certain people need to pay more attention to their ear wax status, he said. Those who wear a hearing aid, Roland said, "are much more likely to develop problems with ear wax." That's because the hearing aid "prevents the ear from doing its job," which is to clean out excess ear wax naturally.
As people age, ear wax problems are more common, too, he said, with those over age 65 more likely to have problems than younger people.
The guidelines, composed by a panel of experts from otolaryngology, family medicine, internal medicine, audiology, pediatrics and nursing, included some key points:
Ear wax is beneficial and self-cleaning.
Hearing aid wearers should get their ears cleaned once or twice a year by a health-care professional to avoid wax buildup, which can cause hearing aid feedback or even damage the device.
When ear wax blocks 80 percent or more of the ear canal diameter, it can result in reversible hearing loss.
About 12 million people in the United States seek medical care each year for impacted ear wax, according to the guidelines. The panel advises the use of wax-dissolving agents such as water and saline to dislodge it by a professional. Irrigation, manual removal with special instruments or ear syringes are other options.
The guidelines advise against the use of cotton-tipped swabs, oral jet irrigators and ear candling (the use of cone-shaped candles that are lit to draw out the wax).
The new guidelines make sense, said Dr. Chester Griffiths, an ear specialist at Santa Monica--UCLA Medical Center & Orthopaedic Hospital, and an assistant clinical professor of surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine.
"These guidelines are followed already by the majority of ear-nose-throat doctors," he said. The written recommendations may now help other specialists, such as pediatricians, care for patients with ear wax problems, he said.
(SOURCE)
BARACK OBAMA'S SHOW EVEN TOPS 'IDOL'
More than 38.3 million people tuned in to see presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama address the Democratic National Convention Thursday night.
That was the largest audience for the 2008 DNC this year, and bigger than the audiences for the "American Idol" finale or "The Academy Awards."
Sen. John Kerry drew just 24.4 million for his acceptance speech in 2004.
The audience watching Obama's nomination speech was actually larger than reported, though unmeasured. Nielsen's estimate counts 10 networks' coverage in the 10 p.m. hour, but not PBS and C-Span, which also carried the event.
"There has been enormous interest," CNN senior vice president David Bohrman said. "[The presidential race] has transitioned into a must-see TV event....People have become transfixed."
CNN had 8 million people watching. ABC averaged 6.6 million; NBC averaged 6.1 million; CBS, 4.7 million; the Fox News Channel, 4.2 million and MSNBC averaged 4.0 million.
(Source)
PINK'S NEW VIDEO: SO WHAT!
Catch the ex-hubby Carey Hart, how cool is it for him to be in the vid? Love him, love her, love the vid.
SARAH PALIN IS ANTI-GAY, SHOCKING HUH?
“America may not know much about Sarah Palin, but based on what our community has seen of her, we know enough,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Sarah Palin not only supported the 1998 Alaska constitutional amendment banning marriage equality but, in her less than two years as Governor, even expressed the extreme position of supporting stripping away domestic partner benefits for state workers. When you can’t even support giving our community the rights to health insurance and pension benefits, it’s a frightening window into where she stands on equality.”
When asked about the right-wing’s reaction to the choice of Gov Palin, the New York Times quoted Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition as saying, “They’re beyond ecstatic”.
Highlights of Governor Palin’s Anti-Equality Record
· Prior to being elected governor, Palin supported the 1998 constitutional amendment barring marriage for same-sex couples and has said she would support a ballot measure overturning a state supreme court decision mandating benefits for domestic partners of state employees
· She is close to “traditional values” groups, like Family Research Council, because she is strongly anti-choice
Marriage and Relationship Recognition
· Palin told the Anchorage Daily News that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment on marriage.
· In addition, she told the Daily News that she would support a ballot question that would deny benefits to the domestic partners of public employees, which were ordered by an October 2005 decision of the Alaska Supreme Court, because, she said “honoring the family structure is that important." (Source)
· While she followed the Court’s decision and he also signed legislation –her first legislative act as Governor of Alaska—to put the issue on the April 2007 ballot for a nonbinding advisory vote. This was the only issue on the ballot and that election cost the state taxpayers $1.2 million. This measure passed, but the legislature did not follow the public’s advice and it chose not to take any further action to overturn the court’s decision.
· She did, however, veto legislation passed by the state legislature in 2006 that would have prohibited providing DP benefits to state workers, in defiance of the Alaska Supreme Court’s ruling. She did this after the Supreme Court had already ruled and the Attorney General (Republican) advised her that the legislation was unconstitutional. Palin went on to state that, as a matter of policy, she was in favor of the bill.
Ties to Anti-LGBT Groups
· She will be honored alongside anti-gay Representative Michelle Bachman (R-MN) at an event at the 2008 Republican Convention, the “Life of the Party,” sponsored in part by long-time opponent of GLBT rights, Phyllis Schlafly.
MCCAIN CHOOSES A YOUNG-ISH WOMAN AS HIS RUNNING MATE
Palin, 44, who's in her first term as governor, is a pioneering figure in Alaska, the first woman and the youngest person to hold the state's top political job.
She catapulted to the post with a strong reputation as a political outsider, forged during her stint in local politics. She was mayor and a council member of the small town of Wasila and was chairman of the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's oil and gas resources, in 2003 and 2004.
The conservative Palin defeated two so-called political insiders to win the governor's job -- incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary and former two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles in the 2006 general election.
Palin made her name in part by backing tough ethical standards for politicians. During the first legislative session after her election, her administration passed a state ethics law overhaul.
Palin's term has not been without controversy. A legislative investigation is looking into allegations that Palin fired Alaska's public safety commissioner because he refused to fire the governor's former brother-in-law, a state trooper.
Palin acknowledged that a call was made by a member of her staff to a trooper in which the staffer suggested he was speaking for the governor.
Palin has acknowledged that the call could be interpreted as pressure to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, who was locked in a child-custody battle with Palin's sister.
"I am truly disappointed and disturbed to learn that a member of this administration contacted the Department of Public Safety regarding Trooper Wooten," Governor Palin said. "At no time did I authorize any member of my staff to do so."
Palin suspended the staffer who made the call and the investigation is continuing.
Palin has been focused on energy and natural resource policy during her short stint in office, and is known for her support of drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, a position opposed by McCain but supported by many grass-roots Republicans.
Her biography on the state governor's Web site says one of the two major pieces of legislation passed during her first legislative session was a competitive process to construct a gas pipeline.
Palin started Alaska's Petroleum Systems Integrity Office -- an oversight and maintenance agency for the state's oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure. She created the Climate Change Subcabinet that would forge a climate change strategy, according to the biography.
At present, Palin chairs the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multistate panel "that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment," the biography says.
She has been named chair of the National Governors Association's Natural Resources Committee. That panel is focused on legislation to make sure that federal policies take state priorities into account in agriculture, energy, environmental protection and natural resource management.
She is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and takes part in two of Alaska's popular pastimes -- fishing and hunting.
The governor's biography says Palin's other priorities have been "education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development."
The biography touts other achievements during her time as governor -- the investment of $5 billion in state savings, overhauling educational funding, and implementing a program to help low-income elderly Alaskans.
Born in Idaho, she is a longtime Alaskan and a Protestant. Her biography says she arrived in Alaska in 1964, "when her parents came to teach school in Skagway."
She graduated from Wasila High School in 1982 and received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.
Her husband is Todd Palin, who is a lifelong resident of the state and an oil production operator on Alaska's North Slope. They have five children, including a son who enlisted in the Army last year.
Congressional Quarterly notes Palin's other past occupations, including commercial fishing company owner; outdoor recreational equipment company owner; and sports reporter.
Palin also made an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor in 2002, Congressional Quarterly said.
OBAMA'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
In case you didn't catch it, watch Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech from Thursday night. There's something authentic about him and his speech that seems to cut through all the political bullshit, and I think that's what people respond to.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
REST IN PEACE DEL MARTIN, AND THANK YOU FOR INSPIRING US ALL
Lesbian activist Del Martin died on Wednesday, just two months after marrying her partner of 55 years in one of the first legally recognized California same-sex weddings.
Martin, 87, who wed Phyllis Lyon, 83, in San Francisco's City Hall in June, died of natural causes at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center on Wednesday morning, the National Center for Lesbian Rights said.
The same-sex couple also had been the first in California to marry in San Francisco's 2004 "Winter of Love," when Mayor Gavin Newsom opened the door to gay marriage. Those unions were annulled, but an ensuing legal battle ended this summer with court backing of same-sex marriages. A stampede of marriages followed.
Trend-setting California is one of only a few countries and U.S. states to allow same-sex marriage, although state voters in November will decide whether to abolish the right.
"I am devastated, but I take some solace in knowing we were able to enjoy the ultimate rite of love and commitment before she passed," Lyon said in a statement after her wife's death.
POST-SURGERY GLAMOUR
I'm mostly worried about my wonderful friend Jill who is down in Alabama near the beaches. Hopefully all will be fine and at least she's monitoring the situation with Gustav.
OK, time for a nap and then I'm gonna watch the movie Stop Loss.
5.8 EARTHQUAKE OFF OF VANCOUVER ISLAND
From the AP: A 5.8 magnitude earthquake off Vancouver Island is the latest in a swarm that started Monday, but a Canadian scientist says it's normal activity for the region.
The quake at 5:37 a.m. Thursday occurred six miles under the sea floor 97 miles west of Port Hardy, about 293 miles northwest of Vancouver, B.C.
Garry Rogers of the Geological Survey of Canada says it was too small to trigger a tsunami. He says there were two other quakes Wednesday in the same area with magnitudes around 5 and several tremors earlier in the week.
Rogers says it's one of the more vigorous swarms in the last few years, but they are common in that area and not alarming.
IS GUSTAV HURRICANE KATRINA PART 2?
I sure hope not. Let's all collectively send our good thoughts to the people of all of those coastal cities/towns, and hope for them to not be directly hit or hit at all. As you probably remember, Katrina wasn't a direct hit and we saw the damage from that almost exactly 3 years ago.
The storm -- which left at least 22 people dead in Haiti and the Dominican Republic -- is picking up strength, with maximum sustained winds near 70 mph (110 kph), according to the center's advisory issued at 7:30 a.m. ET Thursday.
Forecasters said Gustav eventually could become a Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds as high as 130 mph (209 kph).
SOLANGE, YOU GO GIRL!
First off, since it was Fox News I'm all about raking them over the coals. In this case, it was a actual mistake on Solange's part in that they asked her the question off-air about if they could mention her brother-in-law (Jay-Z) and his bride (her sister Beyonce'). “I have to say, that was not a very professional introduction before. Please don’t tie me into family and my brother-in-law’s establishment.” The news anchor gets confused and profusely apologizes. Someone from her news team then blurts out, “That wasn’t live, Solange. That wasn’t on [live] TV.”
THURSDAY MORNING HOTNESS
This is one of the hottest pics (in my Vicoden-hazed opinion) that you'll ever see. Steve Sandvoss is his name but don't scroll down if you're easily offended by the human body in an artistic photograph. *smile*
MARIAH'S PLANET
This little clip, this little ditty, a morsel, a gem, crossed my eyes this morning and I thought, "How could I not post this?" Anyway, here's a little video compilation of Mariah Carey giving us a glimpse into her planet's culture. Riveting I tell you!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES PROMO AND BEHIND THE SCENES
Looks juicier indeed! In this clip, you see a lot of behind-the-scenes of the video shoot by Peggy Sirota. Will this rejuvenate the hot series? Did it need it? Either way, I'll be sure to tune in.
WHO IS JOE BIDEN?
I received my email this morning from the Barack Obama campaign indicating that he has chosen Joe Biden, U.S. Democratic Senator from Deleware, as his running mate. I knew very little, so that's when my search began.
Judging the Judges: The recent Supreme Court term proves that judges and justices can undo decades of progress on civil rights. That’s why Senator Biden has a well-earned reputation of being tough on judging judicial appointments. As chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, he kept Robert Bork off the Supreme Court. More recently, as a senior member of the Committee, he strongly opposed putting nominees John Roberts and Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court, fearing what unfortunately has proven true – they want to erase decades of progress for minorities and women.
Ending Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation: Senator Biden believes legal recognition should not be denied same-sex couples. He advocates for re-examining federal laws, including the tax code, to ensure our national laws are not unfair to same-sex couples, and that committed adults who are adopting are not discriminated against because of sexual orientation. He supports letting states determine how to recognize civil unions and define marriage.
Ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Senator Biden supports ending the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy. Twenty-four of the nations serving alongside U.S. forces in Iraq permit open service, and it has no negative impact on their forces or the morale of the soldiers. Senator Biden believes turning away patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve solely because of their sexual orientation is wrong.
Equal Work, Equal Paycheck: Today, with women still earning 77 cents for every dollar a man makes doing the same work, the Senator is a strong supporter of the Paycheck Fairness Act. It would help prevent pay discrimination by strengthening penalties should it occur. Senator Biden also supported increasing the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from $5.15, where it had been stuck for 10 years, giving 13 million workers a pay raise.
Stopping Discrimination at Work: While workplace discrimination is not as obvious as when the Senator Biden’s ancestors faced “No Irish Need Apply,” signs, today minorities, women, and gays hear excuses like, “she won’t fit in,” or “he’s too qualified,” as employers pass on them. It may be subtle, but it’s hate in the heart, nevertheless. So Senator Biden supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to prohibit job discrimination of any kind. He also supports the Fair Pay Restoration Act to overturn a Supreme Court decision that makes it more difficult for women to bring pay discrimination cases.
Punishing Hate Crimes: Senator Biden is a strong supporter of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act to expand federal and state coordination to fight hate crimes. Every year more than 7,000 hate crimes are committed. Senator Biden believes these acts not only hurt victims, they damage the values that are America. The Act would enable the Justice Department to assist local agencies in investigating and prosecuting crimes, and would expand the definition of hate crimes to include offenses based on sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Senator Biden also supports the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act which would dedicate resources at the Department of Justice and FBI to re-open unsolved murders from the civil rights era.
Equal Access at the Ballot Box: Today, there are more than 9,000 black and 6,000 Latino elected officials, largely due to the Voting Rights Act that put an end to literacy tests and poll taxes in the 1960s. In the early 1980s, Senator Biden helped expand the Act, and last year was an advocate for the Act’s successful renewal. Senator Biden believes that more must be done to stop misleading voters, and to ensure votes are counted. He would: put a stop to deceptive practices – like passing out fliers telling people to vote on the wrong day; require electronic voting systems to have a paper trail; and make sure states adequately train poll workers. He also supports giving voting representation to the 600,000 residents in the District of Columbia who now have no voting members in Congress.
Expanding Educational Opportunities: The importance of a college degree has never been greater, yet over the next decade 2 million students will not attend college because of costs. Senator Biden believes that college should not become a luxury good. His College ACCESS legislation would: provide a $3,000 refundable tax credit that would fully cover the average cost of tuition and fees at a two-year college, or cover more than half the cost of tuition and fees at a public four-year college, and expand Pell Grants to low-income students to $6,300.
Protecting Worker Rights to Bargain Collectively: Senator Biden is a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill to ensure workers can form, join, or assist labor unions without interference from employers.
Ending The Crack-Powder Sentencing Disparity: In 1986, Congress established a draconian sentencing scheme that punished the crack form of cocaine far more severely than the powder form. Currently, mere possession of 5 grams of crack triggers a five-year mandatory minimum sentence, while it takes distribution or manufacture of 500 grams of powder cocaine to trigger that same sentence. The assumptions that led Congress to establish this disparity – that crack is inherently more dangerous and addictive than powder, that crack would devastate communities, and that prenatal exposure to crack was far more damaging than exposure to powder – have proved unfounded. Senator Biden has proposed legislation to implement the US Sentencing Commission’s recommendation to eliminates the 100:1 disparity between the two forms of the drug. He also supports increasing funding for prison- and jail-based drug treatment programs.
THE BIDEN RECORD: THREE-DECADE MARCH FORWARD
Protecting Affirmative Action: Senator Biden has been a strong supporter of affirmative action. He opposed attempts to ban affirmative action in federal contracts and to bar funds to administer affirmative action programs.
Helping Americans With Disabilities: Senator Biden always has been a strong supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He has long championed efforts to allow Medicaid to provide home- and community-based support services needed by disabled individuals to remain out of institutions. He also fought to allow low-income families with disabled children to buy into the Medicaid program.
Protecting Against Genetic Discrimination: Senator Biden has fought to prohibit employers and insurance companies from collecting or using genetic information when making decisions about hiring, providing health coverage, or discriminating in the pricing of an insurance policy.
Preserving the Privacy of Medical Records: Senator Biden knows how important it is to patients that their personal medical information be kept private. He supports: making sure individuals’ medical information is not used against them or unknowingly sold for commercial profit, and ensuring that as we move toward more efficient, cost-saving electronic medical records, privacy interests remain a priority.
Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr: Senator Biden was an original co-sponsor of the bill to designate a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and helped guide its passage through the Senate.
(Source)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
ENDANGERED SPECIES LAW IN TROUBLE, THANKS TO BUSH
The countdown to January has begun, and the Bush administration is starting to roll out a long, foul list of last-minute policy changes. If its proposal to gut the Endangered Species Act is any indication of what it has in mind, we all have cause to be frightened of the next several months.
The proposal, which does not require congressional approval, would allow federal agencies to decide for themselves whether or not that highway, dam or mine they want to build would adversely impact any endangered species - instead of turning the matter over to independent government scientists in the Fish & Wildlife Service, the way that they've done for 35 years.
And if you don't think that the Department of Transportation or the Office of Surface Mining or any other federal department is more interested in getting its own projects done than in the fate of a rare fish or snake or bird, well, how much would you like to pay for that bridge that is going to destroy them?
What adds the insult to this injury is the rationale this administration has offered for these changes. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne expressed the administration's concern that the Endangered Species Act in its current form might be acting as a "back door" for federal agencies to assess the impact of greenhouse-gas emissions on protected species and their habitats. He added that the agency needed to "focus" on where it could "do the most good."
Excuse us?
Federal agencies with the foresight to consider how greenhouse-gas emissions are affecting endangered species should be applauded and encouraged, not censored and shut down. Especially since so few of them have either the expertise or the inclination to consider the impact their projects have on endangered species - which is why those independent government science reviews came in handy.
According to Michael Bean, the director of wildlife conservation activities for the Environmental Defense Fund, tens of thousands of federal projects get scrutiny from the Fish & Wildlife Service every year. It's inconceivable that we'd receive the same level of oversight if we just left the job up to each agency. And that, of course, is the point - for years, the Bush administration has sought ways to undermine the review process for habitat and protected species. In its own way, this move is breathtakingly brilliant: It allows the Bush administration to gut a law without having to answer for it to Congress, or, it turns out, to the public.
Of course, the Bush administration got some help: It has since emerged that this regulation was written in the Department of the Interior's Solicitor's Office. That makes sense - the administration was more interested in the opinions of lawyers than those of scientists about the real-world impact that this proposal will have. Their lawyers had better have a good explanation as to why there will be no public hearings on this issue and why the Fish & Wildlife Service is no longer accepting e-mail from the public during this 30-day "public comment" period.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and the chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works committee, called the proposed changes illegal. If the Bush administration manages to ram this through, we urge her to make sure that reversing it is one of her top priorities as soon as a new administration takes office.
Unfortunately, we fear that Boxer - and the rest of Congress - will have a lot to clean up once January comes around. If this proposal is any indication of what the Bush administration has in mind for its last-minute list, the next several months are going to bring a lot of pain for the environment, for animals, and for humans, too.
The Fish and Wildlife Service claims that you can still make your voice heard by going to the Federal Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov.
(Source)
DAILY KABBALAH TUNE UP: COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF
Sunday, August 17
Whenever someone prepares a meal for my father, the Rav, he knows exactly what that person is going through. Just from tasting the food, he can tell everything about the chef.
This is what it means to be sensitive. And we all have this ability. When we are dealing with conflicts with our spouse or kids or colleagues, we have the ability to hone in on their pain, or confusion, or whatever it is that disturbs them. And we can help.
Think about this today. When are you are in contact with people, see if you can pick up what is going on beneath the surface.
CONGRATS TO ELLEN AND PORTIA!
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi tied the knot in front of 19 guests during an intimate ceremony at their home in Beverly Hills, California, Saturday night.
The couple have been dating since December 2004.
A big congrats to the inspiring and happy couple.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
APPLE WILL FIX 3G PROBLEMS WITH SOFTWARE UPDATE
BusinessWeek is reporting that Apple will fix problems being reported with the iPhone 3G handset with a software update, rather than a more expensive approach such as a recall. Floods of complaints about problems using 3G networks, dropped calls and other issues spread across the Internet, cuing the blogosphere to debate and speculate on what might be causing the problems.
According to the BusinessWeek report, which cites two "reliable sources", the root of the problem is a communications chip made by Munich-based Infineon Technologies (IFX), already predicted in an analysis by Richard Windsor of Nomura Securities. The software on the chip apparently leads to problems when the iPhone needs to switch from high-speed networks to lower speed networks.
While there has been considerable Internet buzz around the problem, the sources say that only 2% to 3% of iPhone traffic is being affected. "This is a problem, but it's not a catastrophe," one of the sources said. Infineon spokesman Guenther Gaugler did not comment on the chip's performance in the iPhone but pointed out that comparable problems have not arisen because of the chips presence in other phones made for manufacturers such as Samsung.
AT&T, Apple's exclusive partner in the U.S., has not commented on the problems, but insists that, "Overall, the new iPhone is performing just great on our 3G network."
(Source)
TWO LARGE SOLAR PLANTS PLANNED IN CA
The plants will cover 12.5 square miles of central California with solar panels, and in the middle of a sunny day will generate about 800 megawatts of power, roughly equal to the size of a large coal-burning power plant or a small nuclear plant. A megawatt is enough power to run a large Wal-Mart store.
The power will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric, which is under a state mandate to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010. The utility said that it expected the new plants, which will use photovoltaic technology to turn sunlight directly into electricity, to be competitive with other renewable energy sources, including wind turbines and solar thermal plants, which use the sun’s heat to boil water.
“These market-leading projects we have in California are something that can be extrapolated around the world,” Jennifer Zerwer, a spokeswoman for the utility, said. “It’s a milestone.”
Though the California installations will generate 800 megawatts at times when the sun is shining brightly, they will operate for fewer hours of the year than a coal or nuclear plant would and so will produce a third or less as much total electricity.
DAILY KABBALAH TUNE UP: OPEN WIDE
Saturday, August 16
There is a joke about these two shoe salesmen who travel to a third world country in search of new business opportunities.
One man calls his wife the moment he lands, telling her, "Honey, I'm coming back home. There's no hope here. Nobody here is wearing shoes, so there's no one to sell to." He boards the next flight home.
The second man calls his wife and says, "Honey, you wouldn't believe what I found here. There is so much opportunity. No one here is wearing shoes. I can sell to the whole country!"
There's opportunity everywhere. When we have a consciousness of expecting the magic to happen, it will happen. We'll find the right people, we'll move in the right circles, we'll 'bump' into the right solutions. It all starts with that opening in the mind.
Open up today. Open wide!
AIRBORNE CATCHES A LAWSUIT
Over the past decade, millions of consumers, including Oprah, have come to swear by Airborne -- fizzy orange tablets containing vitamins, herbs and minerals that its makers for years said keeps cold germs at bay.
Gena Crowe of Fairfax says she doesn't get on a plane without it. "If I feel like a sore throat is coming on," she said, "it seems to take it away."
Airborne, however, when used as directed does not prevent class-action lawsuits, charges of deceptive advertising -- or, according to the government, the common cold.
"There is no credible evidence that Airborne products . . . will reduce the severity or duration of colds, or provide any tangible benefit for people who are exposed to germs in crowded places," said Lydia Parnes, director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, which filed a complaint against Airborne's makers.
The remedy prescribed by the FTC is for Airborne to pay consumers back for as many as six purchases, a nationwide total of as much as $30 million.
iPHONE VS INSTINCT
Is Samsung’s Instinct, a phone carried by Sprint, the “iPhone killer” it has been billed to be by both companies?
No. Both touchscreen-only phones are excellent devices. Both phones run on faster wireless networks, called 3G, for third-generation wireless. That means data, such as e-mail and Web surfing, moves more quickly than on many current phones which are 2 or 2.5G. Both phones have their plusses and minuses.
In the end, neither may be right for you. But between the two, the new iPhone, released Friday, is superb largely because it’s relatively simple to use and because of the vivid visual experience and multi-touch screen it offers. That makes it a pleasure to maneuver around the screen, especially for Web-browsing and e-mail. The iPhone really is like carrying a computer in your pocket or pocketbook.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Pink - Who Knew Live - I'm Not Dead Tour DVD
Love this, check out the end with the background singers, they are bustin' it out!
RENTING VS OWNING: DEPENDS ON THE CITY
Try telling those renting in Miami that they're throwing away money. They'd argue that renting, on average, is much cheaper than buying these days — $1,080 a month to rent compared to $1,767 a month to pay down a mortgage. What's more, new construction is up 40 percent this year, practically guaranteeing that rent will remain relatively low.
That's enough to make Miami No. 2 on our list of the best cities to rent a home. It tied with Denver and Milwaukee, Wis.; Tucson, Ariz., wasn't far behind.
They boast conditions that may be driving more Americans to choose tenancy over homeownership.
Topping this year's list is Orlando, Fla.
While the number of owner-occupied homes in the first quarter of 2008 (75 million) is virtually flat from the first quarter of 2007, renter-occupied units have increased by nearly 3 percent to 35.7 million, according the U.S. Census Bureau.
In a soft market, possible home buyers may choose to rent instead of paying a down payment, for fear of losing money on their investment. Others may have trouble saving enough for a down payment.
Tom Brink, vice president and co-leader of the residential sector at global design practice RTKL, based in Dallas, says that Millenials — or children of the baby boomers — aren't earning enough to buy up existing inventory.
"Unlike their parents, who bought up condos a few years back with luxury amenities, this generation is still being paid entry-level salaries," says Brink. "They can't afford a down payment on a home."
Other than the money it saves folks initially, renting has other advantages. For one, maintenance fees are included in each monthly outlay, which means there is no need to hire a plumber if the toilet overflows.
What's more, the hidden costs associated with buying a home, such as condominium association fees and annual upkeep, are factored out.
To compile our list of the best cities for renters, we considered three measurements in the country's 40 largest metropolitan areas: the annual change in monthly rent, the percent increase of new rental construction in 2008, and the percent difference between the area's average monthly rental payment and the average monthly mortgage payment (assuming that the down payment was 10 percent and the fixed interest rate is 6.25 percent). All rental data was supplied by Encino, Calif.-based real estate brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap. Mortgage data was provided by the National Association of Realtors, a trade group based in Washington, D.C.
AUSTIN, YOU ARE "WEIRD" AND I LOVE IT!
City of Austin officials want to cut down on waste at festivals such as South by Southwest and Austin City Limits.
City Council Members Lee Leffingwell and Mike Martinez are drafting an ordinance that would establish recycling and other "green" requirements to obtain city permits for events with 100 or more participants that request to use city facilities. Those who don't comply may be denied access to city facilities and requests for public street closures. The ordinance could affect marathons, rallies, film screenings -- like those held at Republic Square Park during the summer -- and other events.
"Use of a public venue for an event is a privilege, and there is a certain responsibility that goes with that privilege,"
Leffingwell says. "If [event organizers] comply with the [ordinance], they will be able to continue to exercise that privilege. And if they don't, they won't."
As part of the ordinance, expected to be reviewed by the council in late August or early September, the city may ban plastic water bottles, Styrofoam and paper items. It may offer complimentary or discounted rates for compostable material disposal.
Violators could be subject to civil penalties, and access to city facilities could be permanently revoked.
"When most people go to community events in a public venue, there is an awful lot of waste. The ordinance will provide both the carrot and the stick [for participants] to do a better job to manage waste, clean up after themselves and be good citizens. We want to both require and reward good behavior," Leffingwell says.
City staff say exact figures on how much waste is produced at public events are unavailable.
But "if you go out and observe roadways and see the number of paper cups, etc., you can see it's a lot," Leffingwell says. "You don't have to quantify it to know there is something that has to be done about it."
Through the ordinance, event organizers may be able to promote how "green" their events are via a rating system tagged to features like use of solar-powered lighting and biodegradable supplies.
The ordinance is among several aggressive city initiatives meant to push Austin as a municipal green leader. Last year, the city launched a zero-waste program aimed at reducing garbage sent to landfills by 20 percent per capita by 2012 and achieving zero waste -- an international standard set by the United Nations Environmental Accord -- by 2040.
Also last year, Mayor Will Wynn spearheaded the Austin Climate Protection Plan. It pledges to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from all city activities by 2020, dramatically increase renewable power, reduce coal burning at Austin Energy and implement the most energy-efficient building codes in the nation.
For its part, Austin Energy offers rebates for businesses that use alternative energy sources and reduce energy use. Austin Energy and the city's water utility are part of a group of stakeholders meeting with city staff to draft an ordinance.
(MORE)
BEAUTIFUL DAY IN SEATTLE
Today it hit almost 90 degrees here in Seattle. The rust melts away, the hot pants emerge, and everyone is just a teensie bit happier. Walking plants we be.
Today we went kayaking on Lake Union, drove around and looked at beautiful houses in the neighborhood, and capped it off with a nice dinner (Hawaiian Theme) at Endolyne Joes.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
DAILY KABBALAH TUNE UP: BEYOND ME
Tuesday, August 12
We all reach points in our days when we don't understand. It can be a relationship challenge, a health issue, which direction to do with our career, a difficult passage of study, a momentous business decision. We all get those 'not-knowing' moments.
The way to see with clarity is, according to Rav Ashlag, to stretch. Not physically [though a forward bend always does wonders.] But to really do something that is outside your zone of comfort, out of the norm. When we elevate above the normal course of things, the Light responds in kind.
Suddenly we understand what we are reading, suddenly we know which doctor to go to, suddenly we see what limiting belief has been sabotaging our relationships. These moments of epiphany do not come from our brains, they come from the Light.
Go above your nature today. Really stretch your tolerance or patience or compassion or belief in yourself. Do something that will build the vessel for whatever it is that's beyond you to come in.
GOOGLE ANDROID IN SEPTEMBER?
T-Mobile USA could put the new HTC Android phone on sale for select customers as early as the middle of September, according to the blog TmoNews.
The news comes as other rumors circulate that Android phones could be delayed into 2009. But TmoNews says it has a reliable source that says the Android device made by smartphone manufacturer HTC will go on sale through T-Mobile USA on September 17.
The price tag will be $399 full retail or about $150 for a subsized phone with a two-year contract. The site also said that only existing T-Mobile customers will be able to buy the phone during the presale timeframe with other customers able to buy the phone a few weeks later in early October.
The new phone, which is being called the HTC Dream in blogs, will support 3G services. A recent video that is posted on YouTube shows that the phone has a touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a 3-megapixel camera. Google software and services like Gmail will be tightly integrated into the device. And TmoNews reports that a Gmail account will be required to set up service for the new device.
T-Mobile will also likely require a more expensive 3G data plan to be used with the device, the blog reported. But details on the cost of the plan haven't been released.
T-Mobile declined to comment on the rumors of the device release, but the carrier has previously said it will offer an Android phone by the end of the year.
BEST BUY + APPLE iPHONE = TRUE LOVE
Best Buy Co., Inc. is expected to announce as early as Wednesday plans to begin selling the iPhone 3G next month, making it the first independent U.S. reseller to offer the the coveted touchscreen handset outside of Apple and AT&T.
People familiar with the matter say the electronics retailer has reached an agreement with Cupertino-based Apple that will see the iPhone sold at 970 Best Buy stores in addition to 16 Best Buy Mobile specialty outlets beginning September 7th.
Best Buy already offers Apple's complete line of iPod digital music players at all its stores and recently expanded sales of the company's Mac computer line to more than 600 of its larger footprint locations.
Word of the move comes just one week after Best Buy announced that it has completed upgrading its Best Buy Mobile departments inside each of the company's U.S.-based stores -- a factor which may have been instrumental to the iPhone deal.
DON'T WALK, RUN TO THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
STANFORD, Calif. — Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.
“The study has a very pro-exercise message,” said James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study’s senior author. “If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.” The new findings appear in the Aug. 11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Fries was surprised the gap between runners and nonrunners continues to widen even as his subjects entered their ninth decade of life. The effect was probably due to runners’ greater lean body mass and healthier habits in general, he said. “We don’t think this effect can go on forever,” Fries added. “We know that deaths come one to a customer. Eventually we will have a 100 percent mortality rate in both groups.”
But so far, the effect of running on delaying death has also been more dramatic than the scientists expected. Not surprisingly, running has slowed cardiovascular deaths. However, it has also been associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.
Interesting article, read more here.
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR OLD iPHONE
Giving It Away
The first option is to give your first-generation iPhone away to a friend or family member, and from what I hear, this is one of the more popular solutions. If you have a willing spouse, this is a perfect idea, though you'll need to be prepared to pay for the iPhone data fees -- in the U.S. that's $30 for your iPhone 3G and another $20 for your old iPhone, on top of your regular service plan.
Ouch.
If a spouse is out, giving your first iPhone away to a teenager -- which would make you the best parent in the world for three or four days -- also means you'd be handing over a device that originally cost several hundred dollars and comes with an extra monthly service charge. I currently don't know any teenagers who'd truly appreciate such an amazing gift.
Then, of course, there are friends. I've got a buddy who'd like an iPhone, but I'd need at least $200 to part with it, and in that case, he'd be better off just getting a new iPhone 3G for $199. Are we good enough friends that I'd simply give him the phone as a gift?
Let's just say I never offered.
Selling Your iPhone
After the launch of the iPhone 3G, the market for iPhones has decreased slightly, though not as much as One might expect. Some 8 GB models are still selling on eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) for well over $300, with quite a few hitting $450. Some new, still-in-the-box first-gen iPhones are going for even more.
The higher selling prices come with a caveat -- they are usually reserved for iPhones that have already been unlocked and ready to use on any GSM-based network .
If eBay isn't your style, there's always the local classifieds or Craigslist, which lets you forego the auction style and set your own price. There are quite a few posts from buyers looking for lightly used iPhones, and they're willing to pay around $200. It's hard to know if these are mostly brokers or regular Joes just wanting an iPhone to use with T-Mobile .
There are also a couple of more formal businesses that are buying up used iPhones: NextWorth and Rapid Repair.
NextWorth is offering $202 for any "lightly used" 8 GB iPhone with all the standard accessories intact, while Rapid Repair offers $150. The newer 16 GB models are going for $252 and $200, respectively.
So What Does That Get You?
In addition to the money, what does selling your iPhone leave you? Well, $200 is quite handy, but in effect you're trading cash for a cool iPod touch-like device. And, assuming that you snag the free Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) remote control application from the App Store, what about losing an iTunes and Apple TV remote control?
To replace an 8 GB iPhone with an 8 GB iPod touch could easily be a losing situation -- Apple is selling its entry model 8GB iPod touch at $299, with a 32 GB model going for $499. An 8GB iPod nano costs $199, and it doesn't even have a decent screen on it, much less a touch screen.
So Jailbreak It
You can also jailbreak or unlock your phone so you can use it with another GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cellular service provider like T-Mobile. For me, though, that's out of the question for one major reason: I won't give up visual voicemail, which I'm totally addicted to, and in the U.S. you need AT&T (NYSE: T) for it.
Still, jailbreaking an iPhone will potentially open it up to a variety of applications that aren't supported by Apple or available in the iTunes App Store, so there's a chance that you could end up with a wicked-cool iPhone. Or you could muck around with it too much and brick it -- or just waste a lot of your life tweaking and messing with it. I barely have enough time to make new music playlists on iTunes, so I'm not likely going to find the time to really make jailbreaking the phone a viable option. However, I'm guessing I'll do it anyway once winter sets in and I find myself having a hard time getting to sleep one night.
Turn It Into an iPod Touch
If there's one thing I don't like about having music on my iPhone, it's that playing the music through my home speaker systems makes receiving phone calls -- or placing them -- a pain in the butt. Sure, the iPhone 3G is great about fading music out so you know a call is coming in, but I don't want to mess around with Bluetooth headsets and constantly plugging and unplugging my iPhone from the dock or various speaker systems.
So a dedicated iPod touch for media and music playing has some big-time appeal. Currently, it's not that hard to set up your iPhone as a iPod touch-like device. Your computer will still recognize it as an iPhone, and iTunes still works with it. For instance, I easily installed the 2.0.1 software update to my old iPhone. If you put the iPhone in airplane mode, turn on the WiFi, and sync with iTunes, you're good to go.
The Backup Plan
I'd sell my iPhone and replace it in a heartbeat with an iPod touch, if not for one little detail -- there's a good chance I'll drop my iPhone into some mountain lake or bounce it off my driveway one too many times while juggling groceries and car keys. If that happens any time soon, AT&T is not going to let me waltz in and get a new one for $199 -- I'll be barely into my contract and I'll have to pay an even higher price.
Or go without an iPhone altogether.
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