Most people use a username to identify themselves online.  Most also use the same one everywhere to go.  Unfortunately sometimes you run across a site where your name is already taken.  UsernameCheck.com lets you check over 100 different websites to see if your name is already in use.

UsernameCheck.com

If you’ve wondered how much it’s actually cost you to drive somewhere with the current gas prices, Cost2Drive will help you figure it out.  You input your starting location and destination, and using Google Maps it determines the distance driven.  It then calculates using the average price of gas in the area (subject to fluctuation).

Cost2Drive

PDFUndo offers an easy to use, free service to convert unprotected PDF files into Word Doc format.  Just goto the website, select your PDF, and hit convert and enjoy.

PDFUndo

Issue #1 - To provide for earlier filing deadlines for statewide ballot issues

To amend Sections 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1g of Article II of the Constitution of the State of Ohio. The proposed amendment would: require that a citizen-initiated statewide ballot issue be considered at the next general election if petitions are filed 125 days before the election; establish deadlines for boards of elections to determine the validity of citizen-initiated petitions; standardize the process for legal challenges to citizen-initiated petitions by giving the Ohio Supreme Court jurisdiction to consider these cases and establishing expedited deadlines for the Court to make decisions.

Issue #2 - To authorize the State to issue bonds to continue the Clean Ohio program for environmental revitalization and conservation

To adopt Section 2q of Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of Ohio. This proposed amendment would authorize the state to issue up to two hundred million dollars (,000,000) of bonds for conservation and preservation of natural areas, open spaces and farmlands and other lands devoted to agriculture; provision of state and local park and recreation facilities; and land, forest, water and other natural resource management projects. It would also authorize the state to issue bonds up to two hundred million dollars (,000,000) for environmental revitalization and re-development of publicly and privately owned lands, including environmental remediation, assessment or clean up of contamination or pollution. Additionally, it would limit the amount that could be borrowed in any one fiscal year for either conservation or revitalization purposes to no more than fifty million dollars (,000,000) plus the principal amount of those obligations that in any prior fiscal year could have been but were not issued.

Issue #3 - To amend the constitution to protect private property rights in ground water, lakes and other watercourses

To adopt Section 19b of Article I of the Constitution of the State of Ohio. This proposed Amendment would: make explicit that a private property owner has a right to make reasonable use of the ground water that lies beneath the owner’s land, although this right is subordinate to the public welfare; make explicit that a private property owner who owns land on the border of a lake or other watercourse has a right to make reasonable use of the water in such lake or watercourse located on or flowing through the owner?s land, although this right is subordinate to the public welfare; not affect the public?s use of Lake Erie and other navigable waters of the state; and prevent the rights confirmed under this proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution from being impaired or limited by the operation of other sections of the Ohio Constitution.

Issue #4 - Pending Statewide Ballot Issue: Initiated legislation requiring paid sick leave for employees in Ohio

To require certain employers to provide a minimum amount of paid sick leave to employees in Ohio by enacting Chapter 4114 of the Ohio Revised Code

Issue #5 - Pending Statewide Ballot Issue: Referendum on Legislation Making Changes to Check Cashing Lending, Sometimes Known as “Payday Lending,” Fees, Interest Rates and Practices

To lower the maximum loan amount to , provide borrowers with a minimum of 30 days to repay the loan, and set a maximum interest rate of 28% annual percentage rate (APR) on loans.

Issue #6 - Pending Statewide Ballot Issue: To Amend the Constitution by Initiative Petition for a Casino Near Wilmington in Southwest Ohio and Distribute to All Ohio Counties a Tax on the Casino

To adopt Section 6a to Article XV of the Ohio Constitution

Why the Banks Are Failing Made Easy (kinda)

This is simplified and it is much more complex than this, but you’ll get the basic idea.

I’ll use AIG as an example.

People take out loans
Some banks give out loans to people who really can’t afford them

Banks sell these loans to other banks without telling them how bad they are.  Keep some for themselves.
People can’t pay loans.

Without enough people paying loans, banks that hold these loans can’t pay their own loans.

Yes, banks also give loans to each other.

Without the banks being able to pay their loans, yet more and larger banks can’t pay their loans.

Some banks that aren’t getting money from the loans they loaned out also INSURED those loans, so have to pay for loans that aren’t being paid with money from loans that aren’t being paid.

Not enough money is available to cover money not being paid back to cover expenses or in some cases insurance payouts.

Bank thus has no money and fails.
Other banks have to pick up the slack, which pushes some other banks over the edge which then fail.
Repeat until banking system comes into balance.

In the meantime, with loans not being paid, money is not available to loan out to other people, thus “credit crunch”.

Simple:  Think of pyramid.  If the banks and people at the bottom can’t hold up their end, the top comes tumbling down.  Until enough fall down to keep themselves up again, money news appears bad.

A note to all by Anne Kilkenny

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks.  

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

Thanks,
Anne

   [ Note by web_admin: This was already posted on Washington Independent
      comments area and was meant by the author to be read by many, but
      readers need sourcing.  The NY Times has talked with Anne since. ]

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out
there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's
surplus, borrow for needs.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't
fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen
when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out
of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are
swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.

Anne Kilkenny

August 31, 2008

More Information HERE

This page will calculate the tax cuts McCain is proposing compared to what Barack Obama is proposing.

Barack Obama will cut taxes for over 95% of American families.
(even though more than half of American think he’ll raise their taxes)

McCain/Obama Tax Cut

StormPulse is a storm tracker’s paradise.

By default, the website allows you to see current tropical storms and hurricanes, all their stats, and their current and projected paths.   VERY useful for the people in hurricane territory.  You can click on different points to get the information of what the storm is doing at that location, and predictions for the future.

The website can also show historical storms in all their detail.   Recent example would be going back and tracking Hurricane Katrina from formation throughout the entire life-span of the storm.  Strength, path, etc.

Even when there are no storms to keep track up, Stormpulse will keep track of coastal weather and provide satellite images.

StormPulse

McCain’s selection for the Vice Presidency of the United States, Sarah Palin, answering a 2006 policy questionnaire:

Q: Are you offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

PALIN: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance

Fun facts: when John McCain’s grandfather graduated from the Naval Academy in 1906, the Pledge of Allegiance, as first written, was only fourteen years old. It would not be made the official pledge of the United States until 1942, six years after John McCain himself was born.

When John McCain was born, the words “Under God” were not in the Pledge. They would not appear there until 1954, during McCain’s senior year of high school.

On top of that it’s now been confirmed that Palin was a part of an Alaskan Seccessionist Party during the 1990s.  A Seccessionist who’s now running for VP.

As a Governor, she’s now under investigation for firing a Public Safety official who wouldn’t fire a state trooper who divorced her sister.

During the speeches last night, there was plenty of negativism, cynicism, divisivism, and the usual Bush Administration tone, but barely anything saying why she would be a good Vice President.  Maybe I had my hopes to high for McCain.

I am not a fan of McCain’s pick of VP Sarah Palin.  I also haven’t been a fan of the spin of her pick either.

The first problem is that true or not, it seems apparent that the number one reason to pick her was to steal Hillary/Woman supporters away from Obama.  The very sad thing, it’s working with some.  I saw a lady on CNN at the Republican Convention, a registered Democrat and I quote:  ” Woman are smart enough to vote based on more than one issue.  That’s why I’m here.  I’m here to help shatter the glass ceiling for woman.”

……. WHAT?  So you’re not voting on one issue by voting on the one issue of voting for a woman?  How does that even make any sense.

There were also MUCH more capable woman candidates that weren’t even vetted for the position.  Yet any claim that Palin isn’t qualified based on very real questions is being deflected as “sexism”.

A month ago she didn’t even know what  a Vice President did except take over if the President died.

They’re claiming executive experience from being a mayor of a town of 9000, and now 2 years as governor of Alaska.   So that’s all it takes now?  Well then why isn’t she running for President with McCain as the VP?

Now Republican’s are claiming she has “foreign relations” experience by being governor of Alaska, because it’s the state closest to Russia.  Governor’s have nothing to do with foreign relations.  All the northern states can now claim experience because of Canada, and southern ones because of Mexico.  Except Florida which has Cuba.

Finally, they’re saying she will work well with McCain in “reform” and that not to worry because she’s only the VICE President, and won’t be the President herself.   I think these people forget why the position of Vice President exists.   John McCain is 72 years old.  Not to be morbid, but realistically there’s a good chance he’s going to die during his term.  Many people survive past 80, many don’t.  If he were to die in the first week in office, Palin would be President.  How is SHE qualified to be the President?  Even near the end of his first term, 3 years in, would she be qualified to take over then if he were to die?  We don’t know.

These aren’t idle complaints or worries.  This is our country we could be putting in her hands.