Sticks and stones may break their bones ...

... but pictures will never hurt them.



The Obamas have been through a lot and will continue to be beaten and bruised by Republicans, the media, racists and ignorant citizens. I still believe the worst is yet to come. And you know the Republicans have some sort of dirt on Barack that they have been waiting to throw into the public's eyes. It'll come near the election. But I'm just as certain that Barack has some McCain dirt.
I just wanted to commend Barack's response to the whimsical and entertaining front page cover of the New Yorker. His camp and followers seemed to be a lot more offended by it than he was, when I heard him on TV say:

"It's a cartoon … and that's why we've got the First Amendment. And I think the American people are probably spending a little more time worrying about what's happening with the banking system and the housing market, and what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, than a cartoon. So I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about it. I've seen and heard worse."

This is why I'm voting for this guy. He doesn't get distracted from what's really important when the rest of the country is gasping over the story of the day.

Cindy: Michelle kicks your little butt

Women have embraced a gender-specific battle since the beginning of time: Blondes vs. Brunettes.
Maybe it's because I'm a stark brunette, but it seems to me as though blondes depict the submissive, naive persona, while brunettes give off the intellectual, feisty vibe.
Just a thought. No hard feelings, you friendly blondes.
A few days ago, I read Holly Bailey's profile "Understanding Cindy McCain" in Newsweek. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.
I expected to read a deep exploration into who Cindy really is and maybe the article would attempt to persuade me to believe she'd make a half-decent First Lady. Perhaps I expected too much, because, honestly- how deep did I really think Mrs. McCain is?
She isn't much deeper than her empty bottle of pills. To my disappointment, I read seven magazine pages of pro-Cindy fluff.
My favorite part was when Mrs. McCain decried "the other politicians' wives in Washington didn't like me because they thought I was a trophy wife." Uhm, sorry to burst your happy, blonde Arizona bubble, but you are.
John met Cindy in a bar. They lied to each other about their age and their superficial love bubble began. He was a Navy Captain ... she is the only daughter of a billionare. He is old ... she is young(er). He was currently married to a supermodel and going through a mid-life crisis ... and she was innocent and impressionable. So they got married. He was never home ... she was stuck raising kids across the country. Sounds like he got a good deal and she got the short end of the stick.
Is this really a woman that should hold such an influential position as First Lady? Is this the family we want to be presented for the whole world to see? Including American children?
The worse is yet to come.
In 1992 she confessed she was addicted to pills. She had been abusing prescription drugs for years after she injured her back 1989. She had actually been stealing pills from her nonprofit organization! Sorry, but that's sick in the head. She was busted for it after an employee from the organization had been fired and spilled the beans.
She claims she quit the day in 1992 when her mother confronted her about concerns.
What am I supposed to say about that story? Am I supposed to give her a warm hug and congratulate her? "Good for you darling, you kicked the habit!"
I am as unenthusiastic and unimpressed about her sob story as I am about President Bush's past as an angry alcoholic.
It's only one person's fault for getting addicted to a drug. It's only one person's fault for STEALING the drugs. And it's only one person's fault for hiding the addiction.
These faults don't make a person look strong- they make a person look weak, irresponsible and immoral.
No one wants their son to look up to Bush, just like no one would want their daughter to look up to Cindy. She has no credibility, no self-respect and therefore won't receive any respect from her fellow Americans.
Cindy was also quoted saying that she's given thought to joining her husband's team, but she won't be. In other words, she's a typical Republican president's wife: useless, smiling and submissive.
She told Bailey (the writer of the cheap, almost useless article) she wouldn't sit in on cabinet meetings, but she is her husband's best adviser and closest confidant. Well something doesn't sound right there. I don't want my president listening to advisers who don't know what they're talking about.
This isn't just a battle between the candidates- it's also a battle for the First Lady seat, which is a powerful chair that deserves to belong to a woman of great intellectual and moral stature.

10 things I'll do if McCain became president

We all must prepare for the worst. Below is my list of 10 things I'll be sure to do if John McCain is voted to be our next president:


-make sure none of my close guy friends enlist in the military
-buy a hybrid car
-not travel to Europe ... because our dollar will probably continue to decrease
-write columns, blogs and e-mail politicians to suck up to China
-enjoy a huge Democratic majority in both houses, but be frustrated by the probable stagnate legislative branch
-kiss peaceful resolution in the Middle East goodbye
-buy canned food and have an emergency plan just in case of severe weather ... because we all know the manner in which the current Republican administration dealt with storm-related travesties
-visit Alaska ... before it's too late, because McCain supports offshore drilling ... and take lots of pictures of polar bears ... they might be worth something someday
-volunteer to help out the Democratic nominee for the 2012 election
-join the Peace Corps and return after McCain's term

Race stumps gender

Would you rather befriend someone because they have the same race as you or the same gender?
Here's a harder question: Would you rather vote for someone because they have the same race as you or the same gender?
A good friend was telling me the other day that an older male friend, who is married with two daughters, was stressing the importance that men should realize how they don't understand women's struggles. That, I agree with completely, although I feel it is a lost cause (I'll explain why later).
Women walk around and are always judged by their physical appearance and manners- by men and women. Sure, some men judge other men by their looks, but not in the same way that women are judged. Men would think "she's too fat" or "she has a huge rack" while they'd look at a man and think "he looks rich" or "he looks like a hick."
Complete difference.
So my problem with this is that a majority of women have bought into that and also judge other women by their clothes, make-up, hair style or even their (or lack thereof) accessories.
Women have been spoon-fed this bullshit that women who look and act a certain way are one thing and women who look and act a different way are another thing. One is good, one is bad. But no matter what, it diversifies us. It splits us. It harms us. And as a group, women aren't unified- they're broken. Therefore, as a group, we are weak. And we can not overcome sexism by being so vulnerable that we prey upon each other, while we have to watch our backs because men are preying upon us as well.
Look at the black community. There are black churches, stereotypical black food, black heroes, black cities ... and now they have Barack Obama- a potential black president.
As for the women? We don't have churches, food, heroes, cities and we sure as hell don't have a potential woman president anymore. For women to gain respect as a group, and therefore unify and strengthen itself, the power, confidence and strength must come from the inside. We must create a culture to preserve it and support it. So in order to get respect, we must first respect other women.
We can't continue to classify each other as "whore" or "bitch" or even "housewife" because those words were put there, by men, to cut us down. And now we've grabbed those sharp words and we're cutting ourselves down with them. We can't expect to gain social status if we're feeding into the male bullshit of what a woman "should be like."
Yes, I said we need to gain social status. A lot of it to be close to where men are ranked.
For those of you who are appalled and perhaps dumbfounded at that comment, let me help you out from under the rock you've been living under and let me explain that we lost the chance of having a woman president for a multitude of reasons, but a main reason is that women did not stick together. Most feminist organizations actually supported Barack, if you could believe that.
Another point to ponder is the fact that Barack is reaching to everyone of his race- he's reaching outside of political lines. Armstrong Williams, a black conservative talkshow host, said that he's willing to vote for Barack in November, which would be the first time he'd ever vote for a Democrat to be president. He will vote for him because they're both black.
If Obama has that type of power, imagine what women could have if we pulled ourselves together. Women make up the majority of the world's population, yet we are treated and we feel as though we're a minority. That's what type of mind trick men have played on us.
Women didn't come together to vote for a woman president because race stumps gender. People of race are more likely to stick together than are people of the same gender. Obviously, the country is more sexist than racist.
Ladies: no matter how many history books or feminist classes men take, they'll never understand the depreciation that women feel on a daily basis, just like how we'll never understand what it was like to be a woman 100 years ago, when it was much more unequal. We can't depend on anyone but ourselves to hoist ourselves up through the social ladder and to eventually shatter the glass ceiling.
I find it disgraceful that women put other women down. Women stab women in the backs. Women won't vote for a woman to be president. End your selfish ignorance, step out of your box and look at the big picture: we must promote women's rights.
Barack will be president because he was able to unify his race (plus many other non-black people) unlike other black politicians before him. But women are waiting for a woman who's able to do the same for our gender. Where's our hero?
Hopefully, one day, our granddaughters won't know the term "glass ceiling." They'll shockingly read in history books how it was the norm for men to be U.S. president or CEOs.
But that'll only happen if we make it happen.
The change starts with us.
Now.

The dangerous mix of loyalty and stupidity

Do you remember when everyone got mad at Ralph Nader? He came out of nowhere to (surprise!) jump into the presidential race ... again. Democrats were scared he'd take away votes in the election but, like Ron Paul, he fortunately disappeared off the map as quickly as he threw his hat in the ring. Good riddance.
Now there's a more realistic threat for Democrats: the misguided, ignorant, uninformed Hillary supporters.
These extremists are their own worse enemy. And I'm afraid their numbers are higher than we (being the rest of the Democrats) imagine.
These Hillary loyalists paid enough attention to politics to hear all of Hillary's Obama-bashing and to "know" that he "unethically and unfairly stole her delegates" but aren't politically informed enough to recognize the political differences between Barack Obama and John McCain ... which is pretty sad because their differences are gigantic.
Hillary's blind, yet stupid followers (usually older women) are stating that they hate Obama for taking away Clinton's chance at the presidency, so they're going to vote for McCain to spite him.
Whaaaaaaat?! I know. You might have to do a double take, because what you just read is so backward and moronic that it makes you want to slap someone. Hopefully a Hillary-turned-McCain supporter.
I first heard about this from my friend's mom. She was sitting next to me when she said, "So for the first time in my life I will have to vote Republican." I turned to look at her in shock. She continued, "I can't let Obama be president when he beat out Hillary! He doesn't have the experience. No one's going to vote for him!"
Ummm ... actually a lot of people voted for him. That's why he received more delegates than Hillary. And I love Hillary. I'm not sticking up for Obama ... I'm just laying down the cold, hard truth.
I was at a party last weekend when I heard a group of people saying that they voted for Hillary but now are going to vote for McCain. I tried to reason with them but they shut me down and kept insulting Obama.
Then today, two older ladies walked past me and I overheard one saying to the other, "I'm not going to vote for Barack because he stole Hillary's delegates."
I just thought: Wow, this is a serious problem- definitely if I'm hearing this in California, one of the most liberal states.
This is an issue that's really starting to disturb me. Can people be this politically ignorant? This confused? This vengeful?
These people are so politically misguided that I just want to sit them down, shake them and scream, "What are you thinking?!"
First- they've got to be completely stupid to want to vote for a Republican rather than another Democrat just because their favored candidate got beat.
Second- they've got to be blind as bats as to only pay attention to Clinton's bullshit and not realize that Obama and her want to accomplish the same things during their presidencies. The only differences they would have would be their strategies, advisers and their diplomatic skills.
If you think voting for McCain instead of Obama is a good idea, I want you to know that you are horribly mistaken. Honestly, I'd rather you just not vote for that matter. Hearing analysts on CNN converse about the high numbers of these Hillary supporters yet Obama haters make me feel sick.
I feel that if they understood the reality, there's no way they'd want to vote for McCain.

Let me lay it out for those who can't do the political math:

Obama wants to end the war in Iraq.
Hillary wants to end the war in Iraq.
McCain wants to continue fighting in Iraq, even if it takes 100 years to rid the terrorists. (Aka: blood-loving, POW psycho.)

Obama wants to provide universal healthcare.
Hillary wants to provide universal healthcare.
McCain thinks universal healthcare is a terrible, socialist idea. (Aka: anti-progressive capitalist.)

Obama believes in a woman's right to choose and gay rights.
Hillary believes in a woman's right to choose and gay rights.
McCain doesn't believe in a woman's right to choose and doesn't think that same-sex couples should get married. (Aka: heartless and insensitive.)

Obama wants to raise taxes for the rich and help strengthen the lower and middle classes.
Hillary wants to raise taxes for the rich and help strengthen the lower and middle classes.
McCain wants to keep taxes low for the rich and for corporations to help strengthen the upper class. (Aka: he's not your friend unless you're as rich as he is.)

I could go on ... but if Hillary-turned-McCain supporters don't get it by now, then they're so lost that they never will.
This is a phenomenon that is deeply disturbing me. To all of you die-hard Hillary fans: I know how you feel, but you must look at it rationally. Revenge is not the answer to our problems. If we can't have Hillary as our president, then we need the next best person to lead our country into the right direction- and that is definitely Obama. McCain will take our country into the opposite direction than Democrats want.
I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it: Democrats must stick together. We can't lose another election. Now that we have a Democratic majority in both houses, we need that Democratic executive branch to get the necessary work done.
If you're a Democrat, please continue to vote for Democrats. If you're an Independent who leans to the left, please continue to vote for politicians on the left.
We need your votes. Obama is leading the Democratic Party right now. And it's very clear that if you're not with us, then you're against us.

Cartoons

All cartoons are from www.Time.com

Ron who?

As quickly as he appeared, Texas Rep. Ron Paul disappeared. And so did his fanatics and "Google Ron Paul" signs that mysteriously popped up in every major American city and then weren't seen once the race was strictly between John McCain and Mike Huckabee.
For anyone who is interested or for the few people who voted for him, Paul dropped out of the presidential race earlier today. The Libertarian didn't even have a chance, and he received no media attention or plight from the other candidates. The man was never a threat. Republicans laughed at him during the debates, for Christ's sake.
So anyway, just in case anyone was interested, that's what happened to Ron Paul.
"Who is Ron Paul?"
America never really understood his policies, nor why he ran as a Republican.
I think he just wanted to stay in the race longer than Hillary.

Blackwater in deep

Blackwater USA: another disgusting piece to the ruthless, heartless puzzle of why we're not getting anywhere in (or out of) Iraq.
You've heard about it in newspapers, magazines and on TV. It's been criticized, speculated and analyzed. And now it comes to America's Finest City. I'm almost as appalled as when I heard that a Marine recruiting center was created in Berkeley.
I know I live in a naval city and all, but come on! I thought Mayor Sanders said he wants to clean up the city- not allow the trash in.
Well turns out that him along with the San Diego City Attorney didn't want Blackwater to build their training facility on 220 acres, 45 miles East of San Diego. Blackwater USA sued, being the scum that it is, and got its rotten way. District Court Judge Marilyn Huff ordered the city on June 4th to permit the induction of Navy sailors into the facility.
It's amazing the immense power and impact that one judge can have. The fact that one person had the ultimate say in what happens to a city, although the city's mayor, attorney and majority of citizens are in opposition. It blows my mind.
But the battle to give Blackwater the boot isn't over.
A protest was held on June 11 in spite of Blackwater, and successfully a lot of people were reportedly there (see pictures here). I, unfortunately, was in Newport Beach and unable to attend.
Protests have been common in the past year because of the construction plans, but now that the facility is in place, we must really make our voices heard.

If you're against Blackwater spreading their filth and appalled at their violent and unethical part in the war, please share your disapproval:
E-mail your Representative
Tell Blackwater what you really think of the company

Also, if you live in San Diego County, keep a close eye out on Craigslist for any more protest dates. I'm sure there will be many more to come. Protesters were quoted by reporters claiming that they're not giving up on ridding Blackwater from San Diego.
That's the determinism I like to hear, because this is one organization we don't need in California. We must rid this country of it's corruption, one organization at a time.

Don't get $crewed this $ummer

Everyone wants your money this summer ... including you.
Americans are being eaten alive at the gas pumps and in the grocery stores, so don't let blue collar workers screw you over, too.
Some of the services that will probably try to take advantage of you:
-car repair shops
-construction
-landscaping
-shipping fees
-places that sell staple foods and flowers
-airlines
The main cause of this is because of the extreme fuel costs. Anyone who has half a brain knows that it's complete bullshit when the politicians "confess" that gas prices are high due to supply and demand. Whether or not you're an econ major or a political buff, you should recognize that something doesn't add up right with that excuse.
But what does equate from high fuel prices, is higher diesel fuel prices, which creates the high costs of goods and services involving freight and movement.
In fact, the trucking industry is riding a thin line right now. With the official assumption that gas prices will peak at $4.50 this summer (and I still find that to be bullshit), that is still much too high to expect truck companies to stay afloat. They must also increase their prices in order to soak in some money for internal growth and stability.
Picture the web of chaos that emerges from this. Gas prices are high, so prices to drive products is raised, so the product prices themselves are raised and the employees are either receiving the same pay or less. Doesn't look pretty.
It's a bad time to be in the trucking industry, but it's still a very troublesome time for the rest of us, knowing that we're all going to end up like our country's budget: broke as a joke.
But the point is to not be the butt of the joke when you pull out your wallet. Bargain, haggle or just simply refuse to pay outrageous amounts. We'll all need to start doing adjustments to our spending.
That damn rebate check sure went quick, huh? Quick to your gas tank.

Bye-bye Clintons

I saw it coming. But that doesn't stop me from being sad and utterly disappointed. American voters have yet again let me down and lost the chance of having a great president.
Hillary had a long, entertaining run. News corporations must be more devastated than me to know that the battle for the Democratic nomination is over, because many Americans will go back to watching soap operas or cartoons instead of hearing Hillary's daily misspoken phrase or what racist church employee Obama is separating himself from this month.
Hillary overcame sexism from Americans, the media and even her co-workers. She's changed her image and hopefully can be seen as a role model for many other women and girls to do all they can to break that glass ceiling.
Although I disagree with Sen. Barbara Boxer, among many other people, when I say that clearly the glass ceiling hasn't been broken yet, because Hillary didn't even make the nomination. Again, it will be two men fighting for presidency. But she went as far as she could. I don't disapprove of her staying in the race for as long as possible, because it reveals the bulldog in her that I, like many, adore. I'm also not going to fill my head with bogus visions of her running as Obama's vice president. Sorry, I just don't see the dream ticket coming to life.
Well, no use crying over spilled milk. We must make lemonade out of this sticky-sour situation (Obama being sticky and McCain being sour). Democrats must come together to vote for Obama. But that can only occur if he cleans up his act a little. The things I don't like about Obama are very irritating because they were Hillary's strengths.

My Breakdown:
What I'm scared of is that people will actually start to listen to the rhetoric falling out of Obama's mouth and realize that he's just spilling pretty words and vague ideas. If he doesn't have a wise, experienced running mate to help him back up his words of "hope," then he'll just be shooting himself in the foot. I fear the debates between him and McCain will already be painful enough. His soft-spoken hesitance and naive fluff might go down good with the Democrats who despised Hillary, but if voters wise up, they might switch off.
His hesitance when he speaks can be seen as thoughtful, but I see it as a patient arrogance and over-confidence. His church drama has been so plentiful that religious and non-religious people are angry with his decisions.
I'm not opposing Obama- I'm clearly stating his weaknesses which I feel are pretty big.

For now, Hillary will continue making strides across the country, pleading Democrats and Independents to vote for Obama. Bill will shadow her and now can't be criticized if he overshadows her ... although I doubt Americans will give him more attention than his wife. And as long as they both keep praising Obama, they're both doing their jobs readily available.
In the future, hopefully Obama and Hillary make nice and she can be an adviser or have some strong role in reshaping this country's health care. Bill is still very influential, too, so hopefully his knowledge and expertise will be utilized.
I doubt the Clintons will fall off the map once the new president is in place. At least, for the country's sake, I hope not.

Wax on, wax off

I did something I've never done before: I got waxed. But not the type of wax treatment you may be thinking about. I'm not that brave.
All I received was a simple eyebrow wax job, which, by the way, didn't hurt at all. Then again, I have a tattoo on my foot. Nothing hurts as much as paying $200 to have a needle jumping into your foot bones for an hour and a half. (But I can still be a wimp.)
Anyway, waxing is as popular as fake tanning ... and is a lot safer down the line. But that doesn't mean there are never any accidents.
There have been plenty of women hospitalized because they received infections after being waxed, so you must take all the necessary precautions and be informed about waxing before you proceed with it.
Although it looks painful as hell, it's very popular.
My friends who regularly get a bikini wax talk about how great they feel after they're waxed. They love getting waxed. It's probably because waxing removes hair and dead skin cells so that the skin is left smooth for weeks. My friends gab about it as if it's a drug or something, while me and my other non-waxed friends don't really get the hype.
I can again compare it to fake tanning in the sense that it looks good once done correctly and safely, but it isn't for everyone.

Waxing tips:
-If you wax your body because you get razor bumps when you shave, that means you're shaving in the opposite direction of your hair growth
-Take an ibuprofen or another pain reliever before the wax to decrease the pain from the wax
-If you suffer from diabetes or have poor circulation, you shouldn't get waxed
-Don't wax skin that has warts, pimples, moles or sunburn
-Don't apply wax to weak or very dry skin
-Always make sure you're being waxed by a licensed cosmetologist

Sanders is back

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders was re-elected in California's June 3rd primary election. He received a strong 54.3 percent of the votes, with Steve Francis (who I voted for) getting 34.4 percent. Sanders will be in office till 2012 because of term limits.
Although San Diegans have been paying more attention to the presidential nominees, it was a good race. But will it unravel a good term?
San Diego television was bombarded with commercials of Sanders and Francis, praising and attacking them through the usual air wars.
It's no secret that most people went out and voted that day just for the mayoral race. So what were San Diegans really voting for when they re-elected Sanders?

My take on his plans:
-He spent $102 million last year to fix the city's debt
-And this year he plans to put $146 million into the paying off debt and deferred maintenance
-Change the pension system to decrease the pay and increase the age for city employees to retire
-Fix the roads because a survey said "66 percent of our streets aren't acceptable"
-He boasts he's cut more than 650 city employee jobs to fix debt
-Calls his strategies "budget discipline," aka fiscal conservatism

Injecting millions of dollars (from where, I don't know) into deferred maintenance might sound good to the typical person because it's vague. The money will actually go to streets, capital improvement projects, paving, pothole repair and slurry sealing, Sanders said in a San Diego Union-Tribune interview. So people re-elected Sanders to cut jobs and city employees' benefits so that our streets are pothole-free.
And is this the same "deferred maintenance" that clogs up the freeways at imperfect times to create traffic congestion, road blocks and detours? Sounds like a fun way to spend city money.
Sanders said "The major thing you're going to see are street improvements." So if this is what San Diego wants, then that's what it got. Street improvements. You excited?
I can only think of two things I like about Sanders. One- his memorable speech back in September last year, when he publicly switched his stance to support same sex marriage because his daughter is a lesbian. And two- his veto of the city council's pay raise bill for the mayor and for councilmembers.
I know what I want from this city and I'm unfortunately not getting it: the alcohol ban on beaches to be removed, more events to increase tourist flow to jump-start the city's economy, cheaper bus and trolley fares and a mayor who isn't so afraid to take chances.
You can't always get what you want. But America's finest city deserves the best.

As gas prices soar, Americans are in an uproar

I live in California.
That means nice beaches, expensive houses, too many highways to count and really high gas prices. The only thing that is more disgusting than seeing $4.39 per gallon for cheap gas, is realizing how the oil companies are thriving and reveling in Americans' economic distress.
There have been multiple hearings and investigations regarding oil price manipulation. I'm no professional economist, so I don't want to go over my head and try to explain all the specifics.
"Though some analysts say market fundamentals are playing a large role in the doubling of oil prices in a one-year span ... others believe that commodities investors have boosted the price of crude with speculative trading," according to CNN Money.
Also, in court hearings, the top oil executives claimed "they are doing all they can to bring new oil supplies to market, but that the fundamental reasons for the surge in oil prices are largely out of their control," according to CNN Money.
'We cannot change the world market,' said Robert Malone, chairman and president of BP America Inc. 'Today's high prices are linked to the failure both here and abroad to increase supplies, renewables and conservation.'"
In my own speculations, I'm not going to wait for the government to do something. I know that they will try and they are trying, but we can't wait for gas to get to $7 a gallon before there's a change.
Months ago, I remember hearing some economic specialist explain how gas prices would be the highest in April and May, because they are every year. Well gas is more than $130 a barrel and it seems as though every day there's a new record-high average gas price in this country. It's just getting ridiculous.
If you don't plan on using public transportation for your needs or trading your vehicle in for a bike, then getting a green car is the smart decision. I'm seriously considering it.
General Motors plans to stop making as many SUVs and trucks, and focus on making a new, small, green car. The down side is that in order to do that, they've decided to close four factories in North America, ridding 8,350 workers of their jobs.
Sure pain at the pump will put America in a recession, but the more people who lose jobs, the more trouble the economy is in.
For the record, having a "national-don't-buy-gas day" won't do anything.
But writing your local congressman to continue speculation against the oil companies will.
Voting for Obama in November will.
Buying a hybrid or electric car will.
Nothing says "ouch" to your wallet more than paying $50 at the pump when it used to be $18.
So stop protesting the gas stations for one day at a time. Make a lifestyle change and stop buying gas-guzzlers.


Some green cars to check out
Get it now:
Saturn has hybrids
The Civic Hybrid
Toyota Prius

For the future:
Saturn's Flextreme
Chevy Volt
Mitsubishi is looking to sell electric cars in 2010

There's help on the way. But the only relief you can get is by buying relief for yourself.

Hillary won't be on the ticket ... but she should be

Millions of Americans are bummed. Including myself.
Today marked the official day that Sen. Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination, beating Sen. Hillary Clinton. She fought as long and hard as she could, but now, being a little more than 200 delegates behind Obama, it's time for the battle to be over.
It's a disappointment to the Clinton camp and to her millions of supporters. Optimistic feminists will claim a woman's time to be president is soon. Frustrated Clinton-loyalists will be resentful toward Obama and possibly vote for McCain.
One thing is for certain: Her supporters will prove to be a powerful agent in either helping Obama or destroying him.
A main piece of the puzzle is who he will choose to be his vice president. It needs to be an older politician who has reached across party lines and who has experience working with stabilizing bad economies, fixing foreign relations, and alternative energy sources. But he won't want someone grabbing the spotlight from him. It's time to face the facts: He won't choose Clinton to be his vp. There's honestly no way in hell.
He wants to prove he can do it without her and she's too prideful and bitter toward him to want to cooperate.
The problem is that he really needs to work on getting back the lower class and senior citizen votes. If he could get all of Clinton's votes, too, then McCain wouldn't stand a chance. The "dream ticket" idea surely is a dream, but theoretically it shouldn't be too far-fetched.
Nearly a quarter of people who voted for Clinton are claiming they'll vote for McCain in November, because they're not pleased with Obama. That number should be alarmingly surprising, but it's not, because Clinton and Obama have been at each other's throats the whole campaign.
Even one of my good friend's moms said to me today "This might be the first election I vote Republican, because I hate Obama so much." It's just insane.
The truth is, people: Obama and Clinton stand for the same things. End the war in Iraq, increase taxes on the upper class, pull the country out of debt, increase the number of fuel-efficient cars, lower gas prices, spread a positive image of the U.S., save the housing crisis, help low-income families, give more money to the education system, push all companies to be environmentally-friendly and end the blood-thirsty reign of American arrogance as its diplomatic policy.
Those are the things that need to change in order for our country to take a step in the right direction. The president will have advisers, other politicians, world leaders, lobbyists and organizations providing suggestions about what to do and how. But when it boils down to it, Obama and Hillary want to accomplish the same goals. They might just have a slightly different approach and different resumes. But they both want to work for the Democratic party, for the working class and to improve live in the U.S.
Although I strongly feel Clinton is more capable of carrying out the presidential duties in a way that I find acceptable, I know Obama will be a fine president. And it's about damned time our president had a mixture of ethnicities.
I plan to vote for Obama in November, despite my loyalty to Clinton, because we must look at the big picture. Obama is ahead of McCain by 6 percentage points right now, according to a CBS poll. Six percent say they're undecided and that's who Obama should be really focusing on.
McCain's values are opposite of the Democratic Party. He wouldn't accomplish anything we'd want.
Democrats must stick together. That's the winning slogan of the 2008 presidential race.

Cartoons

A Review: 'Marriage In the City'

I know this is really cliche and girly of me, but I saw "Sex in the City" with my girlfriends last night, and I have to vent.
(WARNING: If you're a woman and you haven't seen this movie, please go watch it and then read my and any other writer's review. I don't want to spoil anything for you. p.s. The only man you should take with you is a gay guy pal.)
I've been watching that show for years, and fans have been waiting for a movie for a long time. The outfits were glamorous, the drama was delicious and the jokes were fantastic- but I was still disappointed. I was disappointed that American women's favorite 30-year-olds turned 50-year-olds grew up.
Every time one of the characters got back together with a guy, I seriously yelled "Boooo!" and I stuck my thumb down. My friends laughed, but I was angry, filled with resentment.
What is the nerve of the show's producers or writers (or whoever I'm sure got engaged or piss-drunk and wrote then the script) to ruin the entire point of the show? The movie was so backwards, it was like the feeling I get when I watch those "We've got to do something about global climate change now" comme rcials where Nancy Pelosi is sitting with Newt Gingrich. I could really throw up, that makes me so uncomfortable.
But I almost wanted to write Sarah Jessica Parker (she had her name listed as one of the producers) and tell her I wanted my money back, but then I realized I saw the movie for free because I have hook-ups. But still ... what the f? How does everyone end up happily married except Samantha? (who instead ends happily single).
I went to see that movie to feel empowered. To be proud to be single. To know that women can play dirty, just like the men. To get the craving to buy ridiculously expensive shoes or dresses instead of buying basketball tickets to impress a boyfriend. Honestly.
The show creates this addictive aroma for women to play by our own rules. And perhaps that's what the writers did- they made their own rules and therefore were able to change them as they pleased. I just wish it wasn't in such a way that made me want to get engaged, buy a diamond-encrusted flower ring and then adopt a baby girl from China.
That's pathetic.
I think I'm going to buy a $50 purse (that's expensive to me because I'm not a shoppaholic capitalist), name it a man's name and then go rent the "Sex in the City" seasons to recuperate after the damage that movie brought me.
So if you have a lover and you want to be immersed in other's joys and sorrows of love gained and lost, then it's the perfect movie. But if you're a bitter single gal who hopes she can still have as much fun with a dress and a cosmo at 40 as she did when she was 21, then you're better off re-watching the show with your girlfriends. The movie actually makes me realize that maybe I should consider moving to New York to find love.

Better fess up to your mistakes

The biggest problem in life is that you never know whether you made the right decision until it's too late.
Whether it's with who to hire, what job to accept, who to live with or when to break up ... you never figure out what the right decision was until you're in so deep that you can't turn around and make it right.
My dad has advised me: "No matter what you do, you'll make some bad decisions. But you better hope you make them while you're young."
Hahaha. Good ol' dad. So true.
It's hard to figure out what's for the best. I like to do pros and cons- I find them very easy to produce and effective. Plus, I believe you relieve stress by writing what you don't like.
If you've weighed your options, hopefully you're smart enough to make the right decision. If you're not, hopefully you're strong enough to live up to your mistake and do what you can to correct it.
I believe most of the world's problems are created because people have been too prideful to own up to their mistakes.
War is stemmed from miscommunication. An enemy is routed from arrogance. A relationship is destroyed because of selfish cowardice.
If you're smart, strong and powerful enough to make a decision, then you should be smart, strong and powerful enough to stick by it, and that means even if your idea fails you. Accept what you did and now make it right.
Live up to your words and people will like you. Make right what you have made wrong, and people will respect you.
This is why I give politicians a lot of credit when they are able to admit when they've made a wrong decision. For example, Hillary infamously voting to go to war. She braced her decision and has told the nation time and time again that she voted incorrectly.
Rationally, all you can do is make the best decision possible at the time, and be man enough/woman enough to make the appropriate changes if things don't go to plan.
What's the point of having a Chief Diplomat (aka: a supposed role of the President) if he only has two foreign policy approaches: he'll talk to leaders who encourage his policies and he'll take out the ones who stand in the way of his (and Big Oil's) success.
I perfect example of a leader stepping up to a mistake (and it wasn't even his misconduct), was the Australian Prime Minister. Kevin Rudd got so much praise after he apologized for how Australia has treated the country's indigenous people, the Aborigines (also known as the Stolen Generations). His predecessor refused to apologize for the Aborigines being the most disadvantaged group in the country.
And Rudd has also stated that he is taking the country's troops out of Iraq. The scary thing is that he started saying that in February. Even scarier is that he thinks the war is a bad idea and no Australian troops have even been killed in Iraq, according to reports.
We've had more than 4,000 deaths and this war has put our country into debt and economic turmoil, and our president and what's left of his "proud" administration still dare to stand by their decision.
Politicians get such positive feedback when they act humanely. It makes you wonder why they don't do it more often. (But how do you expect politicians to act when they all have their degrees in business or law?) When Hillary cried, she received more votes. When politicians own up to their bad judgment calls, the people appreciate it. The people expect their politicians to lie to them, to deceive them, to betray them.
Sympathizing should the new strategy. I want my political leaders to know what they're doing right and what they're doing wrong. I want my political leaders to know who they're hurting and why it's not acceptable. And if a politician doesn't listen ... he or she should get the boot.
See ya, W.
Good luck following that act, Mac.

Same-sex marriage makes a comeback

Speaking of "entitlement," one group of people who aren't even entitled to the most basic, universal foundation found in life and happiness, is the gay community. Being liberal and from the San Francisco area, I grew up with many gay friends. And when Bush took his Christian, conservative interests to a whole other level by pushing to deny 10 percent of the American population the right to get married, it broke my heart.
I'm happy to say that gay/lesbian couples can be legally wed in California beginning June 17. Talk about the liberal state's Supreme Court to the rescue.
And it's about time.
What made me every more ecstatic was reading that San Fran Mayor Gavin Newson said, in relation to the Supreme Court's ruling on legalizing same-sex marriage, that California starts trends that the U.S. eventually follows. We can only hope.
And now New York has decided to recognize marriages between gay/lesbian couples that were legally wed in other states.
I'm happy to see gay marriage being on the right track...or maybe I mean the left.
Take that, Bible thumpers.

I wonder:
How many states will never comply with legalizing same-sex marriage?
Does the majority of American population agree with same-sex marriage?
Will this increase the number of gay couples in California and New York?
How many other states will follow suit?
Will the next Democratic president push for a national legalization of same-sex marriages?

I don't see "entitlement" ... only sexism

When I was going to high school in Northern California, one day I got pulled over by a cop. It was my first time being pulled over, so I was scared and upset to say the least.
The police officer asked me for my license and registration, so I nervously gave him all the paperwork in my car. He studied my license for a while and then looked into my eyes.
"Ohhh, so you live on Raccolio, eh?"
"Yes."
"That's in that new neighborhood over here, eh?"
"Yes."
I'll never forget that for the rest of my life. That was my first encounter with a cop. The way he looked at me, he way he talked to me...I knew all he saw was a rich girl who's parents will pay any ticket she gets.
What a crook.
I felt exploited. Misunderstood. Judged.
It was one of the most terrible feelings possible to feel, because I didn't do anything to deserve that treatment, that judgment and I couldn't say or do anything to change his mind- his mind was made up. He'll take his revenge out on me because I am a rich girl and my rich daddy should help pay the police force's salary because they're bitter from getting paid less than garbage men.
Anyone would feel just as hurt as I felt from that judgment. The cop didn't know who I was or what it was like to be me. He had never been a teenage girl from a well-to-do family, so who is he to judge me and exploit me based on his assumptions?
That was the scenario that played again and again in my mind after I had watched Rev. Michael Pfleger's sermon, mocking Sen. Hillary Clinton.
He made fun of Clinton, wiping his eyes and saying "I'm white! I'm entitled! There's a black man stealing my show!"
When I saw this video on CNN, all hell broke loose. I yelled at my TV so loudly that my cat ran under my bed.
Since when do women feel like they're entitled to anything? Last time I checked (which was recently), a black man will make more money than me in any position in any professional field we both go into. He'd probably be hired over me and be given a promotion over me, too, because more than likely, the boss is a man and he thinks men are more competent than women.
Hillary never went into this presidency thinking "I'm going to beat Barack because I'm white and I deserve this more than him." How DARE a man say that! How DARE an audience laugh at that!
Hillary is ambitious, hard-headed and determined to be president- but so is EVERY person who has ever wanted to be president. She's soooo close to getting the nomination- that's why she's held on so long. She doesn't want to give up easily. If she did, she'd set that tone for all women here on after. It would seem like she didn't get the presidency because she gave up. She has to stay in it so that she seems just as tough as any other man- she must set the precedent for future women. She's doing that because she KNOWS she's not entitled to shit!
The only women who feel like they're entitled to anything, are the 99% fake trophy wives who have more silicone and botox than they do brain cells and all they feel entitled to is a rich husband, big house, fancy car and lots of jewelery.
Call me when you met a woman who literally feels entitled to win the presidency because she's white. I don't need to give you my number, because you won't be calling me any time soon.
Women's status has had such an amazingly slow increase over time, that it's one of the most depressing and disappointing things I could think about.
GENDER STUMPS RACE. Period.
If you're a man who's black, Indian, British, I don't care what, you will be treated differently than women. What differently means, is up to you. You could say that women are treated "better" because men will hold doors open for them, help them carry things or give them free stuff. But isn't that just another way of men proving how helpless and fragile they think women are?
Pfleger made a false accusation against Clinton and therefore offended all women. He has NO right to judge women. All he did was degrade women and downplay our struggle that he knows nothing about.
I don't care if you've been married for 50 years or if you have 5 sisters. Only women know the full force of sexism whether it's through intense chivalry or from being treated as if you're just a piece of meat.
The truth is, we all have struggles. In America, our struggles are supposed to deteriorate as all people are treated as one. And no group's struggles will be subsided until the people start taking all struggles seriously. And when reverends who know they're being watched by the media are unfairly and erroneously judgmental, the step that's being taken is a step backward for equality and a wider barrier in between races.
Leave it up to Obama's reverends to know what to say to get America's blood boiling.

When Weather Strikes Back: Send Your Relief to Asia

Lately, severe weather conditions have devastated the other side of the globe. My heart goes out to the people. I can't imagine their loss and suffering.
When tragedies like these events occur, it puts Americans' difficulties in perspective. We must put down our $5 Starbucks and stop whining about how we have to pay $75 to fill up our $40,000 vehicle, and sympathize with those who, in a few seconds, lost everything and everyone in their lives.
It's time for a reality check.


A tremendous 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook China, killing roughly 80,000 people on May 12. It struck the very populated Sichuan providence. Aftershocks killed about an additional 4,800 people.

This has been the country's worst natural disaster since a 1976 earthquake killed at least 240,000 people.














(Pictures from Time Magazine)

If you want to help, you can donate money to the American Red Cross or donate to the Church World Service emergency response organization. Every penny counts.





And on May 3, massive hurricane Nargis ripped through Myanmar, including it's biggest city, Yangon, killing about 78,000 people. About 56,000 people are still missing and more than 1 million are homeless.

The country has been receiving aid from the U.S. and other individual countries. The U.N. has pulled in about 60 percent of its $200 million goal for relief funds.













(Most Pictures from Time Magazine and other news sources)

If you want to make a difference, you can donate to the American Red Cross, donate to the Church World Service emergency response organization or donate money to UNICEF.

Hillary, You'll Always Be My Girl

Hillary,
You've had a good run. Now you don't have to worry about being remembered as the First Lady to the first "black" president. You made the dream of there being a female president become a reality for little girls. And the country won't think you're a bitch for no reason...we now have proof you are in fact a bitch.
But you're the type of bitch who could lead this country. Women have to be strong to get as far as you have, and you more than anyone else knows that. I know with all my heart you have the potential to lead this country into a better direction. But let's not fool ourselves any more.
You're not going to win the nomination.
Michigan and Florida voted months ago. Not only are their votes not legit right now (and Michigan didn't even have Obama on the ballot, so it's basically cheating), but the majority vote could swing to Obama now.
Yes, you've won all the big states, and I agree, that is imperative and impressive. But Obama has still received the most popular votes, most delegates and most super delegate votes. Sorry to rain on your parade, but that's what it takes to win. His cool charm and collected charisma has swept the country.
Even Time Magazine's front cover on May 19th had a picture of Obama with that friendly smile the world loves with text reading: "And the winner is...really, we're pretty sure this time."
My mouth dropped when I saw that. I knew it was over.
I understand your frustration, Hillary. I know you think it's "not over till it's over," but Howard Dean is pushing for a final candidate and you're slowly being pushed out of the media spotlight.
But you gave it your all. Every time someone from your camp said something the general public would disapprove of, you dropped them like they were as poisonous as Dick Cheney. You even kicked your husband to the curb. You showed your muscle and brains in the debates and hit Obama below the belt every chance you got (aka: every chance he slipped). And don't think I didn't notice you cheating a little bit by copying Obama's hesitant, assumed-to-be-thoughtful pauses and stuttering. Hillary, you're better than that. (If Americans want to vote another poor public speaker into office, so be it. Don't lower yourself to that level.)
But let's face it: Your run is over.
Like my dad always said, "Quit while you're ahead."
Drop out in style. Kick out the campaign before it kicks you out. You're not fooling anyone- we know Obama has it in the bag. And the worst thing you can do now is stay in it and continue to throw punches that only devastate Obama's image. I know he's not as qualified as you, but it's important that the Democratic Party rejoice, regroup and kick McCain's butt back to Arizona. At least he's a minority, too.
And it's true, he's not that bad. He seems friendly, his wife is extremely intelligent and you and him agree with the majority of issues. He also has the support of the liberal media, John Edwards, Ted Kennedy and even NARAL (the pro-choice feminist group). Ouch.
You've got to be smart enough to know when to bow out in style, and now would be the appropriate time. It would be in good taste, produce respect from both isles and create more time for the Democratic Party to plan their attacks against McCain.
Believe me when I say that this separation won't be easy. We gave it a try, and it almost worked out. You made it farther than any other woman ever has (unless you consider Nancy Pelosi's position, which is an amazing feat. Third place isn't bad, but women must keep their eye on the prize). You made American women recognize that we will have a woman president some day soon. But I am honestly devastated that it won't be you. And I'm even more devastated that our first minority president will still be a man.
You'll always be my girl. But now it's time to focus on our guy. Make yourself useful and start helping him out win votes with the elderly, middle class and big state populations. I know you like to live in your own world sometimes, but realistically, he's our only hope.

Hypocritical acts from the ignorant brawn

I've been wondering the same thing for a while: How long will it be until the U.S. finally gets it?
With 4,084 unfortunate soldier deaths, more than $9 trillion in debt (according to the national debt clock, which is at such an extremely high number that I barely believe it), seven heart-aching years being stuck with a moron in a monkey suit as president and being squeezed of our resources...and we still have the audacity to act like we know it all.
This Bush Administration roller coaster ride is coming to an end. I know it is, because it's plummeting so deep, so quickly, that the only place left to go is up. I can't envision a worse scenario than a country suffering from fiscal, economic and psychological meltdowns in the national and state levels.
The world hates our president, we hate our president and even his own former staff hates him- just ask Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan. Maybe "hate" is too strong of a word ... how about: finds Bush to be a conniving, insensitive, manipulative, narrow-minded, special interest-loving weasel.
Americans are so burned out from hearing about President Bush's consistent speech fax pas and incorrect diplomatic assumptions, that they want to watch other people hurdle through hoops and walk on egg shells ... cue Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain to eagerly grab the spotlight with their polished, fake grins.
Americans (famous and not) and American politicians have been shedding light on the indecent treatment of people in China, Tibet, Iraq, Russia, Gaza, Myanmar, Pakistan and the tragic genocide in Darfur...just to name a few examples. That's good, because as we all know from watching TV, when superstars start voicing their politics, people listen. Look at Michael J. Fox and the Governator's influence. The U.S. government also holds this power on a world level. When our government says something, the world listens. Or at least we used to be taken seriously when we actually held a global power position (because we used to be proactive in a helpful way instead of this destructive, nationalist, globalization blanket that we use to suffocate vulnerable countries).
But the world doesn't have to wait to hear the U.S. make a cry for human rights. Amnesty International's most recent report names all the before-mentioned countries on it's list of 81 countries that permit ill-treatment toward their people. This is a wake-up call that the U.S. grasps with open arms. Of course those countries are bad, since China won't allow free speech, Darfur has been killing it's own people based on their religion and most of those countries rig their "democratic" elections.
I picture Uncle Sam arrogantly standing there, nodding his head and wiggling his finger as the report is read. Until it comes to the U.S.'s faults.
As soon as the same report also attacks the U.S. for it's devilish deeds ... oh no, the Amnesty International report is wrong! Of course the people in Iraq need our occupation- I mean protection. Of course Guantanamo Bay Detention Center is necessary and legit (who needs a free trial? they're foreigners and we're Americans- we don't treat foreigners with respect). Of course we didn't need the U.N.'s approval to go to war.
How could we be labeled as a country creating problems? We look down upon other countries that occupy, torture, rig their own elections start senseless wars and have nuclear weapons...but that's exactly what we do! America is a fat, sloppy, greedy hypocrite. We are our own worst enemy.
In our dopey drunkenness of ignorance, we believe our own country to be a saint. The current Administration doesn't view itself as one that created a desolate, violent, never-ending war and occupation in a country whose citizens don't want us there, where the food prices are rising at home and food levels are plummeting across the globe, a situation in which Osama, the leader of those who plotted 9/11, still is far from being caught and prices are skyrocketing at the gas tanks, so Americans can't even leisurely enjoy the small amount of money we're getting paid.
When the U.S. looks in the mirror, it sees an angel, while others see what Hugo Chavez sees. It puts paint on top of all the rust. But our imperfections are making their way out to the critics of the world, and soon we'll have to take a step back, let loose of our pride and figure out what we can do differently to make this world, and therefore this country, a better place.
While China's power increases, the U.S. continues to sink to a new low. It's better to stop fighting the quick sand and maybe get a friend to throw us a rope. We need to get out of this blind "America can do no harm" mentality, because it's killing us.
When Americans recognized the country's downward spiral in 2006, we took action and our disappointed voices were heard when the Democratic Party took the majority in Congress. I'm expecting the same kind of victory in November. Because as the world knows, another four years of a deceitful, barbarian Republican Administration isn't a victory...and neither is 100 years more of war.