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It's not often that I get to tell of an experience with a company's customer service that has a happy ending or even a happy middle. However, yesterday the rules changed and when I hung up the phone I was very satisfied with the phone call eventhough my problem was nowhere near resolved. Are y'all wondering how that can even be so? Let me explain. Back in June of this year y'all might recall that we bought my wife a 2014 Ford Mustang which has performed beautifully since the day we bought it. But, a few days ago my wife, who drives the car daily, informed me that the car stereo was not notifying when a text message comes in on her phone. Something she has become very accustomed to, probably to the point of being spoiled, she has really gotten used to the hands free voice activated controls. Needless to say, her world seemed to crash a bit when it stopped functioning. Boo hoo right?
Being the good husband I am, I took a look at it since I was the one who figured it out in the first place. Having zero success I resorted to doing some research on the internet, tried some different things, but was still very unsuccessful in my efforts. After two evenings of playing with it I finally broke down and called Sync customer service. I was preparing for the worst since calling customer service for anything usually results in me trying to reach through the phone so I can choke a motherfucker. With this phone call, in this instance of contacting customer service, I stand corrected. He was polite, courteous, apologetic, and sounded genuinely concerned about the issue. As much as I would like to tell y'all that the problem was resolved I can't, because as hard as he tried, it's still not working.
However, he did teach this old dog many new tricks concerning the stereo and other electronic components in the car. I knew it had features but shit not all the things he went through. A car stereo isn't just a car stereo any longer boys and girls. Little did I know, the last new car I bought was in 2005 and I was impressed with the single disc CD player. Anyway, seems we were only using about 3% of the features to our advantage, but now that has changed. Yes, I mentioned he could not resolve our particular dilemma over the phone but he located our area Ford dealership, verified the services they provide, and set us up with an appointment this Saturday morning. He reminded us that everything is under warranty and after they perform a system update that our problems should become a memory. In the event it is a hardware issue and not a software issue, the Ford dealership will replace the stereo. I will let y'all know how it works out Saturday.
I would first like to thank Scott for providing us with top notch customer service support. I appreciate being treated like a human being instead of a customer with a problem. His attitude made a huge impact on my attitude and I actually enjoyed our entire conversation from start to finish. Whatever they are doing really works and it shows people like myself who have been tainted over the years that calling customer service doesn't have to be a labored and fucked up experience. So, my hat is off to Scott, thanks for not making me feel I needed to choke the fucking life out of you. But seriously, thanks Scott, you couldn't fix it but you tried and you took steps to get it fixed, which will make my wife happy, which in turn will increase my happiness.


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Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the Saudi Arabia – Eastern Province Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants. The Chapter's journey started back in 2011, when a group of enthusiastic and committed members from the local IMA community took a leadership role in launching a new chapter in the region. Today, we were entrusted to carry on this responsibility and build on what these professionals have started. The journey is just in its beginnings with many opportunities and challenges ahead of us. However, with such well-rounded members joining our team, we are confident that success will be achieved and the chapter will flourish and grow even further.
We are embarking on this effort with the intention to build a strong foundation for a lively and active chapter in an effort to advance the management accounting profession in the region. We are also striving to create increased awareness of the critical role management accountants play in today's business environment. Our plan for achieving our objectives is to provide a forum for development, education, knowledge sharing, and advocating the highest ethical and best business practices in management accounting and finance.
As chapter members, you will be able to take advantage of many benefits, including opportunities to network with local and global business professionals, access to high quality educational programs, and opportunities to sharpen and harness your leadership skills. I encourage you to take full advantage of these opportunities.
Please take time to browse through our website and familiarize yourself with its content. We will continuously update the site with new events and relevant news that might be of interest to you.
If you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of our board members. Thank you for your interest in, and support of, the Saudi Arabia – Eastern Province Chapter. I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events.
Best regards,
Bassam M. Asiri
President, Saudi Arabia – Eastern Province Chapter
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subset: commoncrawl


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Arsenio Hall Returns To Late Night
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.
In the late 1980s and early '90s, success in the competitive world of late-night television sounded like this.
MARTIN: That, of course, was the signature shout out from "The Arsenio Hall Show." Arsenio interviewed everyone from Muhammad Ali to Madonna and, of course, there was that seminal pop culture moment when then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton played the sax on the Arsenio stage.
MARTIN: It was supposed to be a younger, hipper version of "Late Night." And it was. Ratings were good for several years until they weren't anymore, and the show ended in May of 1994. Now, 19 years later, Arsenio Hall returns with a new late night show debuting tomorrow night on CBS.
When I spoke with Hall recently, I started off by asking him if he was ready to get back into late night after all these years.
ARSENIO HALL: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm ready. From the day I made the announcement and people started calling, giving me the confidence I need. The first phone call I got after the L.A. Times announced that I was coming back was from Prince.
MARTIN: Wow.
HALL: And he said, save me a night. With the stuff I use, ma'am, how can I lose?
HALL: You mentioned Ali in the intro and I figured I would pull an old Ali quote out.
MARTIN: I mean this the question I'm sure you have been asked dozens of times, and it will not stop me from asking it again, but why? Why now?
HALL: Wow. You know what? I remember talking to Letterman and saying, oh, I'll never do it again, I've done it, I want to do other things. And I have personal desires of balance in my life, Dave. And you know what? I really believe what I was telling him that that I would probably never do it again.
But slowly, my son started to get a little older; he's 13 now. And you know how kids are at that age. As much as you want to baby them and continue to treat them in the way that a loving father treats his son, at a certain point they want you to drop them off about five blocks from the movie theater and get the hell out of here, dad, quick...
HALL: ...before you ruin my swag. And the bottom-line is...
MARTIN: Even if your dad is Arsenio Hall?
HALL: Yes, indeed. He wants one bark and then move on.
HALL: They know who you are now, move on. And the bottom line is we're at that place now. You know, to be a man you got to see a man. And he's seen me very comfortable for 13 years always there at every game - every Little League game, every basketball game, every concert, every PTA meeting, every bake sale. Every Chuck E. Cheese event, I'm sitting there with all the moms.
MARTIN: You're a good man.
HALL: The bottom line is...
HALL: The bottom line is he needs to see this side of fatherhood. He's seen that side of it. He needs to see me fall asleep at night too tired to continue watching "Family Guy" with him. He needs to see a dad who has to leave and can't always make it to things. That's part of being a man, that's part of fatherhood too, and I wanted to have that aspect of seeing me and being me.
MARTIN: I'd like to take a big step back, if I may...
HALL: Mm-hmm.
MARTIN: ...to your childhood, as you grew up in Ohio. Performing was always something you wanted to do? And why talk shows? What about that format captured your imagination from such a young age?
HALL: There was a time when I was a magician as a kid. I used to go in this magic shop and the lady eventually gave me a job. And I would do the tricks and sell the tricks in her little shop. And I think when I would do a bar mitzvah or a birthday party, I thought that it was just me making money, it was better than having a paper route. And then I started realizing that someone I really admired started in the same way.
When I would sneak and stay up late at night and watched Johnny Carson, my mother would see the blue light coming from under the door and realize I wasn't sleeping. She'd bust me. Turn that TV off, boy. And I would turn it off, but I was watching Johnny Carson. And as I got older, I just realized that I was on that path. He was a magician. He was a late-night host. He wore cool suits like the Temptations and had his own suit line when I didn't even know what a suit line was. I wanted to be Johnny.
MARTIN: But I did read that, you know, fast forward a few years.
HALL: Go ahead.
You go to college. You graduate. You took a job in marketing for Noxell Corporation, which is the company that makes Cover Girl cosmetics.
MARTIN: First, is that true? It is?
HALL: Yes, that is true.
MARTIN: So what was your plan for your life back then? Did you kind of put the whole performing thing on the back burner, you thought you were going to have this straight and narrow corporate life for a while?
HALL: You know, it's exactly that. I tried to go straight. I had done standup in Chicago on River Road at a Comedy Club and it was in my blood. It was something special about it. I mean as a magician or as a drummer in the band, you have a lot of equipment. Standup allowed me to just take a glass of water and my brain on stage and I liked what that said about the art form.
I loved doing standup and I tried it and tried to quit and take a regular job in advertising. And the bottom line is I couldn't. One night I was watching "The Tonight Show," there's Johnny again.
HALL: And the next day I quit and I moved on and I haven't looked back since.
MARTIN: You finally get your very own show.
HALL: Yeah.
MARTIN: And this was a big deal. I mean, at the time this was a very white world. I mean it is today, for that matter.
HALL: Yeah. It's pretty much not only white but you have to be named Jimmy now.
MARTIN: Yeah, so there's that strike against you.
MARTIN: You apparently said that you didn't want to create a black show, but you did want to give your audiences the feeling that they were at a party in an African-American household. Is that accurate? Is that how you looked at it?
HALL: Yeah, because the deal is when you have company at your house, you have friends from work, you have black friends and white friends and they come to your crib and they say: Oh, at Arsenio's house at the party we did the "Soul Train" line.
HALL: The bottom line is when you go to someone's house you learn what they're about. You learn their culture. You learn their language. You see what they like. And usually, you know, they're a product of their environment. So basically, yeah, I am black. That's the obvious thing. That's not going to change. But I wanted to just say, hey, come into my crib and see how I party.
MARTIN: You didn't stray from politics or controversy on "The Arsenio Hall Show."
MARTIN: You famously, as we mentioned, had Bill Clinton on. You also interviewed Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, which stirred up some controversy.
HALL: Yeah.
MARTIN: I mean, have you thought about how you'll walk that line with this new show? Is it going to be purely about entertainment or will you push it a little bit?
HALL: Yeah. You know, I said this to some journalists recently. I said the old me was a very, very present when L.A. had its riots and I used the show to try to reach people. This one might just be about fun. And I think that's what the show should be because I think that's what people need at night. You know, I'd love to help but I want to send people to bed with smile on their face and maybe a little hip-hop in their heart.
MARTIN: I can't let you go without asking if the Dog Pound going to be around this time.
HALL: Now, I got to keep that a secret. But...
MARTIN: Oh, really? It's a secret? I thought you were going to tell me.
HALL: Well, let's put it like this, there will be a Dog Pound. And I hope one day - I got 200 seats there every night. I hope one day you will come and hang out.
MARTIN: Of course, I will.
HALL: Because I want to show you what the new Dog Pound looks like, and I will always have a couple seats there for you if you want to come party with me.
MARTIN: Arsenio Hall, his new show debuts tomorrow night. He joined us from the studios at NPR West.
It has been such a pleasure, Arsenio. Thanks for taking the time. And good luck with everything. Have fun.
HALL: Bye-bye. Take care. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Not Every Girl by Jane McGarry
I received a copy of this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads Description
Olivia Davenport's plan is destined to fail.
She is going through with it anyway, of course. After all, it is the chance of a lifetime. The unreasonable rules of others should not stand in her way.
In her small kingdom of Stewartsland, Olivia trains with the squires and harbors a secret dream. She longs to become a knight under the command of the Master-of–Arms, who just happens to be her father. He has indulged her passion so far, but they both know a simple fact – girls may not attain knighthood. Dismayed by the constant discouragement of her ambitions, she makes an impetuous decision to disguise herself as a boy in order to sneak on a mission. The consequences are not at all what she anticipated.
When her deception is revealed, she is sent home in disgrace; however, an unexpected turn of events puts her at the center of a dangerous plot against the King. The ensuing adventure finds her grappling with mercenaries and outlaws, yet these pale in comparison to her newly awakened emotions. She finds not only her life at risk, but also her heart, when the aloof Prince Liam begins to affect her in ways she never thought possible. In the end, it is her courage and unique spirit which must guide her through the challenges she encounters both physical and emotional.


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Why support Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State when you can do the complete opposite! Support us and our Alliance Defense Fund.
We stand for "real" Religious Liberty:
- Religious Liberty for Christians* to use tax-payers' dollars to enforce Christian Creationism upon schoolchildren
- Religious Liberty for Christians to re-criminalize homosexuality and make it a death penalty offense
- Religious Liberty for Christians to outlaw all abortion even for sound medical reasons
- Religious Liberty for Christians to outlaw all non-Christian religions
- Religious Liberty for Christians to pass laws to prevent Muslims from building houses of worship on American soil (see point above)
- Religious Liberty for Christians to bully, harass and discriminate against minorities
Among other "Religious Liberty" issues. * – And by Christians, we mean only those who hold to a Strict interpretation of Orthodox 5-point Dortian Calvinism. Since Mary-worshipping Papists, Arminianist free-will idolaters, Lutherans, anaBaptists, Greeks and other non-Reformed churches are Semi-Pelagian, they are all non-Christian religions—because they reject the "True Gospel."
We "poor" Christian majority are tired of being discriminated against in our own Country—remember this Great Nation was founded upon "Christian principles" and that all of our Founding Fathers were "good Bible-Believing Calvinists" especially Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. It's time we do something and take back our Religious Liberty:
to spread more Partisan politics and hate.
For decades, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other radical anti-Christian groups have been on a mission to eliminate public expression of our nation's faith and heritage. By influencing the government, filing lawsuits, and spreading the myth of the so-called "separation of church and state," the opposition has been successful at forcing its leftist agenda on Americans.
Their targeted attacks on religious freedom are more serious and widespread than you may realize. In courtrooms and schoolrooms, offices and shops, public buildings and even churches…those who believe in God are increasingly threatened, punished, and silenced.
Help us take a stand for "true" Religious Liberty and support God's Only Inerrant Party in 2012: vote Brannon Howse/Michael Reagan!


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READ about Piers Morgan's long career in journalism here.
On Thursday, "Piers Morgan Tonight" shared a rare and exclusive behind the scenes visit with former president George W. Bush.
Having returned to his home state of Texas since leaving office, Bush generally avoids the glare of the spotlight and the public eye. But he remains passionate about honoring and supporting America's veterans, through an event bearing his signature initial:
"The W100 is a hundred kilometer mountain bike ride to honor our vets who have been wounded in combat, to thank their families, and to thank the groups that have helped them recover from serious injury," explained the 43rd U.S. president.
As part of the W100, the one-time commander in chief rode alongside 20 servicemen and women, each of whom had been wounded in the global war on terror.
"It's important to me, because I want to stay connected to the veteran community. I'm not going to be a very public person, this is a rare interview for me," revealed Bush. "And therefore, I'm worried that the vets will think I don't care about them. So, this is a way for me to say that not only do I respect them, but I love them. And will continue to do so for the rest of my life."
Watch the clip to learn more about the W100, including the inspirational story of Chris Self, a veteran wounded in Iraq, and since befriended by the former president.
• Follow Piers Morgan Tonight on Twitter
To promote this "interview" with George W. Bush, with the resulting story, I feel I was totally misled. There was no show, no interview, no nothing except listening to the W talk about something he is doing with veterans. While this is a noble cause, the story was certainly NOT what your ads were creating an image of...an actual interview with the former president. How can CNN stoop so low to increase its audience? Well, you just lost one for the Piers Morgan show.
Of Course it just advertising.
While he wastes a presidential penson, $200,000 (Cheney $100,000) AND expenses Secret Service $?,???,???, and 'office" expenses "George W. Bush is slated towill receive $1.3 million in taxpayer dollars for fiscal year 2013, including $85,000 in phone costs and $26,000 in printing costs". Talk a Gold plated Pension.
Maybe he should share some it with some Iraq veterans.
All ex presidents get the retirement package "w" gets. He wasn't that great of a president but I like what he's doing with the troops and he also shares the love of MTBing! Can't be that bad in my book .
Why doesn't obama stop taking all his expensive vacations on airforce one and maybe trips and give that money to the vets? He hasn't done anything except get more killed. He lies everytime he opens his mouth
True Yetiman all presidents get a pension maybe 111Dave111 needs to think about why the military hates obama and loves Bush
Couple of Points:
– If he was interiewed he would have answer questions.
– He did NOT contact a real Journalist, Capt. Pierce Morgan, is Rupert Murdock's poodle and a joke.
uhh, Ted Turner owns CNN, Murdock owns Fox.
Piers Morgan was heavily involved in the voicemail hacking with Murdoch. He is the Former Daily Mirror and News of the World editor. He makes me sick, but not as much as George W Bush.
Maybe he feels guilty about sending 6000+ soldiers to their death in Iraq and countless others coming back with disabilities, mental illnesses and an economy that he singlehandedly screwed up royally and still has not recovered.
Both of them belong in jail along with "Dick" Cheney.
Does obama feel any guilt fr only getting us into more wars and more military killed when he claims the war is over? Does he feel any guilt over Benghazi or gun running? Oh I know he didnt know. hahahahha The unleader
GW has no problem answering Questions, nor does he have any problem accepting responsibilty unlike the current spineless weakling
Noble cause? are you kidding me? are you insulting our intelligence? noble cause? he likes to be in TV ,he is aside of the ones who came home without limbs ,without faces...what noble cause ?bring this kids to a war he created? where is the WOMD? where? in his sick mind! he is a egomaniac is all! why this Country is in this kind of turmoil,economy trashed? remember it was not because Obama,he was the one who who left the country the way it is ..it was him your PRESIDENT! not mine! My blood is boiling I am having a heart attack really!!!!! I need to chill out!
Bush shows his respect for our veterans which I cannot say about our current president who disrespects our military the way no other president ever had; have you ever seen our military ever supporting Obama? Have you ever seen Obama supporting our military and their families?
Someone's jealous their "guy" could never hang with any of these men for even 1 mile, let alone 62. You ever see him ride a bike? Like he's trying to keep his Kotex from slipping out.
Sounds like you do need to relax. All of you liberals need to chill out before you all die of one massive group heart attack and then you leave us Libertarians to deal with the Republicans on our own. On another note, most Democrats are cowards until they're pushed and left without choice...most have just never been pushed and are bleeding hearts feeling guilty and bad for the rest of the world, inconsolable because you guys can't just be happy with what you have and try to help folks on your own and be happy with that...you guys have to mandate it and make sure everyone pitches in to do their part like having the government forcing people to do it will actually work without causing millions of needless deaths in the future when the people revolt against the restrictive government we are creating. Actually for that, I blame both liberals and conservatives. Every time one side has a problem they want to mandate it. Someone die? Ban guns. Someone is gay? Ban gay marriage. Rich not paying their fair share? Raise taxes on every single person in multiple groups. Poor people not paying their fair share? Close every single way of helping the poor. All of you are to blame for this. Maybe you should vomit next time you look in the mirror.
WMD are in Syria. That is where they hid them. Where have you been? Did you ever wonder why the military hates obama and loves Bush?
WHO CARES.....I am not interested on seeing this guy on TV I would not waste my precious time watching the evil egomaniac on it! You can see he is not one of my favorites ......
Maria...thats the most ignorant thing I've ever heard. "Your President"??? You make it sound like he's a president for the people and yet he's only for himself and the pleasure/vacations for his family. How can your blood boiling by watching a man talk about how much he admires the military and everything they've done for him and his country. You say that Bush has made the country the way it is...you're wrong. I'm not saying he was able to make the country better during his time but with how the past presidents have left the country after each one of their terms, no man can rebuild in just 8 years. If you want to get so built up and have a "blood boiling emotional meltdown", watch our current president stand up there and act like an absolute puppet and mock and disrespect not only our country but our soldiers and people.
Thank you and Happy Independence Day
This was the best interview with Chris the Vet and Pres. Bush 43
Good job Piers
It is amazing, these vets love the man who caused their horrible injuries by lying and sending them to an illegal, immoral and unnecessary war. Shows how effective the brainwashing works!
You are absolutely right 1000000000000 % its more than sad to see !
You are right,I will not walk or stand by his side , this brave men is the reminder of the tragic loss for NOTHING! he is a egomaniac !
Just look at at our media they are so brainwashed nothing truthful is comes out of them. When will Americans wake up and question our leaders ?
Free media will be good for all.
Do you really think this guy cares. Obama is the president who got in office and actually killed the man who they say is responsible for 911. Capture and kill. If you ask bush where osama was in his last days bush replied he didn't know and it didn't concern him. So he goes and starts another war in Iraq. Ha....are you kidding me. All these families ruined to kill one guy and no WMD's
David, people like you are what's wrong with this country. Your the brainwashed fool. Go play in traffic please!!!
David, people like you are what's wrong with this country. You're the brainwashed fool. Go play in traffic please!!!
You are the brainwashed one David. The vets know who is behind them and it is not ovomit
Mr. Hughes is correct in his assessment. Doesn't G. W. understand the irony of his support for the wounded from a war he instigated?
Natasha Posted on Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sorry you are in pain, it's very very dicfufilt. Try to stay positive and move forward. Peace and blessings, Natasha
He should keeping doing a lot for the soldiers in Iraq ..he started the war...looking for WOMD and they found Sadam in a hole that was the WOMD a LIE! I wonder how can he sleep everynight knowing he is the reason why the soldiers are dead now! I see this guy in pictures or Tv and I get the bad vibes ...ARGH! EEW.the egomaniac man! he is doing this to be in the news ,is not about helping or supporting the soldiers.
You're right. I am Brazilian and this guy gives me the creeps. Never put this guy on American policy.
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Sadly many still can not see the evil this man brought to our country and service men and women. He returned them home in body bags and killed millions based on lies. He still supports the kingdom of Saudi Arabia where the 19 terrorist came from.
Evil?????? You idiot. Evil is obama. Gw is a good compassionate man .. the miltary luvs him. They knoe obsma is enemy
Sounds like somebody well informed. Bush doesn't even regret going to war on a lie. Those veterans deserve more than a bike Vride... President Obama would not have made such a reckless decision. Any intellegent person would have first made sure there was a real threat before taking a country to war.
Americans ... This is absurd! There is nothing noble ... This guy almost brought his country to ruin. For the love of god, forget this guy and support Obama. That yes, is organizing the house that was hindered by himself.
One question I'd ask Bush is "how do you sleep at night?" He is disgusting and the worst president ever...
Hey Boo, you think he's worse that the A$$, oh Donkey, oh, I mean Democrat we have in office now?
Great piece Piers ... very inspiring and touching. Both men of honor.
One of those vets should snap his neck.
that would be another wast of American Energy. I wonder when America will wake UP , & see the TRUTH ! More slaughtering of Americans ! for WHO ? for What? they keep saying its in the name of Freedom ? there is a reason why Germany & France didnt suport him but no 1 , Beleived it . They never Had proof of these suposid Wepons of Mass Destruction . the only thing that was mass was the LIES of BUSH & all of his backing to go to WAR .all it realy did was Fill the Pockets of allready RICH Co. & there shareholders with Billions of BLOOD MONEY from the REAL Patriots of AMERICA & they are those who PAY there TAXES without Question or Big writeoffs to getout of paying there fare share,Not like the super rich that spend more money each year to get out of paying there taxes ,than most Americans Earn in 1 year .
Thank you for this very inspiring segment about the W100 ride, and President Bush. These two men are the real deal. God bless 'em both!
Our son is Sgt./Major Chris Self. We think this interview with President Bush was excellent. We are so proud of Chris and all the others like him. We have our freedoms preserved because of these dedicated people.
I appreciate the men and women of our armed services and the work they do on behalf of the US. However, I do not appreciate the former Commander in Chief, Bush, sending them to attack a non-belligerent nation based upon fabricated evidence – out and out lies manufactured to whip up a frenzy for a war he and his minions had planned long before the 9/11 attacks. He – and they – should carry shame forever for laying blame at Sadaam Hussein's feet for the action of 21 Saudi nationals. Further, since the US armed the Iraqis in the Iraq-Iran War, Bush should be especially ashamed of his claims regarding their weaponry. He knew exactly what Iraq had, as WE, the US, sold them their weapons stockpile.
Again, another ignorant comment by the ignoramus Elizabeth. Tell that to Russian, British, and European intelligence who said that Saddam had stockpiles of chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. It wasn't a "lie". It was an intelligence failure and not simply an American one. It was the intelligence from countries throughout the world that was giving this intel. You are simply an ignoramus of the first degree.
Thats why ,Germany & France didnt get involved , cause BUSH & his coehorts in Crime didnt have Squat, for Evidence . it was all a big Revenge thing Driven by his fathers screwup & they didnt want the USA telling them what & How to do with there Oil !. I'm just a Old Vet that dosent Understand ,thats what our Gov. says to me and millions like me.They think everyone is stupid except them .
Rosanne. Thank you for the service of your son. He has indeed made this world a safer and better place. Thank you once again.
How is the world safe ? Because our solgers were killed? We created the turmoil to go into a war. We still support the kingdom of Saudi Arabi that supposedly sent the 19 monsters. Saudi Arabi is a wicked kingdom that needs exposed so what are we going to do is provoke a war with Iran. Saudi money is going into supporting all the conflicts in the middle east so why is this not being exposed ?
Of course he is doing good for vets. How else could he live with the guilt. Also, just cause he gives you a pat on the back doesn't mean he is a good man or was a good president.
Bush has been our most Evil president in US history.
Google: How many innocent millions have been killed because of Bush lies ? Our economy is in shambles because Bush and Chaney single handed destroyed the US economy and our world power. Our education system has been havoced by Bushes educations policy.
I Love W and miss having a true gentleman in the White House. This is such an inspiring story about soldiers that have put their lives on the line for us every day.
The only reason Bush is out there is because he started a war on lies and sent a lot of young people to die and get maimed to never be the same, maybe he has a slight touch of guilt. What a chicken hawk and hyprocrite and looser, the worst president ever.
Please Google 'Why are more US Soldiers Committed Suicide Than Died in Combat ?
shame on you for giving bush any kudos. bush/Cheney started a war to win a second presidency, gave up American cia agents, etc. they only deserve the worst.
Bush Jr is arguably the least respected former President in American history. Because he is despised by so many he has to hide from public appearance and use people like Morgan to attempt to reform his image. Bush Jr and Condee and Cheney sent thousands of young Americans to their death. They couldn't even distinguish between Iraqi, Saudi Arabian and Afghan. They took America to war on a lie and bankrupted the government.
I was against the war in Iraq – people thought I WAS the enemy at the time – I saw a young man on C-SPAN in the Senate – vote against it -I was a very Independent Independent but became Democrat – I do think that his close cabinet did not have his best or in fact American's best interest at heart – I believe they are called warhawks –
President George W. Bush was a great leader. Only history can judge him. As a moderate Democrat and an Iranian-American, I admire President Bush for his moral courage and making the right decisions despite it being unpopular. The world is a better place because of the liberations of Afghanistan and Iraq; and it directly led to the freedom movements in the Middle East. Particularly in Afghanistan, women are allowed to work now and are not stoned to death and little girls now receive an education. The only strategic mistake I think he made was liberating Iraq instead of Iran as Iranians would have been much more appreciative. Saying this, the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein. I believe that history will judge him as one of the greatest Presidents of the last century.
You can not be Iranian because Iranians are well read and not stupid. Iran got rid of the Shah and Iran will get rid of the Mullas in time but not because the West wants to. What a freeking joke the new elected leaders of Iraq, Afganistan and Pakistans are. Courrupt and brutal. Don't forget Israil is a threat to Iran not the other way round. Iran has never attacked, invaded or occupied any of it's neighbors in the history of Iran. So who is the aggressor ? Stop watching CNN, Fox Tv and other media that controled by the same group of people. Please educate your mind with facts.
I'm a Canadian but I've great respect for Mr. Bush. He was a great president for the US. His fault was a belief in big government and the increase in useless bureaucracy that is sending the US off a fiscal cliff. His legislation to outlaw partial birth abortion and his restriction of embryonic stem cell research to the existing lines saved the lives of many Americans, while his continuance of Mexico City Policy showed a concern for the lives of the vulnerable all around the word. He believed in doing the government's job to protect its citizens, as his reaction to 911 and the war in Iraq showed.
Now President Obama, on the other hand, is destroying the US. He and his party don't even bother to come up with serious budgets. (The last budget that he did come up with was voted down 100% by both Democrats and Republicans.) He fiddles while the republic burns.
I am so glad you are in Canada. You obviously entirely misunderstand the entirely disastrous impact of the Bush presidency on the US economy and global diplomatic position, and you do not appreciate the time it will take for the US to recover from the irresponsible fiscal policies of Mr. Bush. His administration took a budgetary surplus of trillions left by President Clinton and, in less than four years, plunged the US to its largest deficit in history. His foreign policy made the US more hated and exposed to potential extremism than ever before. It will take us YEARS to regain what "W" threw away.
And as a result of his foreign policy, the freedom movement spread throughout the world. The fact that Ghaddafi gave up his nuclear program due to the liberation of Iraq was an achievement in and of itself.
Yes, president Obama made a BIG mistake when he took office. He should have started an inquirie on Bush's war crimes, crazy spending and lying to our country and service men who were returned home in body bags. He should have been returned after being tried in United States to Iraq and be tried for war crimes with all his wicked and evil cronies.Have you lost a brother ? I have, he was beautiful and 26 years old. We have become a cursed nation, just look what is happening to our once beautiful country. Yes, president Obama has made mistakes and the war had lingered on but Romney we can not in office. Wake up .... These war were fought for who ? Which God or country ? It sure was not for United States.
Nice. George W. Bush sends these young men and women to war. There are 5,000 who never return, and nearly 20,000 who return maimed for life. His two wars cost this country trillions of dollars and the economic security of these veterans' future – and their children's futures as well. And how does "W" choose to thank them? He cut veterans' services, cut taxes on the wealthy and gutted community programs that helped children of low income families (including – yes – vets), etc. and then he GOES OUT FOR A BIKE RIDE with the vets who can still pedal. Nice.
I preface my comments by saying that I am the wife, mother, mother-in-law, aunt, and daughter of vets.
This is what we get for electing a frat boy, who got into Yale due to his family's wealthy alum status, to the presidency. He dabbled in business- and failed miserably several times, Then he stupidly believed his handlers- hey, Carl Rove thinks I can be Pres.! These veterans are dead or disabled because of impulsive decisions based on nothing but smoke and mirrors. One can never do too much sabre rattling or grandstanding for the base. Of course, Mr. Bush didn't send his son or daughter to those needless wars, nor did he serve honorably himself during Vietnam. Following the rules was for chumps.
Bushie wanted to go after Saddam because he "tried to kill my Dad". Daddy counselled against it, but being the moron he is, the elder Bush was ignored. Colin Powell, the person in a position to give him good advice, was ignored. Then Gen. Powell was offered up to the UN- he gave untrue information to the United Nations. A fine and honorable soldier who was betrayed by his own Commander-In-Chief's handlers.
No one hates war more than military folks, but they go, whether it is a good idea or not, when his/her Commander-In- Chief so orders. What a tragedy, that for 8 years, there was a moron in charge. This country gets the president it deservse when we don't investigate beyond what Fox or the other channels feed us. We always take the easy way out. Heaven forbid we should read something.
I'm sorry to say, but it is obvious you are a very ignorant and brainwashed individual. On the likes of Cindy Sheehan (maybe a little better). President Bush was a President who made the bold decisions necessary to keep us safe. Only history can judge his legacy.
I agree. Especially when that moron dodged military service in Vietnam, safely tucked away in the US, and even then going AWOL. Sheesh.
Wow, he learned to ride a bike. Who could imagine. Maybe he'll get smart enough to actually find those Iraqi WMD stockpiles.
Get off this military topic- we have Obama that evaded the Draft by lying that he was going to college- no schools after getting kicked out of Occidental College in California. This Bush guy makes Obama look like a sissy. He may be a sissy but he is our sissy!
Dude by the time obama was old enough to go in the military there was no Draft ! & the closest bush ever got to any war was with his T watching a John Wyann movie
i am a canadian...i know nothing about politics.cannot judge either your government or mine..i have no idea what i would have done if i was in their place..it is so easy to judge when looking in ...but as a human i like george bush.even though i have never met him...i am sure within himself he knows what he has done wrong..this world is so easy to judge and not forgive.......
the police can disarm, but WE the people, will not
More Bush bashing. Get over it! Why don't you vent over Kennedy or Johnson who started Nam? Why?
Because you're a liberal and whine and whne and whine. sSckeningl
Glad to see GWB is now brave enough to ride with vets, when he was too chicken to fight with them in 'nam (daddy got him a cush national guard assignment), low enough to "swift boat" a decorated viet nam vet (kerry), too well connected to let his own children serve in the military, (lots of woman served in Iraq and Afghanistan, no Bush Twins), and dumb enough to grand stand that idiotic "mission accomplished" for a war that went on for another 8 years and cost thousands more lives for no good reason other then he wanted to be a "war time president" because all the great ones are. by the way, Osama was killed by the planning of Obama, not this texas cowboy.
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Was he sober.....
Go George Go- A man is just a man and who can blame him if he consistantly does his best? They to must try to do there best-CONSISTANTLY


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HL080- Hand lettered Doodle Icon- Soccer
Hand lettered and doodled by yours truly... me. :D These are sized to fit nicely in *most heart checklists, appointment labels, half boxes, and are perfect for hobonichis.
Printed and kiss cut on our unicorn sticker paper
Sheet is 1.5" x 4.5" Total of 12 stickers
*I say most because there is sometimes that rouge sticker maker that makes heart checklists, appointment labels, half boxes, etc. with way different measurements, I ain't knocking it, do you boo. But these are meant to fit the traditional full box/halfbox/appointment label style that goes in the ECLP. Public Service Announcement Done. Mic Drop.*
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All illustrations, artwork, graphic, characters, logos, and/or design on this site are the copyrighted works of Jennifer Wilson of Wila Walo Co. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any unlawful redistribution, or reproduction of any artwork, illustration, graphic, character, logo, and/or design on this site without prior written consent is strictly prohibited.


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SYNOPSIS: Somebody is playing a sick game with other people's lives, live on the internet on a web based show called "Death Tube". And to make it even sicker, people can comment on the deaths while watching from their computers. Now eight captured people must co-operate if they want to escape their imminent deaths..live on the internet. REVIEW: He calls …Read More »
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On the day the DOW closed down 220 points – satisfying the large price move called for by the small movement in the McClelland Oscillator yesterday. The S&P finished down 2.1%, the NDX lost 1.7%, and the RUT was down the least, losing 1.5%.
Noteworthy was IYR which lost 7.9% today. That's what happens when people get too excited about rate cuts that really don't mean much of anything because short term rates were already zero, before the Fed moved – they are followers, not leaders. Funny, that same thing can be said about children in general.
Also noteworthy was a further decline in oil beneath $37 a barrel, and gold gave back some of its recent gains.
XL Capital – an old favorite short of mine – jumped a little today on speculation that Uncle Warren would be interested in buying. Without government backing, XL would have been a zero quite some time ago. Buffett can have 'em, good luck.
A mixed day technically, let's run it down in a bearish and bullish fashion, okay?
1. Major indices gave up the 50 day moving average. This is typical bear market action that has preceded previous declines in the past year.
2. Volume today was higher than yesterday's decline. Volume confirms price, but today's volume did not exceed our last positive day's volume on Tuesday.
3. The SPX fast stochastic just entered overbought.
4. We have attempted several times to break 920 on the S&P and have failed.
5. The VIX reached its bottom Bollinger Band and bounced, producing a potential hammer.
6. Fundamentals suck (sorry to be blunt, but that sums it up nicely).
1. Buy signals on the weekly, daily, and 30 minute stochastics.
2. Tomorrow is Opex.
3. Small positive divergence on RSI.
4. Positive divergence with the VIX down on a down day.
5. Potential new bullish triangle, just bounced off of bottom.
6. Inverted H&S still in play.
7. Seasonality.
8. Turn date after Christmas.
As you can see, it's a mixed bag and I can still see both sides. For those who may be new to following my updates, you can trust me when I say that I call a spade a spade when I see one! When I turn all bear, look out.
So, let's go to the charts. Below is a weekly 1 year chart of TLT (20 year bond). Note the parabolic move and the extent to which the current candlestick is above the upper Bollinger. The chart below that is a TLT daily, 3 month chart. Again note that we closed above the upper Bollinger, day two in a row. Now, I know it's not the brightest thing to stand in front of a freight train, but some of my very best plays have come from extreme conditions outside of the Bollingers. So, I did something I normally don't and added a little to my short position here. I know, I know, breaking one of my own rules, but I am doing it very, very small only with money in my speculative account – this is not a big play yet and it is still high risk as rates can (and probably will) stay low for some time. However, if you look at the bond market during the Great Depression, equities had declined for a little more than a year and THEN the bond market came apart. Could the same thing happen here? Well, the government is now at zero, how much lower can rates go? Maybe I'm early, that'd be the story of my life!
Next chart is the SPX daily, 3 month. Note the new orange triangle. We pinned the bottom and bounced just prior to the close. Fast stochastic is overbought, and we closed beneath the 50dma. Truth is that the general shape of this formation is beginning to look bearish, but we still have the bullish things noted above in play.
Last chart is the VIX daily. Note the oversold stochastic. Also note that we bounced off the lower Bollinger band today and produced what may be a reversal hammer. It's not perfect, but close, and needs confirmation. The other side of that, though, is why did the VIX go down on such a big down day for equities? Perhaps it's a little too much complacency. With that in mind, I note that the TRIN closed all the way up at 2.23, pretty high.
So, I still see a mixed picture. I put on a very small long position when we hit 875 and will use that as a stop. Tomorrow is Opex, so I expect interesting things. We are oversold on the 60 and 30 minute stochastic and just rose out of oversold on the 10 minute. Thus I think the odds for some sort of a rally tomorrow are probably good, but I'm still bearish overall and not buying the BS.
Have a great evening,


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BOSTON — One injury was reported after two planes collided on a taxiway at Boston's Logan Airport on Thursday night.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that a Delta 767 collided with an Atlantic Southeast jet on a taxiway around 7:30pm local time.
"While taxiing out for departure, the wing from Flight 266 from Boston to Amsterdam made contact with the vertical stabilizer of ASA Flight 4904, also on departure from Boston to Raleigh-Durham," a statement from Delta Air Lines said.
"Both aircraft have been removed from service for inspections and passengers are currently being reacommodated on other aircraft."
Boston Logan International Airport spokesman Phil Orlandella said one person was complaining of neck pain after the crash, but that no one else had been injured, myFOXboston.com reported.
A passenger aboard the larger Amsterdam-bound jet, 30-year-old Jacob Crane, of Atlanta, told the Boston Herald that he had watched his plane's wing run into the other plane's tail.
"I saw it coming. We were taxiing pretty quick. I saw the wing and I said we're not going to clear that. It was like 'oh, they hit,' and that was that.
"It was generally pretty calm but there were some people … a Russian guy was grabbing for the emergency exit," Crane said. "But it was like no big deal. Nobody was hurt. There was a girl next to me that started crying and bawling but everybody else was pretty calm."
The collision caused the tail of the commuter jet to bend over completely, according to myFOXboston.com.
The crash came three months after a Comair plane was involved in a dramatic smash with an Air France A380 on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport — an incident which made headlines globally after being caught on film.


text: This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-09-664T entitled 'VA Health Care: Challenges in Budget Formulation and Issues Surrounding the Proposal for Advance Appropriations' which was released on April 29, 2009. This text file was formatted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this document to email@example.com. This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. Testimony: Before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of Representatives: United States Government Accountability Office: GAO: For Release on Delivery: Expected at 10:00 a.m. EDT: Wednesday, April 29, 2009: VA Health Care: Challenges in Budget Formulation and Issues Surrounding the Proposal for Advance Appropriations: Statement of Randall B. Williamson: Director, Health Care: Susan J. Irving: Director, Federal Budget Analysis, Strategic Issues: GAO-09-664T: GAO Highlights: Highlights of GAO-09-664T, a testimony before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of Representatives. Why GAO Did This Study: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates it will provide health care to 5.8 million patients with appropriations of about $41 billion in fiscal year 2009. It provides a range of services, including primary care, outpatient and inpatient services, long-term care, and prescription drugs. VA formulates its health care budget by developing annual estimates of its likely spending for all its health care programs and services, and includes these estimates in its annual congressional budget justification. GAO was asked to discuss budgeting for VA health care. As agreed, this statement addresses (1) challenges VA faces in formulating its health care budget and (2) issues surrounding the possibility of providing advance appropriations for VA health care. This testimony is based on prior GAO work, including VA Health Care: Budget Formulation and Reporting on Budget Execution Need Improvement (GAO-06-958) (Sept. 2006); VA Health Care: Long-Term Care Strategic Planning and Budgeting Need Improvement (GAO-09-145) (Jan. 2009); and VA Health Care: Challenges in Budget Formulation and Execution (GAO-09- 459T) (Mar. 2009); and on GAO reviews of budgets, budget resolutions, and related legislative documents. We discussed the contents of this statement with VA officials. What GAO Found: GAO's prior work highlights some of the challenges VA faces in formulating its budget: obtaining sufficient data for useful budget projections, making accurate calculations, and making realistic assumptions. For example, GAO's 2006 report on VA's overall health care budget found that VA underestimated the cost of serving veterans returning from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to VA officials, the agency did not have sufficient data from the Department of Defense, but VA subsequently began receiving the needed data monthly rather than quarterly. In addition, VA made calculation errors when estimating the effect of its proposed fiscal year 2006 nursing home policy, and this contributed to requests for supplemental funding. GAO recommended that VA strengthen its internal controls to better ensure the accuracy of calculations used to prepare budget requests. VA agreed and, for its fiscal year 2009 budget justification, had an independent actuarial firm validate savings estimates from proposals to increase fees for certain types of health care coverage. In January 2009, GAO found that VA's assumptions about the cost of providing long-term care appeared unreliable given that assumed cost increases were lower than VA's recent spending experience and guidance provided by the Office of Management and Budget. GAO recommended that VA use assumptions consistent with recent experience or report the rationale for alternative cost assumptions. In a March 23, 2009, letter to GAO, VA stated that it concurred and would implement this recommendation for future budget submissions. The provision of advance appropriations would "use up" discretionary budget authority for the next year and so limit Congress's flexibility to respond to changing priorities and needs. While providing funds for 2 years in a single appropriations act provides certainty about some funds, the longer projection period increases the uncertainty of the data and projections used. If VA is expected to submit its budget proposal for health care for 2 years, the lead time for the second year would be 30 months. This additional lead time increases the uncertainty of the estimates and could worsen the challenges VA already faces when formulating its health care budget. Given the challenges VA faces in formulating its health care budget and the changing nature of health care, proposals to change the availability of the appropriations it receives deserve careful scrutiny. Providing advance appropriations will not mitigate or solve the problems we have reported regarding data, calculations, or assumptions in developing VA's health care budget. Nor will it address any link between cost growth and program design. Congressional oversight will continue to be critical. View [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-664T] or key components. For more information, contact Randall B. Williamson at (202) 512-7114 or email@example.com or Susan J. Irving at (202) 512- 8288 or firstname.lastname@example.com. [End of section] Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: We are pleased to be here today as the committee considers issues in budgeting and funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care programs. These programs form one of the largest health care delivery systems in the nation and provide, for eligible veterans, a range of services, including preventive and primary health care, outpatient and inpatient services, long-term care, and prescription drugs. VA estimated that in fiscal year 2009, its health care programs would serve 5.8 million patients with appropriations of about $41 billion. VA health care programs are funded through the annual appropriations process along with other areas of critical importance and high priority to the nation, including national defense, homeland security, transportation, energy and natural resources, education, and public health. VA formulates its health care budget by developing annual estimates of its likely spending for all of its health care programs and services. This is by its very nature challenging, as it is based on assumptions and imperfect information on the health care services VA expects to provide. For example, VA is responsible for anticipating the service needs of two very different populations--an aging veteran population and a growing number of veterans returning from the military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq--calculating the future costs associated with providing VA services, and using these factors to develop the department's budget request submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[Footnote 1] VA provides its annual congressional budget justification to the appropriations subcommittees, providing additional explanation for the President's budget request. [Footnote 2] VA uses an actuarial model to develop its annual budget estimates for most of its health care programs, including inpatient acute surgery, outpatient care, and prescription drugs. This model estimates future VA health care costs by using projections of veterans' demand for VA's health care services as well as cost estimates associated with particular health care services.[Footnote 3] In fiscal year 2006, VA used the actuarial model to estimate about 86 percent of its projected health care spending for that year. VA uses a separate approach to project long-term care demands and costs, which accounted for about 10 percent of VA's estimated health care spending for fiscal year 2006. VA used other approaches to project demand and costs for the remaining 4 percent of the medical programs budget request for fiscal year 2006. In 2006 and 2009, we issued reports that examined some of the challenges VA faces in budget formulation; these reports pertained to VA's overall health care budget as well as portions of its budget that pertain to long-term care.[Footnote 4] We also testified in March 2009 before the House Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations, about challenges VA faces in formulating and executing its budget.[Footnote 5] You asked us to discuss budgeting for VA health care. As agreed, today we will discuss (1) challenges VA faces in formulating its health care budget and (2) some issues surrounding the possibility of providing advance appropriations for VA health care.[Footnote 6] For our 2006 report on VA's overall health care budget for fiscal years 2005 and 2006, we analyzed and reviewed budget documents, including VA's budget justifications for health care programs for fiscal years 2005 and 2006, and interviewed VA officials responsible for VA health care budget issues and for developing budget projections. In addition, from August to September 2008, we reviewed VA documents to determine whether VA had implemented the recommendations we made in our 2006 report. For our 2009 report on VA's long-term care budget, we reviewed VA's fiscal year 2009 congressional budget justification and related documents. We also interviewed VA officials. VA did not initially comment on the recommendations in our 2009 report, but said it would provide an action plan. VA provided this action plan in a March 23, 2009, letter to GAO. For this statement we reviewed VA's letter and action plan. For the discussion of appropriations and budgeting we reviewed previous GAO work, budgets, budget resolutions, and related legislative documents.[Footnote 7] We conducted our work for these performance audits in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.[Footnote 8] Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We discussed the contents of this statement with VA officials. VA Faces Challenges in Formulating Its Health Care Budget: Our prior work highlights some of the challenges VA faces in formulating its budget: obtaining sufficient data for useful budget projections, making accurate calculations, and making realistic assumptions. Our 2006 report on VA's overall health care budget found that VA underestimated the cost of serving veterans returning from military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, in part because estimates for fiscal year 2005 were based on data that largely predated the Iraq conflict.[Footnote 9] In fiscal year 2006, according to VA, the agency again underestimated the cost of serving these veterans because it did not have sufficient data due to challenges obtaining data needed to identify these veterans from the Department of Defense (DOD). According to VA officials, the agency subsequently began receiving the DOD data needed to identify these veterans on a monthly basis rather than quarterly. We also reported challenges VA faces in making accurate calculations during budget formulation. VA made computation errors when estimating the effect of its proposed fiscal year 2006 nursing home policy, and this also contributed to requests for supplemental funding. We found that VA underestimated workload--that is, the amount of care VA provides--and the costs of providing care in all three of its nursing home settings.[Footnote 10] VA officials said that the errors resulted from calculations being made in haste during the OMB appeal process, [Footnote 11] and that a more standardized approach to long-term care calculations could provide stronger quality assurance to help prevent future mistakes. In 2006, we recommended that VA strengthen its internal controls to better ensure the accuracy of calculations it uses in preparing budget requests. VA agreed with and implemented this recommendation for its fiscal year 2009 budget justification by having an independent actuarial firm validate the savings estimates from proposals to increase fees for certain types of health care coverage. Our 2006 report on VA's overall health care budget also illustrated that VA faces challenges making realistic assumptions about the budgetary impact of its proposed policies. VA made unrealistic assumptions about how quickly the department would realize savings from proposed changes in its nursing home policy. We reported the President's requests for additional funding for VA's medical programs for fiscal years 2005 and 2006 were in part due to these unrealistic assumptions.[Footnote 12] We recommended that VA improve its budget formulation processes by explaining in its budget justifications the relationship between the implementation of proposed policy changes and the expected timing of cost savings to be achieved. VA agreed and acted on this recommendation in its fiscal year 2009 budget justification. In January 2009, we found that VA's spending estimate in its fiscal year 2009 budget justification for noninstitutional long-term care services appeared unreliable, in part because this spending estimate was based on a workload projection that appeared to be unrealistically high in relation to recent VA experience.[Footnote 13] VA projected that its workload for noninstitutional long-term care would increase 38 percent from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2009. VA made this projection even though from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2007--the most recent year for which workload data are available--actual workload for these services decreased about 5 percent. In its fiscal year 2009 budget justification, VA did not provide information regarding its plans for how it would increase noninstitutional workload 38 percent from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2009. We recommended that VA use workload projections in future budget justifications that are consistent with VA's recent experience with noninstitutional long-term care spending or report the rationale for using alternative projections. In its March 23, 2009, letter to GAO, VA stated it concurs with this recommendation and will implement our recommendation in future budget submissions. In January 2009, we also reported that VA may have underestimated its nursing home spending and noninstitutional long-term care spending for fiscal year 2009 because it used a cost assumption that appeared unrealistically low, given recent VA experience and economic forecasts of health care cost increases. For example, VA based its nursing home spending estimate on an assumption that the cost of providing a day of nursing home care would increase 2.5 percent from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2009. However, from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2007-- the most recent year for which actual cost data are available--these costs increased approximately 5.5 percent. VA's 2.5 percent cost- increase estimate is also less than the 3.8 percent inflation rate for medical services that OMB provided in guidance to VA to help with its budget estimates. We recommended that in future budget justifications, VA use cost assumptions for estimating both nursing home and noninstitutional long-term care spending that are consistent with VA's recent experience or report the rationale for alternative cost assumptions. In its March 23, 2009, letter to GAO, VA stated it concurs with our recommendations and will implement these recommendations in future budget submissions. Issues in Changing the Appropriations for VA Health Care: Consideration of any proposal to change the availability of the appropriations VA receives for health care should take into account the current structure of the federal budget, the congressional budget process--including budget enforcement--and the nature of the nation's fiscal challenge. The impact of any change on congressional flexibility and oversight also should be considered. In the federal budget, spending is divided into two main categories: (1) direct spending, or spending that flows directly from authorizing legislation--this spending is often referred to as "mandatory spending"--and (2) discretionary spending, defined as spending that is provided in appropriations acts. It is in the annual appropriations process that the Congress considers, debates, and makes decisions about the competing claims for federal resources. Citizens look to the federal government for action in a wide range of areas. Congress is confronted every year with claims that have merit but which in total exceed the amount the Congress believes appropriate to spend. It is not an easy process--but it is an important exercise of its Constitutional power of the purse. Special treatment for spending in one area--either through separate spending caps or guaranteed minimums or exemption from budget enforcement rules--may serve to protect that area from competition with other areas for finite resources. The allocation of funds across federal activities is not the only thing Congress determines as part of the annual appropriations process. It also specifies the purposes for which funds may be used and the length of time for which funds are available. Further, annually enacted appropriations have long been a basic means of exerting and enforcing congressional policy. The review of agency funding requests often provides the context for the conduct of oversight. For example, in the annual review of the VA health care budget, increasing costs may prompt discussion about causes and possible responses--and lead to changes in the programs or in funding levels. VA health care offers illustrations of and insights into growing health care costs. This takes on special significance since--as we and others have reported--the nation's long-term fiscal challenge is driven largely by the rapid growth in health care costs. Both the Congress and the agencies have expressed frustration with the budget and appropriations process. Some members of Congress have said the process is too lengthy. The public often finds the debate confusing. Agencies find it burdensome and time consuming. And the frequent need for continuing resolutions[Footnote 14] (CR) has been a source of frustration both in the Congress and in agencies. Although there is frustration with the current process, changes should be considered carefully. The current process is, in part, the cumulative result of many changes made to address previous problems. This argues for spending time both defining what the problem(s) to be solved are and analyzing the impact of any proposed change(s). In considering issues surrounding the possibility of providing advance appropriations for VA health care--or any other program--it is important to recognize that not all funds provided through the existing appropriations process expire at the end of a single fiscal year. Congress routinely provides multi-year appropriations for accounts or projects within accounts when it deems it makes sense to do so. Multi- year funds are funds provided in one year that are available for obligation beyond the end of that fiscal year. So, for example, multi- year funds provided in the fiscal year 2010 appropriations act would be available in fiscal year 2010 and remain available for some specified number of future years.[Footnote 15] Unobligated balances from such multi-year funds may be carried over by the agency into the next fiscal year--regardless of whether the agency is operating under a continuing resolution or a new appropriations act. For example, in fiscal year 2009 about $3 billion of approximately $41 billion for VA health care programs was made available for two years. Congress also provides agencies--including VA--some authority to move funds between appropriations accounts. This transfer authority provides flexibility to respond to changing circumstances. Advance appropriations are different from multi-year appropriations. Whereas multi-year appropriations are available in the year in which they are provided, advance appropriations represent budget authority that becomes available one or more fiscal years after the fiscal year covered by the appropriations act in which they are provided. So, for example, advance appropriations provided in the fiscal year 2010 appropriations act would consist of funds that would first be available for obligation in fiscal year 2011 or later. In considering the proposal to provide advance appropriations, one issue is the impact on congressional flexibility and its ability to consider competing demands for limited federal funds. Although appropriations are made on an annual cycle, both the President and the Congress look beyond a single year in setting spending targets. The current administration's budget presents spending totals for ten fiscal years.[Footnote 16] The concurrent Budget Resolution--which represents Congress's overall fiscal plan--includes discretionary spending totals for the budget year and each of the four future years.[Footnote 17] The provision of advance appropriations would "use up" discretionary budget authority for the next year. In doing so it limits Congress's flexibility to respond to changing priorities and needs and reduces the amount available for other purposes in the next year. Another issue would be how and when the limits on such advance appropriations would be set. Currently the concurrent Budget Resolution both caps the total amount that can be provided through advance appropriations and identifies the agencies or programs which may be provided such funding.[Footnote 18] It does not specify how the total should be allocated among those agencies. A related question is what share of VA health care funding would be provided in advance appropriations. Is the intent to provide a full appropriation for both years in the single appropriations act? This would in effect enact the entire appropriation for both the budget year and the following fiscal year at the same time. If appropriations for VA health care were enacted in two-year increments, under what conditions would there be changes in funding in the second year? Would the presumption be that there would be no action in that second year except under unusual circumstances? Or is the presumption that there would be additional funds provided? These questions become critical if Congress decides to provide all or most of VA health care's funding in advance. Even if only a portion of VA health care funding is to be provided in advance appropriations, Congress will need to determine what that share should be and how it should be allocated across VA's medical accounts. While providing funds for 2 years in a single appropriations act provides certainty about some funds, the longer projection period increases the uncertainty of the data and projections used. Under the current annual appropriations cycle, agencies begin budget formulation at least 18 months before the relevant fiscal year begins. If VA is expected to submit its budget proposal for health care for both years at once, the lead time for the second year would be 30 months. This additional lead time increases the uncertainty of the estimates and could worsen the challenges VA faces when formulating its health care budget. Concluding Observations: Given the challenges VA faces in formulating its health care budget and the changing nature of health care, proposals to change the availability of the appropriations it receives deserve careful scrutiny. Providing advance appropriations will not mitigate or solve the problems noted above regarding data, calculations, or assumptions in developing VA's health care budget. Nor will it address any link between cost growth and program design. Congressional oversight will continue to be critical. No one would suggest that the current budget and appropriations process is perfect. However, it is important to recognize that no process will make the difficult choices and tradeoffs Congress faces easy. If VA is to receive advance appropriations for health care, the amount of discretionary spending available for Congress to allocate to other federal activities in that year will be reduced. In addition, providing advance appropriations for VA health care will not resolve the problems we have identified in VA's budget formulation. Mr. Chairman, this concludes our prepared remarks. We would be happy to answer any questions you or other members of the Committee may have. GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments: [End of section] For more information regarding this testimony, please contact Randall B.Williamson at (202) 512-7114 or firstname.lastname@example.com or Susan J. Irving at (202) 512-8288 or email@example.com. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this statement. In addition to the contributors named above, Carol Henn and James C. Musselwhite, Assistant Directors; Katherine L. Amoroso, Helen Desaulniers, Felicia M. Lopez, Julie Matta, Lisa Motley, Sheila Rajabiun, Steve Robblee, and Timothy Walker made key contributions to this testimony. [End of section] Footnotes: [1] VA begins to formulate its own budget request at least 18 months before the start of the fiscal year to which the request relates and about 10 months before transmission of the President's budget request, which usually occurs in early February. [2] The President's budget request for VA is developed by the Office of Management and Budget. [3] The actuarial model reflects factors such as the age, sex, and morbidity of the veteran population as well as the extent to which veterans are expected to seek care from VA rather than health care providers reimbursed by other payers such as Medicare and Medicaid. [4] See GAO, VA Health Care: Budget Formulation and Reporting on Budget Execution Need Improvement, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-958] (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 20, 2006); GAO, VA Health Care: Long-Term Care Strategic Planning and Budgeting Need Improvement, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-145] (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 23, 2009). [5] See GAO, VA Health Care: Challenges in Budget Formulation and Execution, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-459T] (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 12, 2009). [6] The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 would provide for the VA Medical Services, Medical Support and Compliance, and Medical Facilities appropriations accounts to receive advance appropriations beginning with fiscal year 2011. H.R. 1016 and S. 423, 111th Cong. (2009). Advance appropriations represent budget authority that becomes available 1 or more fiscal years after the fiscal year covered by the appropriations act in which they are made. [7] See GAO, Budget Process: Issues in Biennial Budget Proposals, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/T-AIMD-96-136] (Washington, D.C.: July 24, 1996); GAO, Budget Process: Comments on S.261-Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/T-AIMD-97-84] (Washington, D.C.: Apr. 23, 1997); GAO, Budget Issues: Cap Structure and Guaranteed Funding, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/T-AIMD-99-210] (Washington, D.C.: July 21, 1999); GAO, Congressional Directives: Selected Agencies' Processes for Responding to Funding Instructions, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-209] (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 31, 2008). [8] We conducted our work on VA's overall health care budget from October 2005 through September 2006, our work on VA's long-term care budget from November 2007 through January 2009, and our work for this statement in April 2009. The discussion of advance appropriations draws on work and analysis conducted on an ongoing basis for over a decade. [9] See [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-958]. [10] VA provides nursing home care in VA-operated nursing homes, in state veterans' nursing homes, and in community nursing homes under local or national contract to VA. [11] In late November, OMB "passes back" budget decisions to the agencies on the President's budget requests for their programs, a process known as "passback." These decisions may involve, among other things, funding levels, program policy changes, and personnel ceilings. The agencies may appeal decisions with which they disagree. [12] In June 2005, the President requested a $975 million supplemental appropriation for fiscal year 2005, and in July 2005, the President submitted a $1.977 billion budget amendment for the fiscal year 2006 appropriation. [13] VA provides two types of long-term care: institutional long-term care, which is provided almost exclusively in nursing homes, and noninstitutional long-term care, which is provided in veterans' own homes and in other locations in the community. [14] When Congress and the President do not reach final decisions about one or more regular appropriations acts by the beginning of the federal fiscal year, October 1, they often enact a continuing resolution (CR). A CR provides agencies with funding for a period of time until final appropriations decisions are made or until enactment of another CR. [15] Some of these funds are available for two years; some are available for a longer specified time; some are available "until expended." [16] These are usually provided by budget category, by budget function, and by agency as well as for the total budget. The President's budget for fiscal year 2010 includes summary budget totals for the ten years spanning fiscal year 2010 through fiscal year 2019. [17] The FY 2010 budget resolution specifies discretionary spending amounts--both budget authority and outlays--in total and for each budget function for each of fiscal years 2010-2014. (It also specifies the amount of new appropriations and outlays for FY 2009). [18] A point of order can be raised against advance appropriations provided for those entities not identified by the Resolution. [End of section] GAO's Mission: The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation and investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO's commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability. Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony: The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost is through GAO's Web site [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. Each weekday, GAO posts newly released reports, testimony, and correspondence on its Web site. To have GAO e-mail you a list of newly posted products every afternoon, go to [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov] and select "E-mail Updates." Order by Phone: The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO's actual cost of production and distribution and depends on the number of pages in the publication and whether the publication is printed in color or black and white. Pricing and ordering information is posted on GAO's Web site, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm]. Place orders by calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or TDD (202) 512-2537. Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional information. To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs: Contact: Web site: [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm]: E-mail: email@example.com: Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470: Congressional Relations: Ralph Dawn, Managing Director, email@example.com: (202) 512-4400: U.S. Government Accountability Office: 441 G Street NW, Room 7125: Washington, D.C. 20548: Public Affairs: Chuck Young, Managing Director, firstname.lastname@example.com: (202) 512-4800: U.S. Government Accountability Office: 441 G Street NW, Room 7149: Washington, D.C. 20548:


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There Sure Are a Lot of Ones in Today's Date
Yep, it's 11/11/11. Crazy. People are getting married for good luck, doctors are offering discounts on births. Haven't seen this many ones since November 11, 1911.
Here's how the New York Times marked this day 100 years ago.
To-day it is possible to write the date with the repetition six times of a single digit. It is the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year, and so one may save time and just put it down 11-11-11. It will be a century before the same thing can be done on Nov. 11, 2011, though, of course, on Dec. 12 next year there wil be a close approximation to it with 12-12-12 as a correct presentation of the date.
Still to-day for the last time until the era is changed will one digit appear seven times in the date, however it be written. To-day is 11-11-1911. Eight hundred years ago this was beaten by writing 11-11-1111, on Nov. 11, 1111, but it is not likely that the precise monkish scribes at the time would have allowed so slovenly a method of recording an essential fact. As none of us is likely to be living in the year 11111, it would be well for those who delight in curious trifles to take their fill of enjoyment out of this method of dating to-day, 11-11-11.
What, no 11-11-11-themed horror films? No elaborate numerological conspiracy theories? Things really were boring before the internet.


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South Africa
What you need to know before you go
South Africa is as varied in its landscapes as it is diverse in its people, really earning the nickname of the "rainbow nation". You can go from lively cities like Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg to the wilderness of the Kruger National Park. Within a relatively short drive, you can go from the rich wine regions of the Western Cape to the barren wastes of the Kalahri Desert.
The history of human and animal kind is on full display right across the country, from the Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg to the antelope hopping around the parks, farms and even some of the country roads. Don't miss out on the chance to stand on the boundary between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, too, on the Cape of Good Hope.
Top destinations in South AfricaWhere will you go next?
Cape Town
Cape Town reclines on a sunny peninsula on South Africa's glittering southwest coast. Here, outdoorsy types can explore the rugged trails of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, adrenaline junkies can abseil down the soaring Table Mountain, while those seeking relaxation can find it on the silver sands of Blouberg Beach.
The city's vibrant blend of cultures is best sampled in a local restaurant or lively market, while its past can be discovered in numerous historical landmarks. A trip to Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela was once held, makes for a somber yet captivating experience.Read more


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Modules & Boot Scripts
Q: I try to enable Tethering (Mobile AP or USB) and I get an error.
A: You have to use the enable_netfilter boot script. From Semaphore Script Manager check the Netfilter.
Q: My firewall application complains that iptables is not supported.
A: You have to use the enable_netfilter boot script. (Please see previous question)
Q: How can I use the overclocking functionality?
A: From Semaphore Script Manager check the 1200 or 1300 option in Overclocking section.
Q: I enabled OC but there is no 1000MHz frequency step.
A: This is normal. Since version 1.6.0, when you enable overclocking the 1200MHz/1300MHz frequency replaces 1000MHz.
Q: I use logger applications but I can not see any logs.
A: Logger is by default disabled. You have to check Logger option in Semaphore Script Manager application and reboot the device.
Q: On bigmem versions I get an error when I use video recording in 1280x720 resolution
A: This is normal. Bigmem versions use less reserved memory for video. You have more available free RAM but the 'cost' is broken video recording on the 1280x720 resolution.
Q: Does the kernel support ext4? How can I convert file system to ext4?
A: Yes. Download CF-root ext4 add-on application and install it to your phone. Back up your data (just in case), run the application and select 'convert to ext4'. The phone will reboot and the conversion will start automatically in CWM.
Q: I can't convert /system partition to ext4
A: Try to make some free space on /system partition. You may delete some ringtones (/system/media/audio/ringtones). You will need about 5MB free space on /system for the conversion.
Q: I still can't convert my file systems to ext4
A: Disable the virtual /cache to 50MB option from Semaphore Script Manager application.
Q: When the screen goes off, a green flash appears. What is wrong?
A: This is a side effect of Voodoo Color. As a workaround, try to reset to default the settings related to color in Voodoo Control application or increase the gamma values.
Q: I flashed Semaphore kernel but I can't have root access.
A: Semaphore installs only the su binary. You have to download Superuser application from Android Market to complete your phone rooting.


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With the holidays approaching many people are starting their shopping. Next week comes one of the busiest shopping days of the year: Black Friday. Plus pre-Thanksgiving sales, Cyber Monday, and all the other holiday sales make this time of year a little hectic when it comes to finding the perfect gift. With some of the economic challenges people are facing this year, finding the best bang for the buck is even more important. So take a break and check out the history behind Black Friday and some tips and tricks you can use to find the best deals and to keep yourself safe as you shop for your loved ones this year.
NEW! Why is it called Black Friday?
Black Friday got its name originally because of the car accidents and violence that took place as the crowds rushed for the sales. Stores didn't want the day associated with something so negative so they changed it to represent the way the sales would help get them back in the "black" financially speaking.
The History of Black Friday (find it on the ipl2)
Find out more about Black Friday on this site devoted to the day and everything surrounding it. Learn more about when it started, who coined the phrase, and why it's become something shoppers look forward to almost as much as Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Personal Safety Plan for Black Friday (find it on the ipl2)
The National Crime Prevention Center offers tips to keep you safe if you go out to face the crowds on Black Friday. These ideas will help you make a plan ahead of time and keep you, your money, and others around you safe. Remembering to take your time, not carry more than you can, and being aware of your surroundings are just a few of the tips offered to make your shopping more enjoyable and less stressful.
Black Friday Ads and Shopping (find it on the ipl2)
This site gathers all the sales and information you need to make your strategy for Black Friday shopping. Browse the ads ahead of time, find out special shopping times, and learn any restrictions you need to know before you head out the door.
Tips: Safe Online Shopping (find it on the ipl2)
Because of the crowds and the craziness you might prefer to shop from the comfort of your home. This site offers practical advice and tips on how to protect yourself as you shop. Valuable suggestions on how to tell if a website is secure to shop on and reminders to trust your instincts are just a couple of the tips that can help you have a safe and enjoyable shopping experience, even on the web.
Cyber Monday Ads and Shopping NEW!
With the advent of online shopping, stores decided to get in on the shopping frenzy of Black Friday and extend special deals that would be available only online on the Monday after Thanksgiving. This site will give you tips on all of the deals to watch for on Cyber Monday. Plus they offer the inside scoop on online deals all throughout the year.
Better Business Bureau Consumer Tips (find it on the ipl2)
The Better Business Bureau offers plenty of tips on how to shop online safely. They offer suggestions on how to avoid scams, lists of reliable sites, and ratings on specific businesses to help you make better choices. There are a lot of useful links and articles to help you stay safe while shopping all year long.
NEW! Shopping Tips and Tricks
This blog is updated regularly and is focused on helping you find the best deals. There are regular pages of links to places you can find coupons or ads, information about freebies, and other sites you might find useful. Plus, the author posts about special promotions as she finds them.
National Retail Federation (find it on the ipl2)
This site gives you all the news you could want about past and present shopping trends around the holiday season. Get statistics, articles, and information about Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It will help you check out what's big this year or look at what happened last year at this time.