I need a puppy. Got any puppies?

Sorry. Only our German Shepherd, whom we adopted because she was mean to the other doggies and was going to be thrown out of her home. Hence, we cannot foster other dogs. :(

Blue, You're not keeping those kittens in the freezer, are you? :D

Nope. Strict vegetarian 12 years and counting. :)

Alternative energy-powered cars? What a concept.

That's aiming too high. For starters, I think US consumers might be better off recognizing less of a need for gas-guzzling SUVs and the like. Before you run, you gotta learn how to walk.

Sherwood

Oh, that is sooo spot-on.

. ..yeah? sounds fast. Wanna race it against a 911, across the country? .. . how about across the State? Maybe across town? . . .maybe we can find a really small town.:rolleyes:

Well, Aurel, what we do is pay lots & lots of taxes so smart guys like you can find solutions before they're problems. Now get back to work! If you don't come up with something soon, we may need to invade some far-off land for their oil.:rolleyes: heh-heh.

Aurel, not to worry, the day will come when "alt energy sources" become viable. For now, those big hydro-carbons are the cheap way to go.

Wishing good funding, for you.

Fistoff, you don`t pay lots and lots of taxes. Go to France, and you will understand what paying lots and lots of taxes means :)

Secondly, just think that one smart bomb at $1M a pop could fund 6 phD students for three years each. Now, calculate how many future researcher careers have been blown up on iraqui soil in march.
This is where your taxes are going.

Aurel

Cool pic Blue, Hope you find good homes for all...

First-off, Aurel, it is a false argument to say 'Americans don't pay a lot of taxes, because the French pay more."

Secondly, the price on those "smart bombs at $1M a pop" DID fund MANY phD's, students, Engineers. . . The cost of those bombs is NOT in the materials, but rather in the smarts behind them.

Perhaps your trying to suggest cheaper less acurate bombs should have been used . . . if it would help your funding, of course. :rolleyes:

Perhaps one of those dumb bombs mighta missed Iraq all together and hit maybe Paris by mistake?

Andy Grove...on the Charlie Rose show said that within 10 to 20 years the USA lead in Technology will erode and that China and India will become the leaders in the World with regards to Tech. He based part of his opinion on the fact that only 5% of US students are taking the tough Science and Engineering classes. Whereas 40% of the students from Asia are taking the tough classes. He also said fo the 5% of American students most of those are of Asian extraction...daunting

I can vouch for that...we've been trying to hire a mfg/simulation/software engineer for the past year and not a single American has the qualifications. The problem is that it's really, really hard to bring in green-card people right now (INS must've cut the quotas way back?). So we're stuck short-handed in an economy where there are supposedly tons of out-of-work "technical" people.

Why do all the American kids want an MBA?

Don't the French get a mandatory 2 months off out of the year or some nutty thing like that?

If U ask me the French are always OFF.... and have more nuts than California does...

Actually, I can get a 3 month off a year at the University, given I get enough funding from you taxpayers...HEHE I found an even better deal than in France, LOL.

Aurel

Se Amerika is better than france....why don't you say something nice about Amerika....


Hey dude...whenever I listen to someones arguements I always check to see how balanced they are....in other words no one or no country is all bad or good... What in your opinion is good about ole GW? there has to be something good that he and the USA has done, so far all I've heard is the negative from U Aurel...if you can't come up with something significant thats positive then your opinion isn't worth a warm bucket of spit.... and you should be on the Jerry Springer Show with all the other Nut and Fruitcakes.

Tabs,

I have a lot of positive things to say about the USA. No doubt that for someone who likes research, this is the place to be. This is also a beautifull country, with lots and wildlife and fantastic fishing, if you like to fish.
No doubt also that the USA has done a lot for the free world, in the past. The people here are strong, courageous and entrepreneurial, this is something I appreciate. And I am not trying to say that France is better, by any means. If it was, I would be there. Each country has its advantages and drawbacks, and you have to have lived in both to appreciate that. Now, if you ask me what in my opinion is good about ole GW, that is a totally different question. Why do you have to identify the USA to GW ? Maybe I`ll find an answer to that one with a lot of time and thinking, but for now, I am uninspired, and I have to go.

Aurel

Even though I dislike Clinton...I can say some postitive things about him.

Even though I dislike Al Gore... I can say some postive things about him.

As I said no person is totaly good or evil....to be believeable one has to have a balanced opinion.

Surely Aurel there is something that you think GW is doing on the World Stage as being positive.

I personally think he has a tough road to hoe and is tackling it in the best way he can. No approach is without it's flaws, and in the ME your damed if you do and damed if you don't. Given the constraints of the US Bureaucracy, Politics within his own Party, Other nation States, the imponderables of the World Economy... you tell me how he could do a better job. Don't forget that each President has ideological points of view. On the whole Bush may talk like a Cowboy, and want to act unilaterally as in America FIRST...but he has shown remarkable restraint. Not every decision is thought out fully, with the intent to cover all the bases, yet which President or World leader that you can think of does so?

A finial point is that you have to realize that the President is really in control of very little.....once set into motion events take on a life of their own which can't be controled...you might call it a Chaos Factor, and the best one can do is manage the chips you have on the table in the best fashion that you can.

Tabs, that was a remarkably coherent and cogent response. Where did you copy it from ???? :D ;)

Actually, Teddy, I was going to mention exactly what you said in your second graph. Yes, Bush does have very little power provided world events, and even national events. He was put in power on basis of whom he says he represents - and that is conservative thinking and industry. The same would happen with Al Gore - that guy is union through and through. Taxes would be astronomical, most probably. And we'd be hand-holding a lot of the nation which is strong enough to pull itself up and find a means to support itself.

But about Bush and this blunder in his speech - while it is hindsight to a degree, the Dems are already jumping all over him for it. His blunder? That ol' Texas quick draw; i.e., he quite obviously did not think this war through. The results of it are terrible (another soldier killed), and it looks like the U.S. troops will be in Iraq for a long time to come.

Bad planning. Very bad planning.

Do you guys like political cartoons?

Do you guys like animated political cartoons?

Then go here. There's plenty. However, if you're on one side of the political spectrum, you may not appreciate it as much.

Enjoy,
Sherwood
PS: You will need Flash to preview