The real reason I don't go there is that they have destroyed the American workplace and lowered the bar for all American employers; but, as long as there are people like these, then there will be a Wal-Mart. Everyone who shops at Wal-Mart looks like these people, spiritually, if not physically.
Thanks to modern modes of tranportation, river networks, and roads cut through the rain forest, most of the planet is accessible within two days of travel.
Thanks to a study by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre and the World Bank, this map has been created to show the least accessible places on the planet.
Top of the list: Tibet, where some locations can take up to three weeks to reach (two of those weeks by foot)!
by Al Falafal It is beginning to look like we will soon have some kind of health care reform in this country afterall, within our lifetimes even!
The rational, wide-ranging kind of change we need, however, is only likely to come in increments, if at all. And depending on what part of the country you live in, may not come for you anytime soon.
Only lately has the idea of allowing states to opt out of the public option been floated with any seriousness. On the surface, it seems to me to be a very intriguing compromise on the most contentious issues involved in the shouting matches that have passed for debate. If this is what it takes to get the blue dog Democrats on board with passing health care reform, along with the weary Repugnicans who are only interested in their political survival, might we really be seeing a light at the end of this long, ridiculous tunnel?
If it works out that a reform bill is put forth with a public option "option-out" for those states whose Senators oppose all reason then maybe we should just go for it and let the cards fall where they may. Chances are that once government-sponsored health insurance is up and running in certain states of the country, there will soon be a clamoring of people in the out-opted states who continue to get ripped off by their insurance companies. I would not be surprised if it will be those same loudmouth crazies who spent last summer disrupting town meetings who will be crying about being left out and demanding that they too be included in the government plan as well.
I took the family to Giants Stadium Saturday night for the final Red Bulls match of the season, and our final match at Giants Stadium. It was pouring rain and we had a blast!
Farewell to Albert Celades, who is retiring from the game.
Good-bye to Giants Stadium. Good riddance to the 2009 season, our worst season ever. Hello Red Bull Arena!
Enjoy the highlight reel, especially the Mbuta goal at the five minute mark:
by Dick Mac
