Odessa

I wonder, will history repeat itself? It has so far, but will that cycle continue. Stop the insanity and be smarter this time America

In the crazy 80's, gas prices were out of sight in comparison to what people where earning and people bought littler cars to cope with the reality. I remember those days fondly because I was in college. The current spiraling gas prices and concern about how to feed the car is a bit of dejavu for me. Then as now, people were very concerned about finding alternate energy sources.

I eyed a particular college class and I was fascinated. It was something I could be passionate about. Maybe even pursue as a career. I finally got the prerequisites just to find the class canceled! The class was on alternative energy technologies.

What had changed? The price of gas had fallen significantly. We had dodged the bullet. It was time to party and make V-8 sports cars and behemoth trucks again. The the reign of the SUV began, too. Meanwhile I shook my head saying to myself: "Wake up people! It WILL happen again! Don't stop looking for other ways to power stuff. Don't stop making little cars."

Hopefully we can avoid making the same mistake again. We have come farther this time - hybrids are a reality not a dream. There is so much farther to go, though. We are still import the majority of our petroleum from parts of the world that are not very stable. We trust the fuel for our means of transportation to countries and people who hate us and prefer us wiped from the globe. Domestic drilling may help. but it is not the solution. We need to look at our transportation differently.

I don't know if the answers include alternative fuels for our current cars or getting away from internal combustion engines completely. Perhaps, like hybrids, the answer is a little from column A and a little from column B. What ever the answer is - Please lets keep looking!

Hillary Clinton pulled out of a rally protesting the appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the UN. Why? Because Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be there. According to Clinton's camp, Philippe Reines said: "Clearly there was some miscommunication because this was never billed to us as a partisan political event. Sen. Clinton will therefore not be attending this event."

I would think that something this important could go beyond petty party power plays, but obviously I'm wrong.

Six foot three Joseph Petcka claims he was simply defending himself against the 7 lb ball of fur named Norman. I don't know whether to laugh, cry or just shake my head.

From the New York Daily News

"You love that cat more than me!" Joseph Petcka, 37, screamed at his girlfriend, Lisa Altobelli, just before he pummeled 7-pound pussy Norman to death, court papers say.

The ruggedly handsome Petcka, who has appeared in Brawny paper towel ads and "Sex and the City," claims he acted in self-defense after the cat tried to bite him inside Altobelli's SoHo apartment.

My friend's cat is a bit vicious and has tried to bite me on several occasions. Have I ever felt that I could not escape and had to beat him to death? Never.

Norman, an orange-and-white long hair, died from injuries that included three broken ribs and torn lungs, officials said.

While some may think the 2 yrs in prison that this sick mother fucker coward is facing is harsh - consider that it may have been Ms. Altobelli in a body bag if the big brawny man didn't have the little kitty to beat on.

Maybe the next cat that bites Mr. Petcka will be rabid - then at least he will have an excuse for acting like a lunatic.

PETA can be a bit out there at times when they worry about people eating honey or wearing silk, but sometimes they get back to their original roots and worry about animal welfare.

PETA has been investigating factory farms and they have found some atrocities. The workers on the investigated farm took great delight in tormenting and torturing the animals in their care and it was caught on video. Only open the following if you have the stomach:

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iowa_pigfarm_abuse

The people at the intestigated Iowa pig farm turn my stomach. I hope I never meet people like these because I may have to, at a minimum, spit in their eye . . . or stick a finger in their eye or a rod up their ass.

Next time you go buy hot dogs, or chili, or any other meat containing product from a mass-market producer, keep in mind how those animals are treated and that you may be helping pay the sick mother fuckers that treated them that way. Although Hormel denies knowing or advocating this type of behavior, how do they really know how the animals that supply their meat is treated? This may be one farm, but how many sick mother fuckers working at how many farms are there?

I'm not telling anyone to go vegetarian - I'm not. I'm asking you to think before you buy. Visit your local farmer's market. Look the farmer in the eye and see if you think he/she is a person that treats their animals with dignity while they are alive. Choose carefully who you want to support.

How many times have you wanted to say that to someone, not because they are talking to anyone, but because they are IMing their little fingers off. Now we may have just had a disaster because someone couldn't wait to IM. The engineer of a California commuter rail, Metrolink, is suspected of texting just before crashing head-on with a freight train. He and a couple of 14 yr old train enthusiasts had become friendly and they were reportedly texting each other just before the crash that killed 25.

This goes for talking on the phone or texting - nothing, I repeat NOTHING, is that damned important that the person on the other side can not wait until you are someplace safe. We really need to get out of that stupid teenaged mentality that we NEED to answer right away 'cause the other person might get mad / sad / nervous / etc. / etc. Just because we can talk/text in more and more places is not reason we should.

So - get your head out of that damned phone and pay attention to what's around you! The life you save could be your own . . . or a couple dozen more.

Well, not court, per se, but rather binding arbitration. While I find Islam's attitude toward women disgusting, the binding arbitration that the Sharia Courts are deciding on are mostly civil issues such as divorce, inheritance and community disagreements (such as a neighbor dispute).

Article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece

I get it, freedom of religion and all. Plus, the Brits have let similar Jewish courts operate for some time. But Islamic law is a totally different beast than Jewish law.

I would hope that the women agreeing to go to the Sharia court have been counciled on their rights and/or realize they are going to get the royal shaft. I would also hope that there are some checks and balances to make sure that the women agreeing to these proceedings are not being coerced into them. However, considering the "honor" killings that we hear about and the relative seclusion many of these women face, I am not too optomistic about the Muslim women subjected to these proceedings knowing fully what they are getting into.

The part of this that does make my blood boil is the fact that domestic abuse is lumped in with the above mentioned civil issues. Supporters of these courts applaude that fact that the husbands are sent to anger management, it saves the marrage and the women ultimately drop any criminal charges. No follow-up, no making sure the woman has dropped the charges of her own accord, nothing. I wonder how many Muslim women are going to have trips to the hospital or the morgue before the British authorities rethink this aspect of the Sharia courts. Just a thought.

Well, at least until after the election. She said she won't have any candidates on her show until after the election, although she supports Obama and had him on her show in the past. Some women's groups are crying foul and boycotting her show, saying she is missing an opportunity to showcase a woman who is breaking barriers.

I think everyone needs to step back for a second and take a deep breath.

I, as a woman, have never understood the cult of Oprah. She may have set a new standard for talk shows, but she is not a goddess. Although, one might say she is the goddess of talk shows. Even being the entertainment mogul she is does not endow her with supernatural powers or epic genius. The only power she has is the power others, primarily women, give her.

So, ladies, get over it. It's her show, she can have who ever she wants on it. I think a boycott is a little over the top. However, if it gets women to start thinking for themselves again, I'm all for it. Maybe women will quit going to book stores glossy eyed asking for the book of the month and waiting like a kid on Christmas morning for the next issue of "O" - In other words, they might get a life.

And as far as in interview with Palin or Obama? I am an patient person - after November 4th works for me.