Tag Archives: money

Quake sees church premiums rise

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1337192119 45 Quake sees church premiums riseThe flow-on effects of the Christchurch earthquake will cost the Dunedin Catholic diocese about $300,000 this year, general manager Stuart Young says.

Increased insurance premiums were likely to cost an extra $200,000, with the rest going on detailed earthquake assessments of seven of the diocese’s most at-risk churches and buildings.

the money had not been budgeted for and finding it “certainly makes life very challenging”, mr Young said yesterday.

“We’re having to deal with it because it has to be done. Paying for it is really secondary.”

the diocese owns hundreds of churches, schools and parish buildings throughout Otago and Southland.

It would borrow to meet urgent additional costs and eventually recover most of the money from parishes and schools, he said.

Catholic schools were able to increase attendance dues to meet increased costs such as insurance, and dues would be increased next year, although it was not yet known by how much.

A “desktop” earthquake assessment had shown all the schools and many of the churches were not high earthquake risks, mr Young said.

However, Dunedin firm Hadley Robinson had been commissioned to inspect seven historic churches and buildings deemed most at risk – St Joseph’s Cathedral, St Patrick’s Basilica, St Bernadette’s (Dunedin), Holy Cross College (Mosgiel), St Patrick’s Basilica (Oamaru), the Irish Martyrs (Cromwell) and St Mary’s (Invercargill).

All but two are 120 years old or older.

the assessments were started in late February and all were expected to be completed before the end of the year, he said.

mr Young said he did not know what the assessment reports would show.

“The [strengthening] work required might be beyond our means to afford, but we can’t prejudge that.”

the diocese was looking at insurance premium increases of about 80%, he said.

Quotes were received some time ago and diocese staff were negotiating realistic coverage and premium costs with parish councils.

the reality was parishes were “cutting their cloth”, with most accepting they would be unable to replace like with like in the event of a major event such as an earthquake, mr Young said.

“Their view is they have to cope with today and deal with tomorrow if it comes. Church is about community and buildings are an adjunct to that. We won’t want to be focused on the buildings.”

– allison.rudd@odt.co.nz

Quake sees church premiums rise

Best Zombie Games

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1336756507 75 Best Zombie Games

In your quest to rid the post-apocalyptic world that’s been infested with zombies, don’t believe that neither all zombies nor all zombie games are created equal. Do a little searching around to find the fun games and spend your money wisely. Whether you like to play RPG games, first person shooter, multiplayer, or upgrade games, there is a zombie out there with your name on it. these are a few of the best.

The Resident Evil Series – This series has turned into a modern classic and has even been adapted onto the big screen. The game combines many different elements of horror, action, puzzle and storyline to keep you hanging on for hours. The franchise has been so successful it has developed a large number of games and spin-offs that have had notable success. If you are wondering where to start when it comes to zombies, this is your first stop.

Silent Hill – Konami jumped into this genre with a resounding splash with their first horror-based game. While games like Resident Evil use more of a surprise element to scare you out of your wits, silent Hill tries to do the same using atmosphere. Tight graphics, a creepy world to walk around in and sound effects that add excellent scare-factor, this is another zombie game you’ll want to walk around in a bit and see what lurks in the dark.

Dead Rising – If one or two zombies just don’t cut it for you then Dead Rising is for you. The best part about this game is that there can be literally hundreds of zombies on the screen at one time. Anything can be used as a weapon as you travel through the mass of hungry zombies attempting to turn you into food.

Left 4 Dead 2 – after winning awards for the original, these guys have taken their experience of the first game and applied it to make the second game ten times better. They’ve added all new campaigns, guns, melee-weapons and game modes to enhance your experience and claim their stake in the zombie apocalypse.

Nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment that comes with mass destruction and eradication of zombies to save the world from possible extinction. these games are going to deliver and satisfy your need for zombie meat. Now that you know where to find these unruly creatures, all that’s left to do is load up and move out.

Best Zombie Games

LOA KIRK ANDERSEN

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1336385710 83 LOA KIRK ANDERSEN

“I don’t have the money to buy all that stuff.”

“I know I should do the preparedness thing, but my budget is tight!”

Sound familiar? Money … or lack thereof … is often the primary explanation as to why many people don’t prepare for emergencies. Okay, in reality, apathy is probably the top reason, but for our purposes today, let’s pretend that money is the problem.

It takes cash to get prepared. Nevertheless, it is possible to work toward being well prepared even on a very tight budget. it requires planning, forethought, some sacrifice, and that terrible word: budgeting.

Still, the rewards are great. Preparedness changes confusion and chaos to confidence and control. There’s even a scripture that reads, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”

Trust me. If, or as the experts say, when a disaster occurs, you’ll be grateful for whatever preparedness steps you’ve taken. Here’s a list of 10 tips for starting emergency preparedness on a budget.

1. Plan for the most likely disasters that can happen in the area where you live. here in Gig Harbor, an earthquake is much more likely than a hurricane, trucker strikes more probable than a tornado. Plan accordingly.

2. Create your own personalized list of supplies. think where you may be when disaster strikes, what will you do, and what will you need with which to do it. Pre-made kits are available, but individualized, home-created kits are generally more complete.

3. Make a checklist, then purchase carefully. Avoid impulse buys. use your list to avoid duplicating non-food items.

4. Make preparedness items a “normal” expense of your budget. Normal expenses don’t generally get cut, while “extras” regularly get set aside.

5. buy one or more preparedness items each time you enter a grocery store. Even $20 per month can help add to your supplies.

6. Save by shopping sales. Make use of coupons.

7. Don’t replace your emergency items annually. Replace and cycle through those items that have limited shelf life (e.g. batteries, food) regularly. Remember the rule: rotate, rotate, rotate.

8. Store water in safe containers. it is not necessary to buy expensive bottled water, but make sure any containers used for water storage are safe and disinfected. Don’t use milk jugs, but soda pop bottles are OK for short-term storage.

9. Request “prepper type” items as gifts.

10. think ahead. you are more likely to save money if you can take your time with focused and strategic shopping. It’s when everyone is at the store right before the storm hits that prices are higher and impulse buying rules the roost.

I know I said just 10 tips, but here’s one I must add. Trade a quick stop at the golden arches or a night out on the town for prepping supplies. One foray at a fast-food establishment can cost a family upwards of $50. that can fund lots of emergency supplies.

I realize budgets are tight, but to ignore emergency preparedness is to invite disaster. be prepared. It’s worth the effort.

Loa Kirk Andersen is an emergency preparation specialist, CERT instructor, speaker, and an avid advocate of emergency preparedness. she can be reached through her website: www.emergencypreplady.com or at loapualani@comcast.net.

LOA KIRK ANDERSEN

Nintendo Posts First Ever Annual Loss Due To Slow 3DS Sales

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1336040106 49 Nintendo Posts First Ever Annual Loss Due To Slow 3DS Sales

Remember when Nintendo was on top of the world raking in all that money with the Nintendo DS and the Wii? You might want to remember those days fondly because Nintendo won’t be seeing them for a while. with struggling Wii sales and a massive 3DS price cut last year, the company has definitely seen better days.

Nintendo released its fiscal year earnings report to investors and it doesn’t look great. for the first time since Nintendo has been a public company, it has posted a loss. It’s not as big of a loss as Sony’s posting earlier this month, but losing $455.9 million is still a pretty big hit.

The loss was due to a variety of reasons. The number one reason we can point out is the rocky start to the launch of the Nintendo 3DS. The console launched at $250 last year and nobody was buying it. As an emergency measure, Nintendo lowered the price to $169.99 and sales took off then. it wasn’t enough to beat back those first few months of bad sales though.

Another reason is the Wii’s struggling performance to stay relevant. The console only sold 9.84 million units last year which isn’t a super great number. That’s the kind of sales we were seeing from the Gamecube in its twilight years. Thankfully, the Wii U is hitting later this year and Nintendo is hoping to see a solid return from it.

The third reason is the major reason most Japanese companies are hurting – the strong yen. to truly understand how badly the yen hurt Nintendo, just look at how much of their sales came from overseas. The earnings report lists oversea sales at 499.4 billion yen, or 77.1 percent of the company’s total sales. with the majority of its sales coming from overseas coupled with a strong yen, it posted an exchange loss of 27.7 billion yen.

So what is Nintendo going to do to turn this around? first, its going to stop selling the Nintendo 3DS below cost in the middle of this fiscal year. The company didn’t clarify whether this meant raising the price of the 3DS again or if the components that make the handheld are coming down in price. I sure hope it’s the latter because raising the price again would be a bad move.

The company also announced a couple of sure fire hit 3DS games coming out this year that should help spur sales including New Super Mario Bros. 2, Animal Crossing and a new Brain Age title. The company also said that it plans to have the Wii U out in Japan, the United States and Europe before the end of the calendar year so that should help as well.

To be honest, the loss isn’t that bad. it just seems bad because it’s Nintendo, the company that never posts a loss. Nintendo will probably say a few more things about it in the coming weeks. Nintendo of America might even issue a statement. We’ll keep you posted on any changes.

[h/t: Kotaku]

Nintendo Posts First Ever Annual Loss Due To Slow 3DS Sales

Working Second Jobs? The IRS Wants Their Cut How to Avoid IRS Debt

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1333750510 68 Working Second Jobs? The IRS Wants Their Cut How to Avoid IRS Debt

On your side: few people can sustain themselves with only one job. The price of everything is too high. more and more, people are taking on side jobs. It could be mowing lawns, doing handy work, or tutoring part time. but if you’re making profit, the IRS needs to know about it. and if you don’t report your income accurately, the IRS will find out. Avoid IRS Debt. Learn what to do if you’re working for yourself.

Report Income: You must report all income you make from your side job. You can do this on Form 1099. You might think the IRS won’t find you if you put your extra income in the bank and don’t report it. but the IRS can compare how much income you reported versus the amount of bank deposits you made. So be careful.

Penalties You’ll Face: Here are weapons the IRS can use to collect the taxes you owe

Wage Garnishment: The IRS has the right to seize the money you owe right from your paycheck. they won’t leave you with a balance of zero, but they can take up to 75% of your earnings. The worst part about an IRS Wage Garnishment is that it is continuous. The IRS can Garnish your Wages until you pay your debt in full.

Bank Levy: The IRS will take all the money out of your bank account to pay your bill. that means all the money you saved up working at your second job can be gone in an instant. The procedure goes like this: The IRS sends you a notice saying they intend to levy your bank account. your account is frozen for 21 days. If you don’t act in that window of time, you funds are gone for good.

Asset Seizure: If you run from the IRS long enough, the IRS will double their efforts. after all other collection efforts are exhausted, the IRS can seize your assets to satisfy your debt.

Pay Up: Don’t give the IRS any reason to bully you. If you owe debt, the IRS will get their money back by any means necessary. Stay on top of the game, and report any substantial extra income you make to the IRS.

Now You Have The Smoking Gun.use it

Working Second Jobs? The IRS Wants Their Cut How to Avoid IRS Debt

Overrated or Underpraised? ‘Batman’ vs. ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

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1333347311 19 Overrated or Underpraised? ‘Batman’ vs. ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

Tim Burton’s Batman wasn’t a movie, it was an event. it spawned a tidal wave of merchandise, video games, roller coasters, an animated series, a ridiculous music video, etc… He dropped that movie on the world like a bomb, and in many ways it could be considered the high point of his career. his artistic approach was finally paired with mainstream material, and his success there has propelled him to being one of the go-to money making directors in Hollywood.

But, as an 8-year-old fan that was blown away by the gritty comic book take on the character that was developing throughout the 80s, the release of Batman is forever marked by me as a day of huge disappointment. I hated that boring, goofy movie. it was lamer than that show from the 60s I watched back when I was 6. Pathetic.

Batman: Under the Red Hood was a straight to video cartoon that kind of gets lost in the sea of DC straight to video cartoons. most of these movie are pretty strong, don’t get me wrong, but they’re strong with the caveat that they’re just cartoons. They’re for kids, but they’re good enough to be enjoyed by adults, not good on the level of the best feature films.

Under the Red Hood is a step above the rest though. other than the dark Knight, I would say that it’s my favorite Batman thing that doesn’t come from the medium of the page.

What do they have in common?Why is Batman overrated?

1333347311 23 Overrated or Underpraised? ‘Batman’ vs. ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

Burton’s movie is always praised for its visuals. That’s no big surprise, because that’s what Burton’s movies always get praised for—and it does look pretty good—but this is a case of the visuals undermining every other aspect of the movie. Burton goes for a pulpy, throwback aesthetic, to the point where all of the street scum are wearing zoot suits and fedoras, and it sabotages any real weight or drama that the film could possibly have developed.

Burton’s vision of Gotham is quirky and interesting, but it never feels like a real city. You’re painfully aware that you’re watching actors playing Batman on a soundstage during every street scene. A big part of the appeal of Batman as a character is the wish fulfillment that comes along with him; someone taking care of the awful things that the police can’t, in a way that you wish someone could. that gets lost in translation when what you’re watching looks like a comic strip from the 40s and not real life.

And for being a Batman movie, this thing is filled with more boring, lame stuff then I could have ever imagined. what in the heck is Robert Wuhl doing in this movie? He’s so annoying as the resident reporter trying to track down the Bat. This is a story that already has Vicki Vale in it as the love interest, where was the need for another reporter character who makes lame jokes? and, for that matter, why did we need Vicki Vale in this movie at all? her inclusion stinks of studio notes; the notion that every release has to have a romantic element. if anything, she should have been used to show that Batman is too focused on his life’s obsessions to think about girls, but instead her inclusion in the story ends up being an opportunity to show us how good Batman is on dates. Aw, look! Batman is just a regular guy who wants to be loved! *puke* I guess it’s better than everything else that Batman does in the second act of this movie though, which basically amounts to sitting around in his mansion wearing fetching sweaters and watching TV.

None of those quibbles are nearly as egregious as the lack of understanding this movie has for the two main characters, Batman and the Joker, though. the Joker is supposed to be Batman’s most terrifying villain. He is completely insane, completely without empathy, and derives pleasure only from conceiving the most dark, demented, and vicious scenarios. He’s not funny, he’s not fun, he’s disturbing because he’s the only one laughing.

Jack Nicholson’s take on the Joker is silly and… not good. He seems to have only been cast because he has a famous grin. Which is the level of thought put into everything here: break everything down to its iconic visual element and put it on the screen. This version of Batman, he kills people. He’s got machine guns on his Batmobile. He bombs a chemical plant, killing a bunch of people inside. He throws dudes off the top of a tall church. the entire Batman character is based around his obsessive attempt at keeping an irrational childhood promise that nobody will die ever again.

That’s what’s so tragic and cool about him. He will never win. While Burton clearly loved playing around with the visuals of the Batman universe, he didn’t understand the character at all.

Why is Batman: Under the Red Hood underpraised?

1333347311 34 Overrated or Underpraised? ‘Batman’ vs. ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

First off, this movie is so much more raw and gritty than any other Batman movie I’ve ever seen. it starts off with the Joker beating Robin to death with a crowbar. and I’m not saying it cuts away and implies that’s what he’s doing; we watch him do it, and we listen as he taunts him the whole time. and then, when we meet the Red Hood, he introduces himself by showing up to a meeting of drug dealers with a bag full of their lieutenant’s heads. I never imagined I’d ever see a movie version of Batman that was this hardcore, and it’s coming from a cartoon.

Despite its inclusion of a laser gun and a robot that can absorb super powers, this movie is about a hundred times less cartoony than Burton’s. This animated version of Gotham feels like a real, lived in city, and Batman’s felt like deleted scenes from Roger Rabbit. My 8-year-old self could have definitely got behind something like this.

And instead of Robert Wuhl and blonde girlfriends, the supporting cast is mostly made up by badass villains. over the course of this film we get interpretations of the Joker, the Red Hood, Ra’s al Ghul, and Black Mask. they don’t just show up in little cameos that are meant to make hardcore fans cheer either, they’re all very organically integrated into the story, and they all have such distinct personalities and approaches to villainy that it’s a great time watching Batman bounce off of them in different ways.

Truly, Batman has the best rogues gallery in all of comic book history. oh yeah, and Neil Patrick Harris is doing the voice of Nightwing, as well. How cool is that? Beats the heck out of Arliss.

But the big reason I liked this movie so much is that it’s such a great, particular to Batman story. This thing digs down deep to the center of who Batman is. instead of just giving him a girlfriend and then having her get kidnapped, Under the Red Hood roots all of its plot elements in Batman’s biggest failures, his deepest regrets. This is an insanely personal story for the character, and watching it play out is seriously affecting. A big part of why that is stems from the identity of Batman’s new villain, the Red Hood. the mystery of who’s behind the mask is another thing I really liked about how the story plays out. his identity is fairly obvious, and I thought that was going to be a problem at first, but they don’t make the mistake of playing it as a big mystery for long.

He gets figured out early, because the storytellers know that exploring the consequences of the reveal is the real meat of their tale. if it had built up to a last minute unmasking, Scooby-Doo style, the whole movie could have been sunk. This isn’t a Batman who casually kills, either. instead of flagrantly disregarding Batman’s no killing mantra, Under the Red Hood makes it a focus of the story, and then it challenges and explores it. if you’re looking for a Batman fix, this is that pure, uncut shit.

Evening the Odds

I’ve written about it a bit already, but the most obvious, apparent example you can point to in order to prove that Under the Red Hood is a cool Batman story and Batman isn’t is their differing portrayals of the Joker. in Batman we get several scenes where he dances to Prince songs, while doing things like defacing art and shooting comically large guns in the air. why?

I know the real reason is that Prince signed a high dollar deal to do the soundtrack for the movie, but in the context of the story, why does that make sense for the character? Batman is the sort of corporate driven production that doesn’t concern itself with questions like that. in Under the Red Hood Joker gets to play Hannibal Lecter when Batman comes to see him for information about the Red Hood, and there’s a scene where he casually murders four people just because someone was stupid enough to let him have a glass of water while in captivity.

That’s how you establish a dangerous, scary villain. not ‘Batdance.’

Compare More Accurately Rated Movies with Over/Under

Overrated or Underpraised? ‘Batman’ vs. ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’

Oil dependency has large price

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1332810909 42 Oil dependency has large price

It’s been almost two years since a British Petroleum-operated oil platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, discharging millions of gallons of oil.

at the time of the incident, BP was vilified and the questions surrounding the incident were abundant.

How could they let something like this happen? What will they be doing to right this tremendous wrong? What kind of effects will this have on the environment? How will BP be punished for this accident?

BP reached a settlement Friday with businesses and individuals whom the incident harmed, worth a reported $7.8 billion. for a company that reported about $26 billion in earnings after taxation last year, they’re paying out roughly 30 percent of their income from last year.

This sounds nice in theory, and I’m sure the people who receive the money will appreciate it. so BP was able to partially right its wrong, but have things really improved since the accident?

Offshore drilling remains a risky proposition and accidents continue to occur. The most recent examples include incidents in Brazil and China. with the search for oil intensifying, offshore drilling will only continue to increase as oil companies are forced to find ways to meet the ever-increasing demand nationwide. it is a process that will never be free of risk as drilling pushes deeper and deeper into the ocean.

According to multiple reports, BP and other oil companies have gone back to offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and production levels are set to pass those that were achieved prior to the accident. with gas prices fast approaching $4 a gallon, the search for oil has again become a hot-button issue.

It’s only a matter of time before another incident of the same scale as the one in the Gulf of Mexico occurs. I’m shocked it hasn’t. The oil companies are in a lose-lose situation in which they have zero room for error.

The public sphere occupies a hypocritical position. The need for oil is apparent, but if one of the oil companies has an accident, that company is vilified. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Either realize that the dangers that come with offshore drilling are inherent and accidents are bound to happen, or be completely against the concept. It’s a mutually exclusive concept that the public has yet to grasp.

It’s a credit to the oil companies that the number of accidents like the one in the Gulf of Mexico can be counted on one hand. but that’s still not good enough and never will be. The companies are held to a golden standard in which they must meet our demands, but at the same time make sure to do it in perfect fashion.

The Obama administration has proposed an estimated $276 million in its 2013 Energy Budget that will be dedicated to the “research and development of advanced fossil fuel power systems,” according to the White House’s website. It’s a step in the right direction toward the Obama administration’s goal of reducing the United States’ reliance on oil by one-third by 2025.

in the next 13 years, will that be enough as the demand for oil increases and the amount of locations where oil can be found decreases?

that remains to be seen, but no one should act surprised if there is another incident like the one almost two years ago in the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s the price of doing business in a world that’s increasingly dependent on oil.

Oil dependency has large price

Remembering the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami One Year Later

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1331518512 98 Remembering the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami One Year Later

One year ago, on March 11, 2011, the world was shaken by news of the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan causing massive damage to homes, nuclear plants, livelihoods. I remember being at school, in the bubble of college academics, halfway around the world from Japan, and hearing about it only peripherally, having friends who didn’t know it had happened at all. It soon became evident the magnitude of this disaster and crisis, so I joined a group of students and faculty organizing to raise funds and increase awareness about the tsunami and earthquake.

Somewhere in the process, we started talking about whether at a school with so much else going all, in a world with so many things happening, if people would remember Japan a few weeks, even a few months, later, let alone one year later. in the wake of natural disasters, there tends to be a large surge of attention and money sent in the immediate aftermath, but building up infrastructure, piecing back together lives is slow. It’s not to undermine those initial efforts or to say that other important events don’t equally deserve our attention, only to note how long the process of recovery is, how important it is that we recognize and remember that.

Pray for Japan, a new documentary directed by Stu Levy (an American living in Japan at the time of the disaster), takes a look at the tsunami’s tragic aftermath and tries to capture the rebuilding process. The film opens on March 14 in select theaters nationwide in honor of the anniversary. Check out the trailer here.

You might also remember the extreme damage to nuclear power plants in Fukushima District that incited worries about a possible major nuclear meltdown, as the reactors’ cooling systems were shut down. CNN reporters  recently visited the reactor and emphasized how far there is to go in cleaning up the mess both at the nuclear plant and in the surrounding area. recently, according to the New York Times, a private policy organization in Japan, Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, investigated the government’s response during the nuclear crisis and plans to release a report soon revealing how seriously the government considered evacuating Tokyo.

I’m not really sure what you’re supposed to do one year later, what I could do to help, but at the very least (though it may not do anything and is a little corny) I can remember that it happened, that the healing and rebuilding isn’t over, and send along mountains of respect for the strength that the Japanese have had and continue to have in the wake of devastation and the process of recovery.

[Image credit: National Geographic]

Remembering the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami One Year Later

What If Barack Obama Was There to Defend Himself at the GOP Debates?

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What If Barack Obama Was There to Defend Himself at the GOP Debates?

It is amazing how much flak the Obama Administration has taken at the last few GOP debates, as the Republican primary season gets underway. of course, one could easily charge that the Obama Administration has plenty to be criticized for, things such as our high unemployment rate, ObamaCare, and some of the crony capitalist deals which have resulted in loss of taxpayer’s money such as the; Solyndra Scandal. Okay so let’s talk about this for a second shall we?

If you are an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal opinion page, there is no doubt that at one time or another you have read Peggy Noonan’s column Declarations – well, on Saturday, November 12, 2011 she wrote a very interesting column titled; the Republican Unreality show, and in it she stated;

It would be wonderful to see President Obama grilled as the Republicans debated in Michigan. what exactly will you cut in your entitlement programs? how will you solve the foreclosure crisis? And we’d like you to answer in 30 seconds while we look at you with a sweat natured gaze of a cop at a crime seem.

Yes, that is rather funny isn’t? And yet, Barack Obama does have the gift to gab, and he is the President of the United States, and he does have a strong following, and he seems to be able to talk and dance around any issue. And God help you if you give them the Teleprompter he sounds like the best president we’ve ever had in the history of mankind. no, it’s obviously not reality-based judging by his actions, but he is a pretty good speaker, and a rather talented debater.

In fact, and I am not a supporter of Barack Obama as you must understand that I lean politically almost diametrically opposed to him, but I will grant him his abilities and political rhetoric. no, I don’t have anything positive to say about his leadership capability, or his socialist mindset in my opinion, and my grandmother used to say; if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Still, Peggy Noonan has a good point here. And, there have been diplomatic failures with the Obama Administration’s strategy with regards to Iran and their nuclear weapons. that hasn’t gone too well has it? Incidentally, one might ask; what has the president done that has really been of benefit to our country? I’m having trouble coming up with anything, other than he was able to get young people to join in the political process, but as president, I just haven’t been all that impressed, and I think it’s time that we get a new one.

It would be nice to see and hear him field some of these complaints personally, rather than talking through his proxy press secretary. indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

What If Barack Obama Was There to Defend Himself at the GOP Debates?

BenQ W1060 [1080p] Projector $999 @ Officeworks – OzBargain

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BenQ W1060 [1080p] Projector $999 @ Officeworks OzBargain

Sup guys, thought this was a pretty sweet deal – the first full HD projector I've seen for under a thousand bucks. Comes with a two year warranty, the guys on whirlpool seem to think it's a solid product, or at least better than others in the price range (even 720p's).

Two HDMI inputs, 2000 lumens, 5000:1 contrast ratio. Seems that the picture is good but the speakers are terrible (what did you expect?). Lamp life of 4500 hours with normal use, no idea how this rates. my impression seems to be they skimped out on everything that wasn't necessary – no paper manual, terrible speaker even by projector standards and no media playing features – but stuck all the money where it matters; a good picture and plenty to connect to it. Very smart IMO.

The only downside I can see so far is that it's already at Officeworks, so you probably can't get that 5% off XD (Then again, I know some of you are damn skilled bargainers…)

Via Gizmodo Australia

BenQ W1060 [1080p] Projector $999 @ Officeworks – OzBargain