Chelsea - Tottenham 1-1 Christmas Eve Game 2011

Torres should have come on for Juan Mata. Placed him in the center with Drogba and Sturridge coming up the flanks. Ramires has the pace, with Romeu pulling up the bottom of the diamond. Meireles and Lampard are really like for like in positional functionality. I honestly was considering Lampard to be an exchange for Mata instead of Torres. I believe that it should have Lampard in the game more than #16. John Terry definitely got the Man of the Match for his defensive performance. I believe Petr should be more aggressive in the 6 yard box. A one to one result with the Spurs is not a bad result, but it must be better. Napoli will be challenging Chelsea well in these next two matches of the Champions League. Quicker closing down and better passing from the Blues is needed, 85% possession is unacceptable for the first 20 minutes of play. David Luiz should continue to be the Central Defender if not move into the Mikel/Romeu Role. Perhaps the commentators should be regarded as such, commentators. Opinions are like, YUP!!!

Great Chelsea Marketing, the last game of the season and the next to first game of the after Christmas season.

Clint Dempsey fan, but GO BLUES!

FIFA 12 Ultimate Team - Owens Strikers Dream Team

If I ruled the world... and had all the coins.... yes this would be my team. But alas, it would take a lifetime to accumulate the amount of coins needed to purchase this team, and of course in reality, these players would require more playing time than would be able to be offered in one team. But in FIFA 12 UT terms, anyone knows you really have to have a deep and strong team to complete a tournament, so having good players on the bench definitely is an assist. Robben was a tough one to bench over Ozil, but I like Ozil better, and Robben is only a 1 half player, although a very good 1 half player!

If you haven't upgraded to FIFA 12, from FIFA 11, it really is worth it, especially now, the gameplay and graphics are really worth this one year upgrade.

Ok, and so yeah, i'm biased... but I really couldn't choose any other Manager other than AVB. Come on Roman, throw out some bucks, you could have this team! Haha!

Dale Junior finishes 7th in the 2011 Chase for the Championship

First congrats to Tony Stewart for winning his 3rd Championship. Junior showed strength in his first season with Steve Letarte. His highest finish in the championship hunt since 2006, in which he finished 5th. This year was the almost year in which Junior almost got his win. There were some strong performances in which at the minimum he was in contention to win. Throughout the season the car was able to compete, which is 2/3rds of the battle. Look at Championship Driver's like Bobby Labonte, put him back in the 18 car and i'm sure he'd be in the chase. Hopefully this is only just the beginning for Junior and this year was the building blocks for an even stronger performance in 2012. It was quite awesome being able to follow along the #88 team on RaceBuddy, the candid comments heard over air adds much excitement to the race. Ready for Daytona already! Let's go Racing boys!

NASA Launches Mars Science Lab with the Curiosity Rover

The newest feat in the exploration of Mars is Curiosity. It is supposed to land on Mars in August 2012.

Duke shows resilience and strength for the 2012 Season

Duke remains undefeated so far in the 2012 season. With a tremendous milestone for Coach K reached of being the most winning coach in Men's Division I basketball, 905 and counting. Duke's beginning season unlike some other ranked teams has not been easy. Michigan State, Michigan, and Kansas were all tough opponents with Kansas being the toughest so far. Belmont of course was no slouch. The rise of the "bigs" with the Plumlee's and of course we cannot overlook Ryan Kelly, who all have been instrumental in one game or another in pushing Duke through to the next level. It's hard to deny Austin Rivers some credit, although not as smooth and sublime as Kyrie Irving, his driving capabilities have definitely been noticed. Sometimes it does seem as it's a 1 on 5 games though, so those items are probably being looked at. Seth Curry has been instrumental in his role and has been a great leader for the team. Andre Dawkins still needs to gain some consistency with his shot, but still drained critical 3s to bring Duke a win. Then we get to Tyler Thornton, out of nowhere draining winning 3s to take Duke to their latest win at the Maui Invitational. There is a concern about being able to contain a big forward, with Kansas's Robinson putting up some big numbers. Mason and Ryan did have trouble pulling down rebounds although they did have a number of blocks. I think Coach K has definitely created a good balance of inside outside play. This year should be very exciting, and if Duke keeps improving as a team, there is no doubt they can take it all the way!

GO DUKE!

Chelsea FC start to struggle going into the Winter 2011/2012

Could it be that having too many International Stars is hurting Chelsea? Not being able to finish, whether it be scoring goals or securing a draw or win seems to be the crutch of the winter... Blues...

Dropping to Leverkusen right at the end is heartbreaking. Chelsea is conceding at a very bad pace. An Arsenal pounding from someone like Man City at this point would not be surprising. Simple mistakes at the back are becoming very costly. Short of Genk, there is not light competition in the Champions League. Liverpool also showed that there is not a lack of competition in the Premier League.

Being able to defend is just as important as being able to score. Is not having Essien really causing a midfield slump? I really believe Mikel should be moved on, and perhaps even Luiz moved up to that position. Luiz loves running forward and still is a bit careless with his challenges when he is in the 18. I believe we have also not seen enough of Kalou this season. Sturridge has proven his value, and I believe will become a knight of the front line. I feel Kalou needs to be given more opportunities as well. Malouda has made his statements to the press, and seemingly performed on the field being the star player of last year. Does the cold affect the players this much? For the games that have been conceded there has been quite a bit of standing around. With only 3 subs, changes have to be made delicately, but in some regards DO need to be made.

After Wolves, the next set of games are not going to come easy. Valencia is playing very well and then Manchester City. It's time to string up those boots tight boys, closing down on the ball and first touch passing are imperative for a successful run. One must be able to find the back of the net and not pull the ball out of your own as much.

I have faith in Ramires, but when he isn't performing Kalou needs to come on. Meireles needs to start instead of Mikel, and Ivan and Terry holding central with Cole and Bosingwa on the wings. Mata and Sturridge flanking out a rotating Torres and Drogba. Kalou, Drogba, and Luiz/Alex should be used and in every game given an opportunity at the least 60 minute mark. Perhaps sometimes there is a problem with being too deep in the substitution field, with Anelka in the wings who is a proven performer. Perhaps it's time to grab some of that money back Roman.

Villas Boas is exactly right, he can only provide good training agendas and motivation. The players are the ones who must perform on the field. With outstanding performances from Lampard, the team cannot rely on one man with Petr Cech making incredible saves and believe that they will even make the Champions League next year.

December should be an exciting month to say the least.

GO BLUES!

UFO Strange Sighting Dallas, Night october 23, 2011 (NBC Football)

So.. the experts are saying.. insect.. yeahhhhh.

Email Response to John Locke Foundation's comments on Occupy Raleigh

(John Locke -- Library of Congress)

WTVD 11 an ABC Affiliate covered the Occupy Raleigh "protest" and received some concerning comments from the John Locke Foundation representative Mr. Kokai who basically states the protesters right to free speech ends when it costs taxpayers money. Read the article here: CLICK HERE!

This is the obvious skewed government vision coming from an organization that believes in "Limited Constitutional Government".

In response to this obvious "unconstitutional" statement, I sent the following email to the JLF:

To The John Locke Foundation,

Per your Vision:

The John Locke Foundation envisions a North Carolina of responsible citizens, strong families, and successful communities committed to individual liberty and limited, constitutional government.

How does Mr. Kokai's comments to WTVD11 align with a constitutional government? His comments are supporting the imposed police state from a perspective that extra police are needed to monitor a peaceful assembly. I see no support for the peaceful assembly which is a "constitutional" right. I see no opposition to the required "permits" for peaceful assemblies, which are unconstitutional.

This demonstration of your foundation values by Mr. Kokai's statements opens the door to your true mission of further government powers separating them from its citizenry creating a form of despotism.

These types of comments coming from your organization also shows the validity of your organization because Mr. Kokai's statements are the antithesis of a constitutional government.

Government in its current state is currently an organization full of corruption and excessive spending, this is part of the problem that is being protested against.

Fulfill your vision and backtrack Mr. Kokai's comments.

Kind Regards,

Paul Michael Owens

Equal Taxes for All

(The official White House portrait of John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler)


Equal Taxes for All
Author: Paul Michael Owens

A government must tax its citizens to maintain its deemed operations. Governments throughout history have deemed some sort of tax necessary. Ancient Egyptians paid taxes. Ancient Romans paid taxes. Taxes have been shown to be levied throughout the Middle Ages. Most historical taxation of the public involved no public input. These taxes were created by Kings and Emperors of various populations to fund their own ideas and projects. The United States Government started a historical trend with the formation of a government for the people and by the people. This put the control of how a government chooses its tax scheme theoretically back into the hands of the people. The United States Government currently uses a progressive taxation system on income that is based on the amount of income one earns (Tax Foundation, 2011). There are also other taxes on the individual such as the gas tax that is levied on the public that go to the government. Taxation is a way of life when an individual seeks protection and services from a government. A person has to look hard to find something that is not taxed one way or another. The difference on the multitude of variety of taxes would be where these taxes are going. If a person lives in a city, they will pay a city tax. One also pays a tax to the county if one has property. Income is taxed by most States and the Federal Government. When one purchases gas, it is also taxed by the State and the Federal Government.

In our current environment of total taxation, the United States Government has more expenditures than it has tax revenue. Sparing a short period from 1998 to 2001, the United States Government has been deficit spending, which is spending more than one earns (Government Printing Office, 2005). One hears many statements of needing revenue for the government to pay its bills. This is only a perspective of how the government should operate. Government needs to stop spending more than it brings in. Like every other American Family who lives within their means, the government should follow the same model. The required cuts would be a drastic change and would be too much for people to handle or even comprehend because of the amount of dependence America has on its government. Talking about how much money the government spends can be overwhelming, which is why it becomes a daunting subject. The figures that the budgets present with more than 9 zeros on the end can be remarkably scary. To make it easy, one simply has to cut off all the zeros and use that number as an example. For instance: the government spends 31,000 a year, while only earning 28,000 a year. This is reflective of the 2010 operational budget of the United States Government (Government Printing Office, 2005). This is also representative of how the Federal Government has been deficit spending since 1931. For only 10 years randomly placed in the 80 year history, the United States has been spending more than it has been taking in (Government Printing Office, 2005). This is where the difference between debt and deficit spending come into play. The United States of America is very close to being 15 trillion dollars in debt (US Department of Treasury, 2011). The United States is in this situation because of the 80 year history of spending more than earned revenue it receives through taxation.

The current conversation about change in tax strategy involves a lot of rhetoric about taxing the 1% top income earners more. The top 1% already pays over 50% of their income in taxes, while over 47% of individuals pay no federal taxes (National Public Radio, 2010). This is an inherent problem for a real change in strategy because the conversation has been redirected from appropriate spending of what tax revenue is available to creating more revenue so programs in place can continue. Americans have voiced in many polls that they do not want to see a tax increase. The soliloquies abound that the rich are getting richer and the gap between the rich and poor is growing is completely true. These comments have nothing to do with taxing rich people more and a fair tax strategy. The tremendous debt and overspending of the available government funds is a big problem that does have a direct relation to taxation. Even if the rich were taxed more, it would not correct the poor fiscal irresponsibility the current politicians practice. The practice of deficit spending needs to stop. The government needs to shrink its expenditures, and further decrease the tax burden on the public at large, and make an attempt to work on the ever increasing debt this country owes. The rich getting richer and gap growth has to do with the government facilitating bailouts for companies that otherwise would have gone bankrupt for shady deals that appropriately reviewed would have found as fraud. The government tax conversation should not be about generating more revenue at all. A government should not have an agenda of “generating revenue”. The government should be having a conversation about the scope of government operations and what is really needed from the government to service and protect its citizenry. A redefining tax strategy should be included in these conversations.

A tax strategy should be fair for every citizen regardless of their wealth. A government should be forced to operate within its means with the only exception of War. One must also include what taxes are being spent on when talking about taxes. What does the United States Government spend most of the tax dollars on? The largest expenditures the government has can fall in three big areas: Defense, Social Programs, and Treasury (US Department of Treasury, 2011). The largest expenditure is for Defense and Security of the nation. The second largest expenditure that the Federal Government spends the tax money on is social programs which means the government pays totally or supplemental for a citizen’s survival. The third largest area of the expenditures is a complete result of over 80 years of deficit spending. The United States Government has to continuously borrow money to pay back earlier borrowed money from an entity created by the United States Government to be a neutral entity to handle the United States Monetary Policy called the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve, which is a private corporation, was created in 1913. The Federal Reserve loans the United States Government money and makes a profit in return. This subject can and has been expounded on but relevant to this topic it plays a large part in the unnecessary expenditures of the United States Government. The tax policy plays a very large role in the operations of a government. In the past the government was not allowed to spend more than it generated, other than in times of war in which these cases a war tax was implemented to pay for the unexpected expenditures. Now all the government has to do is borrow money. This directly affects taxes because it creates a base the must be paid, similar to a minimum payment on a credit card. This base is now the third largest expenditure of the United States Government. Understanding what tax money is spent on is invaluable information that helps with the discussion of what type of tax strategy should be in place.

The biggest challenge in understanding taxation the American Way, is to finally understand that the current government is looking for ways to create money so it can spend it on programs that may not be nationally necessary. To further complicate the issue, a person must be able to look past the gimmick of the Two Party System. The two party system is only there to blind the general public of the real issue at hand, which is a group of individuals whose goal is to further their own agendas which is currently not the agenda of providing the general welfare of the nation. The current overwhelming public government dependency is not a fruitful path to success of a nation. A government that taxes a small group of people overwhelmingly to support a larger group of people is an unsustainable model. These are the conversations that need to be had to correct the irresponsible fiscal policies that are currently in place. The only way to get the United States Government back in-line with true American values is to shrink its programs considerably and present a fair tax plan to the citizenry that creates an equal playing field for all regardless of wealth. This fair tax plan must include forcing the Federal Government to “Live Within its means”.

Bibliography:

Government Printing Office. (2005). Historical Tables of the United States Budget. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from Government Printing Office: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy06/pdf/hist.pdf

This document is created from an Executive Office of the President of the United States. The Office of Management and Budget provides facts and figures dating back to 1789. This document provides a very good history of the tax collection and expenditures of the Federal Government. There are many tables found which include a very heavy amount of data that help expand on points created within my paper and further prove how irresponsible the government has been spending for decades.

National Public Radio. (2010, April 04). All Things Considered - Who Pays Taxes? Not as Many as You Think. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from National Public Radio: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125997180

Robert Siegel is the host of All Things Considered. All Things Considered is a nationally syndicated show that is broadcasted by National Public Radio. On April 4th, 2010 , Mr. Siegel interviewed Mr. Roberton Williams who is a Senior Fellow at the Tax Policy Center, which is a Washington Think Tank whose mission is to review all aspects around the Federal Government's tax policy. In this interview Mr. Siegel provides some interesting facts including the amount of citizens who pay no tax. This interview provides valuable facts that pertain to many points I express.

Tax Foundation. (2011). Federal Individual Income Tax Rates History. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from www.taxfoundation.org: http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/fed_individual_rate_history_nominal&adjusted-20110909.pdf

The Tax Foundation is a nonpartisan tax research group based in Washington, D.C. This is a document which provides tables on the tiered income tax structure of the United States back to 1937. This document provides statistical data of the rate of taxation and the yearly changes that have occurred through the reported history. This document provides me the evidence that I need to make valid points on the amount of taxes that people have to pay based on their income level.

US Department of Treasury. (2011). Debt Limit. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from US Department of Treasury: http://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/Pages/debtlimit.aspx

The United States Department of Treasury provides this webpage as a reference page for information about the debt limit. This page provides specific definitions of what the debt limit includes within its scope and what is not applicable to apply to the nation's debt. This page also provides an in-depth review of the nation's debt limit and provides a large amount of documentation. This page is useful in providing definitions and data that can be used for my argument.

US Department of Treasury. (2011). FY2012 Budget in Brief. Retrieved October 20, 2011, from US Department of Treasury: http://www.treasury.gov/about/budget-performance/budget-in-brief/Documents/FY2012_BIB_Complete_508.pdf

This document created by the United States Department of Treasury contains Fiscal Year 2012's operating Budget Request. This is a 125 page document that specifies how much money is requested and the anticipated allocation of the requested money. This document helps expand the argument on how much money the Federal Government is spending. The data and statistics provided in this document is very valuable to my argument.

US Department of Treasury. (2011). The Debt to the Penny and Who owns It. Retrieved October 19, 2011, from Treasury Direct: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np

The Treasury Direct website is a portal which provides reports on many items regarding the Federal Government expenditures and obligations. This site provides a large amount of data and statistics in regards to the National Debt. It segregates how much the general public is responsible for and how much intergovernmental agencies are responsible for. The final current total tally provides a grossly large number that all should be aware of while the government continues to spending away. This site provides valuable information for my argument.

Remembering Steve Jobs - 2011

An American Icon in Technology loses battle with nature. I do not believe Apple will be the same.

Don't own a single Apple product, but if you wish to buy.. CLICK HERE

I mean this is really compelling...

Dale Jr starts the 2011 Chase strong.

First off, Dale Jr. has made the Chase for 2011! Yes, after a strong start to the season, the performance waned and the Richmond race showed the battle that the #88 team had to perform to maintain the opportunity to run for the Cup. Chicagoland was the first race, and while maintaining a midpack run, the final run turned up the heat, and Junior was solidly in the top 10, and while everyone ran out of gas, Junior was able to make it past the finish line in third! This put him in 5th place in the Chase, and only 13 points back from the lead. Next to Loudon, in which Junior usually performs well. It's heating up, 9 to go, Let's go racing boys!

Go #88!

Chelsea FC drops points to Man U in their First Meeting - 2011

Chelsea has not started off the season poorly this year, although it was a very disappointing results at Old Trafford today. I believe Chelsea played very well, and the score line does not reflect the play the men took to Manchester today. They were very strong in the beginning of the first half, and keep the pressure on. ManU had some very clinical finishes in the first half to go into the half with a 3-0 lead. There were several chances in the first half to keep it closer including an open goal opportunity that was passed up by a bad touch by Ramires. This was really the story of Chelsea's performance today. They had quite many chances, but could not find the back of the net. Torres opened very quickly in the second half, to bring it back to 3-1, but himself missing a wide open goal. This basically has been Chelsea's achilles heel. They cannot find the back of the net. There were over 20 chances in this game, almost more than double Machesters, but they could not find the netting. Overall, it was a well played game, except when they decided to put Mikel on the pitch. For someone who should be fresh, his pace was non-existant, and he very rarely went to the ball. He was a wasted body. I was also disappointed with Lukaku, who seemed to also be trodding around the pitch like he had no energy. Malouda and Kalou would've made better subs. I am disappointed of course with the loss, but the gameplay was very improved. They closed down on the ball, and there was much pressure on the opposing keeper. Take it in stride and look forward to our next match with our cross street rivals.

Go BLUES!

Remembering 9/11 with The 9/11 National Memorial

President Barack Obama - Honors Jimmie Johnson at the White House

Barcelona tops Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup 2011 : 3-2 (5-4)

The current Best Footballer in the world, Lionel Messi scored two with his fabulous skill:

I believe Real Madrid played a tough game, but they have one of the dirtiest players I have seen so far, and it is the direct malice that should lead to a lengthy ban, in Marcelo Vieira:

The game wrapped up with Barcelona winning 3-2, but the injury time bench clearing event, in which Pinto always gets his in for Barca and Jose shows his pinching skill, overshadows a powerful game which just represents the heavy rivals that these two heavyweights are.

If you missed the game, it is available for replay (In Spanish)on ESPN 3 CLICK HERE.

In which these images were captured from ESPN3, thanks! These games are always fun to watch.

Dale Jr speaks to Speed - 2011

Soccer (World Football) : Appreciate the Skill, Appreciate the Passion - Zinedine Zidane

Alex Jones talks about RAND CORP

Just do your own research... of course watch.

Ron Paul schools Bernanke on the Economy - $17,000 a citizen!

The Final NASA Space Shuttle Launch - STS-135: Atlantis

The dream will continue, yet obviously not important to this administration.

God Speed Atlantis!

Happy 4th of July! Farrar wins Stage 3 of the Tour de France!

Tyler Farrar steps it up and takes a stage win for the USA! Although remarkably back, this is a long race! George Hincapie is still the leading American 13th only 4 seconds back from the yellow jersey wearer Thor Hushovd. Americans Christopher Horner and Levi Leipheimer are only 10 seconds back and both show good poise to grab a good finish this year.

Happy 4th of July!

Bill Clinton talks "Class Warfare" - 2011

Bill does not like the term Class Warfare. Sure, it incites the you against us type rhetoric, but is it true? Is it, we'll give you a little more so we don't have any more "Let them eat cake" incidents, or is it something else? Nevertheless, during the Clinton Administration, we never spent more than we took in. This is important because this is the only time in a long budget history this has happened. Even REGAN spent more than he took in. Bill Clinton is definitely a smart man. Watch for yourself.

Jeff Burton hangs Junior out to dry Daytona , July 2011

Yep, Junior could've, should've drove to the front. If only the 31 would've pulled up on his bumper. But no, for some reason, the 31 car hung back, you could see it from all cameras that this is what happened. Why? Only Jeff Burton will know. Still 7th in points, and still more races to go before the Chase. Yes, this season is definitely better. Keep the hate coming folks. Junior you rock!

Go #88!

Chasing the maillot jaune in the 2011 Tour de France - Grand Start

Philippe Gilbert slips on this jersey after the First Stage of the 2011 Tour de France. The most surprising of the first stage was the amount of crashes that happened especially in the last leg of the course. There were several crashes under 5km to go. Although the first stage is only the beginning of a long journey around France, injuries from crashes can impose a long ride for some and you really don't want to fall too far back. As usual there was an early break who actually held the Peleton to 4 minutes, including only 3 riders, Jeremy Roy, Perrig Quemeneur, and Lieuwe Westra who stayed out front until about 19km to go. The Peleton was led by Omega Pharma who pulled the breakaway back in once they felt the finish was getting too close. Christopher Horner is showing that he will be there being the top finishing American in the race, who also was the top finisher last year, sitting only 6 seconds back in 9th place. He is definitely the one to watch and seems as most likely the one to carry the American banner this year and has shown that he can make a good attempt at leading the general classification. Levi Leipheimer who can also challenge for the maillot jaune is only 1 minute and 20 seconds back, and we all know George Hincapie who sits right under 2 minutes back. Tyler Farrar who was thought to be a dark horse in this race led the peleton a couple times, but did not finish in the top 100 by the end of the first stage. Cadel Evans who is always a good strong rider finished right behind Gilbert and is 2nd in the overall classification. Last years winner and of course this years favorite Alberto Contador is 1 minute and 21 seconds behind Gilbert, who will go into tomorrows Stage 2, which is a Team Trial Stage with the Yellow Jersey. If Omega Pharma maintains the strength that they showed today, it should be quite an interesting team trial tomorrow. With several strong teams out there. What an exciting Grand Start!

US Soccer falls to Mexico in Gold Cup 2011 Final

The US Men's National Team took an early 2-0 lead on the Mexican Nationals but could not hold on. They let in 4 consecutive goals with no response. The Mexican Nationals played with more speed and accurate passing and did deserve the win. The US Team continues to show its lack of depth of talent. The defense continued to clear long balls to the opposing side, while the long balls from the Mexican side met the strikers on a consistent basis who continued to challenge the defense and 8 times out of 10, the Mexican strike force beat the US defenders, with another 1 out of 10 being offsides. The US did show some good signs with the players on the field. We can always rely on Clint Dempsy to show some fortitude, but I believe even though Donovan scored he is overrated. I would've started Juan Agudelo over Donovan like had been previously done with the other winning sides. There also seems to be a challenge in communication while on field. One of the last Mexican goals was from a complete lack of communication from the defense. Howard did the best that he could with what he was given, he charged out to get the ball and the defenders ran away. There were definitely some signs of great play from the US Team even with their loss. Freddie Edu showed some great skill on the ball and Michael Bradley showed some great effort. The future does look promising and hopefully there will be some future talent that will increase the ranks of strong players.

On another note...

Tim Howard rips CONCACAF for the awards being in Spanish, which I totally agree, read it here:

CLICK HERE!

US storms its way into the Gold Cup Semi-Finals 2011

Panama, oh Panama, we built a canal through your country!!!!!!

Jermaine and Clint for the win! 2-0

Junior running strong in 2011

PHOTO CREDIT: TNT RACE BUDDY

Junior's run at Michigan was marred by some poor driving of an obvious loose race car by Mark Martin. Mark Martin goes around the corner with Junior obviously making a good run off the turn and Mark loses it and runs Junior into the wall. Mark finishes 9th and Junior, who had a fast car this race, finishes 21st. However this is really one of the two worst finishes this season. Junior is strong in the championship chase hunt in 3rd place only 27 points out of 1st. 2nd through 5th in the Chase Hunt are less than 10 points apart. Junior has been pulling good finishes with good cars, a marked improvement from last year. One of my favorite races is Sonoma, which is next week is probably one of Junior's worst, but maybe with a fast car he can show some improvement here as well. Then off to Daytona! This has not been a bad year so far at all!

President Barack Obama - The Statesman - Position on the Middle East 2011

Ron Paul Rally in Exeter NH May 13th, 2011 -- Join the Revolution!

Sign Up: CLICK HERE!

Mercedes -Benz Future Car

So Mercedes thought they would slip one by the general public with their famed commercial which showed the upcoming 2012 lineup of cars. Of course the SLS Roadster stands completely out, but the Mercedes product line demonstrates the refinement of a 100+ year old company. In this picture you plainly see the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which was made in 1886 by Karl Benz. The other while vehicle seems to be some sort of future vehicle that is tempting the fate of progress and scientific advancement in the way we perceive the vehicle in the future. Will the roads be magnetically enhanced where we could utilize some sort of rail gun type of propulsion? Come on Mercedes-Benz, stop teasing the public.



*******UPDATE*******

So, the lovely future car is called the Mercedes Benz Biome. It was unveiled at the LA Auto Show with a 1:1 prototype in November of 2010.

You can click on few links for those interested:

Daimler Media Site




Very Good In-Depth Article from NOTCOT

The Roar from Torres' First Goal for Chelsea - Tough Climb Ahead for the Blues

First goal celebration Of Fernando Torres for... by Thestarker01

Oh yes! How sweet it was! Anelka knew what he was doing and the three defenders surely lost focus and Torres took advantage, the roar from the goal was heard from afar. Everyone knew it was coming, it was just a matter of time. Lampard showed his value, and Malouda continued to rack up his tally for his season. Chelsea are 6 points back but has a tough road ahead. The Spurs are next, with Manchester United following. Leaving Newcastle and Everton to close out the season, neither of which The Blues have beaten this season. Included in the equation is Manchester United losing to their next opponent Arsenal. Can the Gunners take out Man United? If they play with an aggressive attack team and stop using Arshavin as a sub and start the guy, they could have a better opportunity. But that's all we can hope because Manchester United has an easy road out. I hope Roman decides to keep Carlo, and it really seems as if there is very little improvement that could be made to the team, perhaps some changing of the midfielders, but the defense is strong, and the attack is strong.

GO BLUES!

Warren Buffett on Class Warfare in 2006

Photo: Warren Buffett and President Obama in the Oval Office 2010 - "I can flip that trillion and make it into ten, Barack."

In an interview with Ben Stein published November 26, 2006, Warren Buffett said the following:

“There’s class warfare, all right,” Mr. Buffett said, “but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

I think Warren was just being an honest person. With plans of giving away 99% percent of his wealth when he passes, I believe indirectly that he is simply giving information to those who wish to pay attention, while being one of the greatest philanthropists of the modern age.

As the saying goes, the rich keep getting richer. Unfortunately the Mortgage Schemes presented to the Public by the banks is a fraud. Forcing people to pay 150-200% Interest on loans to acquire property for themselves which take a vast part of an adult lifetime to pay-off and also foreclosing on properties that have the value of the property paid, yet not the interest, is a despicable practice. Home ownership is the American Dream right? Sure, after the banks squeeze you for everything they can get, cause.... they need to make money too, right? ... and you want a loan for 30 years right? No.

Whatever happened to the Bailey Building and Loan, oh wait, that was just a fairy tale. Unfortunately the banks did take over our country back in 1913.

Our Founding Fathers made many warnings to future generations, yet no one wishes to listen at all. Thomas Jefferson made a comment that "..banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies..", and who knows if he was relaying the cold-hearted disregard to the human for a coin, rather than a passionate defense of a country that an army provides, rather than the warm rationale of George Bailey trying to save his small hometown operation during the rush of the banks.

We shall never know the true intent of words of our passed predecessors, but fortunately we have them to read and to speculate.

Warren is simply a wise businessman who worked since he was a child and made his wealth through savvy investments. If you want it, it is out there, go get it.

Ben did a great job with this article:

Click Here to Read Ben's Article about Warren in the NY Times

Chelsea FAILS in the Champions League 2011

With much disappointment, Chelsea will not be going through to the next stage of the Champions League. There is this thing called a GOAL, and you must find the back of the net if you think you are going to win games. If Carlo gets sacked, it would not be surprising considering Roman's track record, although I would hope he would think twice, because you need to allow a Coach to grow with a team and winning a double last year should show that he is capable of winning. Chelsea's problem is they cannot find the back of the net. It was a mistake in the lineup selection for this game and there is no doubt about it. You should start your strongest players in their natural positions. Lampard is not a Forward, he is a Central Attacking Midfielder, his strength is having the ability to push forward while maintaining the ability to view the field from a central role. The game needed goals, so all forwards should have been playing the whole game, so Drogba should have been on the field the whole game and Torres the whole game. It's not like you need to hold your cards with some secret weapon, you need to come out with guns blazing! Anelka fills the slot forward back fantastically and I think the 4-3-3 formation variation that Chelsea utilizes has great potential if players are placed adequately. It is really inconceivable to go defensive with Ferreira instead of Zhirkov who is more attack minded, and even if defensive Mikel would have put a big body in the middle to maybe allow more chances to win the ball and attack. This game was win or go home, and to sub a defender made zero, absolutely zero sense. What are you defending? If you lose you go home! In which Chelsea did go home with a very disappointing challenge against a team that is not really that great. For some reason Carlo really likes Ramires, and he definitely is a good investment for future years at Chelsea, but his inexperience caused a 10 player match for a good portion of the 2nd Half when if the lineup had been more strategic as in... going for the win.. Ramires would have at the least been a sub in the second half and would not have been in that situation. Chelsea needs to find the back of the net, and I hope they are practicing this on the training field. And a note about Benayoun, I am yet to be impressed. He had one good pass through the slot to Torres in the Wigan game, but watching him off the ball he was usually grabbing his shorts. Chelsea should definitely wrap up this season in the Top 4, and qualify next year for the Champions League, but the performance can definitely be improved. The only respite that they can get is one more chance against Manchester United, and with Arsenal flailing around there is a slight chance there could be a 2nd place finish in the Premier League. And as the ChelseaFC Website is already selling the 2011/2012 Home Kits, perhaps sights have been set for next year already. At least David Luiz will be eligible to play for in the Champions League!

Chelsea loses First Leg of the Champions League / FIFA 11 Ultimate Team Dream Team

Chelsea drops a goal to Man United in the first leg of the Champions League Semi-Final. This is a great competition between really the best two teams in the Premier League. It's unfortunate not to be able to find the back of the Net. This is a Challenge for us, I can hear Carlo saying. But don't worry, there will be goals. Unfortunately FIFA 11 has not been working on my PS3, so I haven't been able to play such a fabulous game to keep the tide between games, but April seems full of them when I believe there were only 3 or 4 in March. It's interesting how the Team pictured above's cost is also high in the game like the price tag in real life. I hopefully one day when this game works again will be able to earn enough with Drogba in the $350-$400,000 range and Lampard in the $100,000 range, you get the idea. I have like 350 credits. Ever since Patch 1.06 has been applied, it continues to freeze, been like this for over a month. Just have to wait for the next patch.

Carlo, you should pay attention to the lineup I have selected because I believe this is the most stanch formation you can provide your opponent.

Forwards: Torres, Anelka, Drogba
Midfielders: Malouda, Lampard, Kalou
Defenders: Cole, Terry, Luiz, Invanovic
Keeper: Cech
Subs: Essien, Ramires, Bosingwa
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti

I know that Chelsea has been picking 4-4-2, and it is an effective defense, but I believe that a 4-3-3 formation with the above players presents a formidable attack force. Unfortunately Luiz is not eligible for the Champions League, so one would have to move Ivanovic to the middle with Terry and bring Bosingwa on to the Right Back and place Ferreira on Sub since Alex is still injured. Chelsea's pockets are deep because there are still names on the bench like Zhirkov and Benayoun. Even Daniel Sturridge is scoring goals for Bolton. Off to Old Trafford to score some goals. With great subs like Essien and Ramires, if any of the front 6 don't perform in the first half, just bring on a fresh body in the second and hope for an improved performance! This was not the end, next Tuesday decides who goes through!

GO BLUES!

SpaceX Launches into the future on Dragon Falcon 9

Bedbugs at the United Nations: A Modern World Response to Islam

Perhaps I should note that this is not me... I don't know who it is, but regardless, find error in things he says.

US Soccer takes over Cary, NC

Ron Paul talks Foreign Affairs with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 2011

NASCAR.COM FANTASY LIVE : JUNIOR'S WHISKEY RIVER - OWENS MOTORSPORTS

NASCAR 2011 - #99 Takes the #88 out of contention for The Bud Shootout

Photo Credit: NASCAR.COM

The #99 runs right into the the #88's right rear quarter panel sending him into the wall. With the car's downforce being a necessity, it seems as if this is the night for Junior's #88 team. Junior states that it was fun, and was just trying to ride around working with Jimmie Johnson. The replays show that the #78 got into the #99 which in turn pushed the #99 into the #88, which caused the wreck. It's definitely looking good for the #88 team which worked with several cars in the first segment and hovered around the front. Just another lesson at Daytona, you better be out front so the wreck will avoid you, even though this is not always the case. Daytona 500... on the horizon. LET'S GO RACING BOYS!

Junior looking for Top 10s and Top 5s

So originally this was an embedded video of Junior's Media Day appearance, but for some reason, probably bad code, it is not working, so instead I will just link to it for you to goto, if you are interested in what he said. Pretty much he is excited about this year and hoping for Top 10s and Top 5s more consistently and hopefully able to drive without putting much into it. Definitely looking forward to this year, and hopefully it will be a good one!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!

LETS GO RACING BOYS!! BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY!

GO #88!

GM Unveils the 2012 Camaro ZL1 -- AWESOME!

	2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
	Learn about the Camaro ZL1 Performance Car | Follow on Twitter | Facebook

Letter to Congressman Brad Miller NC-13

Congressman Miller,

Congratulations on your re-election to the 13th District Representative Seat in the United States Congress. It seems as if the Republicans as a group are taking strides in the bill submission category. I prefer the government style recommendations laid out by our first President of the United States of America, George Washington, who warned against a party system saying that it would create a divide in the American population. What we see now is the result of this process. The first two Bills presented in the House have been: “HR 2 : Repeal the Job Killing Health Care Law Act” and “HR 3: No Taxpayer Money for Abortion Act” ; I say kudos to an effort such as this in regards to being transparent in the laws being presented to the House and the fact that the bill details exactly what is contained inside. These bills are short and concise, and should be. The general public should be able to easily read and understand the rules and regulations that directly affect their lives in addition to being informed on how their tax money is spent. The years of passing laws that increase the wealth of a few including foreign nations that are against American Interests is over. I truly hope that you and your office plans on standing up for American values and American Interests. If you need ideas for future regulation reform I have House Resolution for you:

{HR : Internet Service Provider Definition Act

This Act will provide the definition of an Internet Service Provider and will be substituted in all Public Laws, Rules, and Regulations which contain the prior definitions in place before this Act is deemed law. An Internet Service Provider is an organization that grants a connection to the Internet. An Internet Service Provider is bound to the Communications Act of 1934 due to the fact that it provides a signal of light or an electric pulse over a wire. The equipment owned by the Internet Service Provider to provide this service must be configured to allow the maximum bandwidth available without any type of restriction. Even though a Megabyte equals 1024 bits, 1MB = 1MB, and the sale of throughput that is not available at a constant rate for an end user is considered fraud and will be punishable by law. Only by an Act of Congress may the wires of Internet Service Providers be monitored. }

This is simple, straightforward, and to the point. It would also be a stand for the Freedoms found under the First Amendment, in which Speech has turned into a form of Communication that should not be hindered. The examples that are provided by the Protests of Egypt 2011, in which the Egyptian Government shutoff Internet Service for the General Public should not be repeated in the United Sates. Companies should be responsible for their own networks and the Internet Service Providers today were yesterday’s Bell Companies which had to have rules to operate under. Their pockets are their bottom line and there is no interest in providing the American people with the fastest service available. In the National Broadband Plan there are many goals that need to be achieved that fully depend on the willingness for Private Companies to spend money upgrading their infrastructure. Steps need to be made to ensure the Public receives promised goods and services. The North Carolina General Assembly is going to redraw the lines this year. I believe we get two extra Congressman from the Census results, any word on this? Have a good year!

Kind Regards,

Paul Michael Owens

Chelsea FC drops another home loss to Liverpool

With a chance to make the table closer with Manchester United losing to the Wolves and Arsenal drawing in a spectacular 4-4 match, The Blues failed to accommodate with a loss at home to Liverpool. Obviously spending money on Torres was not the answer that Chelsea needed to achieve more wins. I felt Luiz played very well with the lack of team training due to the need of going back home to tie up some lose ends, but Torres practiced with the team several days. Sure it does take time to meld, but the new players were not the reason that Chelsea lost. They lost because of the lack of effort and the standing around instead of the continuous attacking that was seen in the Sunderland game. This is why they have lost most of their games. I believe Malouda is a considerably better player than Mikel, and it is a shame that he could only come on at the anterior of the match. You cannot take back a loss that has already happened, but analyzing the mistakes, such as the lack of communication between Cech and Ivanovic, which really led to the goal, will improve results in the future. The conflict earlier where Cech and Ivanovic fought over the ball was an indicator of this. Ivanovic was standing in front of Cech when the ball went past him for the Liverpool goal, which is another example of lack of communication, if its inside the 6 yard box the keeper should own that ball. This was an important game and the lack of effort on Chelsea's part included with the lack of communication on the defensive side contributed to the loss. The team must move forward and look to their cross street rivals of Fulham to regain their composure.

GO BLUES!

Chelsea FC finds deep pockets for the Champions League Trophy in 2011

Over the Christmas and New Years Holiday's it was definitely a trying time for Chelsea Fans, but true fans can stick with a team through the good and the bad. But most recently Chelsea has shown its true BLUE colors. With their impressive performance at Bolton, and their recent win at Sunderland after their recent meeting being a souring defeat at Home, Chelsea are looking like a Championship caliber team. Sunderland looked extremely tired at the 65 minute mark. Not overlooking the Everton draw, in which luck does have some affect on the outcomes of games, but sometimes Chelsea does not look like they are playing throughout the game like they did at Sunderland. Coming to terms with faults and identifying them, then correcting them is a sign of greatness. Buying players like Fernando Torres and David Luiz for over 70 million dollars is a sign of, I got a crap load of money! Adding these two players to an already skilled and talented lineup ought to be having Manchester United doubting their ability to remain undefeated this season. Having Luiz in the back strengthens the already strong defense of Ivanovic, Terry, Cole and Boswinga with Alex not far away from being healthy it's going to be tough for Ancelotti to pick the lineup. The same problem lies with the addition of Torres in the front. Drogba is finding his form and Anelka is everywhere needed, while Kalou is finding the back of the net and giving remarkable roll around the goalpost misses. Throwing Torres into the mix with these players will make it hard to choose WHO to play. The job of Carlo Ancelotti is not enviable, but I see that Torres will probably take Kalou's spot, who will probably drop back and Mikel will drop from the starting lineup, while Boswinga will most likely also take a seat to see the capabilities Luiz. Chelsea is now formidable for sure and I believe they will give Barcelona a run for the Champions League title. Business is picking up! Torres will probably get some playing time against his previous club Liverpool immediately. This is going to be some game to watch on Sunday for sure! GO BLUES!

The Rise of Internet Protocol Version 6 ( IPv6 )

Today marked the day that the last Internet Protocol Version 4, IPv4, was assigned by ICANN. What does that mean for you? Nothing. An IP Address is an identifier that allows computers to communicate with each other over a network. Your computer does all the work for you, whether you have a 32-bit address, or a 128-bit address (which is what Internet Protocol Version 6, IPv6 is ), it does not matter because your computer is the one that will process this information, most all modern PCs are already configured to accept and utilize these type of addressing schemes. As noted in the Picture above.

What does this mean for Information Technology? Well, if you had a good core curriculum you were taught how to convert hexadecimal, and can convert them to numerical values if you really wanted to dive into the actual numerical scheme of an IP Architecture. But this knowledge really isn't necessary to maintain a sustainable Information System, that's what computers are for. The transfer of packets will either automatically become larger, because of immediate addition of 96 bits to the address, or the data transferred will be segmented smaller to accommodate for the increase of address size. Either way the transfer of information most likely also will not be affected. The routing of information through networks could possibly be affected by a millisecond, but to end users these numbers are transparent. The real affect will be to newly requested IP Addresses on a Public Domain will be IPv6 addresses. But if you are a savvy Network Administrator one understands the concept of Network Address Translation (NAT) and Port Address Translation (PAT), and will configure your network accordingly to the necessity of your Private IP Address Architecture.

Will there by another version of IP Protocols? Most likely... maybe in a hundred years, unless we happen to come across another race of beings in the galaxy that wish to join us to their hive in the near future. Let's just hope that the Internet Service Providers don't attempt to bamboozle the public in additional fees for it.


....Resistance is Futile....

NASCAR 2011 - Dale Jr looking for a good year.

Photo Credit : Hendrick Motorsports

Junior did improve in 2010 from 2009 by a few spots. The 2010 season started on a high note with a 2nd place finish at Daytona and if there was another lap it most likely would've been a win. But you can't go on a woulda shoulda coulda mentality. Obviously the cars could not perform, especially on the mile and a half speedways. But 2011 is looking up, Steve Letarte is now leading the #88 team and with his track record it's looking good for Junior. It's been too long since victory lane for Junior and all the fans. Even knocking off some great runs this year would be exciting enough. I think there is nothing less than the Chase that would be acceptable for the new #88 team. With Daytona looming right around the corner, with a month to go, Teams are gearing up for the first wheels on the track which will be the Bud Shootout. I think over the past five years with Jimmie winning all the championships teams have been ratcheting up their programs and making strides. Kevin Harvick and the rest of the Childress teams made an impressive run last year, and we can't forget the progress that Michael Waltrip Racing is seeing, and even Richard Petty's crew had a few wins. Joe Gibbs continues to demonstrate his leadership abilities and will definitely put a Sprint Cup championship trophy on his shelf before long. But this year all eyes will be on Junior.. again... Congratulations on being an 8 time Most Popular Driver, let's go for #9! I'm sure visiting Victory Lane once or twice in 2011 would seal the deal on that! Definitely ready for the FOX crew to take the commentating back over, Darrell Waltrip, Larry Mac, Jeff Hammond, Mike Joy, and Chris Myers, with Dick and Matt. Dale and Rusty need to figure out a way to get on this team, or either meld some of the Fox guys into their operations because the other networks are definitely lacking. The 2011 NASCAR season awaits, it's going to be a great year for racing!

Man, it's about time to pull those belts tight one more time! Let's go racing boys!! BOOGGITY! BOOGGITY! BOOGGITY!

GO #88!

Chelsea FC turns a corner in 2011

Chelsea took on Blackburn and won 2 - 0. After an exceptional 7 - 0 performance against Ipswich, it might be time to think about making the push towards the cup. Chelsea sit in 4th place in the standings 7 points back from a tied Manchester duo. Once the execution of goal scoring improves, Chelsea will once again be a formidable opponent. Perhaps the addition of a stout defender would strengthen up the back line, while pushing the front to do more of what they do best which is score. With Malouda, Anelka, Drogba, the front lines are looking strong statistic wise, but there has been a serious drought up front. Lampard being back has spiced things up, but the score lines are still close. Bolton is fighting for position in the top 10 with Stoke City, and Chelsea needs to give them a good hammering to finally set the stage for the upcoming challenges of Sunderland and Liverpool. Next week is an important points game because Manchester United has the opportunity to gain 6 points if they win against they bottom of the table opponents. With the Champions League right around the corner, Chelsea need to tighten their defense and heighten their offense if they are to be successful and raise the silverware because Barcelona is playing silky football, all eyes are definitely going to be on Arsenal when they finally play in the Round of 16.

FIFA 11 with Ultimate Team Expansion : Owens Strikers

A great soccer game, after 100 games I finally have gotten the hang of the strategy of the game. Things that the manual doesn't tell you:

1. If your player is injured you need to put them in your reserve pile to recover.
2. Your players lose fitness, but if you place them in your sub pile they will recover and be at full strength.
3. Buying packs are the most effective way of spending your coins, but if you have good players you need to goto the trading section and buy contracts while you build money for packs.


Overall it is definitely a fun game worth purchasing

The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim ; 11 - 11 - 11

The battle for the best game of the year starts early. Since lighting the Dragonfires, I have been wondering if there was going to be a continuation to Oblivion, probably the best Role Playing Game I have played to date. 5 years after Oblivion, Bethesda answers the call. They really set the bar by teasing the game at the beginning of the year. I believe this will be the first game that I will pre-order. Watch the trailer:



Visit the official site: CLICK HERE!

Duke's first loss of the 2011 Season

Florida State repeated its performance of 2002 and 2006 when they defeated #1 ranked Duke last night. The poor shooting performance and seemingly missing inside presence led Duke to its first loss of the season. Will there be more? Time will only tell. Does this knock Duke of the top spot? Ohio State looks to take the top spot and remain undefeated with only a couple of friends having the donut in the loss column. No doubt Ohio State is on the horizon especially at some point in the NCAA tourney. Will Kyrie be back for the tournaments? Ears on the ground say yes. Is Duke still a strong team without him? Yes. I'd definitely rather have an L during the regular season than the post for sure. Confidence high? You better believe it! Let's go March Madness!

HERE WE GO DEVILS! HERE WE GO!

GO DUKE!