Sen. Obama is anti-American

This country may be on the verge of a catastrophic tragedy that could change the United States and all that our Founding Fathers gave to us as a legacy including the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc., if Barack Hussein Obama is elected as president.

We can kiss the United States of America, as we know it, goodbye, and usher in the United Socialists States of North America. Barack Hussein Obama is not only not African-American, as he claims, but is anti-American.

At the onset of his campaign, he would not wear an American flag in his lapel; would not pledge allegiance to the flag and would not stand with his hand over his heart as the flag passed by. He was evidently advised by his handlers to change that attitude and fast!

All I ever hear from Hussein Obama is "your fault, your fault, etc." I never hear him offer a solution. What you will get from Hussein Obama is higher taxes to pay for his socialistic plans for Americans.

Having traveled to some foreign countries, I have seen what cradle-to-grave coverage means and we Americans won't like it! Hussein Obama is a "the-end-justifies-the-means" artist. "Barack Hussein Obama" on White House presidential stationary? Puleeeze, gimmie a break!

Ben U. Smith
Mantua, UT

Comments
By: Carl Evers @ 10/11/2008, 3:39 PM

Well Ben U. Smith of Mantua, when I read your comments, I wanted to puke. It's because of people like you that Utah has a reputation around the country as a state that is full of bigots, racists, and generally intolerant people. I am embarrassed that I have to live in the same state with someone like yourself who is truly unAmerican. When Barack Hussein Obama is elected President of my United States of America, I hope you will take this momentous occasion to pack your bags and leave the country. Your hatred and bigotry is not welcome in my state or my country.

By: dano @ 10/11/2008, 3:36 PM

Sly. Sit down with some fried chicken and watermelon,do some research on the candidates and shut your damn mouth you moron!!

By: Joel S @ 10/11/2008, 3:27 PM

Quoting from your letter: "Barack Hussein Obama on White House presidential stationary? Puleeeze, gimmie a break!" That statement is about as un-American as you can get. What has a name got to do with anything as far as being American. This country was founded by people with all kinds of different names. You also blasted Obama for being a socialist, yet, your own candidate (I'm assuming is McCain") is proposing that the government buy up all of the delinquent home loans. Most of these loans were given to people who shouldn't have qualified for them in the first place or to people who were looking to cash in on the crazy housing market gold rush. Who do you think is going to pay for such a large undertaking. YOU and me! If you don't think taxes will go up as a result of such actions you are very naive. You say you have never heard Obama offer solutions. That is apparently because you are covering your ears and eyes because he has offered more specific plans than McCain has. It sounds like you listen to Sean Hannity way too much. I hope you get a chance to open your eyes and ears and actually listen to the proposed actions of the two individuals who are running for president. It may result in an educated vote instead of one based on biased talk-radio garble.

By: Sly @ 10/11/2008, 3:06 PM

WOW about the only things you didn't call him were #*&! and Arab Muslum. How good it must be to be a rasist hate mongering pathetic piece of crap like you.

People like YOU are whats wrong with this country NOT people like Obama. And as always just WHAT does his middle name have to do with anything. Did you pck your middle name?

Whats the U stand for? Urislla?

He explained the pin issue not that you can read outside of the Beck or Rush reports. He didn't put his hand over his heart at the NATIONAL ANTHEM NOT THE PLEDGE YOU IDIOT!!! You are not required to do so so I guess you hate about half the crowd and most of the players at sporting events who don't do it either right?

If you never hear him give solutions then you aren't listening or actually you REFUSE to listen so that's your fault not his. You don't want to hear so you try and claim he has none well NO YOU DON'T WANT TOT HEAR IT big difference pal.

People like you disgust me. Stay up in MAntua where you belong.

By: mel @ 10/11/2008, 2:28 PM

The end-justifies-the means is my comment from 10/8. I have copied and pasted, as there is a running discussion about who "doesn't think" and gets all their info from the media. So, here is the original thought.

By: mel @ 10/08/2008, 8:10 AM

Dave, you're right, but Clinton didn't advertise himself as being holier than anyone else. Also, Clinton's problems don't lessen Bush's. And Bush's hypocrisy makes it worse.

I also think starting unjustified wars, getting Hamas and Hezbollah elected, and strenthening Iran are the opposite of Christian. The end-justifies-my- means is not considered ethical anywhere outside of the Bible, where the person-who-wins-is-favored-of-God.

It will be very interesting explaining to Jesus the reasons why you fell for Neocon philosophy. All they want is money and to force their views on the world. Subverting the one truly democratic and free country in the world for their purposes. The only true thing Bush ever said was "Vladimir Putin is my soul mate".

Complicated - It's much easier for me to imagine Christ forgiving Bill Clinton
than Bush / Cheney.

By: Nick @ 10/11/2008, 1:12 PM

Smith's letter is the ultimate expression of un-American thinking.

Racist, willfully ignorant, hateful and error-filled.

Mr. Smith is no doubt impervious to factual information, so let me just say to him...

President Obama will respect your right to believe nutty things. You can spend the next four years hugging your AM radio and muttering angrily to yourself in complete peace.

By: Mike @ 10/11/2008, 11:31 AM

The lunacy of this letter!!!

Let's look at what has transpired over the last eight years of REPUBLICAN presidential control and 6 years of REPUBLICANS controlling both houses.

We have seen an invasion of a sovereign nation without cause, the END of Habeous Corpus, the condoning of torture, illegal wiretaps which thanks to BOTH parties now retroactively legalizes the warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens and protects the telecos from ANY legal liability. Gutted bankrupcy laws that benefit the SAME financial institutions currently being bailed out while preventing JOE SIX PACK from saving their mortgages which BTW... these SAME financial institutions had to FORECLOSE ON and now are destroying them. The COMPLETE REDISTRIBUTION of TAXPAYER wealth to the robber barrons who were ENABLED by DEREGULATING REPUBLICANS and to a smaller extent demos, and now... nationalized banks. YET.... you call the Obama a "SOCIALIST"?!?!

PRICELESS!!!

Mr. Ben U. Smith, you may be able to give the likes of haniitylimbaughbeck that anal infusion of smoke but to those who are educated, informed and care about the Country NOT the party, you comments are pure racist drivel.

By: Bruce @ 10/11/2008, 11:11 AM

Wow. What a podunk racist.

And by the looks of it, Mr Smith, you're not exactly American either. I mean, look at your name. It's hardly indigenous. I'd dare to say your family probably came from somewhere within just a few thousand miles of the middle east (anywhere in Europe is). And you probably practice one of those Semitic, abrahamic desert religions, one of which is Islam. So unless you're native American, you are hypocritical to insinuate that someone else doesn't belong here, as you have so blatantly done by emphasizing Senator Obama's given middle name.

Mr Smith, it is people like you who are anti-American. Your grandchildren will look upon your beliefs in shame, embarrassed by your close-mindedness and repulsed by your lack of acceptance and understanding for people of different backgrounds from yourself. Barack Obama may not be (and I'll be VERY surprised if I'm wrong) white like you, a NASCAR enthusiast like you, or he may not even like hunting wolves from helicopters (like Palin), but we'll see if he's american enough come election day.

For the record, I'm white, mostly conservative, but mostly tired of 8 years of GOP corruption and George W Bush, who has done more to damage our country than any other president. It is GW Bush who has turned the American Dream into a nightmare. I think I'll take my chances with Barack Hussein Obama, and I bet there are more who agree with me than with you. So enjoy the next couple months while you can, McCain/Bush supporters, because payback's a b!tch.

Gobama '08

Good Evening Friends.

I just read something shocking for me and even everyone who loves BIG B of India. Yes, I am talking about AMitabh Bachchan. I read on news channels website that today is his birthday and he was admitted to hospital with complains of stomach ache. Read the news below.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was on Saturday admitted to Lilavati hospital in Mumbai after he complained of stomach ache due to suspected incisional hernia, giving anxious moments to fans on his 66th birthday.

Bachchan, wearing a brown woollen cap and a blue sweat shirt, was first rushed in an ambulance to nearby Nanavati hospital from his residence 'Jalsa' in Juhu for a check up and scan and was later admitted to Lilavati hospital in suburban Bandra. The actor was suspected to be suffering from incisional hernia, a recurring problem that has been troubling him since the near-fatal accident on the sets of 'Coolie' in 1982, but there was no immediate confirmation from family or doctors attending on him.

Sources said the Big B, who was shooting for 'Teen Patti' till yesterday, had taken ill last night and complained of abdominal cramps. "Last night he complained of stomach ache for which he was taken to Nanavati Hospital this morning then he was admitted to Leelavati. At this moment, he is under treatment. We do not the test results as yet," Bachchan's secretary Sunil Doshi said.

A large number of fans and media persons, who gathered outside the actor's house on his birthday were shocked to see an ambulance taking the actor on a stretcher accompanied by son Abhishek to the hospital. Bachchan's daughter Shweta Nanda, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai and family friend and SP leader Amar Singh followed the ambulance in a car.

Let’s Pray to GOD for fast, speedy and safe recovery of Amitabh Bachchan

Ref: indiatvnews

Money worries and fears about the cost of living are starting to impact on almost everybody's daily life, affecting most decisions about even the most normal of our daily events.  So we've put together a list of 10 simple things that are quick, easy ways to cut back and save money.   Don't despair this is what to do, read all ten, they might help you.

1. Make sure all the family have a good breakfast before they leave the house, a good breakfast will fill you up and should help stop any snacks.   Be sure you keep the leftovers for the dog.
2. Always try and make packed lunches to take with you, soup and home made sandwiches are cheap and filling, and have a banana or apple for late afternoon.
3. Most families spend over £100 per week at the supermarket.  There are lots of ways to shave some of that off.  Plan a weeks worth of meals, so you know what you are buying for which meals.  Make a list and only shop for items you need, try the super markets own brands, don't be distracted by the "buy-two-get-one-free" offers, if you really only need one you are not saving money by buying three.  
4. If you like a glass of wine etc, try to cut back to having a drink at the weekends only.  And if you smoke stop it now, just think of the vast amount of money that your wasting never mind your health and your families, by stopping you could save thousands of pounds. The money from the fags could pay for a good family holiday, and you which of those your family would prefer.
5. When traveling to work and school try walking, using a bicycle or public transport this will be the cheapest way to travel and will keep you fit. You could also invest in a family railcard, this should save about a 30% of the normal price. 
6. Fuel bills are the hardest to control, with the rising cost of oil, gas and electric its hard to decide how to heat your home, you just have make sure the kids don't leave the doors or windows open,  lights are not on when they are not needed, set the timer for the heating and water to come on when you are up and not left on thermostat. Make sure that all washing machines and dishwashers are full before you use them. Always switch of every thing that on standby when not in use and change you light bulbs to energy savers.  And the easiest of the lot, put on a jumper before you turn that heating up.



7. You need to keep your finances in check,  the best way to do this is to work out a budget for the month. You need to look at every thing that you spend to get a true picture, look at your credit cards you maybe able to find a lower rate, look at how much your car costs you, how much you spend on clothes, entertainment, insurances etc.  Also keep an eye on those large number of small amounts that we all have set up on the direct debits, things such as the TV license, Sky television subscriptions, contact lens schemes, donations, magazine & newspapers subscriptions, DVD rental clubs, gym memberships.  Individually these items are usually only a few pounds each, but add them up and you are maybe spending a couple of hundred pounds a month.  Do you really need them?
8. Try to go on bicycle trips or walks on the beach or in your local parks, this you can do for free. By starting to walk or cycle everywhere you will start to see thing that you havent noticed before.  There are loads of free things that you can do as a family for entertainment.  Give up those weekend shopping trips and instead get out and about in the fresh air, go and see family and friends, spend some time baking with the children.  Entertainment doesn't need to be expensive.
9. Check your suppliers and your policies.  Prices of Life insurance have plummeted over the last 10 years, if you arranged your life insurance as part of your mortgage then the chances are you are paying over the odds.  Get some quotes, check the alternatives, and move suppliers and save money.  Same goes for electricity, gas, credit cards, household & car insurances, breakdown etc.
10. I could go on for weeks suggesting to you how to save money, but before i was finished you would have gone mad. All the experts tell you to save, save, save,  but that's not fun, and we need some treats in a credit crunch to make us feel better.  Go out for meal once a month, make sure that you spend some good time together because when finances get tight it can add a lot of stress into the family environment.  So treat yourself to a bar of dairy milk chocolate, buy yourself a lipstick as a reward for not spending £100 on those lovely new boots etc.  But the best value out there is the Internet,  spending time on Google will help you and your family gain knowledge about the world a round us. (Just stay away from the shopping sites!)  Try an online business games, choose one where you can play against your partner, get some friendly competitive rivalry going. Playing games provide a more affordable alternative to many other family leisure activities, and provides a sometimes welcome distraction from those brown envelopes sitting on the doormat.

Im REALLY not caught up. So...todays post is brought to you by the letter L...for Laze12!

The new pin is a Microscope. You can find it in the Sport’s Shop on the Pink Surfboard.

The new play, Space Adventure : Planet Y is here and at the stage. There is also a new background available for everyone. They also added a cool new alien costume.

Halloween Party

There will be a Halloween Party coming soon in Club Penguin. It will start on October 29th so decide your costume soon! There are many possibilities of costumes so, be creative! Make your own costume.

Remember the Igloo Decorating Contest mentioned in September? Full details will be available next week!

Space Adventure Hits The Stage Again

The first Space Adventure was a hit! So, Club Penguin has decided to make a sequel. Space Adventure : Planet Y will star at the stage once again, tomorrow.

Here is also a special sneak peek of Space Adventure : Planet Y that was show in the Club Penguin Blog.

Happy Birthday Club Penguin

Club Penguin turns 3 on October 24, here is a simple, yet eye catching invitation to the party.

I will try to make the new widget as soon as possible!!

-mic

You can use http://wordle.net to create a word-cloud of any content - a website (by URL) or a bucket of words you paste in. I realize word-clouds are nothing new... but I think they're way underutilized in HCI.  Fun for political speech analysis; I can just imagine a newspaper front page that consisted of nothing but word-clouds from yesterday's speeches by President Bush, Senators McCain and Obama, Biden or Palin, cabinet members, foreign officials, Osama's latest video, and losing sports-team coaches.   "What'd they say?" Well, take a look.

وكانت تركيا رفضت من قبل الجلوس على مائدة تفاوض مع اكراد العراق وألقت باللوم عليهم في عدم بذل جهد كاف لطرد مقاتلي حزب العمال الكردستاني.

وعزز الجيش عملياته ضد الحزب في جنوب شرق تركيا وعبر الحدود في شمال العراق بعد سلسلة من الهجمات القاتلة للانفصاليين ضد الجنود الاتراك.
أخبار ,
وقال الجيش في بيان ان الطائرات والمدفعية التركية هاجمت 31 هدفا لحزب العمال في منطقة هاكورك بشمال العراق قرب منتصف ليل الجمعة. واوضح ان العملية كللت بالنجاح.

وقال قناة (ان.تي.في) التلفزيونية ان السلطات التركية تريد السعي للحصول على مساعدة من قادة الاكراد العراقيين ضد حزب العمال الكردستاني. واوضحت انها ستفكر في دعوة نيجيرفان برزاني الذي يرأس حكومة اقليم كردستان العراق الى تركيا لاجراء محادثات.

ومدد البرلمان التركي يوم الاربعاء لعام اخر تفويض الجيش لشن عمليات ضد متمردي حزب العمال المتمركزين في شمال العراق.

وقتل أكثر من 40 ألف شخص منذ أن شن حزب العمال الكردستاني حملته المسلحة من أجل اقامة وطن للاكراد في جنوب شرق البلاد عام 1984 .

Saturday and I am free and relex. No Official visit to office. I was reading newpaper online and I find new about IIM-A.  Insight 2008, a one-day annual market research event is organized at IIM-A with the title Insight 2008.          

Its play time again at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A). After all its that time of the year when students get busy playing hosts and organising games for visitors - at the oldest festival IIM-A hosts.

Students of IIM-A are to roll out Insight 2008, a one-day annual market research event being conducted by the institute since the last 22 years. The new aspect this year is the case study competition launched with Starcom MediaVest Group.

The competition is open to students of business and management studies. It was launched on September 30 this year and the last date to submit entries is October 12. The winning student will get a cash prise of Rs 50,000. Insight is an activity with a difference where the interesting bit is that for all those who visit the event its just another fair with interactive and activity-based stalls, but for students its a method of market research.

The clients who will buy stalls and be given a specific brief to work on are ICICI, Reebok, Radio Mirchi, Skoda, Tata Motors, ITC, etc.

ref: TOI, shopblindsonline, agentswebworld                   

Lee, who ruled Singapore for 30 years after the country became an independent republic in 1965, said he had employed the same formula when he converted Singapore into the financial powerhouse it is today. He described how residents of remote islands were settled in Singapore’s main island and given access to education and housing like all other citizens.

“I cheered when the last village in Singapore was demolished in 1980,” he said, proudly adding: “Today there is not a single village in Singapore.” ...

Lee said he had given much thought to the different mindsets of Indians and Chinese. Pointing to cultural and philosophical reasons that differentiate them, he said Indians believed in karma, fate and caste to determine their lives.

The Chinese, he said, were “not waiting for the next world to enjoy themselves. They want their rewards in this world, so they get on with it”, he said amidst loud applause from the largely-Indian audience.

Thursday at Dow Jones it was crashing day. Dow Jones fall down and enter below 9000.  Thursday down dow was reflected in Indian stock market. I just read news that sensex crashes 1,088 pts. I don’t know where this is going to stop? How invester going to survive in stock market?

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) benchmark Sensex on Friday tumbled by nearly 10 per cent to 10,239.76 in opening trade.

The 30-share index, which had nearly lost 1,730 points in the past five straight sessions, plunged by 1,088.60 points, or 9.8 percent, little away from hitting the lower level circuit of 10 per cent, fixed by authorities.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) index Nifty moved down by 314.70 points, or 9 per cent to 3,198.95 with all the heavy-weight stocks trading in negative zone.

Infosys Technologies fell by Rs 54.35 at Rs 1,200 despite better quarterly earnings.

Besides, other losers were Reliance Industries, Reliance Infra, RCom, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel, Satyam Computers, Tata Consultancy, Wipro, BHEL, Larsen and Toubro, Grasim Industries, HDFC Ltd and ACC.

News from yahoo India

A runaway train of a sell-off turned the anniversary of the stock market peak into one of the darkest days in Wall Street history Thursday, driving the Dow Jones industrials down a breathtaking 679 points and deepening a financial crisis that has defied all efforts to stop it.

Stocks lost more than 7 percent, $872 billion of investments evaporated, and the Dow fell to 8,579. When the average crashed through the 9,000 level for the first time in five years in the final hour of trading, sellers had only begun to hit the gas pedal.

As bad as the day was, even worse was the cumulative effect of a historic run of declines: The Dow suffered a triple-digit loss for the sixth day in a row, a first, and the average dropped for the seventh day in a row, a losing streak not seen since 2002.

“Right now the market is just panicked,” said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor’s in New York. “Nobody wants to take on any risk. Everybody just wants to get their money and put it under the mattress.”

It all took place one year to the day after the Dow closed at its record high of 14,164. Since that day, frozen credit, record foreclosures, cascading job losses and outright fear have seized the market and sapped 39 percent of its value.

Paper losses for the year add up to an staggering $8.3 trillion, according to figures measured by the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index, which tracks 5,000 U.S.-based companies representing almost all stocks traded in America.

 news from msnbc

Good Morning Friends,

Yesterday was Dasara. Manav Parivar organizes Garab for the firstday. The whole day was so busy with the prepration of garba. The event was schedule form 9-00 pm to 11-00 pm. We were expecting 200-250 people to visit. I am going to share that event and pictures of this Garaba event in next post. Here I like to talk about Dasara.

Dasara, also called "Navaratri", is among the most important festivals celebrated in India. Unlike the festival of Dussera - "the festival of joy," this is celebrated for 10 days in some parts of the subcontinent.

The Festival of Dasara concludes the festival of Navaratri, and the holy day also commemorates the triumph of good over evil. Forms of celebrations can take on a wide variety of manifestations, ranging from worshipping the goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) to exhibiting colorful toys on the day of bombe habba in Kannada.

Dasara also marks the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. People visit each other and exchange sweets. On this day, people worship Aapta tree and exchange its leaves (known as golden leaves) as symbol of gold and wish each other a bright prosperous future . There is a legend involving Raghuraja , an ancestor of Rama, Aapta tree and Kuber. There is also another legend about Shami tree where the Pandava hid their weapons during their exile. In Maharashtra, people also ritually cross the border of their village / town. This ceremony is known as seemolanghan.

The format was a little different in that the female documentary-maker (unnamed, and unseen) gave a narration that showed she became a true friend to Jan Hamilton during the filming. Apart from a few interactions that Jan has with people in her life, we don't get to see or hear from others during the hour-long show. From the start, when we see footage of "Captain Ian Hamilton" of the Elite Parachute Regiment hiking through the jungle, Jan is on-camera almost all the time.

We are introduced to Jan, who tells us that she is a 42-year-old woman trapped in a man's body. The narrator informs us that Jan will be the first officer in the (presumably British) armed forces to "undergo a sex change" - transition. She continues on to say that during the making of the documentary, she came to fully understand the price that Jan must pay to go through this.

Jan takes us through her daily routine of voice exercises, putting on makeup, tucking, and - after she shows us her thinning hair - putting on her wig. "I'm still Ian when I wake up." Each morning she jogs four miles, in an effort go from 224 lbs and 14" biceps, down to 154 lbs. Despite only having dressed in public for four months, Jan is ready to go to Thailand for FFS, "to have my face rebuilt to make me look like a woman".

"I hid behind this big wall of being a paratrooper ... I hated myself and I hated the world and I hated being in the world." Jan had an overpowering sense of the wrong person, the wrong body.

While we watch her undergoing an obviously painful laser session, the narrator tells us about her enforced coming out. When Jan was warned that the British tabloid newspaper "News of the World" was after her transition story, she took her story voluntarily to a rival newspaper without having the time to prepare the army or her parents for what she was about to do. She paid a heavy price, losing not only her army career, but also her friends and all contact with her family. Later she tells us that she had wanted to continue her career and hadn't imagined the rejection she was shown. Tabloid headlines blared out the loss of her £45,000/year salary.

We see Jan shopping for dresses and talking to a typical British woman of an older generation. When the woman leaves the store, Jan quietly wonders if she "scared her off", showing her lack of confidence and doubts about interacting with others.

Jan moved to Blackpool after walking out of her 20-year marriage, due to feelings of confusion and dysphoria, knowing she could never be the spouse that her wife Morag needed. However, she was still two years away from transition, and her new girlfriend Rachel was not fully aware of her new "boyfriend's" eventual goal to become a woman. During an interview with the two of them, Rachel shares that even after six months of Jan going full-time, she is still struggling to come to terms with it. At the beginning of the relationship, Jan was living part-time and going to work as a paratrooper. Although Rachel could see what was coming, she was in denial and when she was forced to face the truth of the situation, she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach, and knew they could not continue in a relationship. Jan cut in, "We had to find a way of ending that part of the relationship" and gave Rachel the freedom to move on in life, despite still loving her very much. Jan says "It would be nice if Rachel were a lesbian", and they both laugh nervously. We can tell that's not the case. Rachel tells us that every guy she dates now, she can't help thinking "But you're not Ian". The couple still live together, and the feelings between them are intense as Jan takes Rachel's hand and says "We have our ups and downs". After a pause, Rachel responds "I pretend that Ian died..."

So why did Jan seek out the horror and violence of war? It was a final stab at saying "No, I've got to be a guy because everyone wants me to be." Her military career obviously meant a lot to her - she has a picture of the time that she received a medal from Prince Edward, along with a humorous anecdote about how she still doesn't have possession of the actual medal itself. She tries on the jacket from her dress uniform, and shows how she's lost about 4-5 inches from the circumference of her arms. It was a near-death experience during her last tour that made Jan realize she had to transition. She "didn't want to be unhappy" for the rest of her life, and knew time might be running out.

"My dearest wish is to blend and be accepted as a woman. But that will never happen in the army. The hierarchy, my comrades, they all rejected me."

However, this pain is nothing compared to what came next. Her parents sent her a letter that said she was no longer their child. Jan's tears fall with increasing frequency as she blurts out "I am not a freak. I was just born different, that's all. My body came out wrong - it's nothing to do with sexual gratification in any way. I am not a transvestite, I am not shemale, I just want to be a woman, what is wrong with that?"

Six days later, Jan is in Thailand for her facial feminization surgery. She spent months researching on internet, looking for the right doctor and has settled on the well-known Dr. Suporn. We watch as Jan details the features she likes and the ones she hates. She brings out a picture of Sophia Loren, "This is who I'd like to look like". I can see it - her features are already not too far from those of the famous Italian beauty. Dr. Suporn chuckles and nods encouragingly.

The narrator says she is shocked to hear the gruesome details of surgery, although Jan already knew what was to come. The surgeon will take off her forehead, reshape it and screw it back on again. He will give her breast implants, reshape her lips, split and sew her eyelids into an almond shape. He'll even break her nose and reshape it into a more feminine profile. Ian's face will be gone forever. A little sadly, Jan says, "This is the last time I will ever look at Ian. The world will never again see me as a man. The world will see me as a woman until the day I die. Ian has been wonderful to me, but no - he needs to go. But I'll always remember him."

In Jan's hospital room, there are cards from friends, but nothing from her parents or girlfriend Rachel. But there is a card from her ex-wife Morag. Somewhat surprisingly, Jan says, "She has known me the longest, and has been the kindest ... Rachel couldn't really deal with this." Just before she is wheeled into surgery, she says, "I never had a doubt. I have doubt in that I am scared, yes. But doubt about the decision, no. I never had that."

"Like jumping out of an aeroplane. Green light go."

After the operation is over, when she comes round, there is no one there she knows except for the documentary-maker. Jan has spent twelve hours on the operating table and can barely talk to the nurses. She has to wait for thirty-six hours to know if the surgery is a success. Then the bandages will come off.

Nurses gently swab the incisions on her face and finally Dr Suporn gives her a mirror. As she examines her new features, the doctor explains to her how to manipulate her breast implants to ensure their flexibility. Jan says she feels "really good" that she doesn't look like she used to look.

She returns home three weeks later, looking like the sister Ian never had. "Never a strong man around when you need one, is there?" she grumbles, struggling with carrying her luggage up the stairs. Rachel has now moved out, and for the first time, Jan is alone. "Welcome home, eh?"

Now, Jan has to make a new life with friends who have only known her as a woman. We're there as she meets with two male friends in a coffee shop. They trigger my gaydar, but their sexuality is not discussed. Jan shows off her new silhouette to them, and all three talk and laugh about the details of the surgery she has just had.

There are still massive problems to overcome. Alone and unemployed, Jan is forced to sell the intricate details of her operation to a newspaper, in order to have any income at all. As time goes on, her optimism is stretched. She comes to the conclusion that people don't see a woman when they look at her, they just see "a good-looking transsexual". She fears she will only ever be a good fascimile of a woman.

At this point, between her two surgeries, Jan takes us on a journey into the past. She still hopes for a reconciliation with her parents, but doesn't think it will happen. She grew up in northeast Scotland and goes back to confront issues from her childhood. We hear that she came out to mother by telephone, telling her it would be in the papers. Her parents responded with a letter saying that their son was dead and she was never to contact them again. Jan was struck by how the response was based on how it would affect them. Her father wrote, "How do I go to the golf course to renew my subscription when everyone knows what you've done?". Once again, the tears fall as Jan says, "I no longer have anybody who loves me, and that's hard ... We all need someone to give you that unconditional acceptance." The film-maker says, "Jan could not take me to meet her parents."

After a montage of childhood 8mm footage of growing up and playing in a playground, and some old photos, Jan talks about a deep dark secret. She was sexually abused from the age of 12. Talking in a park, she describes how she used to come up there, dressed. She would wander round the park as a girl. "The only way I can stand here is to talk about it." With a palpable sense of shame, she says there was an "element of consensual sex. I was treated as a woman, and it was quite loving. Then I was asked to do things, or have things done to me, and I would come away with shame, feeling dirty about it." There was no one to talk to about it. When she was seventeen, she told her abuser "If you ever do that to me again, I'll kill you" and he backed off. The lesson she learned - "That's what you do as a man, act aggressive" - that was what ultimately drove her to the army.

There's a surprise in store. Jan has contacted Morag, her wife of twenty years. Morag has written back saying "I'm just happy that you're alive". We watch them as they meet and talk for the first time as two women, and can see that this was very difficult for Morag. Jan confronts her, "When you got angry with me last night, you called me Ian." They bicker like the old married couple they once were. Morag didn't want to talk about her life with Ian, and was obviously less sure about the future than Jan, who tried to reassure her. It was a bittersweet reunion, with obvious strong feelings, but no sense of a reconciliation.

It is Remembrance Sunday, when the nation gathers to honor those of the armed forces who gave their lives in time of war. This year, Jan has come to lay Ian, the solider, to rest. "I am really happy with who I am now, and that person is not a soldier. There is no more Captain Hamilton." And again, the tears fall.

In February 2008, Jan returns to Thailand to "have her genitals removed" (as phrased by the narrator). This is the final stage, we're told. Genital reassignment surgery. Jan is unnervingly calm and undaunted, and we see her shopping for new underwear. Back in the hospital, Dr Suporn describes the procedure. In deference to US TV censors, BBC America blurs out the photos on the doctor's laptop. (I wonder if they did the same when the program was shown in the UK.) Jan's reaction? "Fabulous!" Dr Suporn tells Jan that although she will not be able to reproduce, she will be able to have sex and reach orgasm. To that extent, Jan is no different from many genetic females. "He will take my scrotum and turn that into a vagina ... Goodbye to my best friend willy and ...". She laughs. But her emotions are in turmoil. "This time I'm fucking terrified". When asked about what she'd like her parents to know, she responds "Just to love me, that's all. They're my mum and dad, and I need them an awful lot. I'm really happy as a woman. I'm just so bloody lonely all the time." The tears fall in torrents.

It is the Chinese New Year on the day when she will "get her new genitals and new gender." The last remnants of Ian will be removed by the surgeon's knife. As she is wheeled in, she turns to the camera and says, "Tell my parents I never meant to hurt them, if something goes wrong, okay?"

We see her being put under, and after 8 hours of surgery, she is wheeled out. The narrator muses, "Now perhaps she'll have the future she wants, as a woman called Jan."

Wrapping up the documentary, Jan talks about the results of the GRS. "Not very pretty at the moment ... like a badly-burned donut ... Odd to feel like there's still something down there." She is proud of the effort she's put in to become a woman. Was it worth it? "Oh, yes, 10 times, 100 times."

"Yes, I am a woman now, and I'm happy." *sniff* "Truly, I'm truly happy."

I covered Greenpeace stopping by Manatee Academy in Port St. Lucie as part of their Global Warming Story Tour on Wednesday with an afternoon deadline. I finished the article two hours early and even wrote another story.

When my article ran on the front of Thursday's local section, I noticed it was almost identical to what I wrote with the exception of a few lines - the beginning. The lede is the part I usually spend the most time putting together. I get stuck on the whole story if I can't think of a lede right away.

Read the article here on TCPalm.com: "Greenpeace exhibit focuses on environment."

Here's what I wrote:

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Greenpeace is traveling to educate Americans - including local K-8 students - about environmental issues.

The global campaigning organization visited Manatee Academy on Wednesday, the day after a similar stop at the Florida Atlantic University campus in Jupiter, as part of Greenpeace's Global Warming Story Tour. Principal Mimi Hoffman directed classes of students...

The Halloween Contest coming October 28 - November 2.

Details about the Contest.

And on October 10 New Play will be at the Stage.

Upcoming Events:

October 10:

•  New Pin Hidden
•  Space Adventure: Plantet Y Stage

October 17:

• Halloween Catalog
• Igloo Decorating Contest

October 24:

• Clubpenguin 3rd Anniversity.

-Gordo520

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Halloween Party!

The halloween party starts October 29th until November 2nd which is about roughly 5 days plenty of time to celebrate though.

Check out The penguin clothing catalog for some cute and stylish or even spooky and scary costumes like the fairy or the ghost.I'm going to be the Fairy or the bee.

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Igloo Decorating Contest

Is coming soon there will be more and better details in next weeks newspaper about the contest.

It's going to be a Halloween themed igloo decorating contest it will be from October 17th - 26 which is plenty of time seriously.

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New Play

New play coming tomorrow it is based on space it will be called Space Adventure : Planet Y

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Fall Fair Review

Decorations:Many people liked the coffee shop because it turned into a candy shop and the ice berg which was like a play area you find at McDonalds in the US. The Puffle Paddle was a loved game also , it gave you a lot of coins. (My sister made thousands from that Puffle-O game where you fed them)

Games:Most people like the games because you could play them and still somewhat be connected to your friends and even compete head - to - head in who has the most tickets.

Prizes:I can tell you this penguins loved the Fall Fair Prizes , whether old or new it was definitely a challenge just getting enough tickets!

The decorations , games , and prizes overall were wonderful!

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Other:

There is a cool tips and secrets column called "Penguins Play Your Way"

There are some funny jokes , I really can't tell you which ones the silliest

There is a poem that is based on puffles and it very cool and creative that the author included how much it costs to feed a puffle and how much they cost

And there's a one of those hard puzzle things that I have no idea how to solve , way to hard! 

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Fan Art

I like this picture  , it was very well drawn and creative! Good job to whoever drew this picture! :-)

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Extra Extra Read All About It!

That's crazy clubpenguin is turning three , my first pin was the UFO pin which was last year october and I am 337 days old!

The 3 year anniversary of clubpenguin is October 24th and I believe it's only a day long.

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Events

October 10th - New PIn And New Play At Stage

October 17th - Better Igloo And Upgrades Is Being Updated For Halloween
                         Igloo Decorating Contest

their is the first page.It is about halloween.here is a message you get if you put your mouse over the igloo.

Their is the message.Here is the second page.

It is about the new play coming tomorow.Here is the third page.

It is a review of the awsome fall fair.And here is the last page I am going to show you.

It is about club penguin turning 3 and the events that are going to happen soon.That is it for the newspaper.

What should be U.S. policy against rogue states such as Iran?

America a 'rogue state'

As defined by the Bush White House, the United States of America is a rogue state. People are now imprisoned without charges, trials, or lawyers; and terror suspects are denied even the most basic human rights. Our government ignores international treaties and invades countries whenever it's in the mood. The U.S. has the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction in the world. Our military terrorizes (or "shocks and awes," if you prefer) civilian populations in the nations we invade. So yes, we should absolutely and unequivocally be speaking to rogue states. Nations like ours and Iran need to be involved in a dialogue with the rest of the world so that we can work toward understanding, peace and true democracy. Refusing to negotiate is not only unwise; it is hypocritical for anyone who says he believes in democracy. We cannot pick and choose who has the right to have his voice heard.

Patrick Sweeney, 19, of Lake Elsinore attends UC Riverside.

- And so you can see how I came to this conclusion, here is a link to the definition I used for "rogue state," straight from the White House.

I guess that not even this was allowed during Prohibition! 

Background: Stanley Amore was my great-grandfather's nephew (1st cousin to my grandfather).  He was born in January 1880 to George Washington Amore and Catheirne Burden.  Stanley was a restauranteur, the oldest child of the family, never married, and died on September 30, 1929 at the age 49 from Bright's Disease.  He was interred at Plainfield Cemetery in Coshocton County, Ohio.

News Clipping Source: The Coshocton Tribune and Times Age; Coshocton, Ohio; Vol. XVIII, No. 137; Front Page; Tuesday evening, January 18, 1927

Im so Happy About The Upcoming Party In Cp! Here is a Pic Of it!

I also Got a Card from Agent G!

Find Out What It says!

-Sweetkid123

And, I want to take a moment to praise Mollie Garrigan, Katy Rushing, Suzanne Choate, Harry Duncan, Hannah Frizzell and Nicole Wilson.  They are the ones who stood up and told the truth on this, and they should be commended.  I'm sure they will have a great future in journalism.

Today, I've deicded to have Bubblegum tell you the news instead of me. Don't ask why.

Bubblegum423: Well today we mostly talk about the new stage which is coming out.. tomorrow! Billybob has a peek of it for us!

Ooo.. He also said there would be a twist! Wonder what it could be?

Events that are coming up include Club Penguin's 3d brithday! YAY! Oh! The new pin will also be coming out tomorrow. Stay tunned to find out where it is!

Also, since SOMEBODY's been slacking off on updating with the Community Page, I'll tell.

There's a new comic and some new fan art! Oh. Also a new featured igloo. Congrats Abandonship2!

The comic desn't make much sence..

And then theres fan art! I'm thinking of making one to submit..

That's it for today! This is Bubblegum423, signing off!

Me: (Hey Bubblegum, not too shaby. Why don't you take my job of updating the newspaper?)

Bubblegum423: Why I'd be happy to! I know you have a lot to do.

Me: (All right! That settles it! I update the rest of the site and you work on the updating of the CPT (Club Penguin Times!)

Virgo

The sky speaks of a chance for you to banish confusion and chaos from a part of your world, at least for a while. Something you've needed to nurture will now be able to grow.

Courtesy of The Toronto Star