HELLO BUDDY NEWS TODAY

Picture from gridermeg2's AOL Pictures Public Gallery

Fri, 09 May 2008 18:01:20 GMT

Picture from gridermeg2's AOL Pictures Public Gallery.

A GOOD FRIEND AND HIS DOG, WORLD TRAVELER AND NAVY VETERAN, GRIDERMEG IS A GENTLEMAN WHO BELIEVES THAT SENSE OF HUMOR AND LIFE GO TOGETHER. THE DOG WILL BE MAKING COMMENTS AT A LATER DATE.

Picture from raymond.earl@talktalk.net's AOL Pictures Public Gallery

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:21:50 GMT

Picture from raymond.earl@talktalk.net's AOL Pictures Public Gallery.

IN PRAISE OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:05:24 GMT

EITHER WE ARE ADVOCATES OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH OR WE DETEST IT. AND NOW COMES FORTH ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PLACES ITS STAMP ON THE OBACK BARAMA CAMPAIGN. AND FROM NOW ON, THE CONTEST WILL BECOME EVERMORE AND EVEN MORE INTERESTING AND FILLED WITH THE MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE OF A 1940S SPY MOVIE--IN BLACK AND WHITE.

Minister Louis Farrakhan

The Divine Destruction of America: Can She Avert It?

FREEDOM OF SPEECH...from cyclone729's AOL Pictures Public Gallery

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:38:58 GMT

"The Freedom of speech is one of the many freedoms we have Loved Embrace this Freedom.. Don't repress it with Censorship" from cyclone729's AOL Pictures Public Gallery.

"THERE ARE THOSE WHO WILL NOT APPRECIATE THIS UNIFORM OF THE DAY...and there are others, many others, who will enjoy this casual uniform, a recreational outfit meant for a display of national pride in America on the sands of our golden beaches." Earl R. Stonebridge

"It's a cute uniform, for sure." Robert L. Huffstutter

"Personally, it's just not appropriate, with the flag and all--and she is too skinny." Velma Ray Dolittle

THE BEAUTY OF AMERICA IS THE DIVERSITY. THANK GOODNESS, THOSE PORNSKI BROTHERS CAN'T PROTEST OR FOLLOW THE RED-BLOODED GUYS AND DOLLS WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF MULTIPLYING AND REPRODUCING. WARS WERE FOUGHT TO PRESERVE OUR FREEDOMS...

Tags: flag-waving bikin-clad hotty stirs up patriotism, freedoms are the reward of those who sacrificed, God bless the USA,<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/flag-waving+bikin-clad+hotty+stirs+up+patriotism" rel="tag"><img style="border:0;vertical-align:middle;margin-left:.4em" src="http://static.technorati.com/static/img/pub/icon-utag-16x13.png?tag=flag-waving+bikin-clad+hotty+stirs+up+patriotism" alt=" " />flag-waving bikin-clad hotty stirs up patriotism</a>,

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:45:20 GMT

SPEND ALMOST A WEEK IN PARIS FOR LESS THAN $600 INCLUDES AIR

THE REAL DEAL
	1. Five Days in Paris from $545 with Airfare
	Visit Paris with TourCrafters' five-day/four-night Paris “City Break” starting at $545. The package includes round-trip airfare from New York (JFK) or Boston, four nights' accommodations at the Mouffetard Comfort Inn, and daily buffet breakfast. The hotel is located on the Left Bank's picturesque rue Mouffetard, one of Paris’ oldest and liveliest neighborhoods. You can even extend the trip for two nights at the Grand Hotel Florence in Nice for $269 per person, including round-trip air. This deal is valid for travel through February, then increases to $620 per person for travel through March 13. For more information go online or call 800 482 5995.

	PHOTO GALLERY
	2. Left Bank’s Shakespeare and Company
	“Whenever I visit Paris, one of the first places I always go is the marvelous Left Bank bookstore, Shakespeare and Company," says photographer Catherine Karnow, who shot “Authentic Paris” in the March 2008 issue of Traveler. American expat George Whitman opened the landmark bookstore, which is tucked away in the shadow of Notre Dame Cathedral, in 1951. "The shop is in an ancient building of creaky floors and crooked stairs," says Karnow. "There are hundreds of books and old leather armchairs where you can read for hours. If it is a Sunday, most likely there will be a poetry reading and tea in the same room where writers such as Lawrence Durrell and Henry Miller have read their works. One can even stay there for free, as I did once in 1981—but you do get what you pay for. I woke up to find myself covered in bedbug bites!" Click here for more photos from the City of Light.

	PLACES OF A LIFETIME
	3. My Paris
	“My pleasure in Paris was tentative, almost embryonic at first, for I was just beginning to appreciate its contours and almost hidden pleasures, and why it was so different from the world—and the cities—that I knew best,” writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam in “My Paris.” “In America new was always better than old; in Paris old was always better than new. In the New World big was always better than small; in Paris there was a quiet celebration of all things small. In the New World time was of the essence; but in Paris life was of the essence—one should rush through absolutely nothing, most particularly lunch.” To read the rest of David’s essay or browse Paris’ best hotels, restaurants, and entertainment, click here.

	INTELLIGENT TRAVEL
	4. Sleep Like a Parisian
	"Searching online for budget hotels in Paris could have been easy enough, but reading user reviews was brutal. I could handle tiny rooms and appreciate off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods, but bedbugs and paper-thin walls? Non, merci," writes Traveler researcher Katie Knorovsky about her search for honeymoon accommodations. "So after weeks of drowning in scathing reviews on TripAdvisor, my fiancé and I opted instead for more uncharted (or at least less-reviewed) territory: renting a privately owned apartment. The experience had its quirks, to be sure, but none that overshadowed the thrill of slipping a key into the door on an ordinary façade in Montmartre, filled with real Parisians living their lives all around us. Plus, our tiny home-away-from-home had a kitchen (albeit proportionately teensy) stocked with a few essentials like a coffeemaker and corkscrew, and paintings by the apartment’s artist-owner hung on the walls. The only downside? Lodging like a local might mean closer proximity to other apartment-dwellers, but at least for us, it meant less interaction with others, too. Perfect, perhaps, for a honeymoon, but a bummer if you’re looking to mingle. Then I read about Pour Vous Paris, a group of Parisians looking to host travelers in their homes for modest prices and take them on neighborhood walking tours, shopping excursions, and even on picnics and crêpes soirées—all for free (that is, after paying a small annual membership fee)." Read more on Paris from Intelligent Travel.

	WALKING TOUR
	5. Paris’ Seine River Islands Walking Tour
	The islands are the heart of medieval Paris. The lively, bustling Île de la Cité is crammed with architectural gems, such as the magnificent Notre-Dame cathedral. In striking contrast, the smaller, quieter Île St.-Louis offers a peaceful village atmosphere, its shaded embankment lined with elegant private mansions standing as silent witnesses to a bygone era. Click here for a downloadable map, a full walking tour, and more.

Tags: PARIS FOR LESS THAN $100 PER DAY, AIRFARE INCLUDED, LEFT BANK ACCOMODATIONS, PARTY TIME, GO FOR THE LEFTBANK PARTY PACKAGE,

Picture from josephmc05's AOL Pictures Public Gallery

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 18:31:05 GMT

"Manchester - Veterans' Day 2006 - all pictures © Joseph McGarraghy" from josephmc05's AOL Pictures Public Gallery.

WRITE A SHORT STORY ABOUT THIS PHOTO AND WIN HONORABLE MENTION IN A WRITERS PUBLICATION. CONTACT VELMA RAY DOLITTLE FOR SPECIFIC GUIDELINES, DEADLINES, ETC. (USE COMMENT BOX)

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSEPH McGARRY THAT MAKES ONE WANT TO TELL THE REST OF THE STORY AND THE READERS WANT TO KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY...

Picture from huffstutterr's AOL Pictures Public Gallery

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:21:12 GMT

"PHOTO COPYRIGHTED BY HOOTERS...FOR PUBLIC INFO ONLY." from huffstutterr's AOL Pictures Public Gallery.

BROWSE THE MAGAZINES OF A PARIS NEWSTAND

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 04:05:18 GMT

http://www.viking.be/Paris/bouquiniste_paris.htm

TAKE THIS EUROPEAN PHOTO TOUR, THANKS TO ANDERS AND BARBARA LOCK, NOW RETIRED AND LIVING IN BRUSSELS....SOME GOOD SHOTS.

Picture from dan012752's AOL Pictures Public Gallery

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:45:23 GMT

"Frankfurt, Germany 2007" from dan012752's AOL Pictures Public Gallery.

HELEN THOMAS: TIME FOR HER RETIREMENT 15 YEARS AGO

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:59:35 GMT

BUSH IS STILL BEING STUBBORN ABOUT THE BORDER GUARDS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.....HELEN, WHY NOT WRITE ABOUT THAT...AND STOP NODDING OFF.....

NOT ONLY A SHAKY ECONOMY...BUT A REALLY PISSED NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED FOR HIM TWICE.....NO MORE. I WON'T VOTE FOR ANOTHER BUSH...ANOTHER FLOWER...OR ANYTHING THAT'S SIMILAR TO A SHRUB...WE ASKED HIM TO PARDON HIM....DIDN'T WE? WE ASKED AND HE TURNED AWAY...

Published on Friday, February 1, 2008 by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bush Plans to Leave a Lot of Unfinished Business

by Helen Thomas

With a year to go in the White House, President Bush has said he will sprint to the finish line.

But in his lackluster final State of the Union address this week, the president acknowledged that he is leaving behind a troubled nation and a shaky economy for his successor.

He also offered no clue on how to end the needless war he started five years ago against Iraq. He finds solace in a drop in the U.S. casualty rate, with 160,000 American troops and nearly as many mercenary private contractors on assignment in Iraq.

But American soldiers are still dying in Iraq — there were five lost on the day he spoke to Congress.

On another front, Bush said, “our economy is undergoing a period of uncertainty.” That’s a huge euphemism in light of the assessments by some economists that the country is already on the verge of a recession.

“And at kitchen tables across our country, there is concern about our economic future,” he added.

Bush set no lofty goals in his farewell address but simply pushed the measures that fit into the art of the possible. “Minimalist” is probably the best way to describe his lame-duck agenda.

Oh yes, he is proposing $300 million to help children in poorly run schools to attend private schools. It’s a pseudonym for school vouchers.

Why not use this money to improve our public schools and pay better salaries for hard-pressed teachers?

Bush is going out with a whimper, and leaving a stash of unfinished business.

Of course, you wouldn’t have known it from the boisterous welcome he received Monday night from star-struck members of Congress. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle fell all over themselves to shake his hand and get his autograph.

He delivered his remarks in a defiant manner — sometimes dripping with sarcasm — such as his comments during Congress to make his tax cuts permanent.

“Others have said they would be personally happy to pay higher taxes,” he said with a smile. “I welcome their enthusiasm, and I am pleased to report that the IRS accepts both checks and money orders.”

He was rewarded for that jibe with a big laugh from the crowd.

Bush, who once styled himself a “compassionate conservative,” did not tell the nation he is leaving behind a $9 trillion national debt — something for future generations to deal with.

Throughout his speech he spoke of his “trust” in the American people.

“And so long as we continue to trust the people, our nation will prosper, our liberty will be secure and the state of our union will remain strong,” he declared.

Unfortunately, Bush has conducted the most secretive administration in recent history, so the trust has not been a two-way street.

If he actually trusted the will of the people he would have pulled up stakes from his Iraqi blunder a long time ago. The polls have shown that the American people want to bring the troops home from Iraq. They also show Bush is hovering around 29 percent in popularity.

Bush seems to have no qualms in dumping the mess he created in foreign and domestic matters on his successor.

Among the first priorities for a successor — Democrat or Republican — is to repair the U.S. standing in world opinion. If Americans want to claim that they are “Canadian” when they go abroad — and many have — we surely have lost our pedestal. By the way, Canada — our friendly neighbor — listed the U.S. in a military training manual as among the nations that tortures prisoners.

As he heads into the sunset, it can be said the president has been consistent, never wavering in his self-righteous defense of his unprovoked attack on Iraq; tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country, and taxpayer revenues for government social programs shared with private religious charities, among other things.

Bush seems to be confident that history is always kinder and forgiving toward past presidents. That may be his consolation.

Helen Thomas is a columnist for Hearst Newspapers. E-mail: helent@hearstdc.com.