Lifestyle13

I found a way to get a quick view of the all the presidential candidates stands, Democrats and Republicans, on issues like:

Iraq; Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, Immigration, Economy, Education, Energy, Climate Change, Health, Social Securtiy, Stem Cell Research, Abortion  and Gun Control.

The format on the Boston TV station WCVB’s website is easy to look at and gives you the candidates stand in just a sentence or two to make it a quick and easy reference.

Check it out at  http://www.thebostonchannel.com/compare-candidates/index.html

From the first time I saw Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, I knew he reminded me of someone I’d seen before.  I couldn’t put my finger on it, though.  It was driving me nuts.

Then it hit me.  I knew exactly who he looked like:

Mitt Romney looks like Guy Smiley from Sesame Street.

In fact, I’ll go one step further.  I think Mitt Romney IS Guy Smiley. 

What’s my proof?

Has anyone ever seen them in the same room at the same time?

I know some children of highly successful parents may have a hard time trying to live up to the bar, parents have set for them, or to follow in their parents footsteps. 

 Then I  got to thinking about Chelsea Clinton.  What is it like to have a father that was President of the United States and a mother who could be President!   That’s a double dose of success  and I wonder if she ever feels pressure to be something just as important someday?  Any insights?

This week, Yahoo announced the top searches in 2007 .

Yahoo press release:

SUNNYVALE, Calif., December 03, 2007 – Yahoo! today announced the Top Trends in Search, as told through the billions of searches in 2007 conducted by millions of Yahoo! searchers around the globe. Yahoo!’s Top Trends in Search reveals a portrait of a culture on the brink of political breakaways, celebrity breakdowns, technological breakthroughs, environmental action, sporting errors and final farewells to popular icons.

“Searches can give us insight into a culture in motion and Yahoo!’s Top Trends in Search in 2007 reflects the world’s fascination with crossroads and breakthroughs. People weren’t just buzzing about celebrity. More than ever they sought to be environmentally responsible, were using the Web to find out about food and product safety and getting the scoop on the latest gadgets,” said Heather Cabot, Yahoo! Web Life Editor.

Top Trends in Search in 2007

News Stories – top 10 news stories

1.      Saddam Hussein

2.      Iran

3.      Iraq

4.      President George W. Bush

5.      Oil and Gas prices

6.      Barack Obama

7.      Hillary Rodham Clinton

8.      San Diego Fires

9.      Afghanistan

10.    Virginia Tech

This year, the availability of footage of Saddam Hussein’s final moments caused searches for him to soar making the late Iraqi leader the most searched figure in the news of 2007.  In addition, the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan propelled buzz throughout the year. With the ongoing diplomatic situation with Iran and visit from the Iranian president, Yahoo! users searched for more information on Iran than Iraq this year.  Among the Presidential hopefuls, who embraced the Web in larger numbers this year, Democratic contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton once again drummed up a large number of searches.

Grass is Always Greener – top 10 environmental searches

1.      Recycling

2.      Global Warming

3.      Freecycle

4.      Earth

5.      Pollution

6.      Al Gore

7.      Environmental Protection Agency

8.      Live Earth

9.      Hybrid Cars

10.    Solar Energy

2007 may go down as the year people stopped talking about the climate crisis and actually did something about it.  Yahoo! Searches found that people searched for ways to help the environment, on a global and personal level. Al Gore’s, “An Inconvenient Truth,” won an Academy Award and brought global warming to the fore-front. Also, “Freecycle.org,” a social networking approach to local recycling, emerged as a hit to consumers that sought to exchange used goods in their neighborhoods. 2007 saw searches about global warming and energy-saving cars reach their highest levels ever.

Celebrity Downslides – top 10 troubled stars

1.      Britney Spears

2.      Paris Hilton

3.      Anna Nicole Smith

4.      Vanessa Anne Hudgens

5.      Nicole Richie

6.      Amy Winehouse

7.      Rosie O’Donnell

8.      Tara Conner

9.      Michael Vick

10.    Owen Wilson

This year, Yahoo! searches kept up with the twists and turns of troubled Hollywood stars with Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith at the top. Traffic violations drove socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to jail, and Lindsay Lohan went to rehab numerous times. The story of Anna Nicole Smith and her unexpected death resulted in a great spike in searches and Vanessa Ann Hudgens, the Disney star of “High School Musical”, became even more popular following her photo scandal.

The Year of I, You and Wii – top 10 in tech

1.      YouTube

2.      Wikipedia

3.      Facebook

4.      iTunes

5.      iPod

6.      iPhone

7.      Nintendo Wii

8.      Xbox

9.      Sony PlayStation 3

10.    Guitar Hero

In 2007, a cell phone had people camping on the doorsteps of local wireless stores. Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, introduced the iPhone at MacWorld in January. From that moment on, searches on Yahoo! soared as people clamored for the latest gadget from the company who also brought us the infamous iPod. Nintendo’s Wii had a similarly seductive quality. The game console debuted in late 2006, amidst predictions of a stiff competition from the Sony PlayStation 3 and the new Xbox. However, gadgets and games weren’t the only things pushing tech to its limits - 2007 was also the year that presidential candidates en masse appealed to their citizenry through the Internet. Technology wasn’t so much breaking new ground, as it was entering into a new maturity.

Tag, You’re It – top 10 on del.icio.us

1.      Design

2.      HDTV

3.      Games

4.      Music

5.      Web 2.0

6.      Video

7.      Ubuntu

8.      Travel

9.      Photography

10.    Mac

Creativity and creation marked the 2007 searches on social search and bookmarking site, del.icio.us (http://delicious.com), which serves as the “shared Web memory” for millions of technologists, librarians, journalists, and others who enjoy staying on the cutting edge of what’s new and interesting in technology and society. The pursuit of design took the top spot among the millions of del.icio.us users, who shared and tagged Web pages and articles on how to groom a website and tinker with typography for maximum effect.

Recalling the Recall – top 10 consumer call-backs

1.      Pet Food Recall

2.      Fisher Price

3.      Thomas the Tank Engine

4.      Dog Food Recall

5.      Menu Foods

6.      E. coli

7.      Food Poisoning

8.      Toy Recall

9.      Peanut Butter recall

10.    Topps

In early spring of 2007, reports of poisoned dog food spurred frantic searches about the pet food recall. For weeks, pet owners examined every brand of food to gauge its safety, and some resorted back to homemade recipes just as a precaution. Toy recalls, bearing the likeness of Thomas the Tank Engine and Fisher Price, suddenly spiked in searches due to the discovery of lead based paint in their products.  Ultimately, the commanding search of food safety-related searches such as Menu Foods, E. coli, and Topps, surged to the top in an effort to stay informed. As companies’ spot-testing measures and governmental agreements worked to restore consumer confidence, searches of these issues and additional recall announcements continued.

Elementary Deductions - top 10 searches on Yahoo! Kids  

1.      Games

2.      Animals

3.      Dinosaurs

4.      Math

5.      Hannah Montana

6.      Solar System

7.      George Washington

8.      Halloween

9.      Sally Ride

10.    Global Warming

This year, kids ages 7–12 showed their environmental consciousness as they searched on topics of global proportions and endangered animals.  Global warming was among 2007’s top 10 searches on Yahoo! Kids. Although math topped the list of the most-searched school subject, science was also popular, with related searches on dinosaurs and the solar system remained high on the list among both boys and girls.

Hits, Runs and Errors – top 10 sports news

1.      NASCAR

2.      Maria Sharapova

3.      Boston Red Sox

4.      David Beckham

5.      Serena Williams

6.      Chicago Bears

7.      Christiano Ronaldo

8.      Super Bowl

9.      Ronaldinho

10.    Ashley Force

2007 featured several buzz-worthy sports searches, with Nascar at number one, continuing to be an American favorite.  Searches showed that Maria Sharapova was very hot this year, and Serena Williams’ triumph in the Australian open after a series of injuries made her a favorite of Yahoo! searchers.  In a final ode to joy, the Boston Red Sox capped the year with a fantastic finish to the baseball season.

Final Farewells – top 10 send-offs

1.      Harry Potter

2.      Anna Nicole Smith

3.      The Sopranos

4.      Rosie O’Donnell

5.      Gilmore Girls

6.      The OC

7.      Barbaro

8.      Richard Jeni

9.      Iwao Takamoto

10.    Captain America

In 2007, we said goodbye to a number of favorite characters, both real and fictional. Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron, the creations of author J.K. Rowling, all of which whom earned the most fare-thee-well searches of 2007, and making it the final chapter of the young wizards’ adventures.  Anna Nicole Smith’s tragic passing intrigued many fans to search for her throughout the past year.  In that curious intersection of real and fictional worlds, the assassination of comic-book character, Captain America, who was gunned down after defending his civil liberties, was too laden with symbolism to ignore. His death provoked a strong search reaction, although plans for his legacy continue to be in the works.

To find out more about the top trends in Yahoo! Search go to http://buzz.yahoo.com/toptrends2007 or search for “Top Trends 2007″ on yahoo.com.

A call was made to police by a local highway motel owner, over a guest’s refusal to pay his bills for using the services provided by the motel. When the officer arrived at the motel the owner explained to the officer how the guest was refusing to pay the money to the prostitute hired by the owner on the request of the guest.  In return the officer arrested the owner for caring on prostitution without a permit.

Soldiers in Iraq have been using Silly String to detect trip wires on bombs.  It can spray 10-12 feet and if it hangs in the air, that indicates a trip wire. 

A mother of a soldier in Iraq has finally found someone to ship about 80,000 cans of Silly String to Iraq.  She has been having difficulty getting it done since the string comes in an aerosol can, it is considered a hazardous material, and only certain companies can ship it. 

A military spokesman said the spray was used heavily in the early stages of the conflict but is not as widely needed today.  However the mom replied,”If this saves one life, I’m happy.”

Copper wire seems to be quite a demand lately.  You should make sure the copper you’re about to steal isn’t live first. 

A man was burnt beyond recognition after trying to steal some copper.  The 10,000-volt electric shock severed his hand from his body.  The hand was the only part of his body left.  Lucky for police, his fingerprints were already on file so they were able to identify him. 

I earlier blogged about a mom who gave her two year old pot.  That is one extreme. This, to me, is the other extreme.

 

As of January 1, 2008, in California, it will be illegal to smoke ( a perfectly legal, tobacco cigarette ) in a car if a child is in the car.  A $100.0 fine will be imposed if you are pulled over for something else and are found to be smoking with a child present.  

 Critics, in which I am one, suggest this bill is infringing on civil liberties.  I didn’t like the government banning smoking in private businesses already, such as restaurants and bars.  I want to let the market decide the fate of those businesses if they choose to cater to smokers.  But to me, when you are banned from smoking in your own car, or in your own home.  That has just gone too far indeed. 

Many, many, many of us, grew up surrounded by cigarette smoke, polluted air and probably lots of other things that now are so “dangerous.”   We simply cannot protect our kids from everything.  This issue had come up before and Matt and I were talking.  Should we ban keeping the windows down in our cars, in case a bee comes in a stings someone, or perhaps a rock could fly up off the road and hit someone’s eye.  We could pass a farm and the kids might have to smell an unpleasant odor, or if the pollution is higher than normal, the air itself could be dangerous. 

This whole smoking ban thing has gotten so out of control.  The rights of one group have been put far and away above the rights of the other.   But the thing that still puzzles me, is the fact the US goverment is still trying to fund major programs on tax money paid by smokers.  But the smokers will soon be without anywhere to smoke, hence they will not be buying the products to pay the taxes to fund childrens health care and whatever else is funded by the tax.   Does the government want people to quit smoking or not?  I say not.

Immigration authorities released 100 new questions immigrants will have to study to pass a civics test to become American citizens.  Here are a few.  See if you can pass the test.

1. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

2. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

3. Name one of the 2 longest rivers in the United States?

4. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

5. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

6. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South?

7. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

8. Name one U.S. territory?

9. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

10. Who was president during World War I?

Answers:

1. President     2. Thomas Jefferson     3. Mississippi or Missouri River

4. Nine     5. Nancy Pelosi     6. Civil War     7. 13 original colonies

8. Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, North Mariana Islands

9. Fought for women’s rights, civil rights     10. Woodrow Wilson

Betty Perry, a 70 year old woman, was arrested and charged with 2 misdemeanors for resisting arrest and failing to maintain her landscaping.  An officer came to her house, she refused to give him her name, and during a struggle she fell and hit her nose.  She spent more than an hour in a holding cell before being released. 

The mayor apologized, and the police department said the situation could have been handled differently. But the city attorney still is pressing charges. 

Perry’s water had been turned off for about nine months, at her request.  Orem has a shut-off policy for people who are away for extended periods.  However, she was living at the house at the time of the arrest. 

Ok, so this story just blows me away.  You have to check out this article on yahoo news. 

“I’m going to try to see if I can remember as much to make it sound like I’m smart on the subject.” –George W. Bush, answering a question about a possible flu pandemic.

A recent survey by the U.S Mint has found that only 7% of respondents could name the first four Presidents, in order!

Give it a try…the answer will be at the end.

Here are some other stats:

22% knew there have been 43 Presidents so far.

21% knew the faces on Mt. Rushmore - Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt.

35% correctly identified Jefferson as the President on the nickel.

 

The first four, in order:

George Washington           1789 - 1797

John Adams                      1797 - 1801

Thomas Jefferson             1801 - 1809

James Madison                1809 - 1817

For interesting stats about our Presidents - www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents