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The son of a career army officer, Bennett led a nomadic life, attending ten different schools before graduating in 1980 from the University of North Alabama with degrees in Art and History. After brief stints as a staff artist at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Fayetteville (NC) Times, he went on to serve as the editorial cartoonist for the St. Petersburg Times (1981-1994) and The Christian Science Monitor (1997-2007), before joining the staff of the ...
Another good one, Clay. This is sure to enrage the "Obama is the devil" crowd and rather quickly I think. Those of us who are not as Prozac deprived get the symbolism and its accuracy.
The monkeys will begin dancing in four, three, two . . .
Obama doesn't deserve a medal, he has done nothing for this country other than set the country on a path of destruction.
Really? Continued Bush's war and claimed the head of Bin Laden...somehow claiming 'Iraq War' is won...claiming SOME part of 'Somali Pirates' issues... Lobbing bombs on a nations capital, saying it ISN'T an act of war, then claiming Gaddafi's death? ... REALLY? Poor, poor Barack. Totally 'nailed' this one, Clay.
It's the economy stupid! --this was the demise of Bush Sr. The GOP Congress knows that to achieve their number one goal of removing Obama in 2012, they will have to continue dragging their feet to keep the unemployment high. A few million unemployed is not too much to sacrifice as long as they can keep their wealthy tax cuts in place take down Obama at the same time.
More D E L U S I O N, and yet the public eats it up and somehow believes that if we re-elect MedalMan(according to DrawBoy)we will be better off as a nation. How I wish it was so because with the biased media it looks like it will be happening. Oh yeah and the "Republicans are all to blame for everything bad in this country" mantra(WINK). That is a big help in the delusional road we continue down.
"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge". (Hosea 4:6). Wait...can't apply to Obama's America...he has denied that we are a Christian Nation...& to deny Christ is to deny Him...so we can't be His people...(bet this get's rejected, this statement is akin to profanity nowadays)....
he has denied that we are a Christian Nation...& to deny Christ is to deny Him...so we can't be His people..
How pathetic.
(sung to the old Kennelration song)
My god's better than YOUR GOD! My god's better than yourrrrssss my god's better beCAUSE I say he is ... my god's better than yours...
Fundamentalists always demand the government force their beliefs on everyone else. By the way skippy, as a Christian, who you going to vote for... the Christian or the Mormon?
Is that a bulls eye on his chest...hanging from one of those medals. I can't Bennett, the lefty, would draw such a toon. I would expect that from a right winger (such as Sarah Palin and her campaign ads) but not from a lefty. Come on tfp, this needs to be taken down!!!
This is a vulgar cartoon.
Why should Obama get a medal for the killing of Ghadaffi? I know Obama pumped his chest and spiked the ball afterwards in the Rose Garden, but come on. I Thought there was no war, by his own words. Now the Iraq war is worth showing off with a medal? I thought we shouldn't have been there to begin with and it was an illegal war? Clay Bennett is pathetic, so are you leftists.
To use the Purple Heart, in this way, even in a cartoon, is vulgar. Obama came in and made everything worse and everyone who actually works out there is scrambling to make up the Obama-Pelosi hack job that will take decades to recover from.
Obama deserves a medal for the killing of Bin Laden? What an insult. Give medals to everyone that worked over the span of a decade to track him down in intel., and to those who were injured or killed in the process.
To try and convince everyone out there that Obama is brave and has sacrificed himself for us is just complete nonsense. Pure propaganda pumped out by a tool, Bennett. Eating well, finding ways to get by our Constitution, dodging tough questions, and playing lots of golf isn't exactly sacrificing oneself.
Clay Bennett is the son of career army officer? You'd never know it.
And, Davisss13, there's no evidence that Obama is Christian. That sham of a Christian church he sat in for 20 years, you know , the one where the preacher tosses out the GD word and gives "sermons" laced with anti-semetic remarks?
Obama should be troubled now that radical Muslims, who want to enforce Sharia law, are taking over. But, he won't be. Since his sympathies lie with Islam.
Sure is a lot of military medals for a Nobel Peace Prize award recipient.
What a crappy way of starting the week.
My, my, how ridiculous! Clay, I think you're losing it.
I'm afraid any medals pinned on President Obama's chest have as much meaning as all of those medals you always saw on those gaudy uniforms the late Ghadaffi used to wear. Our president is pretty good at doing one thing, though, getting praise and awards he doesn't deserve.
Momus nailed it...
8 years of Bush totally demolished the reputation of the US in the world with the terrible Irak war, wrong pretence plus terribly executed, together with scandals of torture, Abu-Graib etc..
Now, Obama perfectly handled the balance between diplomacy and hunting those who really were behind 9/11.
But the Repubs (= Retards) either criticize him or argue that he does not deserve credit for the positive developements.
However, for the bad economy, which was on the brink of collapse when he entered office, he, alone, has to be blamed!!!
You conservatives are so full of hatred that you cannot see straight!!!
Wake up you total idiots and see that any of those clowns (except maybe Romney) on the GOP stage will bring the US back to the desasters of the Bush-era...
"I'm a Christian by choice," the president said. "My family didn't — frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every week. And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew, but she didn't raise me in the church."
The president said he "came to my Christian faith later in life and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead — being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating others as they would treat me. And I think also understanding that Jesus Christ dying for my sins spoke to the humility we all have to have as human beings, that we're sinful and we're flawed and we make mistakes, and that we achieve salvation through the grace of God. But what we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people and do our best to help them find their own grace."
Don't sound like much of a muslim to me !You wingnuts need to find some other non-issue to flog.Go see what's on Rush's agenda today,I'm sure it'll be a revelation.
As of 9-30-2011 The list of senior terrorists killed during the Obama presidency is fairly extensive. There's Osama bin Laden, of course, killed in May. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Anwar al-Awlaki as of today. Earlier this month officials confirmed that al Qaeda's chief of Pakistan operations, Abu Hafs al-Shahri, was killed in Waziristan, Pakistan. In August, 'Atiyah 'Abd al-Rahman, the deputy leader of al Qaeda was killed. In June, one of the group's most dangerous commanders, Ilyas Kashmiri, was killed in Pakistan. In Yemen that same month, AQAP senior operatives Ammar al-Wa'ili, Abu Ali al-Harithi, and Ali Saleh Farhan were killed. In Somalia, Al-Qa'ida in East Africa (AQEA) senior leader Harun Fazul was killed. Administration officials also herald the recent U.S./Pakistani joint arrest of Younis al-Mauritani in Quetta. Going back to August 2009, Tehrik e-Taliban Pakistan leader Baitullah Mahsud was killed in Pakistan. In September of that month, Jemayah Islamiya operational planner Noordin Muhammad Top was killed in Indonesia, and AQEA planner Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan was killed in Somalia. Then in December 2009 in Pakistan, al Qaeda operational commanders Saleh al-Somali and 'Abdallah Sa'id were killed. In February 2010, in Pakistan, Taliban deputy and military commander Abdul Ghani Beradar was captured; Haqqani network commander Muhammad Haqqani was killed; and Lashkar-e Jhangvi leader Qari Zafar was killed. In March 2010, al Qaeda operative Hussein al-Yemeni was killed in Pakistan, while senior Jemayah Islamiya operative Dulmatin - accused of being the mastermind behind the 2002 Bali bombings – was killed during a raid in Indonesia. In April 2010, al Qaeda in Iraq leaders Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi were killed. In May, al Qaeda's number three commander, Sheik Saeed al-Masri was killed. In June 2010 in Pakistan, al Qaeda commander Hamza al-Jawfi was killed.
One of you "patriots" want to dispute these easy to verify on the web facts?
austrian_in_alabama said... "You conservatives are so full of hatred that you cannot see straight!!!"
They fear so much,(with a push from people like Limbaugh,Beck) it turns them to hatred. They fear any type of change(unless it fills their pockets with $$$). They fear a centralist democrat president so much, they are willing to burn the American economy, ruin the gov't, and deride all those who don't agree with their out-dated policies.
In 1776, conservatives were called "Loyalists".
dude_abides...wouldn't dream of disputing your "facts".Many terrorists have been killed since Obama came to office.I just didn't know the war was over.All the other medals are for ended wars or "actions".
ass_in_austria and Darksky....conservatives aren't the ones spewing hate and vitriol when describing the other party and their ideals.The Democrats own that tactic.They distort the facts and use scare grandma tactics like the professional liars they are.They get away with using language that would cause a conservative to be absolutely creamed for in the "mainstream" media.The vitriol and lies the left get away with because the "mainstream" media just lets it go.They never report any of it unless it comes from the right.Journalism is now just a metaphor for liberal bias reporting.
Oh BTW,The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it had broken its own record for deportations, affirming the Obama administration's zeal for heavy-handed immigration enforcement. According to the announcement, deportations have increased by 70 percent since the Bush administration, totaling 392,000 in fiscal year 2010.
Any medals for that?
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/70-increase-in-deportations-during-obama-administration.html#ixzz1bi5SGOO3
tderng.... Hmmmm, I believe it was President Bush who bestowed many medals of honor on those who lied us into war, AND did a horrible job prosecuting that same war. Until Def. Sec. Gates came on board we were screwed, and being ravaged by croanie no-bid contracts overcharging/faking bogus services to our troops. Yes, Obama is getting us out of the place that did not threaten our national security - spending (the conservatives' mantra) there should have never started, now it will end, somewhat. Conservatives have no idea how to make a logical argument. Sad.
Wonderful cartoon, Clay! I have to think that some of the successes overseas have to be because the CIA, State Department and Military are finally able to work together. I think it was no accident that David Petraeus was tapped for that job.
That said, in politics little matters but the economy.
Funny how all those "victories" came in an election cycle (Hmmmm). All started by Bush and ended when it was most convenient for the president, but the only thing his party clowns attrtibute to Bush is the thing killing the country - the economy.
Funny how the leftists want to count military achievements instead of war dead, war wounded and dollars spent on unfunded wars these days. Are you critical thinkers or cheerleaders?
Sorry, stupid question, we all know the answer.
I must say however, I am very happy to see us pulling out of Iraq.
I thought the president was supposed to give medals to the brave men & women who risk their lives on the front lines executing his military objectives. It would be so Obamaesque for him to actually pin medals on himself! A very vulgar idea indeed.
No doubt Obama thinks he deserves a purple heart for his failures with the economy. Someone needs to tell him that he does not get a medal for self-inflicted injuries!
See any similarities here?
I am willing to give Obama credit for having the cajones to "pull the trigger" on these terrorists when he can find them.He has done a good job of that.
On another front,it looks like the Libyan people will be crushed under Sharia law.A spokesperson for the rebels said that the laws they plan to implement will follow Sharia teachings.Not good for women or freedom.These poor people are going to go from bad to worse in their lives.
How many American lives wasted in Libya? Anyone have that answer? I've not been able to find any American casualties there. Oh yeah, he didn't provide enough leadership in Libya. Let NATO have too much control. How many Americans would need to be killed for you patriots to feel that we were sufficiently in control of the Libyan success?
My left-wing friend from Texas just sent me a humorous email(yes there are some few lefties still in that state). Seems the right-wingers have a plan to save millions on Social Security and Medicare--start deporting senior citizens instead of illegals. We can't run as fast therefore easier to catch and have more difficulties remembering how to make our way back home.
tderng said...
"ass_in_austria and Darksky....conservatives aren't the ones spewing hate and vitriol when describing the other party and their ideals.The Democrats own that tactic.They distort the facts and use scare grandma tactics like the professional liars they are.They get away with using language that would cause a conservative to be absolutely creamed for in the "mainstream" media.The vitriol and lies the left get away with because the "mainstream" media just lets it go.They never report any of it unless it comes from the right.Journalism is now just a metaphor for liberal bias reporting."
All I have to say is, wow. Or are you just trolling? You actually believe 100% what you hear from your preferred media source? Because what you posted sounds exactly like what Rush Limbaugh has broadcasted.
What does "mainstream media" mean to you? Could it be that "mainstream media" is the common current thought of the majority and not an extremist version suited to your ideals and beliefs?
I like to listen to right and left wing media providers, then do my own research via internet, library, and talking to friends, to make up my mind about important things. While both sides of the 2 party system attack each other(distracting you and so many others), our country is going down the crapper.
I'm thinking my original post really struck a nerve with you, because it's true. Also, you are part of the problem with the way you address austrian_in_alabama by changing their name to a perjorative slur. Your own words are "spewing hate and vitriol when describing the other" and "get away with using language". It is my opinion that tderng is an idiot.
darksky...I have dealt with a_in_a many times,its my view of him.You have obviously not read many of his posts.Any way, I also get my news from several sources and try to read between the lines to get to the truth.The "mainstream media" I refer to are the news orgs.from NBC,ABC,CBS, and to a somewhat lesser extent CNN.All of these media outlets lean to the left in their reporting.Fox News leans to the right.I'm glad that there is finally a news organization that does so.At least now we can get BOTH sides views.In a 2004 PEW survey journalists described themselves as liberal five times more than describing themselves as conservative.If you don't think that view is a part of their reporting I believe,then,you must be rather naive.As for Rush Limbaugh,I haven't listened to his show in probably ten or twelve years.Never was a big fan.His show was on while I was working,so I rarely heard his show.I have leaned to the right my entire life so I think its great to finally have a conservative news outlet to counter the liberal ones.
Economic blundering aside, I don't want to celebrate the death of Muammar Gaddafi even though he was responsible for the Lockerbie bombing. Nah - Just kidding, I want him dragged through the streets of Tripoli (or Lockerbie for that matter) by his ankles.
But I do want to point out something mmm, just a tad hypocritical.
When Obama decided to help out the Libyan rebels who were fighting Gaddafi, he was repeatedly criticized by the Republicans and their presidential candidates. Mitt Romney said "It is apparent that our military is engaged in much more than enforcing a no-fly zone. What we are watching in real time is another example of mission creep and mission muddle." Michele Bachmann said "President Obama's policy of leading from behind is an outrage and people should be outraged at the foolishness of the President's decision." Herman Cain wrote "I've said many times before that US intervention in Libya is inappropriate and wrong. The US does not belong in this war."
But somehow Obama managed to help the rebels and they brought down a repressive dictatorship without getting us into a protracted war (like you know who did in a couple of other dusty places). In fact, we didn't even send in any of our troops to Libya. Likewise, he managed to get Osama bin Laden, the perpetrator of 9/11, something that Dubya forgot all about.
So - Now that Obama has managed to strike back against two of the worst terrorists in our history, do you think the Republicans will give him some credit? Even just a wee bit? And do you think the people claiming that Obama hasn't accomplished anything will change their tune? Hmm…………..
On Jan. 21, 2009 Barack Obama inherited an economy that for all practical purposes had already tanked. The decline began in 2001 when George W. Bush took the SURPLUS he had inherited and began to spend like a drunken sailor. For the next 8 years he engaged the U.S. in not one but TWO UNFUNDED Wars, one of which was fought for non-existant WMD's. Well over 4000 U.S. soldiers were killed for NOTHING and more than 30,000 wounded for NOTHING. He allowed Bin Laden to escape. He allowed Wall Street to run amok with people's pensions and mortgages. If that wasn't bad enough he authorized the TARP program which was the bailout program for his buddies on Wall Street and the Banks. He was a failure at foreign policy and he was a failure at domestic policy. The hole for this country was EIGHT YEARS DEEP and everytime Barack Obama has tried to shovel the U.S. out of it, the Repubs have stood over him and thrown the dirt back in because they would rather see this country in deeper than see Barack Obama succeed in getting the U.S. out of the hole. They're not interested in a jobs bill. The only thing they are interested in is tax cuts for the rich and more money in their campaign chests. They will never acknowledge the FAILURES of the Bush Administration that caused the crisis in our economy because they allowed it to happen. These same people who rant and rave about Spending where were they when Bush was spending on an unfunded war? Where were they when Bush bailed out Wall Street and the Banks? Where were they when Bush took over a budget with a surplus to one with billions in debt? No, Barack Obama has not done all that he could have but at least he's in that hole trying to get out if they would just stop throwing the dirt back in as fast as he shovels it out.
tderng, you saying "I have dealt with a_in_a many times,its my view of him." only reinforces my opinion of you. You are an idiot, hypocrit, and easily led by the nose.
Your own words are "spewing hate and vitriol when describing the other" and "get away with using language" by calling austrian_in_alabama by the name "ass_in_austria" shows exactly what kind of person you are.
No wonder you hate austrian_in_alabama, I just read a lot of austrian_in_alabama previous posts and he/she sounds educated and liberal(gasp!OMG!attack!attack!killtheunbeliever!) and not easily fooled by whatever any group/network/individual reports or says.
tderng, you make republicans/conservatives look bad.
well darksky,you are entitled to your opinion.I have seen the posts from a_in_a denigrating all southerners simply because he was in the great metropolis of Nowhere Alabama and came across a few rednecks.His pompous,I'm better than you,attitude is one I have always hated.His overblown view of his own intelligence and "correct" world view simply because he must be right,after all he's got all this "education". Since we are now calling each other names you are a jackass,windbag,liberal mantra shouting fool. so there! you don't make democrats/liberals look bad cause you look just like the rest.
Here's a bipartisan note. Before we go celebrating the removal of dictators in Iraq and Libya, maybe we should wait until the dust settles. Iraq does not want the US presence any longer and Libya's first election was won by the Islams. Don't be too quick to judge a gift by the wrapping.
Austrian in Alabama said: "Wake up you total idiots and see that any of those clowns (except maybe Romney) on the GOP stage will bring the US back to the desasters of the Bush-era..."
What do mean by the "except maybe Romney" exclusion, Austrian in Alabama? Have you heard some of the things Romney has been saying? I agree with Truthdig's Bob Scheer in that Mr. "corporations are people too" would be a repeat of the Bush nightmare:
"Romney's economic program is Orwellian in form and substance: The candidate has asserted that our economy is in trouble because "President Obama has vastly expanded the regulatory reach of government." Hogwash. It is because he hasn't.
Romney's proposed foreign policy is even more irresponsibly wrong. He has revived the discredited Pax Americana rhetoric of the neoconservatives that got us into the Iraq War and returned military spending to highs reached during the Cold War. That obsession with U.S. military dominance was laid out in his speech in South Carolina last week in which he said he would increase the size of the military by 100,000 members. Romney later thundered to cadets at The Citadel: "This century must be an American century. America leads the free world and the free world leads the entire world. God did not create this country to be a nation of followers."
Leaving aside assertions regarding God's intentions, it is disturbing that the much discredited platform of the Project for a New American Century, which helped bankrupt this country, will once again become U.S. policy if the Republicans gain control of the White House."
I agree what limric and ibshame said above about President Obama. He's trying to to get us out the mire of the middle-east. It's been my opinion since going into Iraq 2 that we should have been only using spec-ops and CIA on the terrorists. But that might have been like the Drug War, where you cut off one head and another grows in it's place. Afghanistan, imo, is a hopeless mess. We might control the cities and roads, but no army will ever control the villages and mountains without being absolutly ruthless and killing everyone that lives there.
tderng, i'm giggling a little. Yeah, I'm a windbag, probally a jackass, but a "liberal mantra shouting fool" I don't agree with you on that one.
I sometimes hate being in the middle of the road when it comes to politics. On social issues, I'm liberal; on fiscal issues, I'm conservative. I hate the way the constitution has been spit upon and I hate the way the 1% has used our gov't and environment for personal gain (i guess being in the 1% wasn't quite enough for them).
If you don't like being looked down upon by those who have an education, then get one. And travel the world. It's true what they say about travel, it will broaden your mind. I am so glad I was born an american! You also have to admit, there are a bunch (not just a few) of ignorant rednecks in the south(and mid-west and north-east and west and everywhere else in this great land of ours).
tderng, I've looked over some of your previous posts and I can agree with you on a couple of things but I don't think we will ever agree on major issues.
lol darksky...we may not be as far apart as you think,I actually do have a fairly good education,haven't traveled that much mostly because I haven't had the time and now can't physically handle a lot of travel.I simply don't respect anyone who thinks that just because they "went to University" that their opinion is the only possible correct one.
Reply to ibshame: ibshame, Thank you for telling the truth of the condition, the attitude and the arrogance of the opponents of President Obama.
Of course Obama deserves the Purple Heart. When he rook the office he entered a war against people who wanted to fight him on every thing he tried for stabilizing the 2007 deep recessiom. Therefore, wounding his effort to create the needed private sector jobs.
SAMO pirates...oops. (One conservative caught this.)
davisss13, fundamentalists always demand government force their beliefs on everyone...so Obamacare and the lightbulb laws and the toilet-tank laws are fundamentalistic? (Look, we fundies believe in the fundamental things. Can you name the classic five Christian fundamentalist doctrines?)
moon4cat, yes the economy has been going downhill since A.D. 1860: it grew faster A.D. 1840-1860 than it has grown in any 20-year period since. All that government intervention has slowed us down.
hambone: discharge the Republicans in Congress? How about Harry Reid's Democrats, who have not passed a budget in over two years, and not one of whom voted for President Obama's budget this year?
lumpy, I don't know that our President would claim courage or pin medals on himself, and I don't know that our cartoonist was exactly saying he deserved medals--he drew medals as a way of saying Obama deserves credit for making some good decisions. And he has made a few, though his presidency is failing overall, much more by his own doctrines than by obstruction. Big government, where some humans do the thinking for other humans, does not work.
SAMO pirates...oops. (One conservative caught this.)
davisss13, fundamentalists always demand government force their beliefs on everyone...so Obamacare and the lightbulb laws and the toilet-tank laws are fundamentalistic? (Look, we fundies believe in the fundamental things. Can you name the classic five Christian fundamentalist doctrines?)
moon4cat, yes the economy has been going downhill since A.D. 1860: it grew faster A.D. 1840-1860 than it has grown in any 20-year period since. All that government intervention has slowed us down.
hambone: discharge the Republicans in Congress? How about Harry Reid's Democrats, who have not passed a budget in over two years, and not one of whom voted for President Obama's budget this year?
lumpy, I don't know that our President would claim courage or pin medals on himself, and I don't know that our cartoonist was exactly saying he deserved medals--he drew medals as a way of saying Obama deserves credit for making some good decisions. And he has made a few, though his presidency is failing overall, much more by his own doctrines than by obstruction. Big government, where some humans do the thinking for other humans, does not work.
To the guy in Alabama from Hitler's country, 9% of Arabs liked the US in '08 when Bush was President; 5% this year. Who hurt our reputation abroad?
NGA dad: If Obama deserves credit for getting us out of Iraq which was no threat to us, why did he get involved at all in Libya? Saddam was playing shell games with WMD, but K'daffy had come clean in that regard. And North Korea has nukes but no oil, whereas Libya has oil but no nukes...no, I don't think so, but the thought is there to be thought.
ibshame, Bush turned a surplus (of sorts) into a large deficit...which Obama turned into a humongous deficit...the cure for debt is more and more debt? Joblessness went up under Bush, but Obama's first stimulus bill (twice as big as his current one) kept joblessness under 8%...right? Solyndra's green jobs are the future and all of them will stay in America, right? If Bush was a dog, Obama is Cerberus (draw that?)
The five fundamentals are inerrancy of the Bible, virgin birth of Christ, atoning death of Christ, bodily resurrection of
Christ, and future return of Christ.
Clay is once again spot on. As an Obama supporter, he can kill all the terrorists in the world, but if he cannot deal with the economy and jobs, then he is doomed. That said, he will need willing partners in Congress, which are MIA. The political calculation of the Republican'ts is very telling.
Andrew... aren't you glad, from a Crusader's point of view, that the Lord has seen fit to make our President so successful in the fight against militant Islam? Do you include "inerrancy" in the book of Mormon, like your front runner does?
With the opponents of President Obama trying to project him to the voters as a complete failure after being elected in November 2008 and taking the office of Presidency in January 2009. We have to ask; what would the conditions of this Republic be if McCain and Palin had succeeded in being elected and the Republicans were in control of the House and Senate?
Express your concerns and opinions of how the "divided" elected Congress is truly affecting you.
We, as a nation, are facing many difficult issues and decisions in the up coming elections of 2012.
JohnRos... (pardon my spelling, two) what you just taught me is that our Commander in Chief has achieved all this success without a security clearance of any kind !
GreenKepi wrote: "Wait...can't apply to Obama's America...he has denied that we are a Christian Nation...& to deny Christ is to deny Him."
Wht the President said, word for word, and very correctly I might add was;
"And I've said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is -- although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
Christianity does not exclusively describe all the people of this nation any longer. We are not all Christians. 24% of us practice a religion outside of Christianity.
So Sean Hannity, Fox News, Newt Gingrich, and anyone else can be offended all they want by the above statement, and Hannity offered as much on his program at the time it was uttered in April 9, 2009, but it is the truth then and it still is the truth.
While the United States may have been founded by a group of Christians, and it may have been at one time that all of the people who lived in the United States practiced Christianity, that is no longer the case.
We are a nation made up of people with differing secular beliefs.
John Ross wrote: "Well...one of the things I have learned is that Mr. Obama's political mentor and confidant is Bill Ayers, who set off a bomb in the U.S. capital building. Mr. Obama and Mr. Ayers still chat from time to time in the White House."
That is utter Bull Crap and there is no basis whatsoever to your claim. Where in the heck did you "learn" any such thing?
Not that the Bill Ayers of 2011 is any more radical than you are, and has stated his regret for his actions in the late 1960's and the early 1970's numerous times, the two men are acquaintances at best.
They both lived within blocks of each other in Chicago. They both served on a the board of a foundation and sat in a room along with many other people about a half dozen times.
There has been no contact between the two men EVER, privately by electronic communication since Barack Obama has been in any political office. Mr. Ayers has never been to the White House either.
Even if it were remotely true that the two men were friends, which it isn't, Bill Ayers is not a monster. He was a confused kid, barely out of his teens when he did what he did, and not one person was injured or killed as a result of his protestations over the Vietnam War draft.
He has lived a model life since he turned himself into the FBI in 1973. You can disagree with his tactics as an activist, but it is impossible to ignore his hard work and contributions to urban education, juvenile justice reform, and his record as a professor of University of Illinois.
John Ross wrote: "What I have also learned is that if Mr. Obama applied for almost any level of national security clearence he would be rejected because of his association with other violent individuals."
Snopes addressed that very issue three years ago, and that too is false.
Reply to JonRoss: JonRoss, since you are trying to put out false and misleading information against the President, repeating the Palin trick which failed in 2008 and would not provide the facts, here is the true information. Give it up! About the Fact Checker In an award-winning journalism career spanning nearly three decades, Glenn Kessler has covered foreign policy, economic policy, the White House, Congress, politics, airline safety and Wall Street. He was The Washington Post's chief State Department reporter for nine years, traveling around the world with three different Secretaries of State. Before that, he covered tax and budget policy for The Washington Post and also served as the newspaper's national business editor. More »
Senator Obama strongly condemns the violent actions of the Weathermen group, as he does all acts of violence. But he was an eight-year-old child when Ayers and the Weathermen were active, and any attempt to connect Obama with events of almost forty years ago is ridiculous.
He just needs epaulettes. One of those field marshal hats would be nice. Maybe a riding crop.
JonRoss, I dont get the Bill Ayers problem at all. He set off some bombs without harming any individual...
He was protesting against a war which was wrong and a crime against humanity.. I thought even dumb ass conservatives agree that the war was wrong...
The entire middle east appears a mess. I agree with Obama, get the hell out but take out their military ability as we leave. No surface to air missiles etc. Let them all keep their personal assault weapons. No one need expect democracy of any form to break out in any of the middle eastern or African countries. They are likely to all fall under Sharia law. The women seen on the news celebrating the fall of Gaddafi may be disappointed. Bring every last U.S. military member and contractor home, build an even stronger defense. Detect and prevent terrorist acts. Why is the U.S. that is no longer a fiscally sound nation but the world's largest debtor nation have any obligation to keep borrowing money to police and defend the world?
The mob taking out Gaddafi is a clue to what will happen in Libya, they are not as civilized as people think. Where do they get all the assault weapons and ammunition to shoot in the air at every occasion and in celebration? Energy independence is achievable and would end U.S. dependence on these countries.
If you want a strong central government that continues to intervene and seek more federal control vote for either a republican of democrat depending on what you want them to control and intervene in. Nothing much will change except the lives of Americans both rich and poor in the not too distant future. The dollar continues weakening, purchasing power is being eroded and the dollar by the end of 2012 will probably cease being the reserve currency.
Bombing of federal buildings or any building for that matter is not a legal or appropriate peaceful protest. There are many opinions like arm pits regarding the vietnam war. It was, in my opinon, just as useless as those we are now engaged in. Trash like Ayers and Jane Fonda were never punished as justified.
harp, just like the trash like Kissinger should have been punished for bombing Cambodia....
Harp3339 wrote: Bombing of federal buildings or any building for that matter is not a legal or appropriate peaceful protest."
Obviously you were not drafted and forced to go to Vietnam. You probably were not affected in any way by the draft, as in knowing anyone personally who was.
I lost two kin folk in that war and I saw my Grandfather deal with the loss of two of his sons every time their names were mentioned. He took his own life in 2005.
Forcing kids eighteen years of age to go and fight in a war, where way too many died, in no manner related to the defense of this nation was not a legal or appropriate use of the lives of the 57,000 of this country's citizens.
"There are many opinions like arm pits regarding the vietnam war."
You bet your sweet bippy on that.
"It was, in my opinon, just as useless as those we are now engaged in."
The difference is that we now have a marginally voluntary military. The military still targets those in poor and lower middle income classes for duty. That being the case, those that sign up now know that they may be deployed to go wherever the military assigns them to go and fight.
"Trash like Ayers and Jane Fonda were never punished as justified."
You're free to consider them trash if you like, but if you ask me, the real criminals that were never punished are those who instituted the military draft, right up to and including the now deceased former Presidents, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Richard Milhous Nixon, whose decisions to escalate the war in Vietnam and to send in our lower to middle income youth -- those who were not lucky enough to afford college attendance deferments, into battle that in no manner was the fight of the American people.
Hey alprova, the mindset is still there today. These clowns learned NOTHING from Vietnam. Thus you have chickenhawk cowards like Saxby Chambliss, whose party plastered photos of a triple amputee Vietnam veteran, Max Cleland, next to photos of bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
They have -0- shame. It's Atwater/Rove 24/7. It's all out war and anyone outside the party is al Queda. That's coming from someone who has voted GOP many times before 9/11.
I saw this question posted at a blog I like to read, "Who will President Obama bump off next: Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong-Il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad, A player to be named later?"
Historically, wars were fought until one side capitulated and then tribute was extracted. I think we got off track somewhere. If you don't give a damn enough to fight to the finish, why fight at all? It looks to me like we are just creating enemies for no good reason. If we are really going to be an empire like we are accused of being, let's just own it. Blood for oil makes much more sense to me than blood for nothing.
I read that President Obama has just banned photographers from some glitzy Hollywood fundraising event, and has banned local reporters from a fundraiser in San Francisco. He's more like a dictator than many of you want to admit.
I know this is off topic, but after reading and getting some what familiar, you all seem some what steady money wise. I know a family whose son died this weekend in a car wreck, the Family is Poor as dirt and the funeral home want bury him till they get their money $3,000, we have raised over half in the community and got a Church to let them have a plot and a person has dug the hole free.
Tate's Funeral home Jasper, TN.PO box 640,37347 - No.423-942-9500, The Man's name is for Victor Poe, he was Mentally ill as is the whole Family. $5, 10, 20 donation would help get them to bury him, i have talked to the Funeral Director and he said that when the amount needed to bury him,any thing over that amount will be sent back to that person, promised by the Directer, you can call him and get details. I have gave what i can, your help will be appreciated.
Alprova said.... Obviously you were not drafted and forced to go to Vietnam. You probably were not affected in any way by the draft, as in knowing anyone personally who was.
You got that so wrong if we met and you said that to my face I would knock you on your ass or worse. I lost family, friends, class mates and only recently a close friend that was there far too long and still struggled with the experience. Jane Fonda's actions and reactions to the soldiers makes me sick...she is a first class B@#$. I wouldn't watch a movie or anything she is or will ever be associated with. If you condone bombing public buildings you are no better than her and Ayers.
I agree with the criticism of the fat cat bureaucrats that sit on their ass and send young men into situations knowing many of them will not return and if they do they may be crippled. recent wars wars are not like an attack on Pearl Harbor. Going Bin Laden was OK, the way it was done stinks and still stinks. The mountainous terrain should have been leveled and to hell with collateral damage. I would like to see every member of the military and contractors returned from every country they are in. My call would be a highly trained and equipped military with the ability to respond and annihilate any country from which we were attacked, not by but from. I bet we would get a lot of cooperation exposing plots.
I personally don't care if those in the middle east and Africa wipe each other out. Hell, we are still giving China foreign aid, go figure.
What is this stupid cartoon doing up for a second day? Is Clayduh proud of this trash?
Harp3339 wrote: "You got that so wrong if we met and you said that to my face I would knock you on your ass or worse."
Oh really?
"I lost family, friends, class mates and only recently a close friend that was there far too long and still struggled with the experience."
Why then do you hold such contempt for those who were opposed to that war then and actually did something about it? I suppose you feel that we common folk are just supposed to submit to such unjustified forcing of our young people to be shipped off to an early death, without protest.
"Jane Fonda's actions and reactions to the soldiers makes me sick...she is a first class B@#$."
Why? For speaking out about our political and military leaders at the time, who were lying to the American people? Because that's all she did. She has denied any of the egregious rumors floating out there about her, and I believe her.
"I wouldn't watch a movie or anything she is or will ever be associated with. If you condone bombing public buildings you are no better than her and Ayers."
Again, you're free to hold any opinion that you wish, but it's your opinion and contrary to your own opinion, it's no reflection upon myself, nor am I bothered by it. I, personally don't have the guts or the know how to bomb public buildings, nor am I prone to violence of any kind.
"I would like to see every member of the military and contractors returned from every country they are in."
Well at least we see eye to eye on that.
"My call would be a highly trained and equipped military with the ability to respond and annihilate any country from which we were attacked, not by but from. I bet we would get a lot of cooperation exposing plots."
It's exactly that kind of attitude that caused people to attack the United States on 9/11. We've stuck our noses where it doesn't belong for too many years.
blondebutnotdumb said...
"I read that President Obama has just banned photographers from some glitzy Hollywood fundraising event, and has banned local reporters from a fundraiser in San Francisco. He's more like a dictator than many of you want to admit."
This just in. Dictator bans press from private event! Get the full story tonight at 11pm on news channel 9.
What is this stupid cartoon doing up for a second day?
He can't come up with anything that isn't negative about The Obama, BigRidge.
Speaking of Obama, I hear Osama bin Laden isn't dead after all...he just registered to vote in Chicago.
Speaking of Booms, this one is for real...
NATIONAL TEST OF EMERGENCY ALERTING AND WARNING SYSTEM. 9 Nov 2011: Good information to know and pass on so you, your family, and friends are not unduly upset when the emergency signals begin, the text banners stream across your TV screen and you hear alerting warnings on radio. . . . . . Relevant agency information can be found at:
<p>snopes.com says it is just a temporary test. Yeah, right. There is nothing so "permanent" as a "temporary" government anything.
FEMA: http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm
FCC: http://transition.fcc.gov/email_camp/media/30SEC_EAS_PSA_open-C1.mov
There goes our Internet when he opens the ball next Aug/Sept.
I am reporting all you seditious pigs to B.R.O.T.U.S.
President Obama was an eight-year-old child when Ayers and the Weathermen were active, and any attempt to connect Obama with events of almost forty years ago is ridiculous. What is the connection besides sitting in the same room on the same board?
Weren't the Bush's involved with buisness deals with Osama bin Laden's family back in the day? How many Presidents have had to shake hands with past and future enemy leaders who had or will do horrible things to civilians? Wait! They attended the same meeting, sooooo that definitely means they are in cohoots!
tderng wrote: "alprova,I'm curious...if we are attacked from a country what would you have us do in response?"
That right there is the problem. The countries of Afghanistan and Iraq did not attack us. Yet we went over there and destroyed both sovereign nations over a period of ten years in Afghanistan and eight years in Iraq in search of an elusive group of people that the Government blames for 9/11.
In Iraq, it is estimated that somewhere between 62,570 to 1,124,000 people have lost their lives in that country due to war. In Afghanistan, it is estimated that somewhere between 10,960 and 49,600 people have lost their lives.
All those lives lost to hunt down and to kill one man whom we hold responsible for masterminding an attack on this nation ten years ago? Given the civilian death toll of people who did nothing to us, how many more people are now bitter towards this nation for the loss of their loved ones, who now want revenge?
John Ross wrote: "darksky, explain to us why Ayers was sitting in the VIP section of the inauguration platform in january 2009 ?"
He wasn't. That's a new accusation that I have never seen before and it's as stupid and as false as all the others out there.
"And why is he a regular visitor at the White House ?"
He's never been to the White House. A man named William A. Ayers did visit the White House in 2009, but he is not the William Charles Ayers known for being the "notorious" Weather Underground bomber. A quick cursory search of Google brings up 187 men with the name of "Bill Ayers" or "William Ayers" living in the United States.
"Ayers hosted, in Ayer's home, barry's first organizational gathering before he ran for office."
That is nothing more than a silly rumor. It never happened.
"Taking Obama's word for fact will make one appear very foolish."
The same can be said about someone who spreads silly, ignorant, and baseless rumors that were shot down years ago and that can in no manner be proven to be true at all.
But feel free to give it your best shot in doing so.


text:
Freaking News
Funny Berlusconi Pictures
Silvio Berlusconi in Colosseum. Member reactions:
Silvio could well star in ad posters like this, after his legal fees and troubles
Twofer Congratulations, Wanderer.. Great Job
...and congrats on the wood too, Woo Hoo.
Funny Queen Berlusconi
Funny ITALY: THE DECLINE OF BERLUSCONI
November 27. The Italian Senate expels Silvio Berlusconi from Parliament over his tax fraud conviction
Member reactions:
Its perfect work with great touches of shades.
I love how you did the background with Berlusconi in the painting too. Congrats on your first "News in Pictures" gold, PJ.
Winner all the way. Congrats on the gold trophy Pix. Nice work.
Funny Mr. Berlusconi's secret keyboard
Funny Silvio Berlusconi Riding a Motorbike in the Great Escape
After the judges gave Berlusconi 10 years in prison , I can forsee the next Berlusconi's move...
Member reactions:
Very nice effects and text integration ....
Funny Mr. Berlusconi Without a Neck
Member reactions:
It looks like his is slowly coming out of his shirts
Funny Symmetric Sylvio Berlusconi
Member reactions:
He looks like an oval shaped head very funny
Very clean work. Not quite symmetrical though..
OMG this is freaky skin he got, genius work hidden
Funny Silvio Berlusconi with Girls Dressed as Obama
Showgirls dressed as Obama at Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' parties
Member reactions:
Very nice... Show Girls dressedup as Obama .... i wanna see tht and nice chop showing up a Obama very funny
Thank you,balodiya. Thank you,rajeshstar.
Excellent chopping love the Obama face especially.
Thank you,Qtrmoonshop . Actually the faces of Obama and Putin are masks .
Yeah, I was aware they were masks, and I thought you did a great job incorporating them into your chop. I really thought this would place higher, as well.
Funny Toothless Sylvio Berlusconi
mr. Berlusconi
Member reactions:
Looks like a real celebrity with no teeth... all the bees were enjoying their new home
Funny The White Rat Mario Monti and the Black Rat Silvio Berlusconi
These two catches rats former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, called the "Black Rat" and the current Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, called the "white rat" ... because they have these strange names. simple, because the first Berlusconi as a rat gnawed Italy, then came Monti and has gnawed the little that was left ... and now Italians there's nothing left to chew on ...
Member reactions:
Awesome look given to both of them with their representative rats Lovely chop with good lighting source and the work with the smoke on the Gun is really appreciable
Ciao, congratulazioni mio amico. Belíssimo Lavoro. Arrivederci.
Great political satire, Ricky. Congrats on the silver too.
Funny Berlusconi's Next Job
Silvio Berlusconi has resigned as prime minister of Italy, after dominating the country's politics for 17 years. President Giorgio Napolitano is likely to appoint technocrat Mario Monti as his successor. Berlusconi lost his majority amid an acute debt crisis that threatens the eurozone. He has been Italy's prime minister three times since he first took office in 1994. Berlusconi has described himself as "Italy's best head of government since the country was created nearly 150 years ago." But he is currently involved in several trials for fraud, corruption, and has attracted media attention for so-called "bunga-bunga" parties. Now that Silvio Berlusconi lost his job as prime minister, photoshop what his next job may (or may not) be.
For more funny photoshop pix visit
Freaking News front page

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Stephen Brennan, a Brit, teacher, and soccer fanatic, will tell the World Cup's craziest moments over the next few days. This is the fourth installment. Read the others here. West Germany versus Hungary, Final 1954 It is difficult to believe now, but in the 1950s, Hungary possessed one of the grea ... More >>
Herbert Breuer was born in Vienna Neustadt, Austria, in March 1924. When Hitler came to power, his father was taken to a concentration camp but released; the man and his sons fled to the U.S. in 1940, when Herb was 16. In 1942 at age 18, Breuer joined the U.S. Army as an engineer/tool-and-die maker ... More >>
In terms of native South Floridians, you could probably count them on one hand. Barely anyone is from here, the rest of us come from frigid northern climes on the eastern seaboard or middle of the country. While South Florida is mostly recognized as being the sixth borough of due to the huge number ... More >>
Say, for a moment, you've got only one night to spend in South Florida. How would you sample the local beer scene? Luckily, we've assembled a list of some of the best and brightest locally produced beers. With new breweries opening seemingly every few months and the beer culture expanding faster t ... More >>
There are many beer holidays scattered throughout the year that give us reason to drink heartily but today is unlike any other because today we celebrate Saint Arnold, the patron saint of brewers, the guy who gave people a legit excuse to drink beer. Saint Arnold is not one person. There are at le ... More >>
The beer world is full of funny names, one-off releases, and interbrewery collaborations. It's an industry that takes pride in its sometimes-whimsical nature. Sometimes you just have to geek out, whether you're a sports geek, videogame geek, or beer geek (maybe all of the above?) to touch only the ... More >>
"EXTREMEly bad decision, Lindsay."Now everyone is remembering a middling Billy Joel hit called "I Go to Extremes" because Lindsay Lohan tattooed some of its lyrics on her torso. (She's apparently not a Xiu Xiu fan.) The lines, "Clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife/ I feel like I'm in the prime of ... More >>
Wikimedia CommonsIt's sex-scandal o'clock in Congress.Miramar's Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings faces a House ethics investigation after he was allegedly a little too hands-on with a former female staffer.Winsome Packer -- who worked on the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation chaired by Ha ... More >>
Winsome Packer with friendsCongressman Alcee Hastings has been hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a conservative group called Judicial Watch. HastingsThe merits of the case aren't known but the plaintiff is quite a serious person. Her name is Winsome Packer, a Republican who wa ... More >>
John LinnThe Holstein schnitzel is topped with two eggs, anchovies, and capers. A chicken cutlet, pounded to a perfect quarter-inch thickness, coated in breadcrumbs, and baked until a luscious, crisp coating forms on the surface will set you back just $5.95. That same breaded slice of love topped ... More >>
The characters in Andrew Stevovich's paintings exude an almost otherworldly calm.
Once again, S. Pellegrino has ranked the 100 Best Restaurants in the World, and nine of the top 50, including Momofuko Ssam Bar, which made the list for the first time this year, are in the United States. But we South Floridians are going to have to travel (and pay!) if we want to sample the best. ... More >>
Shahrzad Mir Gholikhan is a 31-year-old Iranian woman accused of trying to export night-vision goggles to Iran. This detail probably means she won't ever be a confidant of the Obamas, but that hasn't stopped Gholikhan from offering the First Couple her thoughts.Juice recently uncovered a lette ... More >>
An epic condo bust can't burst his bubble.
Hollywood tries to plunder meaning from the Holocaust — again.
Montserrat keeps the music coming and the critics guessing
Bandidas Idiocracy Extras: The Complete First Season The Illusionist
Global Orgasm Day was a bust for Tailpipe and Mr. Buzz Cut
A dreadful decade in downtown West Palm leaves Capri Blu miraculously unbeaten.
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Listings for the week of November 3-9,2005
A modern cubist, a furniture embellisher, and two chicks named Grace -- lassoed together
On the Global Tab
Destined for drag
Broward's Jennifer Van Bergen joins Michael Moore in bashing Bush
How Joe Sacco learned to stop worrying and love war
Hair trigger
What do you get when you mix guaraná, computers, assault rifles, and explosives? A fragger's paradise.
While the cast and crew at the Caldwell are capable, Concertina's Rainbow just doesn't have much of an arc
Letters for September 13, 2001
The Barber of Seville
Forget strip malls, condos, and highways. Loxahatchee Groves is a place of dirt roads, wild pets, and eccentric residents.
The "do it" exhibit
Goth rockers Deep Red are in the black
Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe


text:
Webinar: Los Cabos UnstoppableJoin us on 11/25 for the official destination update as the winter season approaches for Los Cabos.Register now
On Demand WebinarsExplore our library of over 50 On Demand webinars. There are items of interest for everyone.Learn Now>>
Cruise line profitability is inextricably linked to fuel prices, and over the last four months the cost of crude oil has doubled, from $30 a barrel to more than $60.
If oil prices continue to climb, the cruise lines could very well bring back last year's much maligned fuel surcharges.
The cruise lines' decisions in fall 2007 to impose per-passenger, per-day fuel surcharges generated almost a year of controversy. The Florida Attorney General's Office opened an investigation into possible cruise line collusion over the fees and whether it was legal to assess them retroactively. Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ended up refunding about $40 million and $21 million in surcharges, respectively.
Travel agents still resent the cruise lines for making them collect the noncommissionable fuel fees. What is of concern to agents now is that when the lines dropped their surcharges last fall, after fuel prices came crashing down from a peak of $145 per barrel in the summer, they each reserved the right to reinstate them if oil were to rise to a certain price.
For Norwegian Cruise Line and the brands of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., that threshold was $65 per barrel — only $3 shy of what a barrel cost two weeks ago. Carnival Corp. lines reserved the right to reinstate the fees if oil hit $70.
OPEC said last week that it would not curtail supply to inflate prices, but with summer around the corner, fuel prices could rise naturally.
The cruise companies said last week that the idea of reinstating the fees had not surfaced. RCCL said that while it was monitoring global fuel prices and does reserve the right to reinstate a fuel supplement, "we hope business conditions will not require such action. We are pleased by the sustained lower prices of fuel and do not want to speculate on actions that may or may not be needed in the future."
NCL said it has not had any discussions on reinstating the fuel surcharge, and it noted that it was not likely to be the first company to make such a move. Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise company, was the first company to both impose and remove fuel surcharges.
Carnival Corp. has not had any discussions about reinstating the surcharges, said spokesman Tim Gallagher. Travel agents hope it stays that way.
-- Johanna Jainchill
As gasoline prices at the pump reached an average of $2.43 across the nation by the end of May — a weekly increase of about 12 cents and a 76-cent jump since the first of the year — some in the travel industry were worried that this summer could become a repeat of 2008, when fuel prices reached historic highs.
Those fears only intensified as crude oil futures broke the $60-per-barrel mark.
Many industry and energy analysts predict that fuel prices will continue to rise, possibly even enough to force airlines and cruise lines to consider restoring fuel surcharges to ticket prices.
Yet analysts and economists do not expect a spike like 2008's run-up, simply because the unusual convergence of economic and other issues that conspired to inflate fuel prices last summer does not exist this year.
"As with any other market or event, nothing is ever the same way twice," said Joe Duarte, an economic analyst, author and financial adviser.
Darin Lee, an airline analyst with consultant group LECG, said, "Although fuel prices are creeping up, it is hard to imagine that we will have a repeat of last year's fuel spike this summer, given the still-dismal state of the global economy."
While even modest signs of economic improvement will likely push up oil prices somewhat, "a repeat of the roller coaster ride of 2008 is probably not in the cards," said Raphael Bejar, CEO of AirSavings, a consultant that helps airlines develop programs for boosting their ancillary revenue and for purchasing items like fuel.
Still, Vaughn Cordle, an analyst with AirlineForecasts, cautioned that predicting fuel prices can be as uncertain as picking stocks, because "the speculators can just step in."
Bejar noted that "fuel suppliers seem to expect fuel prices to approach some of the inflated levels we witnessed in 2007 and 2008 and continue to try and raise the bar to $75 to $85 per barrel," he added. "We think they will stay somewhere in the $60s."
Others feel that oil could inch toward the $99 average per-barrel price of last year.
"We could see $80 at some point in the future," Duarte said. "Speculators will likely pile on again. There are few places to make money where a trend could last for several months, and oil has proven that it can be that market."
Fuel pricing is essentially an exercise of supply and demand. But last year's oil supplies were stretched beyond their limits by the sudden enormous growth in China's appetite for oil as the country prepared to host the summer Olympic Games.
On top of that, the U.S. economy was in overdrive, fueled by easy credit and big spending.
The ripples disrupted the entire supply pool, affecting prices for travel-related fuels across the spectrum in unprecedented ways, from low-grade bunker fuel for ships to jet fuel and gasoline.
Perhaps the biggest impact was seen in the so-called crack spread, the difference between the price that speculators pay to buy crude oil futures and the price they get by selling refined oil products, such as gasoline or heating oil. The term derives from the "cracking" that oil refineries do to break down crude oil into various kinds of fuels.
Speculators' profits are tied to the change in the crack spread differential.
As better grades of oil stocks were depleted last year, cracking heavier crude became more expensive and the crack spreads increased, causing major spikes in the prices of refined products like jet fuel, which had historically been insulated from the volatility of consumer gasoline price swings.
"Crack spreads went from $5 per barrel to $28," Cordle said. "For the full year in 2008, the crack spread was at $27 a barrel."
Marine fuel more than doubled, to $678 a ton for the third quarter of 2008. It was the same for jet fuel, which jumped to a high of $3.64 per gallon during the summer months. As both airlines and cruise lines saw their margins disappear, they tacked fuel surcharges to ticket prices to compensate.
Prices for both jet fuel and bunker fuel have returned to their pre-spike levels, and Cordle expects that jet fuel prices will average between $1.50 and $1.70 per gallon this year.
Unfortunately, however, airlines assumed that high fuel prices were here to stay and thus bought future oil contracts at prices even higher than the going rate. This year, they've had to report paper losses on the price differentials.
"The airlines have taken a $3.5 billion hit" because of hedging, Cordle said.
Airline executives say they would rather deal with the paper hedge losses than skyrocketing oil prices. Fuel costs for this year are likely to be half of what they were in 2008.
"Last year, we faced a crisis in the form of fuel prices," American CEO Gerard Arpey told analysts in April. "Fortunately for us and our industry, oil prices and the crack spread have pulled back, and the decline in fuel prices has been significant."
A major reason for the price decline has been the falling demand triggered by the global recession. The sour economy has taken its toll on all travel, but especially on the airlines.
While carriers have been making deep cuts in capacity to deal with fuel prices and a drop in business, traffic declines have outpaced the capacity cuts. As a result, the airlines have had to reduce their ticket prices to fill their planes, not only wiping out any fuel price surcharges instituted last year but cutting deeper and deeper into base fares.
Even with oil prices inching up now, there's no talk in the airline industry of reinstating fuel charges.
But there has already been some chatter in the cruise industry, since some lines have previously said that they might reinstate surcharges once the price of oil topped $65 per barrel (see report, this page).
In the meantime, the bottom line is that no one is willing to bet where prices will top out this summer.
"At this point, everything is in flux," Duarte said. "Economic statistics are quite mixed, and that colors everything. The supply of crude and byproducts is tightening. Even if the economy goes sideways, you could see oil, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel climb together."
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Tap 42 Announces Second Location in Boca
By Nicole Danna
Credit Card Breach at P.F. Chang's in Palm Beach
By David Minsky
Myapapaya's Dreamy Greeny is the Best
By Sara Ventiera
Photos: Bull Market in Ft. Lauderdale
By Candace West
Coconut Water May Not Be All It's Cracked Up to Be
By Sara Ventiera
National Tequila Day is July 24, Six Drinks to Try
By Nicole Danna
Top Three Sriracha-Flavored Foods
By Sara Ventiera
El Bohio Offers Cuban, American Cuisine in Lantana
By Nicole Danna
Some of the so-called florists you can call when you need a bouquet delivered to that special someone are nothing more than a bank of phones, a middleman sending orders out to others. Not so with Coral Springs' Hearts and Flowers Florist and Party Designs. Since the store opened 11 years ago, it has distinguished itself as the place to go for excellence in floral work and party decoration. Owner/designer Cheryl Sims is a trained visual artist who stumbled into a floral-design class and found her true talent (realizing at the same time that she could make a little money using high-quality flowers to create floral art for discriminating customers). The first recipients loved their orders, and word of mouth has kept the store busy. Sims and her staff use a rotating stock of flowers from around the world -- South American roses, Hawaiian tropicals, Dutch tulips, Thai orchids, and even Casablanca lilies -- to create tasteful arrangements, which are symmetrical and natural, proportional and fragrant, every piece complementing the others. The store can also arrange delivery of flowers and gift or gourmet baskets anywhere in the country and will deal only with other reputable florists, ensuring that quality will be a top priority.


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Countdown to #ACCTipoff: Duke Blue Devils
Thursday November 7, 2013
Countdown to #ACCTipoff: Duke Blue Devils
- • Duke hasbeen preseason nationally ranked No. 2 in the Sporting News and Lindy's Magazines, while earning a No. 3 listing in the USA Today Sports Magazine.
- • The Blue Devils return 93.7 percent of their scoring from a year ago, including all five starters, 11 letterwinners and its top seven scorer's from a year ago.
- • Duke will welcome the No. 2 overall recruiting class in the nation with the addition of Rebecca Greenwell, Oderah Chidom, Kianna Holland and Kendall McCravey-Cooper.
- • Duke's senior class of Tricia Liston, Haley Peters, Chelsea Gray, Chloe Wells and Richa Jackson came into Duke as the No. 1 ranked recruiting class and has not disappointed leading Duke to three ACC regular season crowns, two ACC Tournament titles, three straight NCAA Elite Eight appearances and a record of 92-13. The group look to close out their career with the school's first NCAA Championship.
- • Duke returns All-America selections Chelsea Gray and Elizabeth Williams along with All-ACC honorees Tricia Liston and Haley Peters to the lineup in 2013-14. The Blue Devils also welcome back ACC Tournament MVP Alexis Jones.
- • Senior Chelsea Gray returns to the court in 2013-14, after suffering a dislocated kneecap last February and was forced to miss the rest of the season. She is expected to be on the court with the Blue Devils when Duke opens the season at nationally-ranked California on Nov. 10. It will mark homecoming for Gray as she is from Stockton, Calif.
- • Head coach Joanne P. McCallie enters her seventh season at the helm of the Blue Devils and has been selected the ACC Coach of the Year in three out of the last four years. She owns a career record of 490-183 and is only 10 wins away from reaching 500 career wins.
- • Duke features a 39-game home winning streak against ACC opponents in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
- • The Blue Devils are coming off winning its fourth straight ACC regular season title and the second consecutive outright crown. Duke totaled its eighth overall ACC Championship and the third under head coach Joanne P. McCallie.
- • Duke features its top seven scorer's from a year ago returning in 2013-14.
- • Sophomore Alexis Jones (U19 World Championship Team) and senior Tricia Liston (World University Games Team) led USA Basketball to gold medals over the summer in Lithuania and Russia, respectively. The gold medal for Jones was the third of her career.
- • Duke has advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight over the past four straight years.\


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Arpaio follows Sheriff Babeu's lead on speaking before all the facts are in Last night CBS 5/KPHO reported that an eyewitness to a January 14 fatal shooting in Mesa by a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputy has disputed Sheriff Joe Arpaio's account of the incident.Miguel Hernandez, a neighbor of ... More >>
KPHOTo the left is the sketch Tempe Police asked KPHO to not release to the public. In the middle is the suspect in the Kyleigh Sousa murder case, Joseluis Marquez, and to the right is the original sketch distributed by police.An arrest has been made in the murder of 21-year-old Arizona State Uni ... More >>
God's gift to bloggers: Arpayaso! (FYI, payaso means "clown" in Spanish) Here's the latest walnut of wisdom from Maricopa County's tin-pot tyrant of a sheriff, courtesy of CBS 5/KPHO. It pretty much falls in line with many of the dumb as dirt statements Arpaio's made on Glenn Beck and elsewher ... More >>


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Acrylics Complete Guide to Today's Hottest Medium
Splendid Over 60! 10 Artists Prove Age Is Just a Number
Getting Into a Juried Show 5 Tips to Enhance Your Chances
Patricia Polacco Top Children's Book Illustrator's Tale of Triumph
Words of Wisdom Ten splendid artists, whose ages range from 61 to 81, share secrets of art and life. By Grace Dobush
The Tapestry of a Tale Stunning draftsmanship and indelible memories inform Patricia Polacco's stories. By Holly Davis
Toy Tableaux Jonathan Queen paints toys in arrangements that are delightfully odd. By Tamera Lenz Muente
Taking the Art World by Storm Amy Marx sees extreme weather phenomena as metaphors for a life-force energy. By Louise B. Hafesh
Quick-Change Artist David Curtis evokes land and sea in both watercolor and oil. By Ken Grofton
Mediapedia Acrylics: what they are, how they work and answers to frequently asked questions. By Greg Albert
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March 2009 Online Don't miss our Web extras and exclusives!
Letters Artists extol colored pencil.
The Artist's Life Austrian artist Maria Lassnig continues to challenge the status quo. By Ruth K. Meyer
Brushing Up To paint water, focus on values. By John Salminen
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Exhibitions Spring abounds in great shows. Edited by Holly Davis
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ADN (Associate Degree Nursing)
All applicants are encouraged to thoroughly review the program information packet. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure all requirements are met by the established deadline. Deadlines, guidelines, and policies apply equally to all students; therefore no exceptions will be made.
ADN (RN) Application Dates – October 14, 2014 through January 22, 2015
(Excluding January 2 through January 9, 2015)
ADN (RN) Information Sessions:
Wednesday Sept. 17, 2014 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Room U-170
Wednesday Oct. 22, 2014 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Room U-170
Thursday Nov. 13, 2014 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Room U-170
Monday Dec. 1, 2014 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Room U-170
Wednesday Jan. 14, 2015 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Room U-170
Click here to view the complete information packet. Please note the ADN Point Count Work Sheet is included. ADN Selective Admissions Information and Criteria Packet
Click here to view just the ADN Point Count Worksheet.
Minimum requirements necessary prior to filing an Intent to Apply:
- Be an accepted student at CFCC by completing the General Admissions Application process, which includes: online application, placement testing or official copies of prior placement test scores, submit official high school and all college transcripts.
- Have an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher in all post-secondary coursework completed at CFCC.
- Meet minimum placement test scores, or completion of required developmental class, or completion of English 111 and Math 171 or higher with a grade of "C" or better.
- Completion of a Biology or "General Science" course in high school or college with a grade of "C" or better.
How to file an Intent to Apply:
*Please note, you must appear in person during the application period to file an Intent to Apply. No information will be taken over the phone or via mail/written correspondence.
- Meet with a counselor in Union Station (U-240) - Downtown or North Campus (NA-100) to complete the "Intent to Apply" form.
- If applicant meets minimum criteria, they will be scheduled to take the PSB exam – fee $25.00..
- All "Intent to Apply" forms must be completed by 5:30 pm on the last day of the application period.
Visit the Health Sciences – ADN webpage here.


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Healing Lotus Massage
When you're feeling tense, tired, and overworked, the best thing you can do is visit our massage therapist. You deserve a little pampering don't you? A visit to Healing Lotus Massage is just what you need to ease that stress and regain the balance in your life . . . "The More Balance We Achieve In O...read more.
Website: http://www.hlmassage.com


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As Featured On "Love Shoot: Sabrina & Reg"
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Students of The Immokalee Foundation learned the value of making a positive first impression in a business setting during a recent networking reception at the Hilton Naples.
Dressed for success, 63 juniors, seniors and college apprentices interacted with some of the area's top business leaders and entrepreneurs sharing their goals, ambitions and how they plan to achieve their lifelong careers. The business executives provided insight from the transition to college, entering the workforce and path to their current positions. This was all part of a career training day The Immokalee Foundation provided for their scholars to offer awareness of professional etiquette and networking strategies.
Students gathered in the hotel lobby prepared to ask significant questions about their prospective career paths they want to lead upon graduation in May. They worked the room introducing themselves to 45 people from different occupations ranging from the CEOs and presidents of Fifth Third Bank, NCH Healthcare System, Barron Collier Companies and Corporate Dimensions, co-owners of Lane Insurance and Tory's Hair Salon to the district manager of D'Amico & Partners and attorneys at Vernon-Healy as well as business exec's with Florida Gulf Coast University, Quarles and Brady LLP, Arthrex and Gravina, Smith, Matte & Arnold Marketing and Public Relations. Board members of The Immokalee Foundation also gave their encouragement and advice to the students they support all year long.
For additional information, visit www.immokaleefoundation.org.


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To @DrewMTips And @FrankLuntz: #Appeasement Is Not A Creditable #ForeignPolicy Strategy
I thought one of the more brutal lessons learn about WWII was that Appeasement doesn't work with authoritarians, but here they are beating that drum. I guess I was wrong.
Tags: appeasement, crimea, Czechoslovakia, History, Lebensraum, Munich Agreement, Russia, Ukraine, WWII, WWIII


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"You want to make sure with a race in which you'll be flying home with other drivers that you don't crash into them. It's happened before, and it can make for a little bit of a tense situation."
Avantair Expands Service Area
Business Jet Traveler » June 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009 - 5:00am
Avantair, the only publicly traded, stand-alone fractional operator, has added Great Exuma in the Bahamas to its primary service area. In addition, Avantair is offering its share owners a discounted accommodations rate at the island's Grand Isle Resort and Spa, with which it has established a relationship. Through summer, moreover, anyone purchasing an Avantair Edge time card or Axis Club membership will receive an "Island Getaway" package that includes accommodations at the resort. Avantair operates the Italian-built Piaggio Avanti.
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The Best Of Fear Factory
|Release Date
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|Roadrunner Store: Buy now! »
Listen to the evolution of Fear Factory on one album!
From their brutal early days to their transformation into the techno-metal powerhouses we've come to love, it's all here! The Best Of Fear Factory includes such trademark songs as "Replica," "Linchpin," and their smash hit cover of Gary Numan's "Cars." Buy The Best Of Fear Factory on September 26th or the Edgecrusher will come knocking down your door!
1. Martyr
2. Scapegoat
3. Scumgrief
4. Demanufacture
5. Self-Bias Resistor
6. Zero Signal
7. Replica
8. Shock
9. Edgecrusher
10. Resurrection
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Jeff and Brandi have gone to extra lengths to make sure I'm a happy customer. If I want to buy something they don't sell, they go out and find it for...Read More ->
I ordered Swami/Mantra from another site and a month later the book hadn't shipped, so I came to MJM and within a week it was at my door step. Then I...Read More ->


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Winter sports are so much fun! Now is the perfect time to take part. What can you do in the snow? Here are some sporty suggestions...go sledding, go skiing, go skating, go ice fishing. That's just to name a few cold weather activities. Our story time books covered a wide variety of Winter fun.
We spent the evening celebrating this year's Winter Olympics here in the Children's Room.
Story time this week was all about hugs and kisses.
St. Valentine's Day is Friday! Last Friday, I had the opportunity to share Valentine stories at a local preschool. We had so much fun sharing books about love and kisses. We read books about people and animals including mice, giraffes, and panda bears. Between stories, we sang some songs and wiggled our fingers during fingerplays. You can host your own Valentine story time at home with books and fingerplays! Stop by the library for some Valentine books. They are currently on display in the back of the Children's Room.
Tuesday night in the Children's Room was for clues, capers, and mysteries solved.
Wisconsin's Digital Library eReading Room for Kids and Teens (powered by Overdrive)
Library Newsletter


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Some Democrats thought the party was on its way to taking back control of the Arizona Legislature from the Republican majority. In 2012, Arizona Democrats won enough seats to break up the super-majority that Republicans had won in 2010. But in 2014, it's possible that zero Republican seats flip to ... More >>
Arizona lawmakers approved a $9.2 billion budget yesterday.The budget, which still needs Governor Jan Brewer's approval, shaved off roughly $25 million from Brewer's proposal for Child Protective Services spending for next year. Between the scandal of thousands of cases ignored at CPS, and the growi ... More >>
On Wednesday evening, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1062, pointing out that it had nothing to do with her legislative priorities, like passing a budget and fixing Child Protective Services.By Thursday afternoon, members of the Arizona House of Representatives were back to discussing and adv ... More >>
State lawmakers have been trying to regulate salvia divinorum, a hallucination-inducing plant, since 2009, and it still hasn't been regulated.Now, legislators are trying once again to regulate salvia, this time banning its sale to anyone under the age of 21.See also:-2009: Salvia Targeted by Arizona ... More >>
Compromise? Apparently not, if Glassman gets his way...Fearing an acrimonious showdown this Saturday when Dems are scheduled to meet at the Wyndham Hotel downtown to pick a new Democratic Party chair, former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard and Congressman Raul Grijalva are calling for a compr ... More >>
http://azjusticeproject.orgA group of state representatives has introduced a bill that would strip the governor of the power to commute prison sentences and hand it over to the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency. The legislation, formally titled HCR 2025: the Arizona Commutation Reform Act, is ... More >>
Waring (right) seen here with his shotgun-toting colleagues, Representatives Eric Meyer (left) and Jerry Weiers (wearing shades) at this year's "Legislative Shootout."The latest news in the reshuffling of the usual suspects in state government is that Senator Jim Waring is considering a run ... More >>


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Who says only Democrats get to make friends with rock stars?
Not former President George W. Bush, who opened his new library in Dallas last week and described Bono as a "pal" in an interview.
Bush II sat for a chat with Fox News last week and also called the U2 star "the real deal," but he admitted that both he and Bono were leery of each other when they first came together to talk strategy in relation to poverty and disease in Africa, issues that Bono has worked on for decades.
"He was skeptical of me and frankly I was skeptical of him. And we became pals because we shared a common desire to help others on the continent of Africa. Bono's the real deal," Bush admitted.
During Bush's eight years in office he and Bono met several times and definitely seemed to form a bond. And Bono, to his credit, has never been shy about saying so, even though many of his colleagues in the world of entertainment would surely disagree.
"If George Bush was here — I know his daughter Barbara is here — I would get Matt Damon to kiss him on the lips and I would give him a more sort of Irish macho handshake kind of a thing," Bono said at an event in Georgetown University last November.
"It's incredible, it's incredible what George Bush's — President Bush's — name is in the history books. His name is in the front foreword of a book that's written on the end of AIDS."
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Hello World, They're Your Wild Girls: "The Runaways" Press Junket
One of the perks of this job is interviewing celebrities. Other perks include getting paid to watch television, being invited to cool parties and having Jane Lynch say "Hi" to you while having brunch on a random Sunday morning. But that's another story.
So when I was sent to cover the press junket for the upcoming film, The Runaways, no one had to ask me twice. Joan Jett, Cherie Currie, Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, and writer-director Floria Sigismondi were all scheduled to take our questions, up close, in-person, roundtable-style.
I arrived at a very swanky hotel in Beverly Hills, received my room assignment and milled around with the real journalists in the hospitality suite. I didn't take advantage of the full lunch buffet because the last thing I need is to be assaulting Kristen Stewart with pasta salad breath. Instead, I chose to drink as much free Pellegrino as I could in two hours.
Eventually, I made my way to my assigned room. Other journalists were already seated, so I took the last empty spot, next to two reserved seats. I was reading a text message on my phone when someone pulled out a chair. I looked up in time to see Joan Jett sit down. Next to me.
As you would expect, Joan was wearing a lot of black. Even her papers wear black. When you're a rock star, you're a rock star 24/7.
The roundtable interview format has no set rules, other than be courteous to your fellow writers, wait for your moment, and jump in. Here are the highlights of my afternoon:
Question: Did you have [casting] input, and what was your first thought when you found out [Kristen Stewart] was connected to the part [of playing you]?
Joan Jett: My only real input on the casting was to suggest if they could get real teenagers, it would make a difference. 'Cause even in a couple of years, the energy shifts. That was my only comment. I heard that Kristen had been cast – Twilight had come out a couple of months earlier – so, I knew who she was. I had seen her face all over the place. But I had also seen some of her films. I had seen Panic Room, maybe another earlier one, so I was familiar with her work and I wasn't colored by that Twilight label. I was really into it.
Right before she went to start [shooting] New Moon, we had a day together. And I just kind of dumped on her for a few hours about The Runaways and what it meant to me, and why I wanted to do it, anything I could think of, and probably a few things that I wouldn't tell anybody else: private, personal stuff.
I asked her if she was going to cut her hair, and she said, "Yeah!" I really got a sense that there was commitment there, that she really wanted to be authentic. She realized a lot of things: that The Runaways were important to a lot of people, that we were still living – or some of us, God rest Sandy West's soul – so, I think she took it seriously.
Serious shagiliousness
Q: What traits did you guys share? As you got to know her, what did you see of yourself, in her?
JJ: [Kristen] is her own person, but I think, energetically, physically, the way we kind of move in a room, is similar. Now, there may be more similarities that I don't know about, that we didn't have a chance to even discover.
But she loves music, she played guitar before we met, she can carry a tune. I thought it was essential that these girls sing the songs, where they could. It's really obvious when you're lip-syncing to an old Runaways' track. I thought they did a really great job.
Q: What's it like seeing your life on the big screen?
JJ: It's pretty surreal. We were so dismissed so much of the time, and now, something is resonating. There's a teenage story in there about rebellion, fighting authority, [being] told that girls can't do something, just because no one ever saw it before. My parents told me I could be anything I wanted [to be] when I was five or six. I really took it to heart.
Jett being exactly what she wants to be
AfterEllen.com: Do you think the sexual relationship you once had with Cherie Currie was accurately portrayed in the film?
JJ: Was it accurate? That's too much of a loaded question. Things happen. People experiment. Teenagers did it before me, they did it during me, they did it after me. It's no big deal. There's a lot of focus on it, and I do understand why, but to me… accurate? [The movie] would have had a lot [stronger] rating.
The room burst into laughter.
Next: Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning


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I returned this product. I was very disappointed.
Just Great- color is good- comfortable seating- ONLY drawback that I didnt realize there was a 200# weight limit,
Great deal! Quality product, very sturdy, attractive. Best of all there is no assembly required! Fold for easy storage. Highly recommend to anyone in the market for bamboo stools.
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