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Two of America's finest country-pop songwriters, Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, share the stage and the band (Haggard's slimmed-down, long-time touring outfit the Strangers) and deliver a master class in songcraft and a rich, often-moving musicological journey. Outside of Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty" and Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," the evening's crisply-paced two-dozen-plus country classics were penned almost entirely by Haggard and Kristofferson.
On tour together now for nearly two years, the duo performed a tighter, punchier set at the Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge than in their last pass through Southern California. While the attrition of original Strangers continues, with only legendary steel guitarist Norm Hamlett still onboard, the two singers are augmented nicely by a crack team of ace players, including Haggard's son Ben, who ably takes on lead guitar duties once so memorably handled by such monumental talents as Redd Volkaert and the late Roy Nichols.
Scott Joss' dexterous fiddle work is also a big crowd-pleaser, along with the 75-year-old Haggard's still game workouts on fiddle on such tunes as "Workin' in Tennessee" and his simple, bold lead guitar parts on rousingly driving uptempo anthems like "Ramblin' Fever."
The duo's easy alternating between lead turns on vocals has also become smoother and ultimately more fruitful, with Kristofferson's deeply felt, if raspily sung, poems set to music nicely balancing Haggard's more traditional song forms and still-full and mellow vocal tones.
Haggard barely scratched the surface of his song list and consistently delivered satisfying turns on several of his majestic ballads, such as "Today I Started Loving You Again" and "Silver Wings," interspersed with feisty, spirited versions of his uptempo barroom odes such "Swinging Doors," "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" and "The Bottle Let Me Down."
The sold-out aud was attentive and appreciative as Kristofferson movingly navigated through several meditative and lesser-known gems such as "From Here to Forever," "The Pilgrim, Chapter 33" and "Here Comes That Rainbow Again."
Not surprisingly, the greatest enthusiasm from the appreciative, cross-generational audience was sparked when the artist dug into their songbooks' undisputed masterpieces — for Kristofferson "Me and Bobby McGee," Help Me Make It Through the Night" and "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down," for Haggard his Bakersfield-bred personal tales like "Sing Me Back Home," "Mama Tried" and "Hungry Eyes."
But Haggard and Kristofferson aren't coasting on their status as bona fide legends. Their Saturday night show was an ample demonstration that creative integrity, risk and originality are the essential ingredients required for country music to remain a vital art. And in their four hands, it is.


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Graffiti collection of lamps featuring smoked crystal glass with silver leaf and polished stainless steel finish is a unique design creating spectacular shadows in any area. Available in a 6, 9 and 12 light chandelier option.Includes 50 watt 120 volt JCD G9 halogen lamps. General light distribution. UL listed. Includes one 6 inch, two 12 inch and one 18 inch stems with hang straight canopy. Small: 26 inch width x 35 inch height x 84.5 inch overall height. Medium: 34 inch width x 41 inch heigh x 90.5 inch overall height. Large: 44 inch width x 48 inch height x 97.5 inch overall height.
12 x JCD/G9/50W/120V Halogen
Bulb included
For more than 40 years. Corbett Lighting has created and manufactured beautiful lighting for residential, hospitality and commercial/contract markets. Corbett Lighting's superb craftsmanship and revered aesthetic principles create light fixtures that ultimately define the sophisticated rooms they grace. From bias cut crystals to delicate handmade Japanese paper, Corbett Lighting uses only the most stylized and unique materials. Corbett Lighting's tenacious manufacturing standards and commitment to superior design consistently produce breathtaking and singular pieces, making Corbett Lighting the leader in high-quality lighting.See more from Corbett Lighting
On Mar 28, 2018 by Rachel P. from Queen Creek, Arizona(Customer)
We love this chandelier! The electricians just installed it in the house we are building, and one of them was whistling in admiration as he was unwrapping it. It is built fastidiously and looks amazing. It does not produce a great amount of light, but it definitely does add light to our foyer and it makes lovely designs on our coffered ceiling at night. We did have to wait a few months for this chandelier, which we ordered in November and received in March. Other than the wait, we are very pleased with this fixture.
On Dec 29, 2015 by Jo T. from Naples, Florida(Customer)
Love the light. Wish there were a couple of more bulbs to make it brighter
Love the design & the pattern it creates on the ceiling
Sales Consultant Recommendation
On Jul 02, 2013 by (Staff Lighting Consultant)
I love the idea of mixing finishes and Corbett has done it absolutely perfectly with the Graffiti chandelier. The matte silver leaf and polished stainless steel seem to almost dance with each other as the light sparkles off of them. The contrast is beautiful, unique and elegant.
Sales Consultant Recommendation
On Jul 02, 2013 by Moises Malave(Staff Lighting Consultant) View Profile
Love the Graffiti for its wild and fun architectural design.
On Sep 26, 2012 by Angela from Boston, MA(Customer)
enough said!
Gorgeous Conversation Piece
On Sep 21, 2012 by Kitty from NY(Customer)
Everyone who sees this raves about it, and I've found myself hosting more events just for the chance to show it off.

subset: commoncrawl


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Canon is the Greek word for rule, norm, standard or measure. It is used in several ways in church language:
Canon Law is a code of ecclesiastical laws governing the Catholic Church. In the Latin or Western Church, the governing code is the 1983 Code of Canon Law, a revision of the 1917 Code of Canon Law. A separate but parallel Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, issued in 1990, governs the Eastern Catholic churches. That document was the first comprehensive code of church law governing all Eastern Catholic churches.
When the revised Code of Canon Law was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983, it contained eighty-four canons that call for or permit legislative action by episcopal conferences. Since that time the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (designated the National Conference of Catholic Bishops prior to July 1, 2001) has taken action on twenty-nine canons, thereby establishing particular legislation for the dioceses of the United States. These regional applications of Universal Canon Law that apply to a specific episcopal conference are referred to as Complementary Norms.
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Welcome to Positive Thinking Guide
Tools For Positive Thinking Article
For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
How To Start Your Day With Positive Energyfrom: Guest Author - Jovia D'Souza
How you wake up in the morning largely plays a part on how the rest of the day goes for you. It is for this reason that people will ask which side of the bed you woke up on depending on your moods. The good news is that you can actually play a role in how happy and positive you remain throughout the day using a few simple tricks. When you feed yourself the happy feeling as soon as you wake up, then you can expect the rest of the day to remain just as positive and pleasant for you.
Snooze and visualize - Most people hit the snooze button with the intention of getting a little more sleep. Instead of doing this, snooze with the intention of visualizing the day for a few minutes. Think about what you want to achieve and how you plan to go about it and do it in such a way that gives you motivation. Visualizing things creates excitement and you will manage to step out of bed looking forward to the rest of the day.
Do the mirror trick - It is as simple as standing in front of your mirror and greeting yourself with a beautiful smile. When you watch yourself smile makes your morning happier, brighter and better and it is likely to remain this way for the rest of the day. Admire yourself in the mirror and smile and see how magical it will be for you.
Move that body - Starting the day with exercising helps set you for a motivated vibrant day ahead. You do not even have to do intense workouts, it can be as simple as taking a short walk around your block, jogging or as simple as a swim. You will trigger endorphins and improve flow of blood to your brain and also reduce stress levels making your day brighter.
Subscribe for inspirational quotes - Sometimes you need a little push to keep you motivated and this is what inspirational quotes will do for you. You should actually ensure that you get good morning quotes that will help kick start your day. The good thing about the quotes is that you can also spread the joy by sending them to friends and family to make their day as well.
Try aromatherapy - This is a simple but effective way of uplifting your sensory experience and to awaken and keep your senses stimulated. Essential oils like lemon, rosemary and peppermint can work wonders for you when you add a few drops in your bath water. You will love how relaxing the aromas are and this makes you feel joyous because you breathe out stress with every exhale you take. There are so many essential oils to choose from depending on your personal preferences.
Choose colorful clothes - Adding some color has a way of making you feel energetic and bold to face anything the day brings. Red seems to be one of the best colors you can choose to kick start your day on a high and make it special, but there are so many others that have similar effects too.
Morning inspirational quotes can be quite helpful in making you feel motivated to do what every day calls you to do. You can also easily get good morning quotes to lift the spirits of people you care about.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jovia_D'Souza/2007086


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Ok this is the video that started it all for me.After watching this video I was bitten by the systema bug.
I was impressed by his lazy almost noninterested nonimpression emotionless attitude about some one attacking him with a knife.
I also enjoyed the demotrations of Valdimeir taking on up to..read more >>


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San Jose: Boy, 17, arrested with one gallon of liquid meth at airport
Mercurynews.com, January 8, 2014
SAN JOSE -- A 17-year-old boy from Mexico was arrested on New Year's Eve at Mineta San Jose International Airport after he tried to smuggle more than one gallon of liquid methamphetamine into the country, according to federal authorities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers searched the boy's baggage and discovered five one-liter tequila bottles containing a clear liquid. Laboratory tests confirmed that the liquid was methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $500,000, according to federal agents.
The boy flew from Mexico to San Jose on the afternoon of Dec. 31.
The methamphetamine was seized and the boy was turned over to the San Jose Police Department, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Frank Falcon, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said drug cartels often "test us and see what they can get away with."


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March 31 was something of a… busy day on the calendar, so some people may not have noticed that it was also World Backup Day. It's as good a day as any to remind people about how important it is to back up your data.
People today are generating more and more data. As our infographic shows, the mobile devices that are part of many of our lives generate – and store – amounts of data that would have been unthinkable not too long ago. Add to that what we generate elsewhere and people have significant amounts of digital "stuff".
Important data needs to be backed up, because losing them could cause all sorts of damage: from the emotional (say, lost family pictures) to the financial (business records). How can you do it?
The accepted rule for backup best practices is the three-two-one rule. It can be summarized as: if you're backing something up, you should have:
- At least three copies,
- In two different formats,
- with one of those copies off-site.
Let's go through each of those rules. They're all based on one concept, really: redundancy. Each of those rules is meant to make sure that your data is stored in multiple ways, so that at least one backup will survive.
Three different copies means three different copies in different places. (Different folders on the same hard drive or flash disk does not count.) Why three? In the digital era, it is very easy to make digital copies, and it's better to have more copies than too few. By keeping them on different places, it reduces the risk of a single event destroying multiple copies.
Now, why two different formats? What this means is that you must use at least two different methods to store your data. For example, burning your photos to a DVD from your PC's hard drive counts (hard disk and DVD). However, copying them to an external disk does not (as they're both hard disks.) If you do both, then you satisfy this rule (and the first one as well). Again, using different formats reduce the risks that all your backups will be damaged, as different formats have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to redundancy.
Keeping one copy off-site ensures that even if something happens to where your data is – like a fire, or a break-in – at least one copy is safe somewhere else. If something does go wrong where you are, at least your data will be safe.
What about cloud services? Is it a substitute for backups? No, they are not. Cloud services are not immune from data loss or disasters. You should consider them as just another potential way of storing data. Data in the cloud should be backed up as well. Cloud services are a good place to back up your data, as (by definition) they are offsite.
Another thing that cloud services are good at is making backing up a much less difficult thing to do. Perhaps the top reason many users don't back up is simple: it can be a bother to back up. Many cloud solutions include software that will automatically sync the files on your computer to your cloud storage, meaning that you're automatically backed up. (Of course, this includes our own SafeSync product.) Some storage products like external hard drives and network attached storage (NAS) boxes will frequently include software that does the same thing – automate the backup process – for their own solutions.
Backing up should be something you consider part of your regular routine, much like maintenance is part of owning a car – and not a one-off activity that's only done once a year. Hopefully this reminder will set you on the path to good backup practices.


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Kumarakom tour trip photos, some moments from a small picnic done to the backwater tourism village of Kerala - Kumarakom. A place in the Kottayam district of kerala which depends on backwaters for most of the transportation than roads. The people also makes their living with business related to tourism, fishing, cultivating paddy etc. Can identify the place as a small Venetian town.
The tourist village of Kumarakom can offer you activities like boating through the backwaters, watching migratory and local birds in the bird sanctuary of kumarakom, ayurvedic treats provided in the spas working along with the hotels and lake resorts etc. The local food recipes here has the real taste of Kerala's food culture. So many house boat services are available in the place. House boat cruise packages which varies in length of journey, price, amenities etc are available.
The tourist village of Kumarakom can offer you activities like boating through the backwaters, watching migratory and local birds in the bird sanctuary of kumarakom, ayurvedic treats provided in the spas working along with the hotels and lake resorts etc. The local food recipes here has the real taste of Kerala's food culture. So many house boat services are available in the place. House boat cruise packages which varies in length of journey, price, amenities etc are available.
The backwater cruises or house boats, traditional transportation means transformed into a new form to cater the needs of Tourism. The Kettuvalloms of olden times are transformed into small moving cottages like these which integrates air conditioned bedrooms, balconies, kitchen, living rooms, European style bathrooms etc with a group of small crews for navigation and making food. The house boats have electric generators attached which may turn off and provided with oil lamps if the tourist needs a traditional feeling inside the boat during nights.
Nearly 400 houseboats are present allover the Vembanadu backwaters. Apart from houseboats numerous ordinary transportation and tourist boats including small speed boats travels across these brackish waters of the lake. Can see houseboats docked infront of some houses and lake resorts aside the backwaters. Both private people and KTDC boat services are available in the area.
Our boat reached a point which seemed more to an open sea than a lake. Indication of land is seen nowhere around. Their are small poles raising over in shallow region which was used by fish cultivators to separate the region with underwater nets and breed fishes like prawns, black pearl spots or karimeen etc.
The largest lake of kerala and longest in India. Vembanadu lake, this vast stretching inland water body is the longest lake in India and the largest among the backwaters of Kerala. At certain points this lake is have a width of about 14Kms. One side of the lake meets with the salty Arabian sea waters and other side the lake is fed with fresh water from the rivers originating from Western Ghats. Thus the lake water is brackish - a combination of salty sea water and less salty fresh water from rivers. The ecology of the lake system is thus a special one, the brackish water fishes and other organisms.
Cruising in a tourist boat of KTDC through the beautiful backwaters of Kumarakom, more precisely the Vembanadu lake. You can see the coconut grove aside the lagoon, eventhough not clear in this photo so many small individual cottages of a lake resort is present inside the coconut tree groves with an artificial landscape of many small lawns and pools.
Their are around 5 backwater lakes in Kerala which lengths more than half the length of Kerala state if stretched virtually. Parallel to the Arabian sea and the Malabar cost the backwaters stretches through the inner lands of Kerala. The backwaters are mainly fed by the rivers of Kerala, about 38 of them.
Rivers flowing into Vembanadu lake are Meenachil, Periyar, Manimala, Pamba, Achenkovil and Moovattupuzha. Vembanadu kayal covers about 1512 Km square of wetland. Vembanadu lake spreads over the districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Kottayam. The lake is in the sea level and the Queen of Arabian sea - Cochin is in the part of Vembanadu lake which opens into the Arabian sea.
The famous Thannermukkom bund which is built to prevent the sea water from entering the lake during heavy tides is in the region of Vembanadu lake which opens into sea in the district of Aleppy. Thannermukkom saltwater barrier prevents the salt sea water from entering into the low cultivation lands of kuttanad which lies below sea level and helps in preventing destruction of paddy fields. Thannermukkom bund is the largest mud regulator of its kind in whole of India.
As an aftereffect of preventing the saltwater from entering the Vembanadu lake catalysed the growth of water hyacinth in the lake waters and this water weed is a main threat in the lake now. Saltwater reduces the growth of this water weed.
Vembanadu lake surrounds islands of Pathiramanal, Perumbalam and Pallippuram. To reach places like Pathiramanal only way is the backwater cruises. You can watch many migratory birds in this Island and most of the houseboat tour packages includes this tourist spot in their journey. The 8 hour boat cruise from Kollam district to Aleppy is the longest backwater tour trip available and it is an enchanting one through the small villages and coconut groved surroundings of backwaters. Many of the houseboats have night packages which cruises through the lagoons in night and brings you back at the starting point of journey by next day.
blogging kerala photos
blogging kerala photos


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Cachet de cire de la maison Briottet a former wine trading company, was established in 1836 by James Demontry who at that time owned a vineyard in Chambolle-
where Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant cream) invented
Blackcurrants were first of all used to make Ratafia de Cassis (a sweet blackcurrant aperitif drink). In the earlier years blackcurrants were macerated in wine and then added eau de vie (a distilled beverage) and sugar.
It was more rotgut than liqueur, it was not until 1841 that a fruit-
In the 1900s, Edmond Briottet started running the firm set up by Demontry. His father-
Given the growing popularity of the ""white wine-
1920 Oak barrels gave way to concrete vats.
1923 "Cassis de Dijon" officially made an appellation (a protected name)
Given the success of the "white wine-
Thus, in 1923 the Dijon Court of Appeal acknowledged their expertise in laying down that "Dijon Cassis" had to be made in the city of Dijon.
In 1925 the Court of Appeal's decision was confirmed by the Court of Cassation.
The election in 1945 of Canon Kir as Deputy Mayor, a legendary figure in French political life, contributed to the renown of Dijon Cassis. The Canon popularised the "white wine-
More and more companies started producing cassis
Given the growing vogue for Dijon Cassis, more and more companies began producing cream of cassis. At that time about twenty or so firms were producing Dijon Cassis.
6th generation
Claire and Vincent Briottet joined the family business.
Geographical indication status awarded to Dijon cassis
Logo de l'indication géographique du Cassis de Dijon Following several years of work, in 2012 Dijon Cassis was granted geographical indication status (published in the French Official Gazette in August 2013).
Geographical indication – or IG – is a European sign which came into being in 2008 as regards spirits. The sign provides a guarantee to consumers that one or more of a given product's characteristics arise out of its geographical origin. The sign also ensures that the name "Dijon Cassis" is protected throughout the European Union.
As is the case for all products which carry marks relating to quality and origin, checks carried out by independent bodies enable it to be ensured that rules regarding the correct production area and the correct production particulars are complied with.
The last four concrete vats dating back to the 1920s were dismantled and replaced with made-
Cremes / Liqueurs
The difference between creams and liqueurs arises out of the proportion of sugar employed -
The exception that proves the rule is Dijon Crème de Cassis, which contains a minimum of 400 grammes of sugar per litre.
Liqueur de Litchi -
Litchi chinensisis a species of tropical tree which originates in China. It has been grown for more than 2,000 years and its fruit -


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MR. TOM BROKAW: Our issues this Sunday: The faltering economy tops the debate in the presidential campaign as a key economic adviser to Senator McCain says it's only a mental recession.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): I guess what he meant was that it's a figment of your imagination, these high gas prices.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me. So I strongly disagree.
MR. BROKAW: The campaigns square off. Our guest for John McCain, RNC Victory 2008 chair and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. And for Barack Obama, his campaign's national co-chair, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri.
Then, Obama responds to Jesse Jackson's critical comments and moves closer to the political center, while McCain courts Latinos in a new ad and tries to regain his footing on the economy.
And both sides continue the hunt for a vice presidential candidate. Insights and analysis on all of this from our political roundtable: NBC News political analyst and former Democratic congressman from Tennessee Harold Ford Jr., NBC News political analyst who worked for McCain's 2000 presidential campaign Mike Murphy, and NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell.
And in our "Meet the Press Minute," we remember former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, who died yesterday at the age of 53.
But first here this morning, we're joined by the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and now a top adviser to Senator John McCain, Carly Fiorina; and the national co-chair of the Obama campaign, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri.
Welcome to both of you. As I don't need to tell you, this campaign is running at full octane seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The most explosive comments, I think it's fair to say, Ms. Fiorina, came this past week from Phil Gramm, a principal economic adviser to Senator McCain, when he had this to say about what he says is the real state of the American economy: "You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession. ... We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet. ... You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of our competitiveness, America in decline. We have never been" in a "more dominant" position, "we've never had more natural advantages than we have today. We've ... become a nation of whiners." Well, not surprisingly, Senator Obama had an immediate response to that, and this is what he had to say to Senator Gramm's characterization.
SEN. OBAMA: This economic downturn is not in your head. When people are out there losing their homes and property values are declining, that's not a figment of your imagination.
(End videotape)
MR. BROKAW: And, at the same time, Senator McCain had this response to his friend Phil Gramm and economic adviser.
SEN. McCAIN: I don't agree with Senator Gramm. I believe that the, that the person here in Michigan that just lost his job isn't suffering from a mental recession. Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me. So I strongly disagree.
(End videotape)
MR. BROKAW: Ms. Fiorina, what is the status of Senator Gramm in the campaign of Senator John McCain this morning?
MS. CARLY FIORINA: Well, John McCain, after making the statement that you just played, was asked directly whether Senator Gramm would have a position in his Cabinet, and his response was, "Well, perhaps he'd make a good ambassador to Belarus, but I'm not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome him." I think John McCain's been real clear that Phil Gramm wasn't speaking for him and, in fact, John McCain has said now for many months that he believes the economy is in a recession. It's clear Americans are hurting. It's--they're hurting when they fill up their car with gas; they're hurting when they go to the grocery store.
MR. BROKAW: But the question is will Senator Gramm continue to have a role in the campaign? Will he be listed on the letterhead and will he be in the meetings in which they discuss the economy?
MS. FIORINA: I don't think Senator Gramm will any longer be speaking for John McCain, and I think John McCain was crystal clear about that this week. And I think...
MR. BROKAW: But he...
MS. FIORINA: ...by the way, outside of Washington, where this is an interesting parlor game, I think most Americans are not really focused on what a bunch of surrogates are saying. They're focused on what the candidates are saying. I was in town hall meetings with John McCain all week. Not one question about Phil Gramm. Not one question.
MR. BROKAW: Well, with all due respect, we have you here as surrogates, and we hope that America is paying attention to what you have to say because the campaign is on a broad front.
But let me just play for you what Senator McCain had to say on this broadcast earlier this year in January about the economy vis-a-vis terrorism as an issue when he was questioned by my dear friend, the late Tim Russert.
SEN. McCAIN: I believe that most Republicans' first priority is the threat of radical Islamic extremism. Now, I know the concerns about the...
MR. TIM RUSSERT: More than the economy.
SEN. McCAIN: More than the economy at the end of the day. We'll get the through this, the economy. We're going to restore our economy in many of the measures we're taking right now, although it's very difficult now. This transcendent challenge of radical Islamic extremism will be with us for the 21st Century.
(End videotape)
MR. BROKAW: So have the priorities changed in the McCain campaign from radical Islamic terrorism to the economy as the number one issue?
MS. FIORINA: I think John McCain has also been very clear that the economy is struggling, that people are hurting, and that he, as president, has a plan to get the economy growing again and to create jobs. But he believes...
MR. BROKAW: More important to him, more important to him now.
MS. FIORINA: But he believes, as I think all Democrats believe as well, that the first and most important priority of the federal government is to protect its citizens. I think that's what he was talking about. But it's also clear that government has a role in helping to create jobs and get the economy growing again, and that's why John McCain spent all week talking about the economy this week in this way.
MR. BROKAW: But in January of this year he did not anticipate that the economy would worsen as quickly as it has.
MS. FIORINA: I don't think anyone expected that it would worsen as quickly as it has. In fact, if you go back and look at the surveys of economists and what they predicted in terms a recession, you would see the number of economists who thought we would be in a recession in January was materially lower than the number of economists who think we will have a recession today. So no one predicted the economy would worsen as quickly as it has. The facts are, however, that in April John McCain also came out and said Americans are hurting, and that's why he proposed relief from gas taxes, which would create instant relief in America's pockets. That was way back in April. So I think he's understood the economy's an important issue for some time now.
MR. BROKAW: We're going to get to you in a moment here, Senator McCaskill. Both campaigns have had difficulty this past week with accusations of flip-flopping. Let me begin with Ms. Fiorina.
You said that your candidate, John McCain, he's a man that the American people understands, that he walks the talk. But let me just share with you what I think could be a Democratic ad come this fall. The ad will begin, "Oh really?" after quoting you. "Here's a man who voted against the Bush tax cuts. Now he wants to make them permanent. Here's a man who is worried about global warming, now he wants to give American motorists a gas tax holiday so they can drive even more during the summer months. Here's a man who called Phil Gramm a trusted economic adviser, had him on the bus and in pictures with him. Now he disowns him. Here's a man who said he really wasn't up to speed on the issue of whether birth control should be covered by insurance policies; in fact, he voted against it."
MS. FIORINA: Let me start by saying that Senator McCain, at the time of the Bush tax cuts, proposed his own tax cuts which would provide even greater relief to the middle class. The principal reason that he voted against the Bush tax cuts is because they were not accompanied by fiscal restraint, and he said at the time that we would be growing our federal budget deficit. Which, in fact, we did. Federal spending has increased by 60 percent over the last seven years, and he believes government has to get its house in order. He also has said that he would double the exemption for dependents from $3500 to $7,000, that he would phase out the alternative minimum tax. With all due respect to advisers, it was also Senator Barack Obama who disowned his own pastor of 20 years. So there are times when people have to make clear their own positions vs. the positions of others, and John McCain did so with respect to Phil Gramm.
MR. BROKAW: Senator McCaskill, your own candidate has had his own difficulties this past week in explaining his positions, sometimes in the same day. Let's begin with a well-known, now, sound bite about what he would do in Iraq. He's planning a trip there. This is what he had to say two weeks ago in Fargo, North Dakota, something that you supported in the same day in Kansas City. Here's Senator Obama talking about his plans for Iraq.
(Videotape, July 3, 2008)
SEN. OBAMA: I've always said that I would listen to commanders on the ground. I've always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed, and when I go to Iraq and I have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies.
(End videotape)
MR. BROKAW: And later that same day, as you know, Senator Obama called the press together again because he wanted to clarify, as he put it, his earlier remarks. Here's what he had to say at that time.
SEN. OBAMA: I intend to end this war my first day in office. I will bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff in and I will give them a new mission, and that is to end this war responsibly, deliberately, but decisively. And I have seen no information that contradicts the notion that we can bring our troops out safely at a pace of one to two brigades per month, and again, that pace translates into having our, our combat troops out in 16 months' time.
(End videotape)
MR. BROKAW: That confused even some of his most ardent supporters. If he goes to Iraq, and commanders on the ground, to whom he says he will listen, say, "Look, we could use 20 months, or maybe even 24 months," will he stick to his 16-month timetable in calling the Joint Chiefs in the day after he's inaugurated?
SEN. CLAIRE McCASKILL (D-MO): Listen, there is nothing inconsistent about Barack Obama's position on Iraq. From the very beginning of this campaign, he has said very clearly his mindset is we must get out as carefully and as quickly as possible. There is nothing that he has said that contradicts that. Part of getting out carefully and quickly is listening to commanders on the ground. No commander in chief would ever say, "I'm not going to listen to the guys on the ground." And that's all he said is he's going to listen in terms of how we get out. But the mindsets are very different here. You have Barack Obama saying we simply cannot afford, either from a position of national security or our economy, to keep borrowing $10 billion dollars a month from China to be mired in this civil conflict in Iraq, whereas John McCain's position, his mindset is very clear, "We're going to stay, and we're not going to change in terms of our position in Iraq." So we have two different mindsets, and I think most Americans understand that.
MR. BROKAW: But, let me be clear about this, he says he'll listen to commanders on the ground. He's going there. But before he goes there, he says, "The day after I'm inaugurated, I'll have Joint Chiefs in the office with instructions to get them out in 16 months."
SEN. McCASKILL: But...
MR. BROKAW: So the real question is why even go if you know that you want to do that in advance?
SEN. McCASKILL: Well, of course. He, he has a goal of 16 months, but obviously, the most important thing in getting out...
MR. BROKAW: But that could stretch.
SEN. McCASKILL: ...is to do it carefully. It--I mean, obviously, a goal is a goal, and he's been very clear that that's a goal. He's been very clear that he wants to be careful and reasonable about the way--in fact, his phrase is, "I want to be the opposite of what we were when we went in. We were reckless and careless when we went in. We didn't plan." And by the way, there is--talk about a shifting position, I mean, John McCain used to be very positive about George Bush's leadership in Iraq.
MR. BROKAW: Mm-hmm.
SEN. McCASKILL: As he gets closer to this presidential election, he was not as positive. And, and I hope we have a chance to transition back to the economy for a minute...
MR. BROKAW: We will.
SEN. McCASKILL: ...because there's a very clear difference between the two economic plans. One represents change and one doesn't.
MR. BROKAW: But for--just so that we can clarify, the 16 months is his goal, not a promise to the American people?
SEN. McCASKILL: Sixteen months is his goal. It would be irresponsible for a commander in chief to set in stone a date. But he believes, based on the best of military advice that he has gotten, that one to two brigades a month is reasonable. And I believe that that is his commitment to the American people, and he will keep that commitment to the American people.
MR. BROKAW: Let's begin now with the economy and the federal budget. Both campaigns have different views of what they can do in the next four years and in the next eight years. To go back to Senator McCain for just a moment...
MS. FIORINA: Mm-hmm.
MR. BROKAW: First he said he could balance the federal budget within four years, and then he said no, it'll take eight years. Now he's back to four years again. If you were the CEO of Hewlett-Packard again and you were talking to Wall Street analysts and you would say, "I'm going to cut taxes. I'm going to continue to have wars in two countries. We have a housing crisis that we're probably going to have to bail out. We have a $410 billion deficit. We have entitlement costs that now represent 53 percent of our federal budget that are going up every year. But I can balance the budget," you'd be hooted off the phone, and they'd put a big sell sign on Hewlett-Packard the next morning, wouldn't they?
MS. FIORINA: Actually, I don't think so. And, as a business person, I do pay attention to the numbers, and there is a plan to balance the budget by 2013. It begins with the most important component, which is that we have to get this economy growing again. Not growing as quickly as it was, for example, during the boom years, although that would be terrific. But our assumptions are quite conservative, and that is that we can get the economy growing at somewhere between 2 and 3 percent. That's not huge. But we are going to get the economy growing again by creating the right kind of environment for job creation. That includes, by the way, not raising taxes on middle income, as Barack Obama would do; on small business, as Barack Obama would do. It means that we would not resort to isolationism, as Barack Obama would do. It also involves getting federal spending under control. As a business person, I know that when you have spending increase by 60 percent in seven years, you have a lot of opportunity for cutting spending.
And finally, it involves making sure that, as we bring troops out of Iraq, which John McCain is also committed to do--however, unlike Barack Obama, he actually has spoken to generals on the ground, he has met with General Petraeus, he has traveled to the region eight times. And so when he says that all of the savings from bringing troops home will be applied to the reduction of the federal budget deficit, he actually does know what he's talking about. So, yes, the numbers do add. We have to get the economy growing, we have to reduce and get under control out of control federal spending, and we have to use the savings from troop reductions in Iraq to lower the federal budget deficit.
MR. BROKAW: And, Senator McCaskill, independent analysts who have looked at Senator Obama's plan for the next eight years, as he extends it out, say, "The problem ... is that the Democrats have been very critical of President Bush for spending hundreds of billions of dollars on the war without paying for it and running up the deficit. ... But in effect what Obama is saying is, `I'm going to spend the same amount of money. I'm just going to spend it on something else.'" Other analysts have said, when they look at his plan, his revenues are about half of what he is going to need, because he's not going to be able to pay for all the things that he's promised the American people.
SEN. McCASKILL: Well, first of all, he has ways to pay for what he is promising. And it is much different than John McCain's economic plan. Barack Obama will not raise taxes on anyone whose incomes are under $250,000. Now, what he is going to do, he's going to take the very thinnest sliver at the top, and he's going to say to that thin sliver at the top, "We're going to put you back at a tax rate that happened before George Bush. We're going to put you back at that"--for like 2 percent of the country. The rest of the country, 95 percent of the working people in America, are going to get a tax cut from Barack Obama. You know, John McCain's tax cuts are not for middle America. John McCain's economic policy was drafted in a corporate boardroom. Barack Obama's economic policy was drafted at a kitchen table. It is about the families in America that are hurting. It's about a square deal for the workers. You know, Tom, in our country right now the average CEO of a, of a corporation makes 400 times the average worker's salary. In Japan they make 10 times. Now, this is a country we're competing with. This is a country we're borrowing money from.
MR. BROKAW: Are you suggesting that Senator Obama can do something about corporate pay?
SEN. McCASKILL: I, I, I believe he has proposals about making shareholders approve it. But most importantly what he's saying is we've got to quit doing this divide between the mega wealthy. We got to quit drafting economic policies that are all about the mega wealthy and instead get back to making college more affordable, no more taxes for seniors that make less than $50,000, and, in fact, being responsible about that. If anybody believes that John McCain can balance the budget on his plan right now, I've got a meeting they need to have with the tooth fairy. There is no way. Because he is counting the money from not fighting the war in Iraq, but yet he's saying we're going to stay in Iraq.
MR. BROKAW: But Senator Obama, balancing the budget is not a high priority for him. He's prepared to live with the deficits for the first four years of his term. And if he gets a second term, for another eight years, if necessary?
SEN. McCASKILL: Well, he is going to be responsible. I mean, just look at this week. I don't know how John McCain would have voted on fixing Medicare, because he didn't come to vote. Barack Obama did. And the statement he gave kind of took both sides. Well, there was part of it he liked and part of it he didn't like. The part that he didn't like was a modest hit on private insurance companies that made $15 billion last year on the backs of taxpayers. I mean, if you cannot stand up for a modest hit--they made 15 billion last year, taxpayer subsidized. John McCain's tax cuts include 1.2 billion for ExxonMobil. Give me a break. I...
MR. BROKAW: Where, where, where's Senator Obama going to cut spending?
SEN. McCASKILL: Well, he's going to--obviously going to have to cut spending when it--in, in some ways, in, in the defense, in terms of the war in Iraq. Now, he wants to use some of that...
MR. BROKAW: Well, wait a minute, cutting spending--almost every military analyst of whatever political stripe says however this war ends, there are repair jobs to be done...
SEN. McCASKILL: There are repair jobs. And there's no...
MR. BROKAW: ...to be done on the equipment, and you've got to...
SEN. McCASKILL: ...question that some of it...
MR. BROKAW: ...you've got to restore the American military because it's been worn out in so many ways.
SEN. McCASKILL: Some of the war dividend that we will get will go back right into the military, and Barack Obama has proposed that. But he will, in fact--and, and it was interesting that Carly referred to the boom years. That's when we had a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress. Those were the boom years. And that's the, the years we want to get back to, where we can, in fact, have responsible economic policies that are fair to the middle class, give a square deal to workers, and get us back in a competitive mode by getting all our kids in college.
MS. FIORINA: Tom, since, since budgets are about numbers, let me just throw a few numbers out, if I can. The numbers in Barack Obama's plan just don't add. You cannot possibly pay for over $300 billion in government-mandated programs, which is what he has proposed thus far, and cut taxes on 95 percent of the American people at the same time. The numbers simply don't add. He has said on many occasions that he would pay for his health mandate, for example, which costs between 50 and $65 billion, by raising the capital gains tax rate on Americans $100 million. The reality is, because Obama's words have been, frankly, all over the map in terms of his economic plan, you have to go back to his record. And his record is that he has voted to increase taxes 94 times in his short time in the U.S. Senate. Barack Obama...
MR. BROKAW: In fairness, in fairness...
MS. FIORINA: ...will raise your taxes.
MR. BROKAW: ...economic analysts who are looking at both of these plans say that they don't add up; that you, in fact, can't balance the budget in four years, that, in fact, you cannot get the revenues that you say you can.
MS. FIORINA: Actually, there are a set of...
MR. BROKAW: Both of these candidates began by running by saying that they...
MS. FIORINA: ...economists who believe we can balance the budget in four years.
SEN. McCASKILL: Those are the same economists that don't approve of the gas tax.
MR. BROKAW: Let me ask you about the...
MS. FIORINA: The American people approve of the gas tax holiday. The majority of American people approve of it.
MR. BROKAW: But, but this was the senator who said that he was going to, you know, be different, that he was not going to cave in to whatever was seasonable or might have been...
MS. FIORINA: Actually, I think it was Barack Obama who said he was going to be different. I think what John McCain has is a very long record of standing up to special interests wherever they are, corporate and government. And just as a, a point of correction, John McCain stood up against George Bush and Don Rumsfeld in the prosecution of the Iraq war for many years and took a lot of heat from his own party for it. John McCain has demonstrated...
MR. BROKAW: But he's also the same senator who said that...
MS. FIORINA: ...not by his talk, but by his walk.
MR. BROKAW: ...we may have to be there a hundred years, right?
MS. FIORINA: What he said was that we might have a military presence for a long time, as we do in Japan, as we do in Korea, as we do...
MR. BROKAW: Does he continue to stand by that?
MS. FIORINA: ...in Germany. I think we have--will have a military presence in the Middle East region for a long time.
MR. BROKAW: For a hundred years?
MS. FIORINA: I think there--we've had a military presence in Japan for 60-plus years. No one objects to it. It is part of our ability to protect our interests and to provide stability. But to say that John McCain was aligned with President Bush on the prosecution of the war in Iraq is to change history. And to say that Barack Obama can pay for his plan and still lower taxes on 95 percent of the American people is to ignore the reality of numbers. I'm a business person, I can't do that.
SEN. McCASKILL: Ironically...
MR. BROKAW: Senator McCaskill.
SEN. McCASKILL: Ironically, if you, if you look at the tax plans by these two candidates, you can, in fact, bring down the deficit by giving tax cuts to most of America, as long as you make...
MS. FIORINA: I certainly agree with that.
SEN. McCASKILL: ...as long as you make a very thin sliver pay more. We have done a lot for the hedge fund managers, we've done a lot for corporate CEOs in the last eight years. And you know what, it hasn't turned out so well. We've lost almost a half a billion, half a, half a billion--half a million jobs since January; 428,000 jobs since January. And it, it--and in January, John McCain was saying nice things about the economy, so...
MS. FIORINA: That is not true.
SEN. McCASKILL: It is, it, it is true.
MS. FIORINA: By the way...
SEN. McCASKILL: He did say--he said, "This economy's in pretty good shape."
MR. BROKAW: He said, he said, he said it would take care of itself, Ms. Fiorina. We just, we just showed that. He said, the--"We'll work our way through the economy at this time."
MS. FIORINA: Oh, Tom. Look.
MR. BROKAW: Let me, let me just prove...
MS. FIORINA: I've been around long enough to know that you can make a sound bite say anything you want. The reality is that John McCain has been saying for months and months and months...
MR. BROKAW: Well, we didn't make that up.
MS. FIORINA: ...that Americans are hurting. And by the way, he has also said that every American that loses his or her job is a problem. But interestingly, at the same time that the American economy has shed 428,000 jobs, Senator is absolutely right, the one place in the economy that's working is small business; 233,000 jobs were produced by small businesses. And that's why it's critically important that we not raise taxes on small businesses, that we not raise taxes on the American people. If you look at John McCain's record vs. Barack Obama's record, John McCain will cut taxes on the American people in business, and Senator Barack Obama will raise them.
MR. BROKAW: Let me quickly move to a couple of other issues that are of great importance to the American people in the closing moments that we have.
Today, your senator is speaking by satellite to the American Federation of Teachers. The No Child Left Behind Act, which has been controversial for a variety of reasons, now there's a bipartisan effort within the House to remove the accountability section in which you have a national standard by which all schools can be measured. Just yesterday I heard Bill Gates, who's deeply involved in education reform in this country, say, "No Child Left Behind has not been perfect, but it has been phenomenal for two reasons. It's pointed out that education in America desperately needs reform, and that accountability is an important part of that." Does Senator Obama support the idea of keeping accountability as part of No Child Left Behind?
SEN. McCASKILL: Absolutely, but we can do accountability in different ways. What we have done with No Child Left Behind is squeeze the creativity out of the classroom because teachers have begun to just teaching to the test. We need to measure progress and reward progress, not hit some one number that one size fits all, but as long as we keep accountability in there, by forcing people to measure progress and judging them, and saying, "If you do better, good for you. If you do worse, you've got a problem." But that's not what we're doing with No Child Left Behind. What we have done is we have said one size fits all, so we need to reauthorize No Child Left Behind, but we need to change it so that we get accountability through progress rather than one standard number for everybody.
MR. BROKAW: Senator McCaskill, I've talked to a number of educational reformers across the country, some of them card-carrying Democrats, self-described. They all say, quietly because they're afraid to do it publicly, the Democratic Party has to break its bonds with the teachers' union in this country. It can't move forward as long as the teachers continue to have, effectively, veto power over educational policy.
SEN. McCASKILL: Well, I don't think that the teachers do have veto power. I would...
MR. BROKAW: Do you think they have too much power?
SEN. McCASKILL: I don't. I think what Barack Obama is about--I've watched him do it on ethics reform. I've watched him, watched him do it a number of times in the Senate. What Barack Obama will do is, obviously, he's going to listen to the teachers in the classroom, but he also understands that we have an obligation, a moral obligation, to be able to teach our kids. It is very important in terms of all the globalization talk. Really, we're going to be left behind, and that's why his, his help for college kids, saying to college kids, "We're going to help you with your college education, but you've got to give back. You've got to take responsibility for your country, and you've got to work for your community as a result of getting help with your college education." That's the kind of policies that he's going to be about, and about a cooperative venture with the teachers and with parents and with educational systems, and local control across this country.
MR. BROKAW: Ms. Fiorina, you have been openly supportive of Senator Hillary Clinton and the kind of campaign that she ran. You understood, as a woman, the kinds of challenges that you--you said that you admired her, the way that she ran the campaign.
MS. FIORINA: I did.
MR. BROKAW: If Senator McCain gets elected, will there be a place in his government for Senator Hillary Clinton?
MS. FIORINA: I, I certainly don't know. That's up to John McCain...
MR. BROKAW: Would you recommend it?
MS. FIORINA: ...I know that he admires and respects her. It's not my business to recommend people for John McCain's Cabinet. But let me just say, if I may. I do have admiration and respect for Hillary Clinton. I know that John McCain does as well. I have empathy for what she went through. But let me just end on a note of bipartisan agreement, if I may. I absolutely agree that one size does not fit all in the subject of education, and that is why John McCain supports choice and competition, giving parents the choice as to how to best educate their children. He believes that No Child Left Behind was an imperfect piece of legislation. Nevertheless, there are things about it that have worked. We need to learn the lessons, fix the problems, fully fund it, and continue to focus on the education of our children as well as the education and training of our displaced workers. But he absolutely believes that we must give parents a choice as to how they best educate their children as opposed to a government mandate that says one size will fit all, which is what, from what I can tell, Barack Obama's education plan is.
SEN. McCASKILL: It's not one size fits all. It's, it's about making sure we don't undermine public education. We are who we are as a nation because we figured out how to educate our kids with public money, public education. The rest of the world has admired us from the days that we became a country, and we cannot turn our back on public education. And sometimes the word choice is code for making sure that we can skim the cream off the top into private schools and leave public schools flailing and, and in desperate need of help. And so we've got to make sure that our commitment is to our public education system.
MR. BROKAW: Will...
MS. FIORINA: There is no question the public education system has to continue to be funded and fixed.
MR. BROKAW: Will we see either one of you on the ticket as a vice presidential candidate?
MS. FIORINA: Well, that's up to John McCain and Barack Obama.
MR. BROKAW: Sounds like you'd like to accept it if it were offered.
MS. FIORINA: You know, I am doing this because I think this is a very important election. I think the two candidates...
MR. BROKAW: That's not the question is. The question is would you accept it if you were offered?
MS. FIORINA: I don't deal in hypotheticals. I think there are many, many people who would be honored to serve the country and John McCain. I am certainly among them. But he will have a long list of qualified people that he can call upon. I'm doing this because I think this election matters. I'm doing this because I think the choices are stark and clear between these two candidates. I'm doing this because I think John McCain will make a wonderful president of the United States.
MR. BROKAW: Senator McCaskill, you come from the battleground state of Missouri. You're a popular first-term senator. And Senator Obama does need help with women of a certain age. After the campaign...
SEN. McCASKILL: I think you just said I was old.
MR. BROKAW: Would you like to be his vice presidential candidate?
SEN. McCASKILL: You know, I'm, I'm going to be very honest. I am extremely honored to even be mentioned.
MR. BROKAW: Are you being vetted?
SEN. McCASKILL: You know, I have no idea as to what Barack Obama's doing in regards to vice president. But I'll tell you what, this is a popular parlor game, especially around these parts. If I were a betting person, I wouldn't bet on me.
MR. BROKAW: But have you been asked to give up certain documents? Have you been interviewed...
SEN. McCASKILL: I'm not going to discuss about the process, because the campaign, frankly, has asked us not to. I think that Barack Obama is going to--I trust his judgment. He's got--he's a very wise man and he has great judgment. He will find the right partner to change America, and that's what he's got to focus on.
MR. BROKAW: Thank you both for being here.
MS. FIORINA: Thank you.
MR. BROKAW: We think that this is a historic MEET THE PRESS moment, the first time that we've had two women who are acting as surrogates for the two national campaigns. And...
SEN. McCASKILL: Well, it's been great.
MS. FIORINA: It's been great.
SEN. McCASKILL: Yeah.
MR. BROKAW: And, and we hope to see you again along the way.
SEN. McCASKILL: Thank you.
MS. FIORINA: Thanks, Tom.
MR. BROKAW: Thank you very much Senator McCaskill, Carly Fiorina.
Coming up next, our political roundtable puts a busy week into perspective, Harold Ford, Mike Murphy and Andrea Mitchell. And our "Meet the Press Minute," remembering former White House Press Secretary, the elegant, Tony Snow.
MR. BROKAW: Our political roundtable after this brief station break.
MR. BROKAW: We're back, and I'm joined now by our political roundtable of three friends.
Welcome, Mike Murphy, first of all, to the NBC News team as an analyst this year.
MR. MIKE MURPHY: Thank you.
MR. BROKAW: We all came to know you, of course, in 2000 when you were an instrumental part of John McCain's roaring success in New Hampshire and the Straight Talk Express.
Harold Ford, familiar figure to us now, former congressman from Tennessee, a Democrat. And my longtime friend Andrea Mitchell.
Great to have you all here. Let me just share with you, if I can, a, a Newsweek poll that's out this week. General election, Senator Obama, 44 percent; Senator McCain, 41 percent.
Both sides are saying their candidates are flip-flopping at this time, and Senator Obama is particularly getting a lot of attention on that count, Senator--Congressman Ford, on campaign finance, public financing. He said he was for the D.C. gun ban, then he endorsed the Supreme Court decision on it. He also voted to, to give immunity to the telecoms that were participating in the wireless wiretaps and the warrantless wiretaps, and he wants to expand aid to faith-based organizations. Is he moving smartly to the center, and is that a good idea?
FMR. REP. HAROLD FORD Jr.: First off, I support him on all of those, on all of those fronts. Primaries, as we all know, are fought on about 30 to 40 yards of a football field, each side. General elections are played on the entire field. What Senator Obama is doing, I think in a lot of ways, has been consistent with what he's done throughout his political career. I think he was labeled and probably put in a box during the primary, which often candidates are, as being probably more to the left than he really is. I think what we're seeing now is the kind of president, the kind of leader and the kind of decision maker he will be.
I fully embrace his positions on faith. I think it's important for any president, any person running for public office, high office, to lay out how their faith may influence, may impact, decision-making. More important, I think the specifics, where he called for direct and personal responsibility on behalf of many Americans, particularly young African-American men and even older African-American men, I embrace what he's done here, and I think the majority of the country across party, across region and across race will do the same.
MR. BROKAW: Did he have to move to the center, Mike?
MR. MURPHY: I think he did. But the question is how fast and artfully he does it. I mean, every candidate does this. You run to the base in the primary and then you get to the center. The question is do you race for the center so quick that people begin to think that you can slide under a closed door? Then it becomes kind of a character issue on where do you stand. So I think, I think that's up in the air right now. I think in some ways what Barack has done, he's getting closer to John McCain on the issues. It's almost an endorsement. The, the issue will be, do the American people think it's too fast too far and they start questioning what Barack what really believes in, or do they think, "Oh, it's appropriate, and frankly he's getting closer to my more centrist general election voter position on the issues." I think here in July, not figured out yet.
And I have one comment about the polls, because I've been in the campaign business a long time. I've learned, when watching national polls--I mean, this Newsweek poll, I didn't believe it when it was 15 points, I don't believe it dead even. No national poll really, in my view, anyway, really means a lot till after the conventions, the vice president and the two speeches, after Labor Day when things really get going. Because we're still in the early silly season of this.
MR. BROKAW: Well, my other take on the polls is that to do it in the large universe, especially at this time, really doesn't count. After the conventions, after the campaign begins, and then state by state, because we're really looking at the electoral map here, Andrea.
MS. ANDREA MITCHELL: Exactly. And I agree with you guys on the polls. I think that what Peter Hart and Neil Newhouse, who do the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, have been finding, and what Peter's been finding with focus groups, is that people really are not certain, that there's a lot of biography that needs to be filled in. Barack Obama will have the money to fill in that biography, but that he does have some problems. And one problem he has in moving to the center and perhaps not doing it as artfully as he might have, is the net roots, the left wing of the party, the liberal wing of the party. If it becomes a character issue, they will be much less passionate. The young voters who've been mobilized may not turn out. He has to tap into that enthusiasm. And already 22,000 people were utilizing his own Web site to complain about that vote on wiretapping. And, you know, his--using his own technology against him. So he's got to worry about that.
MR. MURPHY: Yeah.
MR. BROKAW: Well, let's hear what he has to say. We have some videotape of his response to that, in fact, in which he spoke directly to those friends, as he described them, on the left. Here's Senator Obama talking about the charges that's he's just a flip-flopper and a conventional politician.
SEN. OBAMA: To this whole notion that I am, you know, shifting to the center, or that I'm flip-flopping or this or that or the other, you know, the people who say this apparently haven't been listening to me. And I have to say some, some of it are my friends on the left.
(End videotape)
MR. BROKAW: Can he afford to set those people on the left aside who have helped him in the primary?
REP. FORD: If I were giving a little advice, if I were giving a little advice to my friend this morning, it would be to lean into these arguments a little more, lean into his positions a little more. There's nothing to be ashamed, afraid or embarrassed about sharing your views and talking more forcefully about where you're going to take the country. Liberals, conservatives are all Americans. There are three things Americans want. One is for a strong, robust national security. Two is for us to figure out a better answer in Iraq. And three is for the get--for the next president to get this economy back humming again. I don't care where you sit in the political spectrum. So Senator Obama, I would agree with, with Andrea in strong ways in that he has an incredible biography that has to be told. I think Senator McCain's most recent ad where he lays out a contrast between himself and perhaps other things that were happening during the '60s is a compelling ad. Senator Obama has an equally powerful biography that he has to take advantage of as well. So if I were to give him a little advice this morning, it would be to lean in a little bit, not lean back. And in that, that statement there, Barack almost seemed to be leaning back a bit, a little defensive. No need to be on the defensive when, in fact, the country is with you and they want change. He has the message to, to do that.
MR. BROKAW: Did Senator Obama get any greater gift this past week than he one he got from Jesse Jackson when he thought he was off microphone and then on microphone? Turns out he was describing painful surgery on Obama that he'd like to perform because...
REP. FORD: To even hear you talk about it, it's painful this morning. The reality is, he probably didn't want it at all. The fact is both Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama have talked for years about personal responsibility. I think Senator Obama's statements on Father's Day were not only appropriate, they were American. And I hope he doesn't shy away from continuing to lay that argument out as well.
MR. MURPHY: It struck--excuse me--it struck me almost like a pro-wrestling maneuver it was so perfect. And I think it paid big political gold for Barack Obama. This election's going to come down to white independents and conservative blue collar Catholics in the Great Lakes metal-bending region. And look, in any of the primary results, Obama's never been able to close the deal there. McCain has to get through, you know, the economy arguments to close the deal there. That's why it's going to be a close election. And this kind of triangulation opera we saw with Jesse Jackson is very good politically for Obama. I don't think it puts the race away by any means. I think it's going to be a very close race all the way, but it's exactly what Obama needs. McCain, to win, has to be a different kind of Republican. Barack, in some ways, has to be a different kind of Democrat. And if he's stuck in the liberal land of Jesse Jackson, he can't win.
MR. BROKAW: How much was Senator McCain hurt by Phil Gramm's comments?
MR. MURPHY: You know, I, I don't think that--it was kind of gaff week. There were about 12 of them, mostly by surrogates, and I don't think that was as bad as the Barack thing was good, simply because it wasn't McCain. It was Phil Gramm talking like an economist. McCain took about three seconds to wrap him up and send him to Belarus. We're not going to hear from Phil Gramm again. He's going to be in the witness relocation program for the rest of the campaign, I would predict. And so I think it was a, a small ding on McCain, but I thought McCain did a very good job of pivoting back to the economy, so it doesn't bother me.
MR. BROKAW: Where is Senator McCain in the vice presidential selection process?
MR. MURPHY: Well, I--they--I know they have a team under the very able A.B. Culvahouse doing the vetting. I think he's got a long list. There are a lot of strong candidates out there. If I had to guess, and this is purely a guess, I, I think some of the governors are in the front position just because again, as I said, that industrial Midwestern belt from Minneapolis through Pennsylvania, that's going to be the election for the Republicans, whether they're going to win in Michigan and Ohio, Pennsylvania or not. That's why the Tom Ridges, the Mitt Romneys, the Tim Pawlentys are all very strong. And, from a political point of view, I think you're going to get first class consideration. There's also Rob Portman, Charlie Crist, there are others, they're all excellent. But I would watch that Great Lakes are. I think somebody can play there. It's going to be very important politically.
MR. BROKAW: Andrea, Senator Obama's campaign seems to be a little more active right now in the hunt for a vice presidential candidate. I mean, they're calling around, they're vetting candidates. People are pulling out of the race, other people are being very coy.
MS. MITCHELL: Yeah.
MR. BROKAW: And some people are being very available.
MS. MITCHELL: Very available indeed. I think they need to be because--rather the campaign needs to be more active because I think the calendar forces Obama to move more quickly. His convention is first, and there is some feeling in the McCain camp that they should wait until after the Democratic convention and then immediately announce their pick and try to step on whatever momentum the Democrats get out of it. I think that Jack Reed, who is going to be traveling to Iraq with Barack Obama, who is Catholic, who is a former Army Ranger, little known. I, you know, I don't think that the electoral map is as important to the Obama camp as finding the right biography, the right foreign policy experience.
Let me just weigh in on Jesse Jackson for just a second on what that meant. I think there is a divide, a generational divide, in the African-American community, and it was most quickly expressed and passionately expressed by Jesse Jackson Jr., the congressman, who said to his dad, the Reverend Jackson, you know, should keep hope alive and basically keep his mouth shut and not be doing this. And he was clearly siding, immediately siding within, you know, a half-hour with Barack Obama on this. But there is some concern in the black community that Barack Obama, in speaking out about deadbeat fathers and all of the important cultural issues, family issues, was in some way trying to make an appeal to the white community, the white voters, the Hillary Clinton voters in Appalachia, and that that is unseemly, that that is airing the family, you know, dirty linen in public.
MR. BROKAW: And Congressman Jackson has his eye on Senator Obama's senate seat...
MS. MITCHELL: Senate seat...
MR. BROKAW: ...after all.
MS. MITCHELL: ...and would need his support.
MR. BROKAW: So he has his own vested interest.
MS. MITCHELL: Exactly.
REP. FORD: But you said--but Jesse Jackson has talked about these things in the past. Personal responsibility as well.
MS. MITCHELL: Indeed he has.
REP. FORD: But, but, but, but to Mike's point, there's a difference between what Jackson did and, and what Gramm did. Gramm came back the following day and stood by his remarks, calling a--calling us a nation of whiners and that we were in a mental recession. To Jackson's credit, he at least apologized. Barack accepted his apology, and he went on to say that it was silly what he said.
MS. MITCHELL: But the, but the difference, Harold, is that Gramm was the architect and adviser of the economic plan for John McCain. Jesse Jackson was a surrogate, you know, an endorser, but never at all close.
REP. FORD: I'm agreeing with you. I was just making the point--Mike was making the point...
MR. BROKAW: Yeah.
REP. FORD: ...that it was probably not as bad...
MR. BROKAW: Here...
REP. FORD: ...for McCain.
MR. BROKAW: ...one of the most intriguing, kind of, dialogues of the week showed up in the Los Angeles Times when Senator Obama spoke to a Hillary Clinton supporter in California, or in New York, and the LA Times picked up on it, about Hillary being on the list, and--but there's a problem, he said.
MS. MITCHELL: Well, this supporter, Jill Iscol, has been in every primary state. She's a passionate supporter of Hillary Clinton and a big fundraiser, a bundler. She and several others who have been willing to be named in The New York Times and elsewhere as not willing to come on and support Barack Obama, so very reluctant. Obama called her and took a risk, apparently not a great risk--I mean, not a, not a smart risk, in talking to someone who's that passionate about Hillary Clinton and saying that his concern about putting her on the ticket is Bill Clinton and all the, quote, you know, "baggage" that that would bring, that that complicates the factor. She immediately went public.
MR. BROKAW: How seriously should we take his raising of Hillary Clinton when he's talking to a Hillary Clinton supporter, however?
MS. MITCHELL: I think not. I think that this is to try to bring the Hillary money on board. He really does need their money. People have been saying, you know, "Why is she demanding that he help her raise money?" He needs that kind of money, the big dollars, because he has opted out. And after the convention he is going to need general election money to the tune of $50 million a month.
MR. MURPHY: I would be stunned if he picks her because he'd pick somebody who's the symbol of the Washington he ran against, he'd pick somebody with an agenda beyond his for four years. You, you empower Bill Clinton to go out and make news again. On every level it's a crazy, wrong pick. And I would--I think this is just diplomacy. I'd be stunned if he picked her.
MR. BROKAW: How happy would the Republicans be if Hillary Clinton got a roll call vote at the Democratic convention and a big night?
MR. MURPHY: Ticker tape parades, you know, dogs--cats chasing dogs. The world would turn upside-down. And we've had a rough year, so we would be very, very happy. We're scared of Tim Kaine. Because if they can get some electoral action going in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia, which are all Republican-tilting states that could get into play, we are in huge trouble; just like they're terrified of Tom Ridge.
MR. BROKAW: What about Senator--what about former Senator Sam Nunn?
MR. MURPHY: Possibly, for Georgia. I think Kaine's the stronger candidate just for the politics of it. But, you know, we, we're all political-like, so I don't have to talk about who could do the job. So just on winning the election, I think Kaine is very strong. You can also argue for Bayh out of Indiana and the Midwest, that key region I talked about. But if--the Kaine thing is audacious, but if they could get something going on the Atlantic coast there, it's a big problem for the Republicans.
MR. BROKAW: If we keep, keep this up long enough, we can go through the entire telephone book of the country.
Harold Ford, you want to weigh in here?
REP. FORD: No, I, I think that both, both, both Andrea and Mike have been on point. Democrats have a good roster and a good, a good match. I think the analysis of Senator Clinton is, is, is probably spot-on. She got a lot of votes, she can raise a lot of money. You got Tim Kaine, who I think is a fascinating and an intriguing pick, and a wild card pick in some ways because the country doesn't know a whole lot about him when you pick someone this late in the game. But I like him. I think he, I think he represents a lot of what you're saying.
MR. BROKAW: But if you had two unknowns without national...
REP. FORD: But even Rendell...
MR. BROKAW: ...security...
REP. FORD: Right.
MR. BROKAW: ...that's an issue, isn't it?
MR. MURPHY: Yeah. But I don't think the vice president...
MS. MITCHELL: But you need national security...
MR. MURPHY: ...can solve that. People are either going to take or I hope not take Barack Obama on that issue. And there's--you've always got kind of the balance problem. You pick a wizard at something as vice president, you diminish the guy you got. So you pick somebody who's 10 times more qualified than Obama on foreign policy, the real message is Obama's unqualified. So I, I don't know. I'm of the old school, play a region with somebody who can, who can bring in the electoral college, the states--like poker, if you get the right card.
MS. MITCHELL: John McCain ruled out Tom Ridge on the basis of abortion on an interview, you know, right on MSNBC.
MR. MURPHY: I think this is the year of ruling stuff in and out, based on the last week. I don't think he's the front-runner, I just think he should be considered along with Romney as the top pick.
MR. BROKAW: Well, thanks for getting me through these early stages of my new MEET THE PRESS responsibilities under circumstances that none of us would have chosen, obviously. It's good of you to be here. We'll look forward to seeing you more in the weeks and months to come.
And now for our MEET THE PRESS Minute. Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow died yesterday after a brave and inspirational battle against colon cancer. He was a very popular man. He appeared here on MEET THE PRESS with our late Tim Russert in February of 2007, and he spoke about the administration and the job that he loved as press secretary.
(Videotape, February 18, 2007)
MR. RUSSERT: The other day you were asked about pre-war planning and how it had been overly optimistic, and then you said this: "I'm not sure anything went wrong."
MR. TONY SNOW: Yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: Is that your view of the war in Iraq?
MR. SNOW: Well, no. I'm putting it this way. When you say "not sure anything went wrong," what I was referring to is the notion that somehow somebody's going to have perfect foresight of what's going to happen in a time of war. The old cliche is that battle plans never survive first contact with the enemy. So what happened is people came together and put together what they thought was their best estimate of was--what was likely to happen.
MR. RUSSERT: For seven years you were host of "Fox News Sunday." Do you like being on that side of the table, or this side?
MR. SNOW: You know what, this is the best job I've ever had. I, I love doing what you did, although I'm glad I'm not getting thumped by you in the ratings anymore. But I really love this job.
(End videotape)
MR. BROKAW: It's been a tough season for all of us here in Washington. Tony Snow, an elegant man, loved and respected by so many, dead at the age of 53. He was a graceful spokesman with a great taste for music. He had strong political views, but he had friends across the political spectrum in this city and beyond. He went out as he lived, with great conviction and with great dignity. And his family is in our thoughts and prayers this morning.
I'll be right back.
MR. BROKAW: That's all for today. We'll be back next week with an exclusive interview with former Vice President Al Gore. That's right here next Sunday because, if it's Sunday, it's MEET THE PRESS.


text:
Date: Wednesday, December 04, 2019
Time: 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Location: Lobby W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library, Mary Harmon Bryant Hall
Categories: University Libraries
This exhibit at W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library focuses on the Reconstruction period in Alabama, particularly the repercussions of slave emancipation and Confederate defeat. The struggle of freed people of color to establish new lives and advocate for social justice is inextricably linked with the rancor of disenfranchised Southern whites and their resistance to the new status quo.
The exhibit offers a timeline of local and national events and provides other helpful political and social context. It also showcases archival sources from UA Libraries Special Collections, illustrating important historical events and realities of the era. Items range from handwritten documents such as letters, diary entries, and receipts to printed pieces like as newspaper articles, reports, and ephemera.
The exhibit is open during the library's regular hours of operation: Monday/Wednesday/Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:45 p.m. and Tuesday/Thursday 9:00 a.m.-7:45 p.m. (when classes are in session).
It runs through April 15, 2020.
Contact Info: Kate Matheny, firstname.lastname@example.com, 205-348-0506
Save to Your Calendar
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text:
Serves 12
300g rolled oats
4 heaped tbsp regular shop-bought apple sauce
4 heaped tbsp clear/runny honey
1 tbsp golden/maple syrup
3 tbsp oil (sunflower or non-virgin olive oil)
60g soft dark brown sugar (or light if you prefer)
4 heaped tbsp dessicated coconut
60g mixed nuts (almonds, pecans or hazelnuts) roughly chopped
100g dried fruits (apricots, cherries, cranberries, pineapple pieces, anything you like really), chopped
Preheat the oven to 170oC/150oC fan oven/325oF/Gas Mark 3.
Mix all the ingredients together, except for the dried fruit, in a large roomy bowl. Make sure that the oats are well coated in the honey, syrup and oil.
Turn the mixture out into a large baking tray in a single layer; shake the tray slightly so that you have some clumps and some smaller bits.
Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes until golden. You will need to keep stirring and jiggling the granola around while it bakes so that is browns evenly.
Once baked, remove from the oven, add the chopped dried fruits and stir to combine. Leave to cool completely and then store in an airtight container. It will keep for a good month.


text:
Thread: How Privileged Are You?
#1 How Privileged Are You?02-22-2013, 05:14 PM
Fri Feb 22, 2013, 10:14 AM
AngryAmish (19,388 posts)
How Privileged Are You?
Response to hfojvt (Reply #3)
Fri Feb 22, 2013, 10:47 AM
MineralMan (50,652 posts)
17. You may be misunderstanding. Being able-bodied
gives you privilege. It's not a privilege that you earn...it just exists.
Able-bodied people are not inconvenienced in their daily activities by things like stairs, heavy doors, and other issues. They don't notice that they can go where they want, when they want, and how they want. That is the privilege of being able-bodied.
The point of this chart is to show you ways that privilege accrues to you automatically.
Being aware of how one is privileged is important. Others are not always similarly privileged. Being aware of that, and acting accordingly, you can minimize the impact your innate privilege has on others.
Reply to this post
Back to top Alert abuse Link herePermalink
These dipshit's "thought process" is amazing.Support diversity. Own firearms of every caliber.
Sic Hacer Pace, Para Bellum.
Before you can do things for people, you must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the people!
I'm a +75, so I am privileged.
That's not news. My college roommates told me that all the time, because my dad paid for me to go to college and all of them were on financial aid of some sort. But who bought them food when their checks were late?
+150, although I'd argue that being Jewish shouldn't make you more privileged than being Christian in the US or Europe, and definitely not in in any Muslim state, nor that being Muslim makes you less privileged, given the ridiculous back-bending that people now go through to avoid offending them. Also, being a male doesn't make you privileged nowadays. If anything, the affirmative action sweepstakes make being a male a vicious handicap in hiring.
A few things that should radically increase the privileged scale:
- Going to an Occupy event, but sleeping in a brand new tent and sleeping bag, plus having an iPad =+100.
- Post-graduate study= +100. Double points for post-graduate study in liberal arts. Triple points if you default on your student loans.
- Public sector employment =+30, except for military, police and fire. Double points for unionized public sector employment. Triple points for elected unionized employment at the federal level.
- Private sector employment: Mainstream Media =+1000. Entertainment media=+2000.
Sic Hacer Pace, Para Bellum.
Before you can do things for people, you must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the people!
#6 Thanks, J...02-22-2013, 07:03 PMSupport diversity. Own firearms of every caliber.
Sith Lords are as "Privileged" as they want. That was a greyt find Jim!May the FORCE be with you!
#8 Re: How Privileged Are You?02-22-2013, 09:04 PM
That entire chart is just silly. :screwy:Voted hottest "chick" at CU - My hotness transcends gender
Being disabled and all, the Moonbats can send me money ... it'll make them feel better.
No checks, cash in small bills.CU's Paranormal Expert.
Keep your powder dry, your sword sharp and your wits intact.
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- South Florida
- Posts
- 4,775
But this is sexist...why am I losing 50 points for being a woman?
|« Previous Thread | Next Thread »


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Job Summary This position performs all cleaning of patient rooms and/or assigned areas. Works as a member of the environmental service team to ensure the safety, health, and high morale of patients, visitors and staff by helping to provide a clean, safe, and aesthetically pleasing environment with minimal interference to others.
Essential Functions
Minimum Qualifications Requires the ability to work independently and as part of a team without continuous supervision. Must be able to interpret and respond to verbal and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively with others by phone and verbally. Must be able to read and understand material safety data sheets and instructions for mixing and use of cleaning chemicals, and able to fill out chemical identification stickers.Employees working at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital or the Whole Health Clinic must possess an Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card at the time of hire and maintain the card for the duration of their employment. For incumbents assigned to the Crisis Response Center (CRC), additional requirements apply: Must be able to learn food handling regulations and pass certification tests as required. Must obtain fingerprint card as defined in Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S.) 36-425.03 and state licensing rule R9-10-1011(A)(4). Preferred Qualifications Previous related experience and familiarity with environmental services equipment and cleaning techniques is preferred. Additional related education and/or experience preferred.
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text:
Thanks a million to all those who have logged on to EFW this year. Hopefully, you'll be back for more of the same in 2010!? I'm off to Spain for the festive period but it's not all fiestas and fine wine as I'll be working there as well. I'll be putting in shifts at Atletico Madrid v Sevilla, A.D.Alcorcón v R.M.Castilla and Getafe v Valladolid.
If you missed it, you can read the 2009 EFW Awards HERE and if you get bored of that you can read The Ball is Round Awards THERE.
You can follow our antics in Spain on the EFW TWITTER feed. If you don't fancy signing up for that then the last 5 tweets always appear at the bottom of the menu on the right hand side.
If you fancy your club or fans being featured on these pages next year then get in touch.
See you in 2010!
Danny X
Danny X
- Feel free to comment below -


text:
The Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) and Government Relations promotes and oversees industry and government relationships at the Oregon Institute of Technology. The staff is responsible for campus-wide promotion of the University's economic development mission by facilitating the external relationships that enable the University to contribute to the vitality of its campus regions and the state of Oregon.
The OSP collaborates with academic departments, The Office of Sponsored Projects and Grants Administration (SPA), and the Office of Innovation and Technology Transfer (OITT) to determine Oregon Tech's research priorities and align Oregon Tech's academic mission, faculty research interests with industry, other universities, and economic development and research organizations.
Operationally, the Office of Strategic Partnerships reports to the President to advance the University's strategic priorities.


text:
Half-Life: Opposing Force (PC) review
"My least-favorite segment of Half-Life was the journey through the border world Xen at the end, only because the human factor had been taken out of the equation, and battling the far less intelligent alien grunts got old after a while. Much of Opposing Force more or less feels like that entire sequence, only set in the Black Mesa facility itself. The good news is that the action is kept fairly interesting throughout thanks to some new (tougher) alien baddies to fight (whom I later learned are not from Xen, but from uh, somewhere else). The game is simply never as exciting or action-packed as the original often was."
Staff review by Mike Suskie (June 08, 2008)
Mike Suskie is a freelance writer who has contributed to GamesRadar and has a blog. He can usually be found on Twitter at @MikeSuskie.
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text:
Gettysburg National Military Park - Laws & Policies (U.S. National Park Service)
Firearms in National Parks: The law governing possession of firearms inside a national park changed on February 22, 2010. Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit provided they comply with federal, state, and local laws. The role of the responsible gun owner is to know and obey the federal, state, and local laws appropriate to the park they are visiting. Please remember that federal law prohibits firearms in certain park facilities and buildings. These places are marked with signs at public entrances.


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The Central Connecticut softball team topped the number one team in the NEC, Robert Morris, by a score of 3-1 in game one of a doubleheader at the CCSU Softball Field on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils fell in game two by a score of 3-2 after eight innings of play.
Sophomore Kat Malcolm scored two of the Blue Devils' three runs in game one and in game two, senior Kelsey Barlow launched a homer for her seventh of this season, the 26th of her career.
Central is now 28-13 overall, 14-4 in the NEC, and RMU is 25-13-1, 11-3 in NEC play.
"We came out strong in game one," Head Coach Jeff Franquet said. "Laura pitched very well today. In the second game, we made some mistakes and let them get ahead in the eighth, but it was a good experience for our younger players and a great level of competition. We are hoping to perform well against Quinnipiac tomorrow as we try to clinch a tournament spot."
Sophomore Laura Messina pitched both games for Central, registering 10 strikeouts, just four shy of breaking her own single-season strikout record. Messina is now 21-9 on the season.
Game 1
The Blue Devils kicked the game off with high energy and a run by sophomore Kat Malcolm to start Central off with an early 1-0 lead. Malcolm hit a single to the pitcher and motored around the bases and across the plate after an overthrow to first.
Central added two more in the bottom of the third when freshman Brittany Ernst led off the inning with a bunt single. She advanced to second on an Arielle Bruno sacrifice bunt and scored on a double by Malcolm. Senior Nicole Springer shot a single through the right side to score Malcolm and elevate the Blue Devil lead to three.
The Colonials threatened in the top of the seventh, landing four runners on base, but they were able to plate only one before the game's end.
Game 2
The Colonials were the first to score on a lead-off home run in the top of the first by Ashley Gerhart taking a 1-0 lead. The Blue Devils tied it up in the bottom of the third, however when Springer sent a single deep to right field to drive in Ernst, who reached on a single down the left line.
Central had a chance to pull off the win in the bottom of the seventh when back-to-back singles by Malcolm and Springer landed runners on first and third, however, both were left on base at the conclusion of the inning to send the teams into extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, RMU scored two on a two-out double to center field to take the lead 3-1.
The Blue Devils responded in the bottom of the eighth with a lead-off homer from Barlow to narrow the deficit to one for the final score of the game.
Central posted 14 hits over both games and left 12 runners stranded on base. The Blue Devils travel to Quinnipiac tomorrow for their last NEC regular-season match-up of the season. The doubleheader is set to begin at 12 p.m.


text:
Plantronics is a company famed for its quality headgear. And, yes, we think you still look like a village idiot if you wander around with a Bluetooth headset on. But who are we to argue with thousands of taxi and lorry drivers?
The Voyager 510 is one of a new generation of Bluetooth headsets. More fully featured than ever, it's clear that you can now acquire a cracking headpiece for little outlay.
The Voyager 510 boasts up to six hours talk time and 100 hours standby time. It enables you to switch between Bluetooth devices at will, whenever you want. There's one-touch call answer and end. You can easily redial the last called number.
You can even voice-dial, too. Like all Bluetooth headsets, though, the controls take a little getting used to. The temptation is to press the buttons too hard - a gentle approach is far more effective.
And then there's the rather funky sounding WindSmart technology. In the sensible world, this feature minimises the irritation of wind in the ear and mouthpiece, so your caller will actually be able to hear you. Handy, huh? The boom also works for both left and right-handers, so you can adjust it any way you wish.
Of course, Bluetooth isn't just the preserve of the mobile phone. The pack also includes a U SB Bluetooth adapter should you need to use it. However, it's likely you'll just want to use the built-in Bluetooth in your PowerBook, iBook or MacBook - simply pair the headset with your Mac and off you go.
The software supplied with the headset is PC-only, though you'll get round this - it's particularly effective with Skype. The headset can also switch between multiple devices using Plantronics' excellent multipoint technology.
But the most crucial statistic is the price. Coming in at just £36, the Voyager 510 is an absolute bargain. For such a meagre sum, there's no other way to look at it. Dan Grabham