text:
Spam now makes up more than 80% of mail message traffic. The first recognizable e-mail marketing message was sent on 3 May, 1978 to 400 people on behalf of DEC – a now-defunct computer-maker. You can see the first spam message here (archived version) including interview with Thuerk, the sender. From the BBC news page:
Statistics gathered by the FBI suggest that 75% of net scams snare people through junk e-mail. In 2007 these cons netted criminals more than $239m
Statistics suggest that more than 80%-85% of all e-mail is spam or junk and more than 100 billion spam messages are sent every day.
The majority of these messages are being sent via hijacked home computers that have been compromised by a computer virus.
Spam reaches 30-year anniversary


text:
realdeal necesitaba un nuevo diseño de animación en Flash y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 11 diseños de 8 diseñadores freelance.
Yes, I know, the last thing the web needs is another banner ad. Well this is your shot to do something fun and cool for an investment real estate company.
Desired Color Scheme:
White background, colorful text and features
Desired Style:
Fun, similar to style on http://www.investway.com
Accepted File Formats:
.fla and .swf
Ok, so I have a pretty good idea of what I'd like to see. Here goes:
For Logo and other graphics please download source files at http://bpodepot.com/contest.zip
Also, see http://bpodepot.com/dealdigger-logo.jpg for DealDigger Logo.
You don't have to use the exact DealDigger logo (since I don't have this in vector format) but if you can approximate the look, that is preferred. (I think using the logo graphic will look too grainy or make file size too big)
468 x 60 Banner
Font-Types ideas (Impact, Myriad Pro, others you come up with)
Investway Logo display on right corner throughout cycle
When user clicks banner sends traffic to http://www.investway.com
Keep file size as small as possible
Cycles through two times.
1- Yeeee-ha!
(Roller coster text effect)
Similar to, but slower and more dramatic and only one cycle through the hill http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamic…ertext.htm
2- Strike it Rich with Investways
3- DealDigger
(text Pops onto screen, then pulsates for a few seconds.)
a) Pop onto screen example
b)Pulsating effect example
4- (List of words popping onto screen)
(almost a pop corn effect similar to flash found here http://www.investway.com)
Bank Owned
Notice of Default
Fixer Upper
Government Owned
Notice of Sale
As Is
Seller Finance
Short Sale
Must Sell
Seller Carry
Bring All Offers
Lease Option
5- Find. Evaluate. Close the Deal.
(Fade in Text similar to http://www.investway.com )
6- (visually pops in) Huge 3-d @ symbol
7- (fade in text) http://www.investway.com
Mouse over feature. On mouse over banner expands like found here
When mouse over the banner shows a Crowd chasing house deal with old man winning (see source graphics)Should have sound of stampeding crowd and end with old man yelling Yeeee-ha!(if you can't come up with good sound files, we will find and add later, not necessary to win contest)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Run the Jewels
Season 43 Episode 4310 | 54m 11s
Groove to a full hour with hip-hop superstars Run The Jewels. The duo showcases its latest album Run the Jewels 3, as well as its greatest hits.
Aired: 01/27/18
Expires: 03/08/20Video has closed captioning.
Problems Playing Video?
Funding provided by HomeAway, Dell, Shiner Beers and the City of Austin Convention Center.


text:
Dolly is the official ambassador for the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. All of the proceeds from her new CD "Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke" benefit our non-profit Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Dolly will perform at an exclusive premiere of "Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke" the new musical celebrating the history and heritage of her beloved Smoky Mountains.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://shop.friendsofthesmokies.org/ShaKonOHey.html
Dolly's CD "Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke" is available at Dollywood & Dixie Stampede, and online at http://www.friendsofthesmokies.org/
Friends of the Smokies thanks Dolly Parton for her tremendous generosity in helping to preserve and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the next 75 years- and beyond. There could be no finer or more fitting ambassador for our national park's 75th anniversary celebration.


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Guests: Mark Halperin, Tyler Mathisen, Jonathan Martin, Robert Traynham, Josh Marshall, Christina Mellantoni, Joan Walsh, Michelle Goldberg
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: The devil you know.
Let`s play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews up in New York. Leading off
tonight: Ire of Newt. Boy, is this guy ticked. A few weeks ago, he was
Mr. Big Stuff, surfing at the top of the polls. His timing couldn`t have
been better, it seemed. Well, late today, we saw the numbers, the reason
Newt Gingrich is fuming. In percent of vote in Iowa, he`s gone from the
30s down to the teens. That`s why Newt`s pouting and Mitt Romney`s
strutting. The latest from Iowa and those big January fights at the top of
the show.
Also, why have we seen a new Republican front-runner every week, with
Newt falling just as fast as he rose? Why can`t voters decide on a
candidate? Could it be because Republicans are looking for someone with
the anti-government simplicity of Ron Paul, the religious fundamentalism of
Rick Santorum, the war fever of Mitt and Newt? We`ll get into that one.
Plus, Ben Nelson`s retirement in Nebraska is a hard blow to the
Democrats` chance of holding the U.S. Senate. We`ll go over the map and
crunch the numbers.
Also, a look at the latest Republican play for religious conservatives
and whether that will affect the women`s vote come November.
And "Let Me Finish" tonight with a Democratic guide to the way
Republicans pick their presidential candidates. It`s different.
But we begin with the latest in Iowa and the new numbers that show
more reason for Gingrich to worry and an explanation for why the old Newt
is showing up these past few days. As I said, boy, is this guy angry.
Jonathan Martin is Politico`s senior political reporter. We begin
with the new "Time"/CNN poll numbers out just a short time ago. In Iowa,
Newt Gingrich has fallen dramatically late this afternoon out of first
place. He`s now in fourth, with just 14 percent of the vote. What a fall.
Romney and Paul have each jumped up 5 points to lead the pack. And look at
Rick Santorum. He`s tripled his support from just earlier in December.
He`s now running third.
And in New Hampshire, Romney has a commanding lead, with 44 percent of
Republicans choosing him as their nominee. Here again, Gingrich has
dropped substantially from just a few weeks ago, and he and Ron Paul are
now neck and neck for a distant second.
"Time`s" Mark Halperin is MSNBC political analyst. He`s also with us,
joining us. Thank you, gentlemen.
Let`s start with J-Mar, this whole question -- Newt is looking like
the old Newt, the one that people who covered him on the Hill, who worked
with him on the Hill really do recognize. He`s angry, he`s pouting, and
taking shots at Romney and all the others.
JONATHAN MARTIN, POLITICO.COM: Well, the challenge that he`s had is
that he has pledged to not run a negative campaign and has made much of
that out of the high road pledge. But now that he`s taken a real tumble in
the polls, he`s trying to make up some ground by going after his rivals.
The problem, Chris, as you know, instead of us focusing on the
underlying charges that he`s making against his rivals, namely Romney and
Paul, we are talking about the fact that he`s going negative and not the
actual charges themselves.
MATTHEWS: Right.
MARTIN: So it`s the process focus that he`s created for himself by
holding himself up as this, you know, holier than thou candidate who
doesn`t practice negative politics.
MATTHEWS: Well, we`re going back to the storyline on Newt Gingrich,
which always has been Newt Gingrich personally. By the way, here`s
Gingrich lashing out on Romney just last night on CNN when he heard about
the great Lucille Ball joke that Romney had made on him. Let`s listen.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN "THE SITUATION ROOM": That chocolate -- you
remember that scene.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have
a very simple message for Mitt Romney. I`ll meet him anywhere in Iowa for
90 minutes, just the two of us in a debate, with a timekeeper and no
moderator. I`d love to have him say that to my face. I`d like him to have
the courage to back up his negative ads. I`d like him to have -- back up
the things his staff have been putting out. He wants to prove he can
debate Barack Obama, he ought to have the courage to stand on the same
stage with me.
MATTHEWS: That`s kind of talking physical there, all of a sudden. He
wants to meet the guy almost outside in the parking lot. This morning,
Romney responded to Newt`s call to this sort of duel. Let`s watch.
MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), FMR. GOV., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Such a classic
scene. Those of us that have gotten a little behind can identify with poor
Lucy. I hope the speaker understands that was humor, and I`m happy to tell
my humorous anecdote to him face to face and I look forward to seeing him.
By the way, we`ve -- we`ve had, I don`t know, 10 or 12 debates where we`ve
debated each other, along with others. We have two more that are now
scheduled for January. If it comes down to just the two of us at some
point, we will debate person to person.
MATTHEWS: You know, Mark, I got to tell you, there`s nothing more
effective in politics than sticking it to the other guy, chuckling while
you do it, and having the rest of the voters and the media laughing with
you, and then see the other guy sort of pouting about it. This is wickedly
effective, I think. Your thoughts.
MARK HALPERIN, "TIME," MSNBC SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It`s an apt
description of where these two candidates are. In the inside game,
Gingrich is dead. The insiders believe it`s over, that he`s caught up in
this bad process that Jonathan well described. He`s got -- he`s got to
have to hope that the voters of Iowa are not caught up in the inside game.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HALPERIN: If you look at our poll, the new "Time"/CNN poll, he`s not
that far off the pace. The expectations now for him are reduced from where
they were a few weeks ago. He`s going to have to find a way to being a
happy warrior, fight for a victory in Iowa, a moral victory at least.
That`s not where he is in his head right now, it`s pretty clear.
MATTHEWS: Well, with all the advertising going on out there -- you
first, Mark again, and then J-Mar. The whole advertising game seems to be
something he can`t even play. He doesn`t have money to play. He`s got
little stakes here in the game. And can`t get on television in a duel of
debating style where he could really triumph again.
HALPERIN: Well, look, he`s overwhelmed on paid media. He has been
for such a long time. People focus on the Romney super-PAC, but the Ron
Paul negative ads against Gingrich have been very intense. He doesn`t have
a debate opportunity. He has precious few days. He needs to create a
moment, like Hillary Clinton`s moment when she teared up in New Hampshire.
He needs a moment, whether it`s created or spontaneous, that gets the
In presidential politics, earned media, free media is still a bigger
deal than TV ads, if you have the right moment. He`s going to have to find
a way to have that, or I do think he`s in some trouble.
MATTHEWS: Jonathan, it looks like he`s trying to create a debate
moment along there with Wolf Blitzer, even, trying to create something so
good as a media bite that it`s something we all have to talk about as an
event itself, as Mark just said.
MARTIN: But it`s not fresh. I mean, he`s been trotting out that
debate challenge line to Romney for over a week now. And Chris, what was
so telling about that clip that you played from Gingrich in response to
Romney`s jab was there was nothing in there on policy.
And -- and you know, Mark talks about Newt needing a moment here. He
can`t, apparently, even drive a policy-oriented message against his chief
rival here. In that clip, Newt was talking all about process, talking
about a debate challenge, Tell it to my face. There was nothing in there
about Romney`s tax policy proposals are less bold than mine, and here they
are, A, B and C.
If Newt can`t drive that message, either in front of audiences here in
Iowa or in TV appearances, then it`s not clear to me how he`s going to be
able in five days to make up the ground that he`s lost.
MATTHEWS: Well, here he is driving a policy point with another
opponent, Ron Paul. Here he is going after Ron Paul, who is vulnerable on
this because he`s so out of the mainstream. Here he is saying he wouldn`t
even vote for Ron Paul should Paul somehow win the Republican presidential
nomination. This is a policy point, and a hard one. Let`s listen.
GINGRICH: You look at Ron Paul`s total record of systemic avoidance
of reality, and you look at his newsletters and then you look at his ads,
his ads are about as accurate as his newsletters.
BLITZER: Now, if he were to get the Republican nomination...
GINGRICH: He won`t.
BLITZER: Let`s say he were. Could you vote for him?
GINGRICH: No.
BLITZER: What would you do?
GINGRICH: I don`t see how...
BLITZER: Could you vote for President Obama?
GINGRICH: Somebody gets up and says, I don`t care if Israel is
destroyed, I don`t care if there`s -- I mean, I don`t care if the Iranians
get a nuclear weapon?
MATTHEWS: So where does that take him? He obviously is helping to
belt down Ron Paul`s numbers a bit there, perhaps, Mark, but is it
effective for him?
HALPERIN: Well, look, people have been going after Gingrich. They`ve
been going after Ron Paul. The game is on the line here. Mitt Romney is
potentially -- and our polls suggest -- on the precipice of winning Iowa,
winning New Hampshire and ending this thing.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HALPERIN: So I understand why people have gone after Gingrich. I
understand why Gingrich is now going after Ron Paul. But if they`re not
careful, everybody else in this field is going to look back and say, What`s
going on?
There`s not been one ad that I know of that shows Mitt Romney with Ted
Kennedy when they -- when he signed the health care law in Massachusetts
into law. There have been lots of ads showing Newt Gingrich with Nancy
Pelosi. Going after Paul is something that`s somewhat effective, but
again, I don`t quite get the point of it, given the circumstances he`s
dealing with right now.
MATTHEWS: Well, here he is talking to Chuck Todd of NBC, where he`s
trying to make the point, I think, what you were saying a moment ago, where
he`s playing down his hopes for next Tuesday and the Tuesday therefore,
saying, I`m going to make my stand in South Carolina as, you know, the lone
alternative perhaps at that point to Romney. Let`s take a look at where he
seems to be planning his final redoubt. Let`s listen.
GINGRICH: Everyone who`s won South Carolina has been the nominee.
Every single one.
CHUCK TODD, NBC POLITICAL DIR./WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That`s a
GINGRICH: That`s right. So if you look at where we first put our
team -- our biggest team is in South Carolina.
TODD: How big?
GINGRICH: But -- but I`d like -- I mean, frankly, I -- I thought if
we gave -- originally...
GINGRICH: ... third or fourth, I`m rising. I`d like to come in
second in New Hampshire. I mean, it`s very hard to beat Romney in New
Hampshire, although it`ll be fun. It`ll be a much more exciting week than
he thinks.
TODD: You still have to get top three?
GINGRICH: I think so, top -- well, top three or four depends on --
whether they`re all...
GINGRICH: ... whether they`re all bunched. I mean, what if you have
four people tied? What if you have Ron Paul win? At that point, I think
you have -- people just sort of shake their head and go to the next topic.
MATTHEWS: You know, there`s almost the likable Newt Gingrich, I have
to tell you, Mark and J-Mar, because there`s the guy, the cornerman, the
guy talking like one of us, really, in the back room, trying to figure the
thing out, you know, being smart, not talking about his own ego, which is
refreshing for all of us to do. But I just thought that was a pretty
honest assessment, don`t you think, Mark, and then J-Mar, the same
question? Doesn`t he look like a smart tout right there?
HALPERIN: Honest, and I agree with you that side of him is more
appealing than a lot of what he`s been chewing (ph) lately. But look, the
reality is, if Romney finishes first or second, assuming Paul is first, if
Romney isn`t -- all the -- the conservatives in the race, the other
candidates, are going to say, You know, X percent of voters in Iowa didn`t
vote for Mitt Romney, and that shows this race goes on.
If he`s first or second and wins resoundingly in New Hampshire, it`s
going to be very hard, I think, to head him off in South Carolina and
Florida, even though right now, according to the last round of polls,
Gingrich was strong there.
MATTHEWS: OK (INAUDIBLE) gentlemen, here`s your final question.
Suppose the way it goes the way we`re looking at it, the way Mark`s lining
it up. Suppose Romney does pulls the win up there next Tuesday up in Iowa.
It`ll be cold, and he`ll win that thing. If he does, it`s going to be a
big deal. Then he goes to New Hampshire, surely wins then. So he`s now
won twice.
He goes to South Carolina, which is evangelical, and Newt comes out as
the only alternative to this guy, a moderate guy with LDS background,
Mormon religion, and he comes out and plays out there, I`m the only
alternative to this guy. He does nick him there or beats him substantially
Then he goes to Florida. Isn`t there a battle beyond Florida if he
wins South Carolina? Having won in South Carolina, can he expect to win
elsewhere in the deep South, the real South, not Florida?
MARTIN: Two important questions there. Do Santorum and Perry also go
forward after Iowa?
MATTHEWS: Ah!
MARTIN: Are they in South Carolina? If they`re there, that could
take votes from Newt.
MATTHEWS: Ah!
MARTIN: And then secondly, Chris, which South Carolina are we talking
about? Is this the South Carolina that has always ratified the
establishment choice over the course of the last 30 years, or is this the
South Carolina that last year elected a 38-year-old Indian-American female
as their governor that`s a much more populist sort of Tea Party-oriented
state party now?
I think you have to get those two answers first before you can figure
out what actually happens down there next month.
MATTHEWS: Well, what about the party that beat the heck out of John
McCain after he came out of New Hampshire in 2000? That`s the party I
still see, willing to do the dirty work on a front-runner. Your thoughts,
J? I mean, Jonathan -- Mark?
MARTIN: Well, I was going to say, if that`s still...
HALPERIN: Well, that`s the establishment...
MARTIN: ... Romney is going to be in good shape because they`re going
to want to pick a winner.
MATTHEWS: Your thoughts? Your thoughts, Mark, on that? Could they
come back and just pound what looks like a moderate?
HALPERIN: If you`re anybody but Romney today, the thing that should
scare you the most is the size of the crowds and the enthusiasm he`s
drawing in eastern Iowa today. That is establishment Republicans. They`re
an underrated part of the turnout here in Iowa.
And if the South Carolina establishment, as they always have in the
past, rallies with a Tea Party governor behind him, Romney, however many
candidates are in South Carolina, could win that, too, even though it`s not
been a strong state for him.
MATTHEWS: Wow!
HALPERIN: The establishment -- the establishment has one choice in
Iowa, one choice nationally. President Bush 41 sees that. A lot of
members of Congress see it.
MATTHEWS: Wow.
HALPERIN: And Gingrich is not doing anything to win them over. I`m
not saying Romney`s a lock, but somebody`s going to have to encroach on the
establishment vote both here and in South Carolina, or he`s going to be
very hard to stop early.
MATTHEWS: And then we will have had...
HALPERIN: He could be the nominee by the State of the Union.
MATTHEWS: This is so powerful, this reporting!
MARTIN: And if Santorum is in South Carolina after having a strong
showing in Iowa, then it`s going to be that much harder for Newt there to
consolidate the right.
MATTHEWS: Yes. Well, gentlemen, you`re both saying -- and you`re
both at the top of the game -- you`re telling me, basically, we had the
battle for the Republican nomination in the year 2011 and that this will be
the ratification process come January. Thank you so much. Powerful
development here, if it`s Romney right through. If he runs the table
through South Carolina, wow. Mark Halperin, thank you. Jonathan Martin,
thank you.
Coming up: Why are Republicans having such a hard time settling on a
candidate? Well, we`re hearing they may have already done that. But
there`s a new front-runner so far this year every week, and that`s because
the perfect candidate, the one who checks all the boxes on the conservative
wish list, might not exist. That`s ahead.
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: HARDBALL`s going to Iowa. Starting tomorrow, we`ll be at
Java Joe`s in Des Moines talking to the candidates, the voters and
reporters and finding out what it smells like on the ground out there in
the Hawkeye state just days before the actual voting begins. And I`ll be
there through caucus night on Tuesday. And then starting Wednesday of next
week, it`s on to New Hampshire. This is fun. We`re following the parade.
In fact, we`re part of it.
We`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. The ever-changing roller-coaster
Republican front-runners has shown us one thing for sure, the GOP is not
happy with their field so far. In Iowa, Republican caucus goers are
looking for four key ingredients and trying to determine if the candidates
stack up.
I put together a checklist to see where they stand. Look, let`s take
a look at the four candidates atop the field right now, Paul, Romney,
Santorum and Gingrich.
When it comes to being a truly solid small government conservative,
Paul and Santorum fit that bill nicely. Romney and Gingrich`s support of
health care and talking about climate change hurt them.
In terms of being part of the religious right, it`s only Rick
Santorum. He`s the only real true, blue religious right candidate running.
Republicans looking for a hawk see three potentials now, Romney,
Santorum and Gingrich. Ron Paul, you`ve got to say that about him, is
definitely not a hawk.
But if you want someone who could actually win the general election
against Barack Obama, the only one that fits that bill is clearly Mitt
Here with me to break this down are Robert Traynham, Washington bureau
chief for Comcast Network. He was formerly a spokesman for "The Hill" and
then Senator Rick Santorum in the old days. And with me here in New York
is TalkingPointsMemo editor Josh Marshall. Thank you, gentlemen, so much.
I want to start with Josh up here. So far, we don`t know where this
thing`s going next Tuesday or beyond. We had some great conjecture it
might be Romney all of a sudden as sort of the unanimous "OK, we`ll live
with him" candidate. But so far, I`m looking at -- the only really small
government conservative out there -- actually, there are two if you count
Santorum -- is Ron Paul.
JOSH MARSHALL, TALKINGPOINTSMEMO.COM: Yes.
MATTHEWS: You got to be Romney, you got to be -- he was the moderate
governor of Massachusetts, and Gingrich was all over the place over the
years. So just in terms that category, it`s hard to find the true, blue
MARSHALL: It`s like a Venn diagram, you know, and there`s no overlap
point. You know, I think some of these -- you know, arguably, I guess,
Rick Santorum is a small government conservative by some measures. I mean,
you know, Ron Paul is like a no government conservative.
MATTHEWS: Yes. Right.
MARSHALL: You know, there was -- there was a thing out today saying
that he`s -- he`s touting an endorsement from a preacher, Ron Paul, who
thinks that gays should be executed. So he`s -- he`s the candidate who
thinks that gays should be executed and bin Laden shouldn`t be executed.
So that`s a tough sell in a Republican primary.
MATTHEWS: Yes. Let`s go over that same thing with Robert Traynham.
Robert, it looks to me like if you want the true, blue conservative,
meaning someone who really is like Barry Goldwater of the old days, someone
who -- really, an Ayn Rand conservative who really doesn`t (INAUDIBLE)
Leave me alone, I`ll do my own thing, kind of person -- nobody`s got a
really good record except the extremist, if you will, Ron Paul.
ROBERT TRAYNHAM, COMCAST WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: You`re absolutely
And the problem with Ron Paul is, is that the independent voter out
there in Pennsylvania in, Florida, in Michigan and Ohio will not even
obviously even entertain the thought of voting for someone like that.
I think the real conservative out there that obviously is not running
is Jeb Bush. If in fact he wasn`t a person by the name of Bush, he
probably would be the front-runner right now, because he has all of the
qualifications that you just mentioned a few moments ago, Chris.
But if I can go back to Rick Santorum for a moment, it would very
interesting. Let`s say hypothetically, Chris, he won his reelection in
2006. Let`s say hypothetically he didn`t say some of the unfortunate
comments that he said about gays. He probably would be the number-one
front-runner right about now, but obviously that`s not the case.
Rick Santorum for the very same reasons that I mentioned about Ron
Paul is not palatable to the independent voter out there. And it`s a shame
because when you take a look at Rick Santorum on the surface, he`s a pretty
good guy from a policy standpoint, at least for conservatives.
MATTHEWS: Yes, but he lost by 18 points in Pennsylvania, so doesn`t
that shatter your notion that he`s a strong general election candidate?
TRAYNHAM: You`re right. There`s no question about it.
Look, he lost Pennsylvania by 18 points for two reasons. Number one
is because he was too conservative for the state, but also number two
because he wrapped his arms around George W. Bush at a time that was very
MATTHEWS: He also got a ton of money from his county to pay for his
homeschooling, which people in Pennsylvania could not understand how a guy
could pull 30-some-thousand bucks from his county to pay for his
homeschooling. They got a little upset about that in Pennsylvania.
Anyway, here`s Ron Paul out with a new ad attacking both Mitt Romney
and Newt Gingrich. Take a look.
NARRATOR: The Washington machine is strangling our economy.
Politicians who supported bailouts and mandates, serial hypocrites and
flip-floppers who can`t clean up the mess.
One man stands alone. A real plan to cut $1 trillion year one,
balance the budget in three. Consistent, incorruptible, guided by faith
and principle.
Ron Paul, the one we have been looking for.
MATTHEWS: You know, it`s true. It`s the Republican conservative
dream and they know it won`t sell with the public.
MARSHALL: Yes.
MATTHEWS: It`s just unbelievable. They know their beliefs are
MARSHALL: The thing I come away from this with, is that, you know, it
really does feel like everything is moving towards Mitt Romney right now.
He really could win Iowa and then he will win New Hampshire.
MATTHEWS: You heard Mark Halperin and Jonathan Martin. They said he
can run the table right through South Carolina.
MARSHALL: Well, we haven`t seen a South Carolina poll since like the
19th. I`m dying to see one, because then, 10 days ago, Newt was still
ahead. So, you know, maybe the Newt -- the Newt team can hold out hope
that he`s still ahead there.
MATTHEWS: Let me go to Robert Traynham on this and try this by you.
I have a theory that Republicans are more organized than Democrats. I`m
not the first one to say that. It was Will Rogers who said that about 100
years ago. They are very organized.
I figure if you go to the movies they are early. They`re sitting
there with the little candy bar. You come in with your popcorn and your
big coke. And you`re barely there in time. They have been there for 20
minutes waiting for this movie to start. They are organized people.
And the reason I say this, I grew up in a family like this.
Everything was done on time. They are at church early for everything.
They have thought this through, Robert. It seems like they have thought
through. They have a clown car out there, as somebody said the other day,
"The Boston Herald." They have got a clown car. They`re getting rid of
that clown car as fast as they can and running down the street with a guy
they know can win a general election and that`s Mitt Romney.
TRAYNHAM: You`re absolutely right.
The analogy that I use, Chris, go to the Republican Convention and go
to the Democratic Convention.
MATTHEWS: Ah, yes.
MATTHEWS: Where do you have more fun?
TRAYNHAM: Well, you have more fun at the Democratic Convention, but
if you want things to go on time, if you know exactly how things will run,
you go to the Republican Convention. But, look, Mitt Romney, he`s the --
he`s the tortoise in all of this. He`s the one that has been very
consistent. He`s the one that`s always been on message, and he`s the one
who has the most money.
I predict that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee, and the
reason why is because of all the reasons that I mentioned a few moments
ago. He`s consistent. And the problem with that is, again, a lot of
primary voters out there on the Republican side, they do their homework and
they say, wait a minute, what about this Mormon issue, wait a minute, what
about this abortion issue, wait a minute, what about your signature on the
gay marriage license in Massachusetts? You`re just not consistent for me.
However, I do believe Republican voters out there, especially the
hard-core Republican voters in South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa, they
want to win. They want to win come November, and I think they will hold
their noses and vote for Mitt Romney come this time next year.
MATTHEWS: Josh, remember -- I`m older than you -- I remember growing
up with Democratic Conventions where they used to do gavel-to-gavel on TV
and all you ever heard was somebody at the head -- usually the convention
secretary, usually a woman, would yell, will the delegates please clear the
aisles? And they never did. They never cleared the aisles. They ignored
it. They were all table hopping.
MARSHALL: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you, are they that strategic in voting, that
even in South Carolina, starting this Tuesday, the person who goes into
that polling booth will not vote their gut or vote their heart, like a lot
of voters tend to do; they are going to say, no, this is about the
presidency, we`re going to pick a president? Is it going to be that cool
and calculating?
MARSHALL: John Heilemann had that quote from that unnamed Romney aide
saying kind of like, we can`t lose this now.
MATTHEWS: That was smart.
MARSHALL: That was cocky, but I see what he`s saying.
MATTHEWS: Do you think that helped him?
MARSHALL: No, no, no. I don`t think it helped him at all.
But I do think this. It is hard to figure that primary voters down in
South Carolina are really going to be thinking that way. And you do see
Romney -- Robert was just right. Romney through all of this, he`s cruising
along at 22 percent, 23 percent and like Newt is up and everybody is up and
down like this.
The question to me is -- for me is, you know, he`s sort of the
consensus, the unloved consensus candidate, but at some point something`s
got to happen.
MATTHEWS: He`s got to get from 25 to 50. When is that going to
MARSHALL: When is that going to happen?
MATTHEWS: Robert, when does he go from 25 to 50, this Mr. Right?
TRAYNHAM: I think probably perhaps maybe right after Super Tuesday.
TRAYNHAM: Chris, if I can go back, though, very quickly, this reminds
me a bit of 1988. George H.W. Bush, who was the moderate, he was the one
that a lot of social conservatives didn`t like. They didn`t trust him.
They clearly knew him as vice president for eight years.
And the whole Pat Robertson -- Jerry Falwell was running for
president. Republican primary voters at the end of the day said we`re
voting for president here. We`re voting for the leader of the free
country. Let`s go with George H.W. Bush.
MATTHEWS: By the way, anybody who doesn`t think that Barbara Bush was
pro-choice is out of their mind. When you look at that family, they look
pro-choice. Anyway, maybe it`s a class statement. But forget about it.
By the way, please clear the aisles.
MATTHEWS: Robert Traynham, thank you, sir.
Josh Marshall, thank you. Gentlemen.
Up next, who are the most admired men and women in America today and
which Republican presidential candidates make that list? That`s ahead in
the "Sideshow."
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Back to HARDBALL. Now for the "Sideshow."
First up, hit the ground running. Rick Perry may have slid badly from
front-runner status in the GOP race this fall, but his campaign team says
it sees a possible comeback on the horizon. And it doesn`t have much to do
with politics.
What`s the secret? Well, according to a CNN piece -- quote -- "Rick
Perry`s best asset in the race for the White House these days might just be
a pair of Brooks running shoes. Perry`s frequent jogs along Iowa roadways
and in hotel fitness centers have become both an energy booster and a
welcome break from his marathon bus tour of 42 Iowa cities, a late push
that campaign advisers say they hope will vault him to a top three finish
in the January 3 caucuses."
Well, Perry is back in the game after hanging up the running shoes
early this year due to injury, although, looking at his poll numbers, I
would say he has more than miles to go before he sleeps.
Winning strategy aside, the Perry camp fell victim to another campaign
blunder this morning. At least it wasn`t the candidate himself standing at
the microphone. The culprit, Joe Arpaio, that Arizona sheriff best known
for his ongoing birther investigation. Anyway, Arpaio made it clear he
wasn`t quite up to date on all things Iowa when he took to the podium to
rally for Perry. Let`s listen to Mr. Arpaio.
JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA, SHERIFF: Boy, I`m getting to
know Iowa, the great state of Iowa. Was it the Buckeyes or...
AUDIENCE: No.
ARPAIO: What are they called?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hawkeyes.
ARPAIO: Oh, Hawkeyes, Buckeyes, what`s the difference? It`s 3:00
Phoenix time.
MATTHEWS: What`s the difference? Looks more like a stand-up routine
that didn`t go too well. Not exactly the boost that Perry hoped he`d get
from this character.
And, finally, the tally of this year`s most admired American men and
most admired women was put out today by "USA Today" and Gallup. Which man
and woman top the list? President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, each getting 17 percent of the votes in their categories. Obama
has held the male title since 2008, and this is Mrs. Clinton or Secretary
Clinton`s 16th time on the top of the women`s list.
Following the president on the male side are former Presidents George
W. Bush and Bill Clinton. And among females, second place goes to Oprah
Winfrey, followed by Michelle Obama in third.
The only active 2012 GOP candidates to make the top 10 are Newt
Gingrich, who is down in sixth place, and Michele Bachmann, who is in ninth
place. But what exactly does a sixth place slot in the men`s category
mean? Well, in the case of Newt, about 1 percent of the votes, it means.
And that means sharing your ranking with Donald Trump. They are both on
the same level.
Up next, Ben Nelson`s retirement, is it the end of Democratic hopes to
hold on to the United States Senate or not? Let`s check into that fight
for control of the United States Senate coming up right in a minute.
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
TYLER MATHISEN, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: Good evening. I`m Tyler Mathisen
with your CNBC "Market Wrap."
The Dow Jones finished near the day`s low, off 139 points, S&P down
almost 16, Nasdaq off by 35. Oil prices tumbled today amid a fresh war of
words between Iran and the U.S., Iran threatening to block a vital Mideast
oil route. The U.S. Navy warns that would not be tolerated.
Eurozone banks dumped record amounts of cash at the ECB this week
after borrowing it only weeks ago. That money meant to ease tensions
overseas, but it appears banks haven`t yet figured out what to do with the
added flow. Good news out of Italy, where short-term debt costs were
halved at an auction today. European stocks got a quick short-lived bump
in response.
Morgan Stanley took a small dive after announcing plans to slash 580
jobs at four New York offices, part of a broader wave of layoffs. And
last-minute shoppers saved Christmas for retailers, according to new
ShopperTrak numbers. The week-before-Christmas sales up an estimated 15
percent over last year. I was one of them.
That`s it from CNBC, first in business worldwide -- now back to
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Do Republicans have a real chance of winning control of the U.S.
Senate next career? Many GOP leaders think the answer is yes, especially
after yesterday`s announcement by Democratic Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska
that he will not seek reelection in 2012.
Nelson was in a tight race in Nebraska, but now it seems all but
certain that that seat will go to Republicans, a Republican, whoever it is.
The Senate is currently split 53-47 for the Democrats, meaning Republicans
need to pick up four seats next year to retake or take control. There`s
some formidable Democratic contenders who could make that task a bit more
difficult, like Elizabeth Warren up in Massachusetts.
So what`s the outlook in 2012 for the Senate?
David Catanese is a national political reporter for Politico, and
Christina Bellantoni is associate politics editor for "Roll Call." We have
got two experts here who do it all the time.
Let`s take a look at this map with both of you, some key Senate races.
There are currently two states, Massachusetts and Nevada, where the
Democrats have a shot of picking up a seat, but look at the Republican
advantages. In Nebraska and North Dakota, the Republicans will probably
pick up both those seats currently held by Democrats. Six other states to
watch -- and these are the big ones -- according to NBC News, seats that
are currently held all by Democrats, are tossups right now.
Hawaii, Montana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Virginia all pose a
risk for Democrats next year.
Let me go to Christina on this outlook.
Let`s start with a candidate who has really impressed me. That`s
Elizabeth Warren up in Massachusetts. I have seen that "Herald" poll.
She`s up by seven over Scott Brown. Is that a pretty good bet right now,
or is it still close?
CHRISTINA BELLANTONI, "ROLL CALL": I think that she has a very good
chance to win. "Roll Call" still has this rated as a tossup.
Obviously, Scott Brown is a decent candidate. He has lots of money,
and the incumbent tends to have the advantage. But this is also a state
where it`s a strong Democratic state in a presidential year. You`re going
to have a lot of turnout. So I think this will be sort of one of those key
battlegrounds. The Democrats seem very confident that they can hold this
MATTHEWS: You mean win it.
BELLANTONI: And it is definitely part of the strategy -- exactly, to
win this seat.
MATTHEWS: What about the other -- another woman candidate, Shelley
Berkley out in Nevada? She`s on against the appointed senator. What do
you make of that one?
BELLANTONI: Yes, that`s up against Dean Heller.
And this is a very interesting race. This is where, if Barack Obama
wins reelection, it will be in part thanks to Nevada, and Shelley Berkley
will become the next senator if that happens. This is an issue where the
top of the ticket will really matter. There`s a big machine in Nevada that
Obama activated that Harry Reid used to hang on to his seat last fall. So
you will see a lot of that in action.
But it`s going to be one of those key races to watch on election night
to really see what`s happening with the presidential race and then what
happens for control of the Senate.
MATTHEWS: But, Shelley, the congresswoman, is not running against a
full-mooner, the way that Harry Reid was. She`s not lucky enough to run
against Sharron Angle.
BELLANTONI: Sure. And, you know, she`s certainly, you know, not
necessarily the strongest Senate candidate in the world. She`s going to
have plenty of money from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
And, certainly, you know, Reid has been out there to bat for her. He
cleared the field. She had a primary in front of her and that`s now gone.
So, I think -- she`s got a strong chance of winning, but it really is going
to come down to that national mood.
MATTHEWS: Let me -- let`s go now -- let me go to David.
Tell us about the two races which are probably going to lose seats
for the Democrats, North Dakota and Nebraska now?
DAVID CATANESE, POLITICO: Yes. You`ll get a lot of pushback from
Washington Democrats on North Dakota. They have recruited former attorney
general there, Heidi Heitkamp. They put out a poll saying that can be
competitive with Representative Rick Berg, saying he has some weaknesses.
I still think that`s a stretch, that North Dakota is going to be a
competitive race next fall. So, I would push North Dakota and Nebraska
into the Republican column. That`s a pickup of two seats.
But the next two seats, getting to four is a lot tougher. You have
Virginia, you have Montana. You have Missouri. Nevada, which we were just
talking about -- those are all coin-tosses right now. And to the
Democrats` credit, they have been raising a ton of money for their
incumbents, or even their challengers, and they`ve got pretty formidable
organizations around these candidates and have been drawing a lot of races
to a tie despite being battered by ads by Crossroads coming outside.
MATTHEWS: Let me go to one in Ohio. I`m a big Sherrod Brown fan,
maybe because I see him on this network. I want to go over to Christina on
Sherrod Brown looks to me like the perfect labor Democratic senator
from Ohio. If he can`t win and hold that seat when he does everything
right in terms of labor trade issues, tax issues, middle class issues, how
can he lose? He`s such the perfect Democrat for that state?
MATTHEWS: Christina, please. I`m sorry.
CATANESE: I`m sorry.
BELLANTONI: "Roll Call" has this rated that it is a seat that is
probably going to remain in Democratic hands. You know, for all the
reasons that you outline, he`s got a pretty strong organization. The
Republican likely nominee is Josh Mandel, he`s pretty strong.
But Brown is one of those interesting candidates who won in 2006, he
ousted Mike DeWine and he was really representative of, you know, of a
vulnerable Democrat right after the Republicans did so well in Ohio in 2010
and actually he`s doing OK. He polls better than Barack Obama in his home
state. You know, he`s been able to sort of keep his focus there and a lot
of people like him.
So, he might be OK and that`s going against the national mood in some
MATTHEWS: OK. Let me give you another winner for the Democrats, I
believe in, a close race. I think Tim Kaine, David, is going to knock off
George Allen. I think George Allen is yesterday. I think -- I`m not
saying the old problems are going to back to haunt him. He just seems like
a guy trying to come back.
Nobody wants the past back. They may not like Obama, who wants to go
back to W. I don`t anybody. And then -- and that`s -- I guess there are
some people.
But your thoughts about Virginia, because I think there are some real
hope here. I think Ohio looks good for the Ds. I think Virginia -- I`m
going to get on to Jon Tester in a minute. I think he`s a strong
Your thoughts about Tim Kaine, the governor?
CATANESE: I think this is a margin of error race. It`s going to be
like Thune/Daschle, which a lot of people will remember. But I think it`s
also very much tied to how President Obama does in Virginia.
I tell you, I traveled to Richmond. I saw Tim Kaine debate George
Allen. He is a very good debater. He is crisp and he put George |Allen on
the defense for a lot of fiscal --
MATTHEWS: I think he runs ahead of Obama, what do you think?
CATANESE: You know, I`m not sure. It`s going to be really
interesting to see. The Kaine people are happy because Obama`s popularity
has declined but Kaine hasn`t. He has stayed pretty even, as Obama`s
popularity has decline.
So, he could definitely -- it`s a possibility that he outruns Obama
in that state.
MATTHEWS: (INAUDIBLE) the bets here. I think it`s Elizabeth Warren
so far, I`m not sure about Shelley Berkley because I think Nevada is very
hard to figure unless you have a wacko on the Republican side.
Let`s go to Jon Tester. Let`s talk about him. He is a very
attractive candidate. He is not some lefty from back East. He`s a farmer
from the state that he`s from, from Montana.
Your thoughts about it, Christina?
BELLANTONI: Well, don`t forget that Tester won by a very, very slim
margin. It was less than 1,000 votes in 2006. It was also one of those
races like Jim Webb`s in 2006 that helped decide the Senate for the
So, this was already going to be close. Denny Rehberg is a
congressman. He`s elected at large. So, he`s already won statewide there.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
BELLANTONI: That gives him -- this is going to be a razor thin race.
And, you know, Dave is exactly right. With all the spending from outside
groups, particularly Crossroads, it`s cheap to advertise there. You know,
voters are going to be real tired of seeing ads on this guy.
And I think Tester is in some big trouble. But you never know. The
Obama people really recognize that this is a key state, so that might mean
they stay out of it for the presidential, but they will make sure
organizationally, there are people in place.
MATTHEWS: OK. Anybody with a crew cut is no lefty. Anyway, thank
you very much, David Catanese. And thank you, Christina Bellantoni. Happy
New Year.
BELLANTONI: Thanks.
CATANESE: Happy New Year.
MATTHEWS: Up next, as the Republicans running for president move
further to the right to attract the evangelical vote, do they run the risk
of alienating the average woman voter next November?
This is HARDBALL -- we`re going to talk abortion rights now -- only
on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: The Pentagon is warning today that it won`t tolerate any
disruption of traffic through the Straits of Hormuz. Earlier today, Iran`s
navy chief said the Islamic republic was ready to shut the strait, a vital
oil route, of course, if the West imposes new economic sanctions over
Iran`s suspected nuclear program.
Well, the spokeswoman for the United States Navy`s Fifth Fleet says
any country that blocks the straits would be outside the community of
nations. That`s foreboding.
We`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
The Republican presidential field has moved even further to the right
following Rick Perry`s decision to support a ban on abortion even in the
case of rape and incest. That brings to four now, a majority of the
candidates, the number of Republican presidential candidates, who want
abortion banned in all cases, outlawed.
Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, going
further -- they have all signed a pledge now to support the personhood
movement, which defines a fertilized egg as a human being.
To give you an idea of how extreme this position is, a ballot
initiative in Mississippi supporting personhood was handily defeated in
that Republican red state. While this extreme position may clearly appeal
to the evangelicals in Iowa, is it pulling the party too far to the right
politically? And how would it affect the way women generally vote,
Republican women included in November?
Joan Walsh is editor at large at Salon.com. Michelle Goldberg
reports for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast."
Joan, it`s great to talk to you. Happy New Year and merry Christmas.
I haven`t talked to you in a while.
JOAN WALSH, SALON.COM: You, too, Chris.
MATTHEWS: It seems to me like we`re getting into a territory here
which people need to start thinking about. If you define a fertilized
human egg as a person, perhaps even a citizen for all I know, at that
point, it becomes, technically in fact, really a murder -- a murder --
you`re killing a person if you -- in any way interfere with the attachment
of that fertilized egg to a uterine wall. In other words, an IUD is a
murdering instrument.
WALSH: Right.
MATTHEWS: I mean, it really gets completely far out here, and what
people are trying to put into statute. Do you think people know what
they`re doing here, even politically know what they`re doing?
WALSH: I think they do. I think they`re trying to get through this
primary. And some of them may well believe it. But, you know, Chris, you
made the point, when you`re too extreme, you`re too far right for the state
of Mississippi, of our reddest states, you know you`ve gone too far.
And, you know, you`re getting to a point in the Republican Party
where a female has more rights before she`s born than afterwards, because
this is just -- this is turning the clock back even on birth control. I
think we`ve seen signs of this. You know, the Tea Party came into the
House and they said they were all about jobs, but they spent more time
trying to defund Planned Parenthood, which is about birth control, as well
as female cancer screenings, than they did trying to do anything about our
jobs crisis.
So, this is a trend in the Republican Party. We`ve seen it for a
long time, but it`s gotten to an extreme.
MATTHEWS: And the question here of metaphysics, you`re talking about
declaring under law, not religion, but under law, a fertilized egg as a
person. In other words, a woman, as part of her natural reproductive
cycle, some of these -- a lot of it perhaps don`t attach to the wall. Are
they all people, too, for political purposes? What are we talking about
MICHELLE GOLDBERG, NEWSWEEK: If a fertilized egg is a human being,
then basically every woman`s uterus is kind of a slaughter house, because,
you know, fertilized eggs fail to attach in at least half of the cases --
MATTHEWS: That`s why people don`t get pregnant every time they have
sex, obviously.
GOLDBERG: Right, exactly. So, it`s -- you know, the reason that
this went down in Mississippi was because beyond just banning all abortion,
even when a woman`s life is at stake, even in cases of rape and incest, it
would have also banned the IUD. It would have interfered with IVF. I
mean, this is a huge --
MATTHEWS: Why are they going further than simply going -- first,
they never want to officially criminalize it, because then they have to
actually attach some kind of statutory sanction to a woman, like if you
have an abortion, you must pay $5 or go to jail for five years. They don`t
ever actually do that. But in this case, you will get to that point.
GOLDBERG: Well, part of it, that`s something they don`t want to talk
about. I mean, a lot of Americans are uncomfortable with abortion. And
because of Roe versus Wade, we`ve kind of been able to take for granted
living in a world without back-alley abortions, without women dying by the
hundreds in hospital emergency rooms.
So nobody wants to talk about the consequences of an abortion ban.
Nobody wants to talk about arresting women and putting women in jail.
That`s already starting to happen around the margins. There`s been a
number of cases where women in desperate circumstances have tried to end
their own pregnancies and have been persecuted, arrested and persecuted.
MATTHEWS: Oh, really?
GOLDBERG: That`s happening now because these restrictions are
finally starting to really take effect. But that`s not something that the
Republican Party wants to talk about. So, they talk about, like you said,
this kind of metaphysical issues of when life begins. But the end result
is going to be an unprecedented interference into women`s lives.
MATTHEWS: I personally think we should talk about metaphysical
issues, we just shouldn`t make it as a matter of law and politics.
Here`s a distinct gender gap by the way in party navigation, 53
percent of men and 43 percent of women self identify as Republican, but 45
percent of men and 53 percent of women self identify as Democrats. That`s
no surprise, Joan. And I don`t want to simplify anything about people`s
voting habits.
WALSH: Right.
MATTHEWS: Obviously, people vote out of a cluster of concerns,
including rights, human rights, women`s rights, but also education, health
care issues, war and peace, taxes.
WALSH: Right.
MATTHEWS: People vote on a lot of things. But this gender gap, what
do you think is joined, what this will do to perhaps to enlarge the gender
gap if the Republicans go too far here?
WALSH: I think it will enlarge the gender gap. You know, we really
didn`t see much of a gender gap, a difference between men and women voting,
Chris, until 1980 and Ronald Reagan. And even though women did ultimately
wind up supporting Ronald Reagan, they didn`t support him as wholeheartedly
as men did.
And people at the time said it was a cluster of things. It was the
role of the Christian right.
But also in polls, women tend to be much more supportive of the
social safety net. Women want programs for the poor. They want programs
for the elderly. They are the more economically vulnerable gender.
And so, sometimes, it`s a matter of these things coming home to them,
they`re the ones taking care of relatives usually.
MATTHEWS: Exactly.
WALSH: So, they`re also afraid of Reagan`s bellicosity. And so,
you`ve seen a gender gap widened basically since Ronald Reagan and really
up with Barack Obama and John McCain.
So, this is something that the Democrats have been able to count on,
they were worried that white women went back to the Republicans in 2010.
But the trends are looking good for them to come back to the Democrats in
MATTHEWS: OK. We`ll have more time to talk about this later.
Thanks for coming on.
Michelle Goldberg, thank you. Happy New Year.
Thank you, Joan, my good friend. It`s always great to see you out
there. Wish you were here.
WALSH: Thank you, Chris.
MATTHEWS: When we return, "Let Me Finish," with the slow methodical
way that Republicans pick their nominees for president, totally different,
by the way, from the way Democrats tend to do it. And this is a general
statement, but I`m going to live with it.
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: "Let Me Finish" tonight with this:
Democrats have a hard time figuring out the way Republicans go about
picking their presidential candidates. The reason is it`s totally
different. Democrats tend to go with their heart and gut. They see a
candidate like Jack Kennedy or Bill Clinton or Barack Obama and they feel
something inside them that says, "Go with this guy." And that`s it.
It doesn`t always work out so well, of course. George McGovern got
blown away. Jimmy Carter didn`t turn out to have the political chops he
needed; the same with others. But it always seems a good idea at the time.
Well, Republicans are different. They pick their nominees more
methodically. They like to see the guy run around the track a few times
before they place their bets.
Nixon had run and lost, and then lost again -- well, he lost for
governor. Ronald Reagan had lost twice, in `68, again in `76. Bush lost
in `80. And Dole in `80 and then again in `88, before getting the nod in
`96. McCain got his face bashed in in 2000 before finally crossing the
finish line in `08.
So, as you watch the slow movement of Iowa caucus voters, the good
old Romney, you`re looking at the old love of the familiar, and voting for
the one whose turn has finally come. If they pick Romney this time, a guy
who`s run and been beaten before, it would be primordial as a school of
salmon heading upriver to spawn.
And that`s HARDALL for now. Thanks for being with us.
"POLITICS NATION" with Al Sharpton starts right now.
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Donald Trump is the one boasting about the personal money he's putting into his presidential bid, but in the early weeks of October, it was Hillary Clinton chipping in more of her own resources.
New Federal Election Commission reports show Clinton herself offset $87,000 worth of campaign expenses in the first 19 days of the month. Trump, meanwhile, covered about $33,000 of his political costs.
Faced with a striking cash disadvantage, the Republican nominee is taking steps to infuse his campaign with new money. Spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said Friday that Trump wired an additional $10 million to his campaign.
U.S. & World
Trump has repeatedly said during rallies and media interviews that he would spend $100 million of his own money, and maybe "much more." Counting the new gift, he is about $34 million short of his oft-repeated promise.
"He will continue to make investments into his campaign, including in these last 11 days," Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Friday morning on Fox News. "He has said publicly many times he is in for $100 million, and he is happy to invest in his campaign."
The FEC reports filed Thursday show he could use the cash: As of last week, Clinton and her Democratic partners had $153 million in the bank, more than double the resources on the Trump side.
Trump, a New York businessman who says he is worth billions of dollars, invested heavily throughout his GOP primary race. Then, during the general election, he slowed his personal cash infusion to about $2 million per month.
In all, he has put in about $56 million of his own money. The latest donation, which is not yet noted in public documents, would bring that to $66 million.
His contribution shrinks when accounting for about $9 million in campaign cash that has returned to his family and businesses. That money has largely gone to the holding company of his private jet, but the campaign also paid for rent at Trump Tower, catering at his restaurants and even the Trump Ice bottled water that has popped up at his events.
Trump gave about $31,000 through the first 19 days of October, the period covered in the filing released Thursday, all of which went to cover rent and payroll. Trump also gave an additional $2,600 on Oct. 20, other filings show.


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Q: One of my fish isn't swimming upright. What's wrong?
Cherie – Englewood, CO
A: Unless you've taught your pond fish some pretty cool party tricks, it's possible that they're not getting enough oxygen due to a lack of aeration.
Fish will display some odd behaviors when they're not getting enough oxygen, including gasping for air at the surface, hanging vertically in the water, and spending a lot of time around the waterfall or stream where oxygen levels are at their highest – at least for the few hours each day when the pump is running.
Some other telltale signs of insufficient aeration are:
- The water in your pond appears to be stagnant in certain areas
- You've noticed a growing mosquito problem
- Algae growth always seems to be a battle you can't win
- Muck has accumulated at the bottom of the pond
Medical issues, like swim bladder problems, could be causing your fish to swim sideways, too. But, before you take your finned pal to the veterinarian, try adding or adjusting the aeration in your water feature. You can also check your ammonia and nitrite levels using a water test kit.
If your pond has a lot of fish for its size, or is a medium or large water garden or koi pond up to 16,000 gallons in size, consider adding an Airmax® KoiAir™ Aeration Kit. Its energy-efficient design includes a dual diaphragm pump that infuses oxygen into the pond while being virtually maintenance free.
If you have a handful of fish in a smaller pond that's up to 2,000 gallons in size, check out the Airmax® PondAir™ Aeration Kits. It's designed for decorative ponds and water gardens, and features an airflow control valve that allows you to adjust the aeration output with the turn of a dial.
Aeration should help your fish swim upright again. But if it's still acting strange after you've pumped up the oxygen, you may want to check in with your veterinarian for medical advice. Good luck!
Pond Talk: What's the strangest thing you've seen your pond fish do?
Filed under: Aeration - WG, Algae Control, Fish Diseases, Fish Population, Koi & Goldfish, Oxygen Depletion, Water Gardens & Features, Water Quality Issues, Waterfall | Tagged: Aeration, fish, gasping, goldfish, koi, swim bladder, upright | Leave a comment »


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Are you having trouble falling asleep during conversations?
Are you in a disco, finding in hard to focus on computer programming?
I have a solution for you, just pop one of these babies in. http://lesh.sysphere.org/dump/weirdforest.mp3
Its a sound that I made that I play when I need to focus and zone out. It has some rain, weird thunder, owls, someone shuffling sticks around and whale noises of course.
I guess it will sound a bit ominous at first but it grows on you


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AB Crystal Cluster - Spinner Charms - Pack of 2
Write a review
| Ask a question
Pair of reusable nail art gem clusters, curved back to fit the surface of the nail.
Application: Apply a few drops of nail glue on finished nail and place in the desired location, hold for several seconds until secure.
Modifying spinners is not advised as this can place the spinner under undue stress. Modifying the spinners will invalidate the returns policy for this item.


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Pared-down Senate gun bill focuses on background checks
Gun control legislation the Senate debates next month will include an expansion of federal background checks for firearms buyers, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday in a victory for advocates of gun restrictions.
The announcement underscores that Democrats intend to take an aggressive approach in the effort to broaden the checks, currently required only for transactions involving federally licensed firearms dealers.
- Assault weapons ban dropped, gun control supporters move on
- Biden on assault weapons ban: "Think about Newtown"
President Barack Obama and many supporters of curbing guns in and out of Congress consider an expansion of the system to private gun sales to be the most effective response lawmakers could take in the wake of December's elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn. The system is designed to keep guns from criminals, people with serious mental problems and others considered potentially dangerous.
The overall gun measure the Senate debates will also include legislation boosting penalties for illegal gun trafficking and modestly expand a grant program for school security, said Reid, D-Nev.
What won't be in this bill is an assault weapons ban after Reid concluded that there was just not enough support in the Senate for it.
The bill that Reid is putting forward will have to get at least 60 votes to get past a GOP-led filibuster, he explained. So by starting with a pared-down bill, Reid said he could at least get a gun control measure on the Senate floor. At that point, the assault weapons ban and other less popular measures could be voted on as amendments.
"I think the worst of all worlds would be to bring something to the floor and it dies there," Reid said. "People are deserving of votes on their issues they feel so strongly about."
Reid said that during Congress' upcoming two-week break, he hopes senators will strike a bipartisan compromise on broadening background checks. But without a deal, he indicated the gun bill would include a stricter version approved this month by the Senate Judiciary Committee expanding the system to virtually all private gun transactions with few exceptions.
"I want to be clear: In order to be effective, any bill that passes the Senate must include background checks," Reid said in a written statement.
Gun control advocates, while dismayed at the absence of an assault weapons ban, are forging ahead to build support for the pared-down bill.
Opponents including the National Rifle Association say background checks are easily sidestepped by criminals and threaten creation of a government file on gun owners - which is illegal under federal law.
If not included in the overall gun bill, an expansion of background checks could have been offered as an amendment. But that would have likely meant it would have needed support from 60 of the 100 senators to prevail - a difficult hurdle for Democrats.


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Talk:Ubuntu Intrepid Installation Guide
If you require help with installing the AMD fglrx driver, please consider a web forum or mailing list.
This page needs to represent the previous Ubuntu installation guides. Also, please do not "sign" the page with your name. --Mooninite 10:42, 27 August 2008 (CDT)
Ok, I'll add the contents from the previous guide and remove the signature. I'm new here. :) --Trontonic 21:17, 28 September 2008 (CEST)
All references to manual configuration of xorg.conf need to be changed/removed. The new driver model doesn't use xorg.conf for settings configuration. In fact, all of the installation guides for all of the distributions need to be changed in this way. --JasonPorter 19:05, 31 October 2008 (EDT)
Running the installer?[edit]
Am I missing something? Instead of creating .debs, and installing via dpkg, why not just run the installer manually? sudo sh ati-driver-installer-8-11-x86.x86_64.run Seems to work fine for me.
Still not enough.[edit]
I was disappointed with this version too. However I confirm that the installer works, including the last 8.12. - Enzo - 13 dec 2008
I have ATI X1400 and my enviroment results unstable also with version (9.12) with Compiz effects activated. - Andrea - 21 feb 2009


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Members Login | Customer Support
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In compliance with United States Code, Title 18, Section 2257, all models, actors, actresses porn stars and other persons who appear in any visual
depiction of sexually explicit conduct appearing or otherwise contained in or at this site were over the age of eighteen years at the time of
the creation of such depictions. The content is inappropriate for minors. The records required pursuant to 18 USC 2257 pertaining to this production
and all materials associated herewith are on file with the Custodians of Records.
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Start pointing and flexing those fingers to warm up for our Summertime Digital Dance Quiz, because unless you happen to live in New York, or near one of the festival cities, dance performances are hard to find come summer, so fans tend to lean on the silver screen or the flat one to get their needs met. Little that is new is available on TV in summer, so other family members or roommates ought not to raise strenuous objections to you clicking on "free movies" on your cable menu to find old dance films, or uploading them from Netflix or borrowing them from the public library. Of course, once you light out on the shadowy path of digital dance, certain ghosts are likely to leap out at you. You've seen them before. They're the semi-friendly ones that tend to shape shift into questions about dance that are over-discussed in dance circles, and largely ignored or discounted by everyone else. Here are a few of them. Please post your responses in the comments section at the end of the blog.
Was Turning Point a cornball family movie or a great mid-century dance film?
Is the artistic director in The Red Shoes the archetype for all his real-life successors?
Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ray Bolger, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds amazed their viewing audiences. Who among them was most difficult to work with?
Did Ginger Rodgers have or not have turnout?
Which was more important to you in Billy Elliot—the dancing or the plot?
Did Natalie Portman deserve to win an Oscar for Black Swan because in one year and a half years she lost 25 pounds and, with Benjamin Millepied's coaching, developed credible port de bras?
Were Cyd Charisse and Leslie Caron underrated as dancers?
Was it fair that Jerome Robbins was fired from his job as choreographer of West Side Story, a movie in which the male dancers bear no resemblance to any New York gang member, living or dead?
Is it worth watching John Turturro slog through his crass knockoff of Groucho Marx shtick in Brain Donors, just to see the final twenty minutes of a riotously whacky Swan Lake parody by George de la Peña as the insufferable Volare?
Does Dirty Dancing win out over all comers for the best popular dance/romance movie of all time?
Does any dance film's photographic work and direction match Carlos Saura's of Antonio Gades and Cristina Hoyos's virtuosic flamenco dancing in Blood Wedding?
If you have seen Ballet Russes, is that a guarantee that in three years you will remember or be able to pronounce the names of the Baby Ballerinas?
Is Busby Berkeley a total sellout to the industrial age, or a choreographic genius?
Can the movie version of A Chorus Line remotely compare to the stage production?
Do you believe that students at New York City's High School of Performing Arts actually danced on the tops of cars driving down 46th Street, as seen in Fame?
Has there ever been a film made about an individual choreographer that equals Pina?
Were the performances by Roy Scheider and Ben Vereen in All That Jazz two of the best in a dance film?
How many of the unidentified dance figures can you name in the film La danse—Le ballet de l'Opera de Paris?
Whose style in Chicago do you prefer: Renée Zellweger's or Catherine Zeta Jones's?
Is Bunheads a vast improvement over dance reality shows, even if Sutton Foster and Kelly Bishop reprise that grating and (in Foster's case) overly mannered, mostly un-funny, cerebral verbal jousting that was tantamount to a dentist drilling when you heard it in Gilmore Girls?
Are Joel Grey and Liza Minelli in Cabaret the best overall triple-threat team in a movie, any movie?
Here are the dance films and TV shows you may want to check out in order to form, not to mention inform your opinions:
42nd Street
Flying Down to Rio
Turning Point
The Red Shoes
Singing in the Rain
On the Town
Gold Diggers
All That Jazz
Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
Anchors Away
Singin' in the Rain
Silk Stockings
Black Swan
Daddy Longlegs
West Side Story
An American in Paris
Brain Donors
Dirty Dancing
Blood Wedding
Ballet Russes
Chorus Line
All That Jazz
La danse—le ballet de l'Opera de Paris


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P2P_G wrote:When you go to http://www.winmx.com you will be redireced to winmxgroup! I don't know if this is new or old news hehe. The new patch is so damn cool, no fakes at all
Unable to connect
Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at www.winmx.com.
* The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few
* If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network
* If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure
that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.
LANjackal wrote:Link doesn't work for me either, but the patch works perfectly.
WinMX can't match Soulseek now, nor is it likey ever to do so since development on the core software is dead and there are much better performing alternatives available anyway.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests


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Latest News
Honda HRV Car Mats
Protecting your vehicle with a set of custom made Honda HRV Car Mats.
Buying and using Honda HRV Car Mats will ensure that your car looks just as good on the inside. In the winter, mud and dirt can take its toll on the interior carpets of your car. If the carpets get stained, then it can take time, money and elbow grease to remove the marks. Prevention is better than cure and the right car mats can keep your car as fresh as the day it rolled off the production line.
Choose the Right Car Mat for Your Vehicle
Choosing the correct type of Honda HRV car mat is important. If you get the fit wrong, the car mat could slip at a crucial moment while you are driving, and potentially cause an accident. It is essential that your car mat fits correctly, particularly under the driver seat. There is also nothing more annoying than the passenger mat slipping every time your partner gets in or out. If this happens, the mat cannot do the job properly, risking mud and dirt staining the carpet below.
Check that the Honda HRV car mat you are looking for is suitable for your make and model of car. If your car is listed under the description, then the mats have been designed to fit the contours of it to ensure safety. This makes ordering car mats online simple, because the work of looking through a rack of car mats and reading through the descriptions has been done for you. Customers can phone us direct on our helpline if you have a question regarding your car mats.
What Style of Car Mat Suits You?
Our Honda HRV Car Mats come in a variety of styles and can be carpeted or waterproof. Waterproof rubber car mats are desirable in winter conditions with snow, rain or mud possibly being trodden into the car mat. These are easy to shake off and wash down if necessary.
Carpeted floor mats introduce a sense of luxury into your car cabin and offer a degree of comfortable protection. They can be used all year round, but are best for summer use when the amount of dirt tends to be dry rather than wet. Our Honda HRV Car Mats come with driver heel pads for extra comfort.
Some customers like to purchase one of each to use the appropriate Honda HRV car mat in summer and winter. It also keeps their car up to their top standard. Which mat you choose will depend on your personal circumstances. What driving conditions does your car have to put up with day in and day out?
The Right Car Mat for Your Pocket
You can choose different grades of car mat according to your pocket and your car. You can choose from a range of quality products from Standard to Super Deluxe. Our Honda HRV Car Mats come in neutral colours, but you can add your own personality with a choice of coloured edging.
You expect good performance from your Vehicle. You expect nothing less from your Honda HRV Car Mats. You require a good service, quality and a comfortable ride. Buying a complete set of Honda HRV Car Mats to compliment your car represents an excellent investment that will help keep your car in good condition.
‹‹ Back to Honda Car Mats


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2005 Toyota Matrix
The Toyota Matrix combines the style and fun of a sport coupe with the utility of a small sport utility at the price of a compact. Matrix was designed for people who want a vehicle with a sporty image and high functionality.
We found the Matrix offers peppy acceleration, particularly around town. It corners nicely yet offers a smooth, comfortable ride. Matrix is practical, with a big cargo area that can be expanded by folding down the rear seats. And it's stylish.
While the high-performance XRS model has drawn some attention with its high-revving 180-horsepower engine, we preferred the 130-horsepower models for their more relaxed, more pleasant demeanor. Most popular is the mid-grade Matrix XR.
Minor styling revisions freshen the appearance of the Matrix for 2005. More important, side curtain airbags have been added as optional equipment and come packaged with seat-mounted side-impact airbags ($645). Also optional on 2005 models is Vehicle Stability Control, or VSC, which virtually eliminates skidding. This is in addition to optional anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, designed to help the driver maintain steering control in an emergency braking situation.
Matrix is based on the Toyota Corolla and is built in California at a plant jointly owned with General Motors. Matrix was introduced as a 2003 model. It has proven to be a popular vehicle: Toyota sold more than 67,000 of them during calendar year 2003. Pontiac sold nearly 57,000 Vibe models during that same period.
Model Lineup
Toyota Matrix is available in three trim lines: the standard Matrix, XR, and XRS. Front-wheel-drive (2WD) and all-wheel-drive (4WD) versions are available along with a choice of two engines: Matrix and Matrix XR are powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 130 horsepower (123 horsepower with four-wheel drive). Matrix XRS is a high-performance model powered by a 180-horsepower version of the 1.8-liter engine.
The base Matrix ($14,760) comes standard with a five-speed manual transmission, but it's also available with an automatic ($15,560) or all-wheel-drive automatic ($17,295). Air conditioning and an AM/FM radio with CD player come standard along with newly added features including a lever-type seat-height adjuster, sliding sun visor, UV cut glass, and a new audio head unit design with a separate clock display. A Power Package ($480) adds power windows, power door locks, and remote keyless entry.
Matrix XR ($16,240) adds ABS with EBD, power door locks, power windows, and the remote key fob as well as a rear window wiper. It's also available with the automatic ($17,070) or all-wheel drive and automatic ($18,635). A wider range of optional equipment is available for the XR as well. Extra Value Package 1 ($270) includes cruise control, fog lamps, and front and rear spoilers. To this, Extra Value Package 2 ($880) adds 16-inch alloy wheels and power moonroof.
Matrix XRS ($18,750) is available only with front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission. It comes with 16-inch alloy wheels and anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution. XRS gets four-wheel disc brakes, preferable to the rear drum brakes found on the other models. A new JBL audio system with CD changer is optional.
The Toyota Matrix shares much in common with the Pontiac Vibe. GM and Toyota developed the vehicles jointly, saving money for both companies and allowing each to offer the vehicles at an affordable price. Matrix and Vibe do not look alike, however, as their styling was designed independently by Toyota and Pontiac. Both are based on the same platform as the Toyota Corolla. That's good because the Corolla is an excellent compact and has good bones, but the Matrix is radically different in appearance and differs in demeanor from the Corolla.
The Matrix is 3 inches taller but 8 inches shorter in length than a Corolla. It uses the same wheelbase but a wider track. These dimensions give the Matrix a unique stance. It reminds us somewhat of the Ford Focus hatchback, which is slightly smaller. It is also similar in size to the Chrysler PT Cruiser, although the Matrix has slightly less interior storage capacity due to its lower roofline.
And it's mainly that roofline that draws the eye. In a reverse wedge shape, the roof slopes down at the back while the belt line along the lower edge of the side windows slopes up, creating a sleek wedge shape to the windows.
The tailgate opens as a liftgate, similar to that of an SUV or minivan, and the frameless backlight (rear window) can be opened separately for quick access.
The 2005 models get a new front bumper and grille that conveys a feeling of aggressiveness. In the rear, new clear lens combination lamps provide a sportier appearance.
The front of the Matrix has a purposeful looking nose with a relatively high hood line accentuated by a big grille. Engine cooling is achieved through a large aperture under the front bumper which features two small foglights.
A wide track, along with generous tires fill the wheel wells nicely, helping give the Matrix an aggressive look. New wheel covers on the XR grade add to the sporty theme. All in all it's a car that looks substantial despite its relatively small size.
Interior Features
Sitting in a Toyota Matrix is somewhat like sitting in an SUV, with upright seating and a commanding view of the road ahead.
The driver will find that the cockpit is unlike that of other Toyota cars. It's all but identical to the Pontiac Vibe, even down to the American Delco radio.
Four pods in front of the steering wheel house deeply set gauges. The gauges glow red at all times, even during the daytime, as insufficient ambient light reaches them. Chrome rims accentuate each pod. Plastic trim designed to look like brushed aluminum surrounds the switches on the dashboard and adorns the door panels. The combined radio and CD player sits directly to the right of the instrument pod, with the heating and ventilation controls immediately below.
The shifter is just a few inches from the steering wheel, conveniently located more than a foot off the floor in a position that's become fashionable in high-performance rally cars as well as the Lexus RX luxury crossover SUV.
There's 15 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. The rear seat is split 60/40 and pressing a button flips the seat down easily to provide a completely flat floor capable of holding 53 cubic feet of cargo. The cargo floor is finished in a hard ribbed plastic designed to offer easy cleanup. An XR 4WD model we drove came with a carpeted cargo mat ($56) that did a much better job of keeping cargo from sliding around, however. The cargo floor features four slots that contain movable hooks that can be used to tie down goods. There are several other tie-downs positioned along the sides. Storage compartments and cargo nets provide owners with maximum utility. All of this makes the interior as versatile as any station wagon and better than most SUVs. Even the front passenger seat can be folded down to provide another flat surface for storage, albeit at a higher level than the rest of the floor.
With its high roofline, the Matrix offers plenty of headroom for tall drivers and passengers. Shorter passengers sitting in the rear seats might find the view slightly claustrophobic due to the small side windows.
One cool feature is the available 115-volt power outlet located in the front dashboard alongside a regular 12-volt outlet. It's a low-power AC plug suitable for powering a laptop computer, but it isn't capable of running power tools.
Driving Impressions
Despite its boxy looks there is no denying that the Toyota Matrix is a sporty car.
The standard engine revs nicely. Although the Matrix is quite light, the base engine only delivers 130 horsepower. However, for those who enjoy shifting a lot, it's fun to drive when equipped with the manual transmission. Shifting the manual transmission is smooth and easy. Although it might seem that the upright seating position and the high-mounted gearshift would take some getting used to, this is not the case. Equipped with the five-speed manual, the Matrix with the standard engine gets an EPA-estimated 29/35 mpg City/Highway.
Even with the automatic transmission it feels peppy around town. The engine is buzzy, which will appeal to younger buyers but might become a little annoying to older people.
Steering is precise. And though the center of gravity is relatively high, it doesn't lean much in corners. It feels like a sporty compact car. That's not surprising as it uses many components straight from the sporty Toyota Celica.
In keeping with the car's sporty attributes, the brakes are effective.
We also drove the sporty XRS with the 180-horsepower engine. The power increase comes from improved breathing by using Toyota's variable-valve timing and lift setup. At low revs the engine delivers no more performance than the standard 130-horsepower engine. The real power comes into play between 6000 and 8400 rpm, so you need to keep it wound up in the upper part of the rev range to tap into its performance. The six-speed gearbox comes from the Celica and uses the same gear ratios, but the Matrix uses taller tires effectively giving it taller gears. So you need to wind it up before shifting into the next gear to enjoy good acceleration performance. We quickly grew tired of the high-revving engine, however. We found that the XRS was not nearly as pleasant as the XR. The 130-hp engine seems a better match for the Matrix than the high-strung 180-hp engine.
Four-wheel-drive models are not as sporty as the two-wheel-drive models. As noted, all-wheel drive is only available with an automatic transmission and the 123-hp engine. With more weight (185 pounds) and slightly less power than the front-drive models, plus the friction from the all-wheel-drive system, the 4WD models do not accelerate as quickly. It's still peppy, though, and the all-wheel provides superior traction on snow, ice and slippery pavement. The Matrix XR 4WD automatic is rated 26/31 mpg.
Toyota Matrix is a sporty wagon that offers utility and style at an affordable price. We prefer the base and XR models to the XRS, which features a more powerful engine with a peaky powerband.
|Model Line Overview
|Model lineup:
|Toyota Matrix ($14,760); AT ($15,560); 4WD AT ($17,295); XR ($16,240); XR AT ($17,070); XR 4WD AT ($18,635); XRS ($18,750)
|130-hp 1.8-liter dohc 16v inline-4; 180-hp 1.8-liter dohc 16v inline-4
|5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic; 6-speed manual
|Safety equipment (standard):
|dual front airbags
|Safety equipment (optional):
|curtain side airbags and seat-mounted side-impact airbags; ABS, EBD; all-wheel drive
|Basic warranty:
|3 years/36,000 miles
|Assembled in:
|Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
|Specifications As Tested
|Model tested (MSPR):
|Toyota Matrix XR 4WD automatic ($18,635)
|Standard equipment:
|air conditioning w filter, AM/FM/CD with four speakers, power windows, power mirrors, power door locks, tilt steering column, power steering, intermittent wipers, remote keyless entry with remote tailgate release, 115-volt power outlet, 60/40 split rear seats, outside temperature gauge, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, cargo nets and track system with tie-down hooks, rear-window defogger with timer, tonneau cover, ABS w EBD
|Options as tested (MSPR):
|curtain airbags and side-impact airbags ($645); Extra Value Package 2 ($880) includes 16-in aluminum wheels w P205/55R16 tires, power sunroof, cruise control, fog lamps, front and rear spoilers; AM/FM/6CD w 6 speakers ($240)
|Destination charge:
|Gas guzzler tax:
|Price as tested (MSPR):
|four-wheel drive
|1.8-liter dohc 16v inline-4
|Horsepower (lb.-ft @ rpm):
|123 @ 6000
|Torque (lb.-ft @ rpm):
|118 @ 4200
|4-speed automatic
|EPA fuel economy, city/hwy:
|26/31 mpg
|102.4 in.
|171.3/69.5/60.6 in.
|Track, f/r:
|59.6/59.1 in.
|Turning circle:
|35.5 ft.
|Seating Capacity:
|Head/hip/leg room, f:
|40.6/51.7/41.8 in.
|Head/hip/leg room, m:
|Head/hip/leg room, r:
|39.8/47.8/36.3 in.
|Cargo volume:
|53.2 cu. ft.
|Towing capacity:
|1,500 Lbs.
|Suspension, f:
|Suspension, r:
|Ground clearance:
|5.9 in.
|Curb weigth:
|2943 lbs.
|Brakes, f/r:
|disc/drum w ABS, EBD
|Fuel capacity:
|11.9 gal.
|Unless otherwise indicated, specifications refer to test vehicle. All prices are manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSPR) effective as of July 30, 2004.Prices do not include manufacturer's destination and delivery charges. N/A: Information not available or not applicable. Manufacturer Info Sources: 1-800-GO TOYOTA - www.toyota.com
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text: The Athena Award for Continuing Education (ACE) Association celebrates the 8th annual year of the Athena ACE Scholarship. Application forms are available in the "Application" section on our website, www.athenaace.org and can be submitted electronically to firstname.lastname@example.com or by mail to the following address:Athena ACE AssociationP.O. Box 744Geneva, New York 14456 Applications for the scholarship will be accepted until Saturday, June 25th at 4:00 pm.The scholarship is open to women ages 25 and older that are enrolled (or plan to be enrolled) in a qualified educational program by September 30, 2016, and, who live in eastern Ontario, Seneca or Yates counties. Qualified educational programs may include: formal higher education (college degree) programs or any certification or training program (including a GED) that is necessary for the recipient to advance in her career or pursue a stated career goal. The Athena ACE Scholarship supports women developing their capacity for leadership in our community by pursuing additional education. The scholarship will be awarded to one or more women that demonstrate the qualities promoted by the ATHENA International program: excellence, creativity and initiative in her profession, valuable service by contributing time and energy to her community, and assistance to other women in reaching their full potential. The Athena ACE Association will award up to $2500 in scholarship assistance. The recipient(s) will be announced in August, 2016.


text:
cigarette(redirected from cigaret)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia.
cigarette(sometimes US), cigaret
a short tightly rolled cylinder of tobacco, wrapped in thin paper and often having a filter tip, for smoking
i. A unit of illumination for intensity equal approximately to the luminous intensity of a 7/8-in sperm candle burning at 120 grains.
ii. The failure of a parachute to deploy because the rigging lines are fouled. Also called a cigarette or a streamer.
ii. The failure of a parachute to deploy because the rigging lines are fouled. Also called a cigarette or a streamer.
final favor granted one about to die. [Pop. Cult.: Misc.]
See: Execution
The interpretation of this symbol, as with all others, depends on your relationship with cigarettes. If you are a smoker or are surrounded by smokers, cigarettes may be a regular part of your daily life that has been brought into your dream state. Cigarettes could represent anything from phallic symbols and symbols of pleasure to tools of destruction. Generally, the cigarette is an object that carries social and emotional significance. When we are teenagers, we associate them with being "cool, " daring, and defiant. For some adults they become a way of life where all emotions seem to be punctuated with cigarettes. Finally, as adults come into touch with their own physical mortality, cigarettes become dreadful objects, and smoking becomes a terrible burden and curse. When interpreting the dream with cigarettes in it, ask yourself what cigarettes mean to you.


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heinrichfritz13 wrote:actaully there is.. this early production king tiger . is it possible to change it's colors. maybe replace this with the one that you removed the early production king tiger without side skirts.. where the upper tracks are visible.. i like that one. because this one looks like a wreck when you zoom out..
Well, we will not change the game or units because you like that one better, and if you zoom out and it look like a wreck means your graphic settings aren't well set, im pretty sure you are in ultra with the shaders, and your model details cursor isn't at 100% right?


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Discount Overseas Adventure Travel
Click Here To E-Mail Jesse Slome
And Get The $100 Grand Circle Travel Discount Code
Learn about short-term care insurance.? Read this now! Click Here Now
The National Critical Illness Insurance Summit
The National Critical Illness Insurance Summit
The Association has started planning a one and a half day conference exclusively focused on critical illness insurance.
Three tracks: Individual CII - Worksite CII - Sales and Marketing of CII Products
This will be a highly affordable event bringing together the nation's leading CII experts. We will likely limit attendance to about 200 and expect Early Registration to be in the $499 range.
please call Jesse Slome at 818-597-3205.
You can Email: Click Here To Email Jesse Slome
Ask to be added to my Email Update List.
Learn About Critical Illness Insurance
Get Best Cost Quote For Critical Illness Insurance From Top Insurers
The American Association for Critical Illness Insurance is the nation's leading source for information on critical illness protection.
Information for Consumers: You can read all about critical illness insurance in the nation's #1 Consumer Information Center. Get the facts. See what insurance costs. Request a free, no-obligation quote from the Association's designated experts.
Today 4,000 American men and women will hear the life changing words "you have cancer." Today, 2,100 people just like you will have a heart attack. Today, almost 2,000 people will have a stroke and be rushed to the hospital.
Today thousands of lives will change. Thousands more will change tomorrow ... and the day after ... and the day after that.
Costly illnesses trigger about half of all personal bankruptcies, and most of those who go bankrupt because of medical problems have health insurance, according to a Harvard University study. Even if you have great insurance, you will have to pay insurance deductibles and co-pays. You'll pay for care, medications and alternative treatments that are not covered. Your paycheck will stop or be reduced. You'll still need to pay the rent, the mortgage and everyday expenses. If you are self-employed or own a business, the financial toll can be devastating to everything you worked to create.
Today you can find out more about an affordable way to receive a lump-sum cash benefit upon the diagnosis of a critical illness or condition. Critical illness insurance pays a cash benefit even if you make a full recovery.
The first critical illness insurance policy was sold in the U.S. in 1996 and today approximately 1 million Americans have this protection. Our Association was founded to provide consumers with current and unbiased information. For financial professionals, we offer training, marketing and sales information and tools. There is a wealth of information on our organization's website. If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to contact us.
Today is a good day to get the information you need to protect tomorrow.
Critical Illness Insurance Association Partners With Emerge To Connect ConsumersAugust 1st, 2017
Los Angeles, CA – July 19, 2017 – To help consumers obtain information and critical illness insurance costs the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance has partnered with Emerge, a digital insurance broker. "Critical illness insurance sales are growing faster than nearly any other insurance product," states Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for [...]
New Travel Discount Website Launched For Overseas Adventurew Travel DiscountsOctober 19th, 2016
Plans for a series of new travel discount websites was announced today by Jesse Slome director of the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance.
Grand Circle Travel Discount Offer Extended by Critical Illness Insurance AssociationMarch 1st, 2015
Travelers looking to take their first cruise or land tour with Grand Circle Travel tours can qualify for a special $100 discoun
Cheap E&O Insurance Now Available With Free MembershipJuly 17th, 2012
Low cost E&O program starts at $515 per-year, new agents included
Critical Illness Insurance Claims Often Begin Prior To Age 55May 3rd, 2012
Cancer is the leading reason critical illness claims often begin prior to age 55.
See All Archived Association News »
What Does Critical Illness Insurance Cost?
This is one of the questions we are asked most and the short answer is, "it varies" based on your age when you apply, you health when you apply, whether you are a man or woman and whether you use tobacco products.
We have several pages in our Consumer Information Center that talk about how much critical illness insurance protection you should consider and a page that even offers cost-ranges for critical illness insurance protection.
Many financial experts will advise that you consider coverage equal to 2 or 3 years of mortgage payments + any credit card balances you may want to pay off. That's a good plan of coverage that will provide great peace of mind at a time when you want to focus on your recovery and not your bills.
The American Association for Critical Illness Insurance is the national organization exclusively focused on educating consumers and insurance professionals.
U.S. Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA


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…a town setting that is part of a vast landscape. Westport is known historically as "A gateway to the Adirondack Mountains."
The location of Westport New York on Lake Champlain and its close proximity to the Adirondack high country and the Green Mountains of Vermont create a regional setting of outstanding beauty, a striking image of a Town close to nature. This regional setting is part of a vast landscape system stretching along a north-south axis from Montreal to Albany, consisting of the 136 miles of Lake Champlain and the lake valley, the Northway Interstate I-87, and the Amtrak rail line.
The center of Westport New York is just four miles east of the Westport Exit 31. Westport is also accessible via the Crown Point Bridge and the Essex- Charlotte Ferry– both twelve miles from the center of Town. The edges of this long valley are formed by the two mountain ranges. The Town of Westport New York is one of the settlement nodes along this landscape and is located where the Champlain shoreline at Northwest Bay, the Northway and the Amtrak station converge to within five miles of one another.
- July 4th Parade, Ike Tyler wespt254
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- July 4th Parade, Westport Fire Department wespt254
- Our Blue Ribbon-Winning Apples wespt254
- Camel's Hump with Gulls wespt254
- Dawn on Lake Champlain wespt254
- Dawn Over Lake Champlain wespt254
- Fishing off the Dock wespt254
- Lake Champlain wespt254
- Last Weekend for Sailboats wespt254
- Magical Autumn Morning wespt254