The site requires some maintenance that I've been putting off due to time constraints. The site should be down some time between Wednesday (the 29th of June) and Tuesday (the 5th of July). I plan to make the changes quickly so the site shouldn't be down for long. So, if you come here and the site doesn't load, you know what's going on.

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Palin, I believe, is honest in her concern for the United States and wants to help put things back in order.

Recently there has been a ridiculous media blitz trying to find something that Palin has said, or emailed that might be used against her. A few newspapers actually solicited their readers in helping to pour through more than 24,000 emails made by Palin while she was governor of Alaska. The hope was to find something provocative or damaging in the emails.

To believe that Palin would have made inappropriate emails, you would have to believe that she is a fraud and doesn't believe what she says. This, of course, gets into the psychology of the people who want to bring her down.

People have a tendency to project themselves onto others to some extent. Take Obama voters for example. There is a very brilliant article here which explains this behavior to a fine point. Most Obama voters convinced themselves that Obama really stood for the best of whatever they themselves stood for. This projection can also work the other way. The people who were pouring through the Palin emails had to believe that she was dishonest like they are. Why else would they go through the emails expecting to find something? Why else would they put their credibility on the line if they didn't think the odds were in their favor?

By scouring 24,000 emails and coming up with nothing damaging; Sara Palin is now more effective than ever. The search for dirt has in-turn polished Sara Palin's image.

I hope that Palin knows she is most effective from the outside of any campaign. She's an interesting case. Most people I've spoken to agree nearly 100% with what Palin says, but when I ask them if she should run for president they often say, "...I like her, but I don't think she can win". People can sense that she is honest which makes it easier for them to trust her judgement --they know that she actually believes what she says.

I personally think that Sara Palin is most effective as an outside force whose endorsement holds incredible political value. If Palin does run on a presidential ticket, she would have to overcome all of the negative press she received while on the McCain ticket.

Don't get me wrong. If it were a race between Sara Palin and Obama, I would vote for Palin without a second thought.

Tell me what you think...

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Something that most people don't even consider. "Green" is not always the best way to go. At least not without a little homework.

The buildings commonly referred to as "green" could actually be hazardous to your health, according to a new report.

That's one of many warnings out of a new report from the Institute of Medicine, which tracked the potential impact of climate change on indoor environments.

The report cautions that climate change can negatively and directly affect indoor air quality in several ways. But the scientists behind the study warn that homeowners and businesses could also be making the problem worse by pursuing untested or risky energy-efficiency upgrades.

"Even with the best intentions, indoor environmental quality issues may emerge with interventions that have not been sufficiently well screened for their effects on occupant safety and health," the report said.

There are always unintended consequences when structures are modified.

To save costs and cut down on emissions, building owners typically find ways to seal off potential leaks and conserve energy. But in "weatherizing" the buildings, they also change the indoor environment.

By making buildings more airtight, building owners could increase "indoor-air contaminant concentrations and indoor-air humidity," the report said. By adding insulation, they could trigger moisture problems. By making improvements to older homes, crews could stir up hazardous material ranging from asbestos to harmful caulking -- though that problem is not unique to energy improvements.

Older homes lacking outside air intakes are susceptible to quite a few issues not seen in homes designed to be nearly air-tight. Mold could become a problem because of high humidity levels. In older homes humidity levels change relative to outside air humidity levels; this will happen to a much lesser degree once a home is sealed.

Many of the newer home air conditioning units have variable speed air handlers which allow them to control the relative humidity throughout the house along with the temperature. Older systems are simply cooling systems with no designed ability to control humidity levels.

Large commercial buildings are required by law to have a minimum supply of outside air to make sure that carbon dioxide levels don't get too high and oxygen levels too low. Most houses don't have outside air intakes. Only a few of the newest houses have outside air intakes.

Once an older home is sealed without any outside air intake it is possible for the carbon dioxide levels to increase and oxygen levels to decrease. decreased oxygen levels can create a condition similar to sleep apnea. When your blood oxygen level drops your body only has one way to increase oxygen levels --increase your heart-rate sometimes for long periods. Low blood oxygen can cause an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Take steps to improve the efficiency of your home, just consider what effect it might have on you and your family. To make an older house truly efficient is often not a cheap task. There are many products out there which claim to help you on your energy costs, but are so expensive up front; the savings are often a gimmick.

One of the best things people with older homes can do is buy a programmable thermostat to decrease the run time of their air conditioning unit when their not home. Programmable thermostats are relatively cheap now.

If you plan to make any major changes to your home, it's a good idea to call someone and have them advise you on what options are available and truly cost effective. Nobody wants to spend $10,000 to decrease their power bill by $20 a month.

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We're surrounded by philosophy everyday. Shampoo bottles even espouse philosophy. We are at a point in history where two competing philosophies are battling for control of this nation.

I don't think many people really have a problem understanding Conservative philosophy because it's so simple. The Conservative philosophy is one of personal responsibility and individual freedom. People are flawed and because of this we must have some form of government to protect individual rights.

The liberal philosophy (modern liberalism) is one that I don't quite understand. I'm beginning to think that my misunderstanding is rooted in the vagueness that is modern liberalism.

While trying to understand the liberal mindset I have noticed a few repeating trends. Again this is based on my own experience.

• Liberals tend to defend things they don't fully understand. To me it's like people who will actually get in a heated argument over a sports team. Unless you are employed by that sports team, or make your living as a bookie, it's doubtful that the team's success or record will have an effect on you in real life.
• Liberals don't know what they stand for. I have seen more liberals run from anything which could represent any sort of structured belief system, religious or not. It seems that liberals will categorize just about anything except themselves or their beliefs. I think it has to do with not wanting to be pinned down. If you stand for everything you stand for nothing.
• Liberals often talk about how open-minded they are. If someone were truly open-minded they would never consider it. True character traits are most often not noticed by those who possess them.
• Liberals often talk of self definition; a want to "find themselves". I don't understand this at all. I have never wanted to "find myself". How many experiences must someone be exposed to before they understand themselves? Why would you want to base your life on your limitations, in a few circumstances, at any given point in time. That's depressing.
• Liberals think that nothing is black and white, but that there are solutions to every problem. It amazes me how many people I've talked to who say, "...someone will come along and fix it, they always do". Believing that someone will always correct things is dangerous. To believe that "someone will always fix it" means that you are putting your faith blindly in some unnamed person or persons to solve an issue. To follow man blindly means that you must believe man is naturally good, or naturally looks out for the best interest of others.

All of these traits are not necessarily negative, however; I would want none of them in a leader.

It seems to me that liberals are incapable of making most philosophical decisions as an individual. Liberals shun personal responsibility because someone else knows what's best, and will eventually come around and fix things for them. Perhaps that's why they are comfortable with someone else making the decisions for them.

When it comes to philosophy I would rather have a leader who believes that philosophical choices are individual choices -- not to be mandated. - Jeff Michaels

There's something deeply wrong with wanting others to provide for you; to take the fall for you. There's also something deeply wrong with those who want to control people because of their reliance on others. There's something downright evil about teaching people to rely on others as a direct means of controlling them. - Jeff Michaels

One more thing to consider. The most notable modern historical Conservative philosophers are The Founding Fathers of the United States of America. The most notable modern historical leftist philosopher is Karl Heinrich Marx. Which of these philosophies have most contributed to improving the human condition?

Tell me what you think...

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With all of the protesting in Egypt it's hard to keep track of who's doing what. In the midst of all this; there are some important news articles that most Americans are not seeing.

CAIRO (AP) -- About 10,000 protesters returned to downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square Friday for what they called a "second revolution," calling for Egypt's military rulers to speed up the pace of democratic reforms in a country that is still charting its political future.

Protesters carried banners reading the "Egyptian revolution is not over" and chanted the slogan.

This doesn't sound so bad does it. Just more "Arab Spring" right?

The military's leadership of the country's democratic transition has left many protesters dissatisfied.

"I came here because I didn't feel that Egypt changed," technician Raafat Hendi said, under huge posters calling for a new constitution.

Some critics accuse the military rulers of collaborating with the former regime and being too lenient in its prosecution of Mubarak, his family and regime members.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's best organized political force, opposed the protest and called it an attempt to drive a wedge between the military and the people. The Brotherhood's absence will test the ability of liberal and secular groups to launch their own sustained opposition movement.

Is the writer of this article saying that the earlier protests in Egypt were organized by the Muslim Brotherhood? I thought that the protests were organized by people who simply wanted freedom, that's what I was told in news report after news report.

The Brotherhood, banned in 1954, became a political force after renouncing violence in the 1970s. Eventually it became the most formidable opponent to Mubarak's regime, though it was still banned as a political party.

When Mubarak fell, the Brotherhood stood ready with a huge network of social services and supporters.

Thousands of protesters marched in other Egyptian cities like Alexandria and Suez, which also saw deadly clashes with security forces during the uprising. The army and police withdrew all their forces and vehicles from Suez before Friday's protest began.

It is likely that the most organized group will gain control of whatever government eventually manifests itself. The Muslim Brotherhood has been waiting for an opportunity like this for many years. Now it's time for them to act. Pay close attention to Egypt in the coming weeks.

I seriously doubt that the future Egypt will be friendly to the US or Israel.

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