DYoung

Zac- I agree! We're kind of in a boat that has no direction right now. What frustrates me even more is this- 1. Hurricane Ike may be something that will open the eyes of more Americans. The potential of a Gas shortage has stations boosting prices up by as much as 2.00 OVERNIGHT!!!! It's taken a long time for oil to come down, and in two days time it looks to start climbing and possibly peak once more. 2. We have our reserves here. OPEC has even stated that there is no need for oil to be at 70.00 per barrel!! That's OPEC saying this! They're not stupid. They know that if we even STRAT to drill and build more refineries, that'll put them behind, so what will they be forced to do? Put more oil on th emarket thus, dropping the price per barrel. 3. Oil speculators on the floor at the TYSE and teh NYSE, are driving oil up! There HAS to be a ceiling as it pertains to energy futures. The next President would be wise to enact something that forces these regulators to stop rising fuel costs because someone farted in Saudi Arabia, so oil just got bumped an extra .75 per barrel.... 4. A Cold War is coming. This time it won't be Nukes, or the threat of Nuclaer War. The next war will be fought on who controls the most energy, and what they can do with it. Mark my words.....

(CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday he is recalling his own ambassador from Washington and expelling the U.S. ambassador from Venezuela. President Hugo Chavez said he was making the moves "in solidarity with Bolivia and the people of Bolivia." "He has 72 hours, from this moment, the Yankee ambassador in Caracas, to leave Venezuela," Chavez told a crowd of supporters. The president said he was making the moves "in solidarity with Bolivia and the people of Bolivia." Bolivia's Evo Morales accused the United States Thursday of fomenting a coup d'etat by rich eastern department landowners against him, the country's first Indian president. "We have seen reports about President Chavez's remarks but have not received any official diplomatic communication," said Gordon Duguid, a State Department spokesman. "Our embassy in Caracas is looking into these reports." Also Thursday, Chavez accused the United States of having backed a coup plot against him. "When there's a new government in the United States, we'll send an ambassador," he said. "A government that respects Latin America." Earlier Thursday, Chavez said he has uncovered a U.S.-backed plot to remove him from power. "It's the empire that's behind this," he told supporters in a nationally televised address. "They go around looking for a way to stop our revolution and, with it, to strike all the processes of change that are occurring in our Americas, in the Caribbean, in Central America." Chavez then played a four-minute tape of what he said were conversations among current and retired members of the Venezuelan military discussing whom they could count on to support a movement against the presidential palace. Chavez, who was briefly detained in a failed 2002 coup attempt, said the former plotters "are the same people involved in this coup attempt. Behind them is the American empire." But he said the presence of two Russian warplanes on Venezuelan soil for a training exercise "is a warning" to the rest of the world that Venezuela's allies include Russia and other countries. Chavez added that, should any country in Latin America be overthrown, he would interpret that to be "the green light to undertake military operations of any sort in those countries, and restore power back to the people." And he had a message for President Bush, beseeching him, to "go wherever you have to go and leave the Latin-American people alone." He added, "If they kill me, my God, I don't fear for me, but for what comes after." Oh wait... It get's better- CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Lawmakers loyal to President Hugo Chavez gave final approval on Thursday to a bill allowing the Venezuelan government to seize total control of the nation's fuel distribution. Presidents Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela discussed oil issues last week. Under the law, distributors including subsidiaries of British Petroleum, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp., will have 60 days to negotiate the sale of their businesses to the government or face expropriation. The National Assembly, which is controlled by Chavez allies, approved the legislation with a near-unanimous vote. Seven lawmakers belonging to Podemos, the only opposition party represented in the 167-seat assembly, voted against the bill. The law permits Venezuela's state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, to take over all wholesale fuel distribution, but allows 67 percent of the country's gas stations to be privately owned. It also forces wholesale distributors to sell storage tanks and gasoline pumps to PDVSA. Under Chavez, the socialist government has nationalized Venezuela's largest telephone, electricity, steel and cement companies and has assumed majority control over four major oil projects. Notice the "red" in the clothes, hats and gloves. Coincidence? I think not. <_< Critics say the move could cause shortages at gas stations because the government is not prepared to take full control over distribution. But Chavez has defended the law, accusing operators of making an easy buck at the country's expense. Angel Rodriguez, a pro-Chavez lawmaker, said PDVSA plans to spend $325 million to acquire 1,200 fuel transport trucks currently owned by private wholesalers. The remaining 10 percent is controlled by smaller Venezuelan companies. Trebol Vice President Orlando Gonzalez said wholesale fuel distributors would cooperate with Chavez's administration as the state takeover proceeds, but they hope to remain active in the business. "We will continue making alternative proposals to continue operating without being wholesalers," Gonzalez said. "The game isn't over. ________________________________________________________________________________ Why this guy still in power?! With Russian warplanes in his country, and with him threatening to distribute oil at his own discretion, and with Russia controlling much of Europes oil, we need to drill our own here in the U.S., while looking for alternative fueling of our vehicles and homes. Whomever becomes the next President of the United States, is in for a tall order. But hey, if Obama comes into power, expect a Socialist government much like the one in Russia, and now in Venezuela.... Sleep tight tonight, for the world will be a different place tomorrow.....

We do the same thing here in FL- It's Called Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks...pecialEventPage We've been going for the past 2 years. Only drag is that you'll have Disney employees telling you that you can't wear your helmet. One year it was every 20 nsteps, we had an employee say that we can't wear our helmets. Mind you, we had Vader with us.... Last year they said the same thing! One of us said, "Why can't we wear our helmets?" The Disney employee said that they don't allow helmets or masks to be worn. One of the guys then spoke up and said, "You mean to tell me that you're going to go to every one of these kids tonight and tell them to take off their masks?!" The employee turned away and left. Troops here are some rules/tips you'll need to know if you plan on doing this- 1. DONT bring Vader in there... You won't go very far. We made that mistake our first year. 2. You can pose for pictures for about 5 minutes then you must "move along". Sorry I couldn't resist. Seriously though, as long as you take some quick snaps and don't impede any traffic flow you're ok. 3. DO NOT take photo ops within 50 feet of Disney characters. The mouse doesn't like it. 4. DO NOT sign any autographs! The mouse doesn't like that either. We're not Disney staff or personnel. 5. Plan on taking some time out to eat and refresh yourself. I know that WDW has an AWESOME fireworks show around 1000pm. I don't know if Disneyland does as well. 6. Just a little FYI- Plan on being mobbed by people WANTING photos. As long as you're quick about it. The mouse doesn't mind. 7. They have trick or treating stations throughout the park, where they hand out free candy and you can take a photo op with your favorite character. 8. They have 2 parades. Make sure you're not in distance or you won't go through for a while. 9. One thing that works for us- We make reservations at one of the resorts. We tell the guard when we get there that we're there for dinner and they'll let you through. Once in the parking lot, we all meet at a designated area in the parking lot, and get suited up. We walk in the park, and walk out together. We all then get the armor off and have a very early breakfast at an IHOP or Denny's..... 10. It's worth the price, and it really is loads of fun!

Simply AWESOME!!

OH SNAP!!!

Whoops! I missed the earlier thread....

Troops you have to check this out! Good day brothers and sisters, I want to share some photos of my new RIDE. Starting mid April, I've been putting all my efforts into HER for Celebration Japan. I'm sorry, this was why I was slow in replying emails. She is approximately 4.5 meters long, 2.5 meters wide (including the base), 1.8 meters high and weigh about 400 kilograms. Full fiberglass body with metal framework and base so people can even sit on the back and take photos. I used more than 2200 lbs. (1 ton) of clay just to sculpt her. Unfortunately I did not like Special Edition CGI version... So I decided to do a hybrid version of an original ANH head and Gentle Giant body. As far as I know, in ANH the body was just a crappy rhino body... SPECIAL THANKS my crew and those who supported me to make this happen! More photos are coming after CJ. Please let me know what you think. Best regards, Goro These last two won't link up, but YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!!! http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f107/Gor...ite/baby-13.jpg http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f107/Gor...ite/baby-14.jpg OMG!!!!!

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Consider it "Star Wars III and a Half" -- complete with a pivotal plot twist. Attendees at the E3 Summit check out the Playstation 3 booth When LucasArts releases "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" on Sept. 16, the video game will serve as George Lucas' official median between 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" and 1977's "Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope." In the game, players become Darth Vader's secret apprentice and use The Force to hunt the remaining Jedi. "Force Unleashed" allows gamers use supercharged Force powers to bust through objects, wield a lightsaber, blast lighting bolts and fling around foes. The game will also change the way fans view "Episode IV" through "Episode VI -- Return of the Jedi," LucasArts project lead Haden Blackman told The Associated Press at the E3 Business and Media Summit. "There's a couple of big twists and turns in the story," said Blackman. "One revelation in particular really impacts the rest of the saga as a whole. It goes way beyond filling in gaps. We try to make a bridge on every level. The story has a real implications on 'Episode IV.' In some ways, without the apprentice, 'Episode IV' couldn't happen." Versions of "The Force Unleashed" will be available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2. Blackman and his team worked with Lucas to craft the original saga, which mixes both pre-established elements from the "Star Wars" universe as well as new characters, locales and details from game developers. Watch highlights from the E3 Summit » "We pitched a number of different story ideas and concepts to him," said Blackman. "With him, we picked and chose the strongest elements. As we worked on 'The Force Unleashed,' he encouraged us to create new characters as well use existing characters. He told us, 'If you're going to use Vader, that's fine, but here's how you can use him."' In the first level, players will plow through the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk as Darth Vader. Subsequent levels find players serving as Vader's apprentice and traveling to such locales as a TIE Fighter construction facility, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the overgrown planet of Felucia and back to an Empire ravaged Kashyyyk. "Story-wise, we left some openings for a sequel," said Blackman. "The concept of 'The Force Unleashed' could be taken in any direction. We could potentially do a 'Force Unleashed' game set in a different 'Star Wars' time period with a new storyline. We were definitely cognizant to leave some doors open at the end." Lucas will premiere the new computer-animated film "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," which takes place between "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" and "Episode III," on August 10. The film will be pegged to a new weekly animated TV series as well as new "Clone Wars" video games for both the Nintendo DS and the Wii. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I CAN'T WAIT FOR IT'S RELEASE!!!!

How did I NOT see this thread?! AWESOME lead on the boots. Question though- Could you use spraypaint, and if so what kind? Flat? Semi-Gloss? Gloss?

SAHWEET pics! Thanks for sharing!!

Alright- I'm getting ******* ******! Oil closed out at 132.00 a ******* barrell!!! Watch this video, and it'll get you even more fired up! You'll love this- http://money.cnn.com/video/#/video/news ... l.cnnmoney You can thank those ***** on the NYSE for some of the blame. The other two-thirds? Our Government for being ******* shortsighted, and OPEC and others for limiting the amount of oil being pumped that's creating a strain on the world economy. What gets me is that we give the Saudi's military weapons, and we're helping them build nuclear power facilities, while they're paying .93 per gallon, and they're still ******* us! WTF?!? Time to strong arm those fuckers, and say enough is ******* enough. Don't call us the next time one of your "brethren" countries decides to invade your sorry *****.... In closing, it's time for our Government to get off their ******* high horses, and allow us to drill and find more resources, while we have the time to figure out cheaper and more effiecent ways to power our machines. A revolution is a healthy thing once in a while... I'll almost be as bold to say, that if gas gets too high, you might see some leaders "fall" from power. I'm not sayin' it, I'm just sayin'.......... :cuss:

Agreed! Thanks to our weakening economy/dollar, and the rising cost of gas, and food, a new shirt is the last thing on my list. If only times were a tad bit better.....

I have a copy of that same poster. I'm making a new MEPD decal out of it....

I won't kick that blonde out of bed for eating crackers! WHOA NELLIE!!!

Why does Cancer always hit the good people? Why can't it affect the scum of the Earth? Why is always the good people?! One of my first questions when it comes my turn to see the man upstairs.....

I'm in as well....

For the love of Pete man! Will you please announce your candidacy for President so I can vote for you?!

Great points Seth! Why aren't there people like you running for office? I mean, far be it, that we actually elect a responsible, straight forward thinking candidate....

Doug, if you decide to run for President.... YOU'LL HAVE MY VOTE!!!!

It's getting worse.... NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks tumbled Friday, resulting in the second worst day of 2008, after AIG's record loss added to worries about the financial sector and more weak economic news intensified fears about a recession. According to early tallies, the Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost about 315 points, or 2.5%. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) index lost 2.7% and the Nasdaq composite (COMP) fell 2.6%. Treasury prices rallied, sending yields higher, as investors sought safety in the comparatively safer haven of government debt, while the dollar held near a record low versus the euro. Oil prices dipped after topping all-time highs over $103 a barrel during the session. Gold prices jumped too. "It's a debacle today," said Dave Rovelli, managing director of U.S. equity trading at Canaccord Adams. "There's just no good news out there." AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) reported a steep $5.3 billion quarterly loss after the market close Thursday and said it took an $11 billion writedown related to big losses in investments tied to bad mortgage bets. Shares of the Dow component tumbled 7% Friday. Brokerage UBS said financial firms could end up facing $600 billion in losses as the credit crisis continues to unfold. Banks, brokers and insurers have already lost more than $160 billion related to bad mortgage bets. UBS also cut its first-quarter earnings estimates on a number of investment banks. Also late Thursday, Dell (DELL, Fortune 500) reported quarterly profit that fell from a year earlier and missed estimates, due to a number of charges it took in the quarter. The company was also cautious about its outlook, saying it was seeing some large customers hold back on purchases. Shares dipped 4% Friday. "We got some horrible news today with UBS and AIG, then you also have Dell, oil, everything else, and this market is just looking to sell off," said Greg Church, president at Church Capital. Bond insurers get a mix of news. CNBC reported that a proposed $2.5 billion bailout of troubled bond insurer Ambac Financial has hit some significant snags, sending Ambac (ABK) shares 7.5% lower and adding to economic worries. Rival MBIA (MBI) slumped too. Also dealing a blow to Ambac and MBIA was news that billionaire investor Wilbur Ross said he was injecting up to $1 billion in rival bond insurer Assured Guaranty (AGO). Assured stock rose 14%. Church said that some good news on the bond insurers in the near term could temper fears a bit. Yet, worries are going to remain in place because of the uncertainty about the depth and extent of the housing and credit market crises. Economic news mostly negative. The Chicago PMI, a report on manufacturing in the Midwest, fell more than expected, sliding to 44.5 in February from 51.5 in the previous month, marking a more than six-year low. Economists thought it would fall to 49.5. Any number below 50 indicates weakness in the sector. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index was revised up slightly to 70.8 in February from an earlier read of 69.6, the lowest level since the early 1990s. Sentiment stood at 78 in January. Both personal income and personal spending rose more than expected in January, the Commerce Department reported. But the report pointed to signs of inflation pressure. Income rose 0.3% after gaining 0.5% in December. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com thought income would rise 0.2%. Spending grew 0.4% after gaining 0.3% in December, versus expectations for a rise of 0.2%. Core PCE, the report's inflation component, grew 0.3%, as expected, after rising 0.2% in December. But the measure, which tracks prices paid by consumers for goods other than food and energy, jumped 2.2% versus a year earlier. That's above the 1% to 2% range for that indicator that the Federal Reserve is said to prefer. Eye on the Fed. The Fed has cut interest rates steadily since September, leaving the fed funds rate, a key bank lending rate, at 3%. Wall Streeters expect the bank to cut rates by another half-percentage point at the upcoming meeting on March 18. However, in recent congressional testimony, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke indicated that rising inflation was making it harder for the Fed to continue cutting rates to stimulate the sluggish economy. New York, Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and Frederic Mishkin, a member of the Federal Reserve board of governors Fed Governor Frederic Mishkin and Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren - speaking at a housing conference - said the crisis in the sector could hurt the economy more severely than it already has if steps aren't taken soon to correct it. (Full story). St. Louis Fed Bank President William Poole spoke at the same conference in the afternoon. Poole said the Fed has a responsibility to help out borrowers who got themselves into trouble, but less so the financial firms. On the move. Stocks declines were broad based, with all 30 Dow components sliding, led by AIG. Other big losers included Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), JP Morgan (JPM, Fortune 500) and American Express (AXP, Fortune 500). Elsewhere in the financial sector, MF Global (MF) slumped 18% in active trade, falling for a second session after admitting it lost $141.5 million after a rogue trader made unauthorized bets. Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and UBS all downgraded the stock and Moody's and S&P cut their ratings on the company's debt Friday. Telecom Sprint Nextel (S, Fortune 500) tumbled 10% in active New York Stock Exchange trade after S&P put the company on a watch list for a potential downgrade because of the subscribers its losing. On Thursday, the wireless carrier reported a fourth-quarter loss versus a profit a year ago, said it lost 100,000 subscribers in the quarter and forecast it would lose 1.2 million subscriptions in the first quarter, topping forecasts. Among other movers, shares of R.H. Donnelley (RHD) plunged for a second session after Bear Stearns and Deutsche Securities downgraded the stock of the phone book publisher and search engine operator. R.H. Donnelley slumped Thursday as well after reporting fourth-quarter earnings that missed forecasts and issuing a first-quarter outlook that is shy of expectations. On the upside, Gap shares gained 4% in active trade after reporting higher quarterly income that met forecasts. In the late Thursday announcement, the clothing retailer also said its board had authorized a $1 billion share buyback plan. Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers topped winners six to one on volume of 1.26 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners topped advancers three to one on volume of 2.04 billion shares. Other markets. U.S. light crude oil for April delivery fell 75 cents to settle at $101.84 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after ending the previous session at a record close of $102.59. The front-month contract touched a new trading high of $103.05 in electronic trading. COMEX gold for April delivery rallied $7.50 to settle at $975 an ounce. Treasury prices jumped, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 3.53% from 3.66% late Thursday. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. In currency trading, the dollar touched a fresh all-time low versus the euro before recovering a bit. The greenback hit a three-year low against the yen.

Agreed. One thing that I think people are afraid to do though, is speak up. People are afraid of being called conspiracy theorists and whack jobs. Even when I raise some concerns to my live-in girlfriend, she looks at me as-if I'm an alarmist and going off the deep end. Yet everything I raise to her is clearly documented and researched. If we get this kind of reaction at home, I can see why we're afraid to voice our opinions and outrage publicly. (The following is not a political agenda, just an example.) Take Ron Paul for example. He talks about common-sense stuff that many people dismiss as non-sense. For example, when he talks about the Federal Reserve and our constitutional rights being eroded, he's not making stuff up. He's telling people exactly what they DON'T want to know because it's too painful. For that reason alone, he'll never be president. Instead of making people feel good, he's telling us how dire things are right now and that radical change is needed to make things better. A Revolution is good from time to time......

I just threw up in my mouth..... You have to remember that the Europeans tax the heck out of gas, that is why it is so expensive... for example, the average in the UK, it was 95.1p per litre about but 63.7p per litre was tax, 67% TAX... http://www.petrolprices.com/fuel-tax.html In the UK, the obvious targets for tax increases is gas, cigarettes and beer... I think I just **** my pants.....

I just threw up in my mouth.....

Gotta love Glenn Beck!

In today's news- Other markets. U.S. light crude oil for April delivery rose $2.95 to settle at $102.59 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a record close. The price of oil also hit a record trading high of $102.97 a barrel during the session. COMEX gold for April delivery rose $6.50 to settle at $967.50 an ounce. Treasury prices rallied, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 3.70% from 3.84% late Wednesday. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. In currency trading, the dollar touched a fresh all-time low versus the euro and also declined against the yen.