Santoku Guide

A guide to Santoku knives

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New Blog Address

I've begun to use wordpress, and host my blog myself. While I will attempt to keep this version updated regularly, I suggest you take a look at the new one as well.

http://www.ywewantourworldback.com

Enjoy

Libby Pretty Much Pardoned

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence pleased but did not fully satisfy restive conservatives, while enraging his liberal critics. Libby himself can breathe a sigh of relief that he does not have to serve prison time, but hardly anybody else is all that happy.

Bush overturned the sentencing of an experienced federal Judge in this case in order to keep Libby out of jail. This was to be expected, though the timing is somewhat earlier than predicted. While there has been a long history of presidents handing out pardons and commutations, this one comes at a time when one would expect Bush to be less heavy-handed with his use of executive privilege.

Proponents of The Bush Administration cite the fact that this is the first time in his 7 year tenure that Bush has used executive privilege to grant clemency in a political case. However, one simply has to look at the administration's use of executive privilege to attempt to avoid subpoenas to realize that this will certainly not be the last.

Clearly, The Bush administration has -and will continue to have- a horrendous and corrupt 'old-boy' mentality that is more reminiscent of an English public school than the office of the President of The United States.

Indicating that we will have more to come if he gets into office, Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani called President Bush's actions "Correct."

Just how much of this are our representatives, and through them the US people, going to take before this comes to a head?

I sincerely hope that congress has the spine to follow through with citing The Administration with Contempt for Congress in regards to the subpoenas they issued.

Credit Scores, how much do you know?

FRONTLINE -- Credit Scores, what you should know about them: The vast majority of Americans don't know their credit score -- or even how to find out what it is. A July 2003 survey commissioned by the Consumer Federation of America found that only 2 percent of Americans said they knew their credit score. And only 3 percent could, unprompted, name the three main credit bureaus. (Malgorzata Wozniacka and Snigdha Sen)

With credit scores affecting everything from whether you can get a loan to purchase a house, to how much you pay for car insurance, to what rates you pay on your credit cards, credit scores are undoubtedly an important and vital part of a persons financial world. A good credit score will help you move through life smoothly; a bad score may well cause you to stumble and fall.

For Millenials who are only now taking our first steps into the imposing world of finance and credit, it is vitally important that we start our on the right foot. Building a good credit score now will save untold amounts of work in the future.

However, with so many predatory lenders, liars, outright thieves, and con-men out there, how can you know what is actually happening to your credit? Many people make promises, but how many of them actually deliver? Furthermore, with the recent instability in the White House, and the drive to deregulate 'big business' I believe that it is foolish to trust that the government will protect our rights.

The answer is, as always, to become informed. Learning how various actions affect your credit, and more importantly, how to take the right ones, is an invaluable tool in running your financial life smoothly.

Did you know that a missed payment on ONE credit card may trigger a chain-reaction, causing ALL of your credit cards to switch to their default rate?

There are many such traps and pitfalls out there, and the best way to avoid them is to know what they look like. I hope that you find the resource helpful, it not only offers free advice on how to get a free credit report, but also a chance to find out much more about the warped world of credit.

http://www.debtfixonline.com/

If you have any more questions, please post here, or contact me via the email available on the website.

I also HIGHLY reccomend watching or reading the full documentary by Frontline, titled "The Secret History of the Credit Card."

Lets Get Ready to Rumble...over a subpoena?!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush set up an anticipated court battle with the Democratic-led Congress on Thursday by refusing to comply with subpoenas in its widening probe of fired federal prosecutors.

My last article suggested that the possibility of a lengthy and high-profile battle between congress and the office of the Vice President. It seems even more possible now, with the White House refusing to comply with Subpoena's for information on the firing of nine U.S Attorneys.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has thus far enjoyed the support of the Bush administration, and it seems as though he will continue to do so, despite calls for him to resign. One can only conclude that if President Bush is willing to exercise executive privilege to defend Gonzales, that it is more than likely he will go to bat for Vice President Dick Cheyney as well.

The implications of this upcoming court battle may be staggering. Should the Bush Administration lose this fight, it may well sound the death knell for any resistance to other subpoena's in the future. Should they win, it may well entice them to continue in such a vein.

White House Counsel, Fred Fielding, in defense of the decision stated that, "Presidents would not be able to fulfill their responsibilities if their advisers -- on fear of being commanded to Capitol Hill to testify or having their documents produced to Congress -- were reluctant to communicate openly and honestly in the course of rendering advice and reaching decisions,".

In my opinion, advisers should not fear being commanded to Capitol Hill to testify. Nor should they fear having their documents produced to Congress. However, this lack of fear should not come from Presidential protection and secrecy; rather, it should come from the knowledge that their actions are ethically, morally, and legally upright.

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White House, and VP's Office Subpoenaed

The Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office Wednesday for documents relating to President Bush's warrant-free eavesdropping program.The repercussions of this subpoena will be interesting, to say the least. Throughout his tenure as V.P, Cheyney has shown that he tends to be reclusive and somewhat secretive. This habit was particularly obvious during the hunting accident that he was involved in recently. The Senate Judiciary committee, however, may not take kindly to Mr. Cheyney being obtuse, or skirting their questions. Should Cheyney continue this typical behaviour, it will make for an interesting and somewhat noisy showdown between these two powerful governmental representatives.-Bedeo

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The OTHER victims of 9/11

We all remember it, that horrific day when a small group of people perpetrated such a horrific act against their fellow man. In my minds eye, I can still see the first plane striking the building, and the dense black plume of smoke that rose from the shattered tower. I can still see the people jumping, in a futile attempt to escape. I am sure we can all dredge up memories of the attack, and the weeks and months that followed it; grime-covered fire-fighters staring with dead eyes at the camera, utterly exhausted; police morning the loss of a fellow officer, and red-eyed relatives near collapse, hanging on to someone for support.

I can still see these images, and many others. We saw them on the T.V, heard about them on the radio, read about them and watched them on the Internet; we all know about the struggles surrounding that day, about the horror, about the heroic actions.

What we don't see, are the heroes who are still dying, the heroes who are suffering and struggling still.

We see Giuliani standing at a podium, attacking Ron Paul about his reasons for the September 11 attacks; we see him tout his achievements, his responses to the tragedy; we see others do the same, but Oh Rudy! You are so very good at it.

We do not see the fireman hooked up the a respirator, his family tearful at his side; the policeman, coughing up blood, scar-tissue throughout his lungs; we do not see Giuliani, or The Administration offering aid, support, and their thanks to these people.

The Mt. Sinai Medical Center reports that of 20,000 people studied after the attacks, 70% of rescue workers suffer from some sort of respiratory illness. A separate study released last month reported that firefighters and rescue workers contracted A study of more than 20,000 people by Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York concluded that, since the attacks, 70 percent of ground zero workers have suffered some sort of respiratory illness. A separate study released last month found that rescue workers and firefighters contracted sarcoidosis, a serious lung-scarring disease, at a rate more than five times as high as in the years before the attacks. (Miami Herald)

If -as we are told time and again- the September 11 attacks were an attack on the entire country, then it is the responsibility of the ENTIRE country, to support, care for, remember, and help those who even now, 5 years later, suffer still.

Even you, Rudy.