Yes I feel better! At least we hear from Kurzweil that there are impending solutions to our energy needs rather than impending doom! And I REALLY feel better hearing that Dame Helen Mirren may contribute to this site! Thanks, Liz, for sharing this “stuff”. Please keep it coming!

Thank you Whoopi for raising this issue. I believe that Obama’s speech in Philadelphia was one of the finest, most direct and courageous I have heard from any political person during my lifetime. Obama addressed his relationship with Rev. Wright and his disagreement with the pastor’s inflamatory and disrespectful remarks in a thorough and satisfactory manner. The fact that the media seeks to keep this issue in front of the public is as repugnant to me as are Rev. Wright’s angry words. We have so much wrong done during the Bush administration to put right, so many enormous challenges to meet, and so many disenfranchised Americans to provide for (including our returning and wounded military), that continuing to put Obama’s pastor before the public is irresponsible and ridiculous. I believe that Obama is a man of real integrity…a breath of fresh air in the Washington political arena. His multi-racial heritage gives him a unique vantage point. I think his insight and intelligence are extraordinary and I have seen him as presidential from the beginning of the campaign. He has been able to consistently maintain a level of dignity I have not seen in any other presidential candidate. Politics needn’t be a dirty game. We Americans haven’t the time or the luxury to indulge in endless mudslinging. We need to ask ourselves the deeper question of who can best lead our country in this time of extreme upheavel and who can bring an end to an unjust war.

I don’t know what kind of car Barack Obama would be, but I know it would take the high road. Hillary would be a nice, safe sedan, and McCain a tank.

Yes. He did and I filed for divorce nearly a year later. At the time it was traumatic, but it also opened doors for me. I worked my way through grad school, raised my children and went on to become a university administrator. The catalyst for me was a remark made by my ex during a phone conversation right after the divorce: “I’m concerned about your future, but I think if you work at it, you could be a good babysitter.” I hung up on him and enrolled at the university the next day.

What a timely question! I think it’s hard for Americans to believe anything coming from the White House these days. Bill Clinton’s brilliant (if not beautiful) mind was overshadowed by his out and out lies regarding his personal life. The Bush administration has built its record on lie after lie. My reaction has been to become more cynical and less trusting. And, unfortunately, I see the same attitude in teenagers and young adults who will become our future leaders. Eons ago, when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer I was so proud of my country’s integrity. Now… I’m angry and discouraged. I really respect those in the media (like Bill Moyers, for example) who are uncompromising truth-seekers. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. —Thoreau”

Excellent choices, except for Hillary. (Since I just heard about the WoWoWow website yesterday I didn’t vote, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain). Each of the women selected made a remarkable, positive difference during her lifetime. Hillary has yet to do so. I’m just sayin….

Lovely to see you once again, Edith Ann. Just between you and me, this dollar/euros dilemma is far too complicated for you to worry about. What you need is a convincing argument that will guarantee you a reliable source of marshmallows. Sounds as if Mom and Dad aren’t going to be that source. Soooo…tap into your other family resources. Grandparents are terrific for this sort of thing (I’m a grandma…and I know!). One sweet smile ought to do the trick. Best of luck!

Who gives a flying fig what “Dr.” Laura thinks? As a moral authority, she’s a joke. Silda Spitzer, on the other hand, sounds like an intelligent, charming woman, who (like many of us) unwittingly married a loser. I would have had a tough time standing next to him at the mike; I’d have been searching the house for the pinking shears. What Silda decides to do is her business, but in her position I’d be saying “hello curb…meet my husband’s ass!”