Should We Close Our Borders? Whats Your Take

With all the events of today. All the rallies around the nation protesting a bill that would take away illegal immigrants rights. What is your take? Close the borders or leave em open?>

U.S. Most Expensive Condos

2005 U.S. Most Epensive Condos. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7012397/page/2/ Forbes America's most expensive condos • New York Time Warner Center *** • Los Angeles The Wilshire • Miami Fisher Island • Boston NA *** • Chicago The Mayfair • Houston Bayou Bend Towers • Las Vegas Turnberry Place • Washington D.C. The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton **** • Philadelphia The Rittenhouse Hotel **** • Atlanta Park Avenue Building Source: Forbes.com Just to note all of the Major N.E. Cities are located on this list as well as other Great American cities.>

Best US Summertime Beaches...

With summer just around the corner, where do you think are the best summertime beaches in the US? Obviously the beaches in Florida and SoCal have a leg up on their northern counterparts for year-round beaches, simply because of their warm winter weather. So I am talking about just during the months of June, July, and August. During those months, where in the USA can the best beaches be found?>

Trolls (Negative, non informational, Ignorant People without Facts)

Something for the Trolls, whether someone pissed you off or whether your just a Troll, it's your day to Troll.>

5 cities with the best nightlife?

What are the 5 cities that you feel have the best nightlife? Also the 5 worst. No particular order. BEST 1. New York City 2. Chicago 3. Los Angeles 4. Miami 5. Las Vegas WORST 1. Pittsburgh 2. Charlotte 3. Indianopolis 4. ??? 5. ???>

City as a metro area: has it actually hurt Houston?

Houston ends up being one of those cities that really seems to have a need to defend itself. I am by no means saying anything negative about Houston, only that a number of people don't seem to take the place seriously. If that were the case, could the following help explain why: San Francisco and Boston are probably the best examples of small cities that are the center pieces of very large metropolitan areas. I would imagine that few US cities contain such a small percentage of their own metropolitan area's population. Both the Bay Area and the Boston area have such huge populations that both SF and Boston can function as thrieving, exceedingly urban centers, magnets for city lovers everywhere. In a sense, SF's and Boston's populations are irrelevant; they tell you nothing as the meaningful numbers are the populations of the Bay Area and Metro Boston. Houston is the polar opposite: a huge city in a relatively smaller metro area. Few cities can match Houston's percentile dominance of its own metropolitan area. The result: an expectation of a truly great city based on city population that may not deliver due to the smaller percentages of people outside of city limits. Could Houston's huge population, more indicitive of the local division of space between city and suburb than of the metro area's relative importance, be a curse, causing an expectation that surely a large city can truly deliver the goods as a major center when, in fact, Metro Houston is far smaller than some people may think? The city's population makes one think it should be compared with NY, Chgo, LA, while the metro population makes Dallas, Atlanta, etc. more comparable.>

2004 Gross Metropolitan Product and GMP per capita

*** Please note this list does not include Consolidated Statistical Areas *** Includes all MSAs with GMP 25.0 billion and greater MSAs ranked by GMP 2004 Rank, MSA, GMP-Billions, GMP per Capita 1 New York 901.3 $48,172 2 Los Angeles-Long Beach 581.3 $44,957 3 Chicago 392.6 $41,810 4 Washington 276.2 $53,735 5 Dallas-Fort Worth 256.4 $44,982 6 Philadelphia 253.4 $43,690 7 Boston 233.7 $52,873 8 Houston 214.7 $41,448 9 San Francisco-Oakland 204.9 $49,373 10 Atlanta 198.1 $42,059 11 Miami-Fort Lauderdale 184.2 $34,366 12 Detroit 176.0 $39,198 13 Seattle-Tacoma 155.0 $48,896 14 Minneapolis-St. Paul 145.8 $46,731 15 Phoenix 140.8 $37,849 16 San Diego 136.1 $46,451 17 Riverside-San Bernardino 122.7 $32,375 18 Baltimore 112.4 $42,576 19 Denver 108.5 $46,567 20 St. Louis 102.0 $36,957 21 Tampa-St. Petersburg 100.3 $38,726 22 Pittsburgh 92.6 $38,551 23 San Jose 90.8 $52,154 24 Sacramento 86.0 $42,638 25 Cleveland 83.6 $39,120 26 Cincinnati 78.2 $37,998 27 Portland (OR) 77.5 $37,548 28 Virginia Beach-Norfolk 74.1 $45,073 29 Kansas City 73.9 $38,390 30 Orlando 72.6 $38,990 31 Hartford 70.5 $59,494 32 Las Vegas 70.2 $42,520 33 Columbus (OH) 69.1 $40,791 34 San Antonio 69.1 $37,271 35 Charlotte 68.3 $46,305 36 Indianapolis 65.9 $40,629 37 Providence 64.0 $39,288 38 Milwaukee 62.8 $41,425 39 Austin 58.7 $41,572 40 Nashville 56.3 $40,330 41 Buffalo 56.1 $48,614 42 Richmond (VA) 53.0 $45,927 43 Rochester (NY) 50.3 $48,319 44 Bridgeport-Stamford 49.8 $55,150 45 Jacksonville 48.6 $39,673 46 Memphis 48.0 $38,400 47 New Orleans 47.0 $35,606 48 Louisville 44.4 $36,969 49 Albany (NY) 43.4 $51,361 50 Salt Lake City 42.5 $41,708 51 New Haven 40.8 $48,227 52 Oklahoma City 38.2 $33,392 53 Honolulu 37.9 $42,111 54 Birmingham 36.9 $34,104 55 Raleigh 36.1 $39,454 56 Grand Rapids 33.1 $43,099 57 Worcester 32.5 $41,720 58 Dayton 32.2 $38,061 59 Syracuse 32.1 $49,083 60 Fresno 32.1 $37,024 61 Omaha 32.0 $39,801 62 Greensboro 31.7 $47,455 63 Oxnard 31.4 $39,348 64 Tucson 29.7 $38,077 65 Tulsa 29.1 $32,993 66 Albuquerque 28.7 $36,748 67 Allentown-Bethlehem 28.3 $36,282 68 Springfield (MA) 28.1 $40,843 69 Baton Rouge 27.3 $37,449 70 Harrisburg 26.1 $50,289 71 Knoxville 25.2 $38,949 72 Akron 25.2 $35,897 73 Columbia (SC) 25.0 $36,819 MSAs ranked by GMP per capita 2004 Rank, MSA, GMP per Capita, GMP-Billions 1 Hartford $59,494 70.5 2 Bridgeport-Stamford $55,150 49.8 3 Washington $53,735 276.2 4 Boston $52,873 233.7 5 San Jose $52,154 90.8 6 Albany (NY) $51,361 43.4 7 Harrisburg $50,289 26.1 8 San Francisco-Oakland $49,373 204.9 9 Syracuse $49,083 32.1 10 Seattle-Tacoma $48,896 155.0 11 Buffalo $48,614 56.1 12 Rochester (NY) $48,319 50.3 13 New Haven $48,227 40.8 14 New York $48,172 901.3 15 Greensboro $47,455 31.7 16 Minneapolis-St. Paul $46,731 145.8 17 Denver $46,567 108.5 18 San Diego $46,451 136.1 19 Charlotte $46,305 68.3 20 Richmond (VA) $45,927 53.0 21 Virginia Beach-Norfolk $45,073 74.1 22 Dallas-Fort Worth $44,982 256.4 23 Los Angeles-Long Beach $44,957 581.3 24 Philadelphia $43,690 253.4 25 Grand Rapids $43,099 33.1 26 Sacramento $42,638 86.0 27 Baltimore $42,576 112.4 28 Las Vegas $42,520 70.2 29 Honolulu $42,111 37.9 30 Atlanta $42,059 198.1 31 Chicago $41,810 392.6 32 Worcester $41,720 32.5 33 Salt Lake City $41,708 42.5 34 Austin $41,572 58.7 35 Houston $41,448 214.7 36 Milwaukee $41,425 62.8 37 Springfield (MA) $40,843 28.1 38 Columbus (OH) $40,791 69.1 39 Indianapolis $40,629 65.9 40 Nashville $40,330 56.3 41 Omaha $39,801 32.0 42 Jacksonville $39,673 48.6 43 Raleigh $39,454 36.1 44 Oxnard $39,348 31.4 45 Providence $39,288 64.0 46 Detroit $39,198 176.0 47 Cleveland $39,120 83.6 48 Orlando $38,990 72.6 49 Knoxville $38,949 25.2 50 Tampa-St. Petersburg $38,726 100.3 51 Pittsburgh $38,551 92.6 52 Memphis $38,400 48.0 53 Kansas City $38,390 73.9 54 Tucson $38,077 29.7 55 Dayton $38,061 32.2 56 Cincinnati $37,998 78.2 57 Phoenix $37,849 140.8 58 Portland (OR) $37,548 77.5 59 Baton Rouge $37,449 27.3 60 San Antonio $37,271 69.1 61 Fresno $37,024 32.1 62 Louisville $36,969 44.4 63 St. Louis $36,957 102.0 64 Columbia (SC) $36,819 25.0 65 Albuquerque $36,748 28.7 66 Allentown-Bethlehem $36,282 28.3 67 Akron $35,897 25.2 68 New Orleans $35,606 47.0 69 Miami-Fort Lauderdale $34,366 184.2 70 Birmingham $34,104 36.9 71 Oklahoma City $33,392 38.2 72 Tulsa $32,993 29.1 73 Riverside-San Bernardino $32,375 122.7>

2004 Gross Metropolitan Product and GMP per capita

*** Please note this list does not include Consolidated Statistical Areas *** Includes all MSAs with GMP 25.0 billion and greater MSAs ranked by GMP 2004 Rank, MSA, GMP-Billions, GMP per Capita 1 New York 901.3 $48,172 2 Los Angeles-Long Beach 581.3 $44,957 3 Chicago 392.6 $41,810 4 Washington 276.2 $53,735 5 Dallas-Fort Worth 256.4 $44,982 6 Philadelphia 253.4 $43,690 7 Boston 233.7 $52,873 8 Houston 214.7 $41,448 9 San Francisco-Oakland 204.9 $49,373 10 Atlanta 198.1 $42,059 11 Miami-Fort Lauderdale 184.2 $34,366 12 Detroit 176.0 $39,198 13 Seattle-Tacoma 155.0 $48,896 14 Minneapolis-St. Paul 145.8 $46,731 15 Phoenix 140.8 $37,849 16 San Diego 136.1 $46,451 17 Riverside-San Bernardino 122.7 $32,375 18 Baltimore 112.4 $42,576 19 Denver 108.5 $46,567 20 St. Louis 102.0 $36,957 21 Tampa-St. Petersburg 100.3 $38,726 22 Pittsburgh 92.6 $38,551 23 San Jose 90.8 $52,154 24 Sacramento 86.0 $42,638 25 Cleveland 83.6 $39,120 26 Cincinnati 78.2 $37,998 27 Portland (OR) 77.5 $37,548 28 Virginia Beach-Norfolk 74.1 $45,073 29 Kansas City 73.9 $38,390 30 Orlando 72.6 $38,990 31 Hartford 70.5 $59,494 32 Las Vegas 70.2 $42,520 33 Columbus (OH) 69.1 $40,791 34 San Antonio 69.1 $37,271 35 Charlotte 68.3 $46,305 36 Indianapolis 65.9 $40,629 37 Providence 64.0 $39,288 38 Milwaukee 62.8 $41,425 39 Austin 58.7 $41,572 40 Nashville 56.3 $40,330 41 Buffalo 56.1 $48,614 42 Richmond (VA) 53.0 $45,927 43 Rochester (NY) 50.3 $48,319 44 Bridgeport-Stamford 49.8 $55,150 45 Jacksonville 48.6 $39,673 46 Memphis 48.0 $38,400 47 New Orleans 47.0 $35,606 48 Louisville 44.4 $36,969 49 Albany (NY) 43.4 $51,361 50 Salt Lake City 42.5 $41,708 51 New Haven 40.8 $48,227 52 Oklahoma City 38.2 $33,392 53 Honolulu 37.9 $42,111 54 Birmingham 36.9 $34,104 55 Raleigh 36.1 $39,454 56 Grand Rapids 33.1 $43,099 57 Worcester 32.5 $41,720 58 Dayton 32.2 $38,061 59 Syracuse 32.1 $49,083 60 Fresno 32.1 $37,024 61 Omaha 32.0 $39,801 62 Greensboro 31.7 $47,455 63 Oxnard 31.4 $39,348 64 Tucson 29.7 $38,077 65 Tulsa 29.1 $32,993 66 Albuquerque 28.7 $36,748 67 Allentown-Bethlehem 28.3 $36,282 68 Springfield (MA) 28.1 $40,843 69 Baton Rouge 27.3 $37,449 70 Harrisburg 26.1 $50,289 71 Knoxville 25.2 $38,949 72 Akron 25.2 $35,897 73 Columbia (SC) 25.0 $36,819 MSAs ranked by GMP per capita 2004 Rank, MSA, GMP per Capita, GMP-Billions 1 Hartford $59,494 70.5 2 Bridgeport-Stamford $55,150 49.8 3 Washington $53,735 276.2 4 Boston $52,873 233.7 5 San Jose $52,154 90.8 6 Albany (NY) $51,361 43.4 7 Harrisburg $50,289 26.1 8 San Francisco-Oakland $49,373 204.9 9 Syracuse $49,083 32.1 10 Seattle-Tacoma $48,896 155.0 11 Buffalo $48,614 56.1 12 Rochester (NY) $48,319 50.3 13 New Haven $48,227 40.8 14 New York $48,172 901.3 15 Greensboro $47,455 31.7 16 Minneapolis-St. Paul $46,731 145.8 17 Denver $46,567 108.5 18 San Diego $46,451 136.1 19 Charlotte $46,305 68.3 20 Richmond (VA) $45,927 53.0 21 Virginia Beach-Norfolk $45,073 74.1 22 Dallas-Fort Worth $44,982 256.4 23 Los Angeles-Long Beach $44,957 581.3 24 Philadelphia $43,690 253.4 25 Grand Rapids $43,099 33.1 26 Sacramento $42,638 86.0 27 Baltimore $42,576 112.4 28 Las Vegas $42,520 70.2 29 Honolulu $42,111 37.9 30 Atlanta $42,059 198.1 31 Chicago $41,810 392.6 32 Worcester $41,720 32.5 33 Salt Lake City $41,708 42.5 34 Austin $41,572 58.7 35 Houston $41,448 214.7 36 Milwaukee $41,425 62.8 37 Springfield (MA) $40,843 28.1 38 Columbus (OH) $40,791 69.1 39 Indianapolis $40,629 65.9 40 Nashville $40,330 56.3 41 Omaha $39,801 32.0 42 Jacksonville $39,673 48.6 43 Raleigh $39,454 36.1 44 Oxnard $39,348 31.4 45 Providence $39,288 64.0 46 Detroit $39,198 176.0 47 Cleveland $39,120 83.6 48 Orlando $38,990 72.6 49 Knoxville $38,949 25.2 50 Tampa-St. Petersburg $38,726 100.3 51 Pittsburgh $38,551 92.6 52 Memphis $38,400 48.0 53 Kansas City $38,390 73.9 54 Tucson $38,077 29.7 55 Dayton $38,061 32.2 56 Cincinnati $37,998 78.2 57 Phoenix $37,849 140.8 58 Portland (OR) $37,548 77.5 59 Baton Rouge $37,449 27.3 60 San Antonio $37,271 69.1 61 Fresno $37,024 32.1 62 Louisville $36,969 44.4 63 St. Louis $36,957 102.0 64 Columbia (SC) $36,819 25.0 65 Albuquerque $36,748 28.7 66 Allentown-Bethlehem $36,282 28.3 67 Akron $35,897 25.2 68 New Orleans $35,606 47.0 69 Miami-Fort Lauderdale $34,366 184.2 70 Birmingham $34,104 36.9 71 Oklahoma City $33,392 38.2 72 Tulsa $32,993 29.1 73 Riverside-San Bernardino $32,375 122.7>

So, what does your state name mean?

I think Kentucky was created by Native Americans, and it means "the dark and bloody ground.">

Troops begin combat operations in New Orleans !?

September 02, 2005 Troops begin combat operations in New Orleans By Joseph R. Chenelly Times staff writer NEW ORLEANS — Combat operations are underway on the streets Â"to take this city backÂ" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Â"This place is going to look like Little Somalia,Â" Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, commander of the Louisiana National GuardÂ's Joint Task Force told Army Times Friday as hundreds of armed troops under his charge prepared to launch a massive citywide security mission from a staging area outside the Louisiana Superdome. Â"WeÂ're going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control.Â" Jones said the military first needs to establish security throughout the city. Military and police officials have said there are several large areas of the city are in a full state of anarchy. Dozens of military trucks and up-armored Humvees left the staging area just after 11 a.m. Friday, while hundreds more troops arrived at the same staging area in the city via Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters. Â"WeÂ're here to do whatever they need us to do,Â" Sgt. 1st Class Ron Dixon, of the Oklahoma National GuardÂ's 1345th Transportation Company. Â"We packed to stay as long as it takes.Â" While some fight the insurgency in the city, other carry on with rescue and evacuation operations. Helicopters are still pulling hundreds of stranded people from rooftops of flooded homes. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and police helicopters filled the city sky Friday morning. Most had armed soldiers manning the doors. According to Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Grishamn, a spokesman for the amphibious assault ship Bataan, the vessel kept its helicopters at sea Thursday night after several military helicopters reported being shot at from the ground. Numerous soldiers also told Army Times that they have been shot at by armed civilians in New Orleans. Spokesmen for the Joint Task Force Headquarters at the Superdome were unaware of any servicemen being wounded in the streets, although one soldier is recovering from a gunshot wound sustained during a struggle with a civilian in the dome Wednesday night. Â"I never thought that at a National Guardsman I would be shot at by other Americans,Â" said Spc. Philip Baccus of the 527th Engineer Battalion. Â"And I never thought IÂ'd have to carry a rifle when on a hurricane relief mission. This is a disgrace.Â" Spc. Cliff Ferguson of the 527th Engineer Battalion pointed out that he knows there are plenty of decent people in New Orleans, but he said it is hard to stay motivated considering the circumstances. Â"This is making a lot of us think about not reenlisting.Â" Ferguson said. Â"You have to think about whether it is worth risking your neck for someone who will turn around and shoot at you. We didnÂ't come here to fight a war. We came here to help.Â" http://www.armytimes.com/print.php?f...25-1077495.php>

States...which one do you hear the least about?

Which state do you hear the least about (either by other people or in the media)? I would say Wyoming or Montana. For its population, you don't hear very much about Wisconsin either.>

America's Most Sprawl-Threatened Cities

Source: Sierra Club Large Cities Atlanta St. Louis Washington Cincinnati Kansas City Denver Seattle Minneapolis-St. Paul Fort Lauderdale Chicago Medium Sized Cities: Orlando Raleigh Austin Las Vegas West Palm Beach Akron Small Cities: McAllen, TX Pensacola, FL Daytona Beach, FL Little Rock, AR Dishonorable Mentions: Los Angeles San Diego Phoenix>

How was New Orleans Founded?

If New Orleans borders Lake Pontchartrain as well as the great Mississippi river, while being below sea level, how in the hell was it founded? How could one possibly build a city that by all means should be below water? It boggles the mind. The levies couldn't be there in the 1700's, could they? How does a city, that is below sea level, get built in the first place? Especially back in 1718?>

Independence Day Banner?

Sorry for creating this thread. I didn't know where to put it. So.. if this thread is unwanted please delete it. 4th of July Banner anyone?>

your city's high rise boom: more residential or commercial?

There was a time in downtown high rise construction in the US that virtually all tall buildings were commercial and that many of corporation built its own tower as a HQ which gave it a high profile. Nowadays, virtually no company would build (or come close to filling) its own high rise. Commercial buildings are b uilt on speculation and downtowns that once shut down after 5:00 when the commuters went home often find themselves alive with new residents in new condos and older office buildings converted to condo use. So let's look at new construction in your city: are we living in an era when residential high rise construction is actually exceeding commercial high rise construction. Specifically, in your city's downtown, are most of the new high rises commercial or residential? About (as in an educated guess) what percentage of the new construcgtion falls into both categories.>

US cities: keeping identity in an indentiy-less age

We're living in a time when your city and mine struggle to be different from each other. And why not? They have the same Macy's downtown...at a location that used to be the "local" department store. It's not only McDonald's we share in common, but the upscale restaurant that doesn't look like a chain...but is. We have managed to put the same shopping/entertainment complexes on our waterfronts with the same national chain stores. Our newspapers are conglomerates, and have out-of-town ownership. Our architecture is generic. Our cities strive to be "trendy"...and they duplicate each others' trends. Corporate HQ's which used to be corporate citizens leave only a skeleton crew at the HQ's...which realistically could pick up their 200 employees and move to another city without skipping a beat. Donald Trump won't rest until every one of our cities has its own "Trump Tower". No doubt you have enough places on the ground to differentiate your city from somebody elses, but those structures have gone up over the last two centuries (or earlier). But how about today? What's going on now? WHAT DOES YOUR CITY DO TO DIFFERENTIATE ITSELF FROM ALL THE OTHER CITIES OUT DOOR, TO KEEP ITS IDENTITY....or is identity a thing of the past in our homogenized urban environments? Have all American cities become Anywhereville, or can we still maintain who we are?>

Why I love Australia

Why I Love Australia By Charles Krauthammer Friday, June 23, 2006; Page A25 In the Australian House of Representatives last month, opposition member Julia Gillard interrupted a speech by the minister of health thusly: "I move that that sniveling grub over there be not further heard." For that, the good woman was ordered removed from the House, if only for a day. She might have escaped that little time-out if she had responded to the speaker's demand for an apology with something other than "If I have offended grubs, I withdraw unconditionally." God, I love Australia. Where else do you have a shadow health minister with such, er, starch? Of course I'm prejudiced, having married an Australian, but how not to like a country, in this age of sniveling grubs worldwide, whose treasurer suggests to any person who "wants to live under sharia law" to try Saudi Arabia and Iran, "but not Australia." He was elaborating on an earlier suggestion that "people who . . . don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well then they can basically clear off." Contrast this with Canada, historically and culturally Australia's commonwealth twin, where last year Ontario actually gave serious consideration to allowing its Muslims to live under sharia. Such things don't happen in Australia. This is a place where, when the remains of a fallen soldier are accidentally switched with those of a Bosnian, the enraged widow picks up the phone late at night, calls the prime minister at home in bed and delivers a furious, unedited rant -- which he publicly and graciously accepts as fully deserved. Where Americans today sue, Australians slash and skewer. For Americans, Australia engenders nostalgia for our own past, which we gauzily remember as infused with John Wayne plain-spokenness and vigor. Australia evokes an echo of our own frontier, which is why Australia is the only place you can unironically still shoot a Western. It is surely the only place where you hear officials speaking plainly in defense of action. What other foreign minister but Australia's would see through "multilateralism," the fetish of every sniveling foreign policy grub from the Quai d'Orsay to Foggy Bottom, calling it correctly "a synonym for an ineffective and unfocused policy involving internationalism of the lowest common denominator"? And with action comes bravery, from the transcendent courage of the doomed at Gallipoli to the playful insanity of Australian-rules football. How can you not like a country whose trademark sport has Attila-the-Hun rules, short pants and no padding -- a national passion that makes American football look positively pastoral? That bravery breeds affection in America for another reason as well. Australia is the only country that has fought with the United States in every one of its major conflicts since 1914, the good and the bad, the winning and the losing. Why? Because Australia's geographic and historical isolation has bred a wisdom about the structure of peace -- a wisdom that eludes most other countries. Australia has no illusions about the "international community" and its feckless institutions. An island of tranquility in a roiling region, Australia understands that peace and prosperity do not come with the air we breathe but are maintained by power -- once the power of the British Empire, now the power of the United States. Australia joined the faraway wars of early-20th-century Europe not out of imperial nostalgia but out of a deep understanding that its fate and the fate of liberty were intimately bound with that of the British Empire as principal underwriter of the international system. Today the underwriter is America, and Australia understands that an American retreat or defeat -- a chastening consummation devoutly, if secretly, wished by many a Western ally -- would be catastrophic for Australia and for the world. When Australian ambassadors in Washington express support for the United States, it is heartfelt and unalloyed, never the "yes, but" of the other allies, perfunctory support followed by a list of complaints, slights and sage finger-wagging. Australia understands America's role and is sympathetic to its predicament as reluctant hegemon. That understanding has led it to share foxholes with Americans from Korea to Kabul. They fought with us at Tet and now in Baghdad. Not every engagement has ended well. But every one was strenuous, and many quite friendless. Which is why America has such affection for a country whose prime minister said after Sept. 11, "This is no time to be an 80 percent ally" and actually meant it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...062201468.html>

Americana

To celebrate our independence, I'm posting some pictures of scenes from places in the United States. I made sure that almost all of the pictures have American flags in the photos, for a common patriotic theme. (My Arlington photos might not have flags, and so would be an exception, but remembrance of American soldiers is also in line with this American theme.) Feel free to post pictures of scenes from around the country. Try to include an American flag in the photos to go with the patriotic theme. Wilmington, DE New Castle, DE Philadelphia, PA Dewey Beach, DE The Pike Creek area outside of Wilmington, DE Strasburg, PA Buffalo, NY Rehoboth Beach, DE Media, PA Penns Grove, NJ Odessa, DE Washington, DC Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA "Faces of the Fallen": a tribute to those to died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA >