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Are you confused as to exactly WHY Palin's ignorance of the Bush Doctrine is so important? And telling?
The Palin interview ****************** "It is embarrassing to have to spell this out, but for the record let me explain why Gov. Palin's answer to the "Bush Doctrine" question -- the only part of the recent interview I have yet seen over here in China -- implies a disqualifying lack of preparation for the job. Not the mundane job of vice president, of course, which many people could handle. Rather the job of potential Commander in Chief and most powerful individual on earth. The spelling-out is lengthy, but I've hidden most of it below the jump. Each of us has areas we care about, and areas we don't. If we are interested in a topic, we follow its development over the years. And because we have followed its development, we're able to talk and think about it in a "rounded" way. We can say: Most people think X, but I really think Y. Or: most people used to think P, but now they think Q. Or: the point most people miss is Z. Or: the question I'd really like to hear answered is A. Here's the most obvious example in daily life: Sports Talk radio. Mention a name or theme -- Brett Favre, the Patriots under Belichick, Lance Armstrong's comeback, Venus and Serena -- and anyone who cares about sports can have a very sophisticated discussion about the ins and outs and myth and realities and arguments and rebuttals. People who don't like sports can't do that. It's not so much that they can't identify the names -- they've heard of Armstrong -- but they've never bothered to follow the flow of debate. I like sports -- and politics and tech and other topics -- so I like joining these debates. On a wide range of other topics -- fashion, antique furniture, the world of restaurants and fine dining, or (blush) opera -- I have not been interested enough to learn anything I can add to the discussion. So I embarrass myself if I have to express a view. What Sarah Palin revealed is that she has not been interested enough in world affairs to become minimally conversant with the issues. Many people in our great land might have difficulty defining the "Bush Doctrine" exactly. But not to recognize the name, as obviously was the case for Palin, indicates not a failure of last-minute cramming but a lack of attention to any foreign-policy discussion whatsoever in the last seven years. Two details in Charles Gibson's posing of the question were particularly telling. One was the potentially confusing way in which he first asked it. On the page, "the Bush Doctrine" looks different from "the Bush doctrine." But when hearing the question Palin might not have known whether Gibson was referring to the general sweep of Administration policy -- doctrine with small d -- or the rationale that connected 9/11 with the need to invade Iraq, the capital-D Doctrine. So initial confusion would be understandable -- as if a sports host asked about Favre's chances and you weren't sure if he meant previously with the Packers or with the Jets. Once Gibson clarified the question, a person familiar with the issue would have said, "Oh, if we're talking about the strategy that the President and Condoleezza Rice began laying out in 2002...." There was no such flash of recognition. The other was Gibson's own minor mis-statement. American foreign policy has long recognized the concept of preemptive action: if you know somebody is just about to attack you, there's no debate about the legitimacy of acting first. (This is like "shooting in self-defense.") The more controversial part of The Bush Doctrine was the idea of preventive war: acting before a threat had fully emerged, on the theory that waiting until it was fully evident would mean acting too late. Gibson used the word "preemptively" -- but if a knowledgeable person had pushed back on that point ("Well, preemption was what John F. Kennedy had in mind in acting against the imminent threat of Soviet missiles in Cuba"), Gibson would certainly have come back to explain the novelty of the "preventive war" point. Because he knows the issue, a minor mis-choice of words wouldn't get in the way of his real intent. Sarah Palin did not know this issue, or any part of it. The view she actually expressed -- an endorsement of "preemptive" action -- was fine on its own merits. But it is not the stated doctrine of the Bush Administration, it is not the policy her running mate has endorsed, and it is not the concept under which her own son is going off to Iraq. How could she not know this? For the same reason I don't know anything about European football/soccer standings, player trades, or intrigue. I am not interested enough. And she evidently has not been interested enough even to follow the news of foreign affairs during the Bush era. A further point. The truly toxic combination of traits GW Bush brought to decision making was: 1) Ignorance 2) Lack of curiosity 3) "Decisiveness" That is, he was not broadly informed to begin with (point 1). He did not seek out new informat That is, he was not broadly informed to begin with (point 1). He did not seek out new information (#2); but he nonetheless prided himself (#3) on making broad, bold decisions quickly, and then sticking to them to show resoluteness. We don't know for sure about #2 for Palin yet -- she could be a sponge-like absorber of information. But we know about #1 and we can guess, from her demeanor about #3. Most of all we know something about the person who put her in this untenable role. http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/the_palin_interview.php

That is a lot of words, very nicely put together by Fallows, But in simpler terms: The policy that the US will engage in preventive war is the biggest change in US policy in our country's 232 years and for a VP candidate to either not be aware of it or to not have an opinion of it is totally unacceptable. EDIT: Treading water, you didn't read it correctly.
Information Police  |  Read more

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All my friends make less then I do, what should I do?
At age 23, I am making around 100,000 a year, where all my friends are makeing more like 20, 30 or 40 thousand. this sometimes drives a wedge between our friendship, because I like to go to fine dining resterants, and my friends can't afford them. I feel weird about shopping with my friends, cause we go to Neiman Marcus and I feel bad for buying something I know I can afford, the same thing with cars. I don't splash it in thier face, but it is just the reality. I feel like they are jealous of the car I drive, and I have been loosing some of my friends. Should I make new friends?

Why dont you treat your friends. Invite them to go with you and say up front, I am picking up the check. Dont brag or be a show off. If these are your freinds, they will stick by you, and dont be cheap. Share with them, I do.
paducah_billy  |  Read more

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20 multiple choice Hospitality and Tourism questions....can you answer them please?
1.) The International Air Transport Association reorganized to promote cooperative agreements for passengers traveling across international borders. A.)True B.) False 2.) What are the three modes of transportation? A.) highways, railroads, and planes B.) planes, ships, and tankers C.) cars, buses, and minivans D.) air, ground, and water 3.) The convenience of booking a trip online has contributed to the increased number of travelers. A.) False B.) True 4.) The human resources staff in a hotel is responsible for _________________. A.) all of these B.) recruiting, selecting, training and compensating a hotel's employees C.) keeping the hotel safe D.) making the hotel cozy and comfortable 5.) Charles Lindbergh ____________________________________________________________. A.) invented trains, making travel by trains a reality B.) invented the car, making travel by cars a reality C.) crossed the Atlantic Ocean, making long-distance air travel a reality D.) sailed the seven seas, making cruise-line travel a reality 6.) Most people choose to travel by cruise ships because of the _________________________. A.) none of these B.) low cost of this type of travel C.) time D.) simple accommodations 7.) Time shares allow guests the opportunity to purchase a fully furnished accommodation for a specific time period. A.) False B.) True 8.) Line employees are _______________________________. A.) never in contact with the guests B.) responsible for the housekeeping C.) in daily contact with the guests D.) advising guests about transportation 9.) The goal of any hotel is to maintain ____________________________________. A.) a fine-dining restaurant B.) happy customers C.) a pretty hotel D.) a high occupancy rate 10.) What type of boat would be used to sail privately and work with a crew? A.) cruise ship B.) yacht C.) windjammer D.) riverboat 11.) Typically the night auditor is part of the _____________________________. A.) accounting department B.) back of the house division C.) maintenance staff D.) front desk staff 12.) Retreat centers are designed for __________________. A.) the family vacation B.) the executive business market C.) the tourist D.) contemplation 13.) Support staff in a lodging facility generally reside in the front of the house. A.) False B.) True 14.) What are factors that affect the price of the room? A.) if the guest likes the room or not B.) if the guest is business or leisure C.) all of these D.) location, season, and length of stay 15.) Business travel is usually _________________________. A.) none of these B.) discretionary and done by personal choice C.) long term and unnecessary for the business D.) short term and necessary for the business 16.) Disposable income may be spent on _____________. A.) all of these B.) cars C.) appliances D.) travel 17.) The American Orient Express is a ___________________________________________. A.) a collection of sailboats to the Orient B.) a luxury plane that travels to China in record-breaking time C.) a beautiful collection of antique cars used for travel in the Orient D.) a collection of royal blue and gold railroad passenger cars renovated from the 1940s and 1950s that follows the epic journey of Lewis and Clark 18.) The emergence of niche markets has decreased tourism. A.) False B.) True 19.) The ICC, or Interstate Commerce Commission, regulates ________________. A.) trains B.) airplanes C.) motor coaches D.) limousines 20.) What determines the pricing of a cruise-ship tour? A.) the food service B.) the season of sailing C.) the niche market D.) the stock market I know I have a lot of questions, but I have another class that I have to study for. It would be great if someone could answers them! thanx!

I thin your old enough to do your homework but 5 is C
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Do you believe that sometimes, you really are discriminated against because of your race?
I have in the past owned a business that employed over 300 people. I lost that business and am now penniless. I am now in the midwest(CIncinnati) looking for work. It seems like everywhere I go they have some crazy reason why I am not qualified to work for them when in reality I may be qualified to run their entire company. Before you say, "Maybe it's something you said or maybe you dont give off the right vibe" understand that I have interviewed thousands of people myself and I know what interviewers want. I also know that in some parts of the country people while not hateful still hold on to prejudices and some business owners for sake of profit have to cater to this. I was applying to restuarant jobs. I have applied to 10 in person and at least another 20 online. I thought my EXPEPRIENCE as a server who was actually in good standing with his previuos company would help but they all just keep making us excuses like "we went other people with more fine dining experience" when I use to manage corporate dinners, or right after we interviewed you , we had just hired like 15 people. I know I am suppose to move on and not think about my race but what else could it be. I am in good shape with all my teeth and have a descent appearence and am somewhat well spoken. Sometimes I think you are discriminated against because of your race. Hmm.. What do you think? I dont do drugs and have no criminal record. You know sometimes you think one way and then you realize there might have been another reason. I keep trying to make excuses for these people but I feel like this time, yeah. It is because of my race. I saw plenty of white males working and only one like me. I guess you can only take so much pepper on you rice.

you don't have to tell me twice (half asian, half white) I've been shunned by the white side of my family and horribly outcasted by the asian side of my family for my entire life. you kinda just get used to it.
Яφ§Δ∫ЇŦΔ’ż ĐΣ∫ί§ђϊθΰ§  |  Read more

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