I just go away for the day, and everything goes nuts. First, I read about this pinskinhead plot to assassinate 88 people, including Sen. Obama. And then comes the news that our old friend Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska was found guilty in his trial. And even though he's up for re-election next week, even with the turning of the tide, it doesn't look good for his chances.
Again, a reminder: make sure your registration info is all in order, take ID to the polls, even if your state doesn't require it. And if they try to make you vote provisional, don't let them. Demand your right to vote. Go up the chain of command. Call 866-GET-VOTE and your local paper and TV station. Sometimes all you need to do is stand up to a bully.
And here's your breather post of the day: Comic Book Resources has finally posted part 2 of the Harlan Ellison interview. Although if you think I'm intense at railing at fools...
Okay, here's some help to get you through the next 8 days. And at that link, if you're a grownup or there aren't any around, you can see the first minute of the soon to be blockbuster (if Blockbuster carried this type of thing) Who's Nailin' Paylin? Or go ahead anyway, it's classified WTSFW (way too safe for work). And unless language may throw you off, here's another clip. But if even if black bars cover up the no-no parts is too much, you can see the scene as read by Thandie Newton and Ricky Gervais. And here's some tips on what to do if the other side wins.
Or as George Carlin once said "Calm down. Have some dip."

A lot of people are having to rely more and more on their credit cards as a way to get by, or to get the things that they can't afford as they're getting nickle and dimed on their jobs. There was enough money to pay the bills when they came in, and could somehow manage with that situation. But things can change suddenly. A job loss or layoff, or some unexpected bills come in, and it seems harder than ever to get by. And anybody paying attention to the news will realize that things are getting tougher for everybody. It's even starting to look like you can't get out of the hole you dug, let alone take care of those debts.
But the American Credit Foundation has set up a website DebtGuru.com that can help people become debt-free and no longer a slave to all those bills, or dreading every time the phone rings. Thanks to their non profit debt management people are becoming debt-free in 1/3 the time, making payments that are 25-50% less than they were making doing so. And no more late fees, over the limit fees, and other high penalties that were being assessed. And I'm sure that that's a load that's off their minds, and they'll feel great once all the bills are paid. So say goodbye to all that fear and dread, see what they can do for you today.

I've mentioned that Dr. Pepper is giving everyone in America a free Dr. Pepper for Guns N Roses releasing their long awaited album "Chinese Democracy" on November 23th at Best Buy. Here's the details. You go to their website on Nov. 23rd, and for 24 hours only you enter your information to get a coupon for a free 20 oz. Dr. Pepper. I'll get one for Kathy and me, but we don't like Dr. Pepper, so if Slash and Buckethead want one, get in touch.
And don't forget tomorrow is free taco at Taco Bell from 2pm to 6pm local time. I won a free pass to see the new Clint Eastwood film Changeling, I have to pick it up in Indianapolis by 5pm, and the movie starts at 7:30, so I have time to redeem it. I wonder if I can go to more than one Taco Bell to get a freebie as Ken Levine suggests, or will they be vigilant? And I'm not that crazy about tacos.
And it isn't free food, but here's another chance to get 80% off of restaurant.com gift certificates. So instead of getting a $25 certificate for $10, it's only $2 until Halloween. There's restrictions, mainly you have to spend a minimum amount more than the certificate, but you're looking at a $23 savings.

With more and more people using laptops, there can be a drain on energy, especially if your screen is set on higher intensity of brightness. Fortunately, with the help of multigle search you can do online searches with a lower on-screen intensity. Not only that, but the lower intensity is easier on the eyes and helps reduce eyestrain. So with the help of this online search, not only can you help the environment, but you can help yourself as well. And I'm not talking about what your search results, either. I didn't know about the intensity situation being a drain on my battery and my eyes. Maybe I should adjust the screen and use this next time I need to do an online search.

I just got back from a day trip where we went down to Bloomington Indiana for the day. I went to Indiana University for a year (1982-83) and finished my college career at the Kokomo branch, mainly because I didn't like being away from Kathy for long periods of time. But we always like going down from time to time to "visit the old stomping grounds" as she puts it. But the problem is that not only has it been so long since I went to school, but as I've mentioned here before the last time we paid a visit was fall of 1995. In the interval, a child who entered kindergarten at that time is now a freshman at IU. And there have been a lot of changes down there. At first impression, it seemed the independent businesses that were a long time staple (especially on Kirkwood) were replaced by the Starbucks corporate businesses that I thought would be a bland alternative that's available to college students nowadays. There were signs that they hadn't totally disappeared. I knew before going down that the comic shop, my first comic shop, the one that made me think I died and went to comic book heaven, called Fool's Paradise had moved from it's basement location to another basement location and renamed itself 25th Century Five And Dime had bit the dust, and the inventory bought by a shop called Vintage Phoenix. It was a very nice comic shop, one I'd like to patronize if I was going to school down there. I got a replica Thor hammer that will be a nice addition to the Captain America shield.
Another reason Kathy wanted to go down there is because of the fall colors. Nearby Brown County in Indiana is famous for it's fall foliage, and a lot of that spilled over into Monroe County. And with the hills, it looks a lot like Kentucky down there. In fact, when I went to IU, going down there made my parents homesick and they went down to Kentucky for a weekend.

I just heard about this new website called RarityGuide.com - Growing database with price guides, rarity lists, museum, forums and more and went to check it out. It's pretty cool. One of the things that caught my eye was Atari 2600 cartridges. Maybe that's because I just came back from a day trip to where I went to college for a year and I had my Atari with me and played the arcade games that they did poor copies of, but would gladly play again if given the opportunity. I'll have to dig around to see if I have that 2600 system I got on eBay a few years ago, or use the site to get a new system and cartridges for it. They tell you who made it, the year it came out, how rare and sought after it is by collectors, and you can search on eBay and Chase The Chuck Wagon (a site that buys and sells video games) Not only do they have games, they have other collectibles such as HeroClix, books, Star Trek and more. I'll definitely be using it more.

If I was told right now that I had one post to persuade people on what to do next Tuesday, here's what I'd put down:
Hyphenate Films made a 30 second film that sums up what the last 8 years have brought us. Check it out.
And for those of you who say that values are more important than what's going on, then today's Doonesbury is for you. And do you really think that the plumber's going to do anything about abortion as well? At least he'll do as much as the politicians you support who agree with you, until they get elected.
And I like to quote from my favorite part of Barack Obama's acceptance speech for the nomination: "We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don’t know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America’s promise – the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort."

If you're looking for an easy way to get your Property and Lease Management system up and running using the best software that will ensure the maximum benefit for your business, then Siterra's software solutions and business aptitude and utilization is the way to go. Between their software and experience in implementing and utilizing business software you are sure to have a system that is sure to become an integral part of your business.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr says don't do it. Blogger Interrupted says don't do it. Bush the Lesser says do it, which is all the more reason not to. I've said don't do it, most recently here. They're going to repeat that advice, and since I consider it a tad important, I will, too.
DO NOT accept a provisional ballot, especially if your information is correct and you have ID. Ask for a ruling, go up the chain of command if you have to. Call Election Protection at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Jot down the local newspapers and TV stations phone numbers to call. But before you do, tell them that's what you're going to do, they may back down, but you're not bluffing, so if they call it, do it. Trying to eliminate those who would vote against them is all they've got left.
And congratulations to Blogger Interrupted for having the most discussed videos on YouTube and, if 1.7 million views isn't the highest, it's an impressive number nonetheless. Fearmongering and scapegoating is another tool in their arsenal. It worked so well in Germany in one of their elections in the 1930s when times were tough for them. But those on the video and saying the same things would say that they're not Nazis. Let's keep it that way. Let's keep them out of power.

Have you ever thought that it's harder than ever to find credit card offers nowadays? They're still available, but instead of taking whatever's offered it might be more beneficial to shop around. Maybe you're looking for low interest rate credit cards. It's good to shop around and get the best deal. You do it for food and other goods you buy, why not do the same for your credit cards? Maybe you always pay your balance in full each month, and one of these cash back credit cards would be more your style. Had some problems with your credit? Don't think you could get a good deal on a card? They also offer bad credit credit cards that can help shore up your credit rating. Or maybe you have balances on other cards. The interest charges are getting out of hand. Remember that post I wrote a while back about getting a lower interest rate on your charge cards? As I suggested then, having another card you can transfer balances to would help your negotiating. One of these credit cards for balance transfer would help out with something like that.
So if you're in the market for another credit card, don't think you have to take whatever gets offered to you. Shop around. Who knows? You may end up with a better deal than you thought.

Things are getting bad out there. Mighty Bargain Hunter has a link round up related to that. Amongst the links I did a little deeper digging and found these 30 ways to save on food that actually has some good tips. I might add ivesting in a vacuum food sealing device (the machines have dropped down in price since I got mine, and I believe Ziploc sells a hand pump device. check the storage/freezer bag section of your store) and CVS and Walgreen's (and similar stores, if you don't have both on opposite corners in your area) now sell the Debbie Meyer bags to store vegetables and bread. You'll make up the cost in what you don't throw out in no time. You think things are bad here? In some parts of the world it's worse.
And if you're looking for a good deal on Secret Invasion comics and tie-ins my friend Mark Gibson has a set on eBay cheap. Go and bid, even if you have some of the comics, this is a good deal.

I thought there was something familiar about the Ashley Todd story I talked about yesterday. And then Mark Evanier reminded me. Talk show host Morton Downey Jr tried the same thing when his talk show was cancelled. It must've really killed his career because if anybody could've launched a comeback in the last 8 years, it would've been him. And this month, the Watcher asks: What if McSame and Failin really wanted to show their support?
And on a lighter note, while you're over at his site, check out the opening to The Bugs Bunny Show in German.

If you're looking to get a higher degree, but don't have the time or gas to go to school, why not check on these Online Degrees? Online enrollments now surpass traditional college enrollments by a ratio of 5 to 1, so it is gaining in popularity. You may be able to find one that meets your money and time budget.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? website is offering a monthly drawing for a $1000 Capital One gift card. You can enter once a day here. I was checking to see if they had any auditions for the show other than the taping in New York, but they don't have any right now. I should've went for it when they had one in Chicago months ago. In the meantime, there's the monthly drawing.

Even if you have a top shelf state of the art computer and printer, there are some things that will look a lot better if you leave it to the professional experts who are experienced in this line of work. Take Photo Calendars. Even if you could do as good a job, it would take a lot of work to reach that point, and in the end, have you really saved that much money? The good thing about these calendars are that they're easy to design and order, they're fun, unique and affordable; and it's the type of gift that will be noticed all throughout the year. It's not going to be the type of gift that's forgotten a few days after the holidays, in fact, that's when it starts to be of good use for the recipient. And right now VistaPrint has 50% off on their photo calendars. And they do more than photo calendars. A while back I ordered some business cards and they did a great job on them. Or if you have other printing needs like stationery, rubber stamps or promotional and marketing materials they can do that as well, and offering a low price that you'll be happy to pay, and with the high quality printing that you'll get from them.

The reports came out about a McCain volunteer Ashley Todd who went to Pennsylvania to help with the campaign. She claimed she was attacked Wednesday night at a Pittsburgh ATM by an African American who saw the McCain bumper sticker on her car, carved a "B" on her face. Well, a backwards B, but hey, "they" can't spell when "they" commit crimes, anyway. But some additional inconsistencies came up. The carving was very light, as if self-inflicted. Her story changed in the telling. The ATM camera didn't record her there at the time of the alleged crime.
John Moody executive VP for Faux Noise wrote about the incident on his blog and pointed out "If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain's quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting."
Guess what?
Blogger Interrupted, BlueOhioan and Talking Points Memo all talk about it.
So now the Repugnicans have nothing. If the story about Sarah Palin's $150,000 clothes shopping spree last month paid for by the RNC (to give you perspective, Mark Gibson points out it would take him almost 8 years to make that much), or a $22,800 for makeup for the first 2 weeks of October (over a year. And they want to fight for the middle class?) didn't do it, this one will do it.
Actually they don't have nothing, they still have the voter suppression left. But the courts are shooting down their attempts left and right, but that doesn't mean they won't stop. They want every Repugnican, not Democrat vote counted. If none of their other plans work, (after suing Acme for selling them faulty equipment) they still have making every ballot they can become Provisional where it'll be "counted" "later". Don't let them do that to you. As Robert Kennedy Jr. and Tim Russo say: If your registration is up to date and you have your identification, Refuse a Provisional ballot. Demand to cast your vote. If it's something as small as being directed to the wrong line and it's easier to cast a Provisional ballot than a real one, don't do it. Take the time to make sure your vote is counted. Get a polling official to make a decision, and make them call the Board Of Elections if you have to. Call Election Protection at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Jot down the local newspapers and TV stations phone numbers to call. Disfranchesing, voter supression and fraud are all they have left. Let's take that away from them, too.

Have you thought about changing your bathroom or kitchen fixtures? Maybe some part of them broke and you need a replacement. In any event, maybe one of these Kohler faucets can make your bathroom or kitchen look better. And at reasonable prices as well. And if you're outside New York state, there's no sales tax charged.