JNBeaudreau's Blog

President Bush has entered his last 100 days in office!! 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- So how will it end?

President Bush will have a lot on his plate as he begins his last 100 days in office.

President Bush is down to his final 100 days in office as of Sunday. Don't expect a quiet fade into the Texas night.

The bleakest economic downturn in decades has changed the dynamic drastically, keeping Bush and his financial team in activist mode to the end.

While the powerful heads of the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve keep making radical moves, no one elected them. Bush is the one charged with reassuring the nation that an abysmal economic period will give way to better days, even if he is long gone from Washington by the time that happens.

The president will keep speaking about the economy, calling world leaders about it, meeting with business owners, perhaps attending an overseas summit. His final act will be overseeing the $700 billion buyout of devalued assets from banks, in hopes that credit will start flowing to an anxious, weary country. Watch Bush discuss "reason to be confident" about economy »

"It looks like I'm going to have a lot of work to do between today and when the new president takes office," Bush said this past week.

The scope of the credit crisis is so vast that it will likely overshadow anything else Bush does before he leaves office January 20.

"We will stand together in addressing this threat to our prosperity. We will do what it takes to resolve this crisis. And the world's economy will emerge stronger as a result," the president said Saturday in the Rose Garden after meeting with finance ministers from the world's economic powers.

People are panicked about their retirement accounts, and the markets are reeling. Behind the daily drumbeat of bleak economic news, Bush leaves behind a national debt that has soared from less than $6 trillion when he took office to more than $10 trillion now. That staggering bill will fall on future generations to pay.

Don't Miss

• CNNMoney.com: Bush, G-7 allies vow to resolve crisis

Beyond the financial mess, there is a daunting list of unfinished items for a president who has a history of making bold promises. But hope and time are diminishing.

Before his presidency ended, Bush wanted a Mideast peace deal built around the outlines of Palestinian state. That is unlikely. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned in a corruption scandal, negotiations stalled and the same issues that have divided the parties for decades seem as irreconcilable as ever.

The ambitious priority of pushing an international effort to rid North Korea of its nuclear arms has made late progress, but the communist country has a spotty record of following through on its pledges. After North Korea relented on nuclear inspection demands, the U.S. on Saturday erased the North from a terrorism blacklist.

Bush's diplomats acknowledge the challenge of verifying any claims from what one official calls "the most secret and opaque regime in the entire world."

Perhaps most notably, the United States and Iraq still are without an agreement governing the presence of U.S. forces after December 31, when the U.N. mandate runs out. The two sides are hung up on legal jurisdiction for U.S. troops and contractors, and a timeline for U.S. withdrawal.

On top of that, White House staff members are devoting valuable amounts of time to paving the way for the next president. The transition between administrations, always a complicated endeavor, is the first in the post-September 11 world. And it comes with the U.S. at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush has made clear to those who work for him that he wants a smooth transition to the next president. In terms of the sheer time and energy involved, Bush counselor Ed Gillespie said, "I suspect the last 100 days are going to feel more like the first 100 days than any of us would have hoped."

The last days of an administration can be filled with desires to wrap up issues, if not desperation.

Meanwhile, just when all his clout was supposed to be gone, Bush has scored some recent victories.

He signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal with India and won approval for oil drilling off the U.S. coastlines, both of which have lasting implications. The White House holds dim hopes that Congress could take up trade deals with Colombia and South Korea if it holds a lame-duck session after the election.

In what has already been his busiest year of foreign travel as president, Bush has at least one more trip left. He plans to go to Peru in November for the annual summit of leaders of Pacific Rim nations.

There is always the possibility of a trip the White House never announced in advance for security reasons, such as a final visit by Bush to Iraq.

Bush also is expected to do a final review of pardons and commutations. His predecessor, Bill Clinton, pardoned 140 people in the closing hours of his presidency. Don't expect Bush to do that. Gillespie said the president will likely make those decisions "well in advance of leaving office."

It was not so long ago that Bush, after almost eight long years and diminishing public approval, might have seemed on a path for a quiet exit. But then came Russia's war with Georgia, more Gulf Coast hurricanes and the worst financial crisis since the stock market crash of 1929.

Now Bush is out in front of the cameras a lot, talking about what it will take to set up the financial rescue program effectively.

"There will be a desire to work every day on this bailout, because they will want to have everything set before the next guy comes in," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

A conservative friend of the administration but a critic of the taxpayer-funded $700 billion plan, Norquist said: "If you chose to give the treasury secretary billions of dollars to play with, why would you want to hand it over to the next guy?"

The election is in 23 days. Said Gillespie of Bush: "People will not have any doubt that just because he's at the end of a second term, he's not letting up at all."

E-mail to a friend Share this on: Mixx Digg Facebook del.icio.us reddit StumbleUpon MySpace | Mixx it | Share

If you missed this amazing special its not too late to make a donation and to STAND UP TO CANCER...

Check out their website...

www.standuptocancer.org

I have to admit, I am an Olympics junkie. Cant get enough of them. The Opening ceremonies were a visual and acoustical mind blowing experience. How is it the Chinese are so creative??

Go Team USA!  Bring home the gold...and have fun while making us all Proud.

www.nbcolympics.com

Here we come. Its that time of year again when those who are Proud to be Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender to come out, be heard and have a great time.  Check out the Official website for Rhode Island Pride 2008.

www.prideri.com

Many Faces – One Voice

“Diversity exists, despite society’s attempt to suppress it.” This quote from a popular science fiction novel reveals a great truth about humanity. Diversity is one of those buzz words that have been used often but can be at time difficult to live. That condition exists in every corner of our world and even in our own community. However as a community which has to fight and struggle for the basics in freedom and justice, we must be reminded that our strength comes from the varied gifts we bring. Our cultures, races, languages, beliefs and identities make us strong, whole and proud. To that end it is this richness of being that will help us become closer to one another and find the strength to be out and proud in every facet of our lives. That is the voice and with that voice we must continue to demand our rights, work hard to help our community and celebrate who we are. RI Pride is pleased to announce the theme for RI Pride 2008 – MANY FACES – ONE VOICE!

I just read this post online, Im sure many are talking about it. This is one of the most outrageous and yet sad things I have ever seen a group of young people do.



17 MA high school students in pregnancy pact

Updated: var wn_last_ed_date = getLEDate("Jun 19, 2008 12:35 PM EST"); document.write(wn_last_ed_date);June 19, 2008 12:35 PM

17 MA high school students in pregnancy pact
GLOUCESTER, Mass. (WPRI) - An outrageous pact was uncovered at a Massachusetts High School.

Seventeen teenage girls at Gloucester High School are expecting, and it appears most of them got pregnant on purpose.

Time Magazine reports nearly half the girls confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. None of the girls are older than 16. One of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless man.

"Seventeen kids, and a lot of them aren't even seniors yet. A lot under the age of 18. They can't even buy cigarettes yet, and they're having babies," says Ashleigh Bennett, a student at the school.

Usually, the school has only four pregnancies a year.

Officials started looking into the spike after an unusual number of girls asked school health officials for pregnancy tests.

PROVIDENCE GAY MEN'S CHORUS CONCERTS TONIGHT (6/4) AND THIS WEEKEND (6/7-6/8)!!!   Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of…: Pride in America      "Life,
Liberty , and the Pursuit of Happiness."  But whose happiness?  And how
do we find it?  Although America -- and the "Pursuit of Happiness" --
is different for each of us, we still find ways to come together not
only in our communities but also as a nation.  Start your Pride
celebration early with the PGMC as we sing for Justice, embrace
Community, and proudly celebrate the Red, White, and Blue.     Performance Dates/Times: Wednesday (6/4), Saturday (6/7), and Sunday (6/8) at 7 p.m. – Doors open at 6:30                                                       
                                                       
                                  
Location: Beneficent Congregational Church, 300 Weybosset Street , Providence   Tickets: $15 available at
the door or through ArtTix at http://www.arttixri.com/performance_info.cfm?PID=167
5   For more information, visit www.ProvGMC.org or e-mail info@ProvGMC.org.
--------

I saw SATC with 5 friends and we all loved the show. It was an emotional roller coaster that was well worth the wait and surpassed all the hype. 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Sarah Jessica Parker and her gal pals have not lost their sex appeal.

The big-screen “Sex and The City” — reuniting Parker and TV co-stars Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon — strutted to a $55.7 million opening weekend, far exceeding Hollywood’s box-office expectations.

That was nearly twice the forecast of distributor Warner Bros., whose head of distribution, Dan Fellman, said he had hoped the movie might deliver a $30 million debut.

“Women power,” Fellman said. “It was outstanding this weekend.”

Analysts had figured Paramount’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” might repeat atop the box office, but it slipped to second-place with $46 million in its second weekend. “Indiana Jones” raised its 11-day domestic total to $216.9 million.

“Sex and The City” put up numbers never before seen for a movie aimed mainly at women, who do not tend to rush out in huge numbers over opening weekends the way males do.

Released under Warner’s New Line Cinema banner, “Sex and The City” had the best debut ever for an R-rated comedy, topping the $45.1 million opening of “American Pie 2.”

The movie landed at No. 5 on the all-time list among R-rated films, behind “The Matrix Reloaded” ($91.8 million), “The Passion of the Christ” ($83.8 million), “300” ($70.9 million) and “Hannibal” ($58 million).

“This is a blockbuster for women. This was to women what `Indiana Jones’ and ‘Star Wars,’ let’s say, are to men,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

The movie picks up four years after the series finale, in which Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw and her Manhattan buddies left behind their randy ways to settle into monogamous relationships. In the film, the foursome deals with family and commitment issues while still flaunting their bawdy humor and trendy sense of style.

Hollywood skeptics had doubted the commercial prospects for a movie adaptation of “Sex and The City,” which ended its six-year run in 2004. Originally airing on premium-cable channel HBO, the show had a loyal but limited fan base and held little appeal for young males, the backbone of the box office.

But “Sex and The City” mania grew as the movie’s release approached, with women making plans for a girls night out to see it with friends on opening day Friday.

“That’s why Friday was quite a frenzy,” Fellman said. “There were women that came in and bought out entire theaters in advance and invited all their friends.”

Women made up 85 percent of the audience on Friday, Fellman said.

The movie pulled in $26.9 million on Friday alone, nearly matching the entire $27.5 million opening weekend for one of Hollywood’s biggest recent chick flicks, “The Devil Wears Prada.”

On Saturday, “Sex and The City” took a steep drop, the numbers dwindling to $17.7 million. Most big films take in more money on Saturday than Friday, so the decline was a sign that the audience for “Sex and The City” could dry up quickly.

Still, the film was on its way to becoming a $100 million hit that could spawn future sequels.

The weekend’s other new wide release, Universal’s fright flick “The Strangers,” debuted solidly at No. 3 with $20.7 million. The movie stars Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a couple terrorized by masked invaders at their vacation home.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. “Sex and The City,” $55.7 million.
2. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” $46 million.
3. “The Strangers,” $20.7 million.
4. “Iron Man,” $14 million.
5. “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” $13 million.
6. “What Happens in Vegas,” $6.9 million.
7. “Baby Mama,” $2.2 million.
8. “Speed Racer,” $2.1 million.
9. “Made of Honor,” $2 million.
10. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” $1 million.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I have to admit, I LOVE This show. Its got the mixture of everything needed for some fun television. You've got the drama, the passion, the attitude and all those clothes. Project Runway also doesnt pretend to be more than what it is. A competition. The final three are set and come down the runway next week. Now, i wont wear any of the clothes, as they are not for me, but its all about expressing yourself and not letting anyone tell you otherwise. Kudos to Christian, a 21 year old who is fulfilling his dream. At 21 I was still in college trying not to get wasted on weekends. lol   Check out the shows site....




www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway