Andy Rooney On Ex Presidents… Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagen, Bush Sr… Obama, Clinton, George W. Bush Together

The current and former Presidents (Barack Obama and George W Bush) together.

In this very interesting piece, the late-great, Andy Rooney discusses ex-Presidents, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagen and George H.W. Bush, from the vantage point of the Clinton years and Rooney’s liberal viewpoint.

Herrrrrre’s Rooney!

Andy Rooney discusses how Americans remember their ex-Presidents, and how what we read, see and hear about them from media sources shapes our opinion of them. These days, we are actually very lucky, as we see much more of our Presidents than ever before. Every major speech foreign and domestic is readily available to view online, and is often covered in the news media both online, on TV, blogs, and in other sources.

Additionally, we have something that other generations could only dream of… the ability to interact with our Presidents or their official PR people on a daily basis, and see minute-details and news about them via social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and through unique formats like youtube, live-video feeds and chats, virtual Google+ Town Halls, and the like.

….. An amazing picture of former US Presidents in 1991, from left: Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, Ronald Reagen and Jimmy Carter.

As such, I would reckon that the modern American is much more in tune with what the American President, in this case President Barack Obama, is actually like, than people had in previous decades. And it is only thanks to the amazing advancements in technology that we have made in such a short period.

For example, I was able to quickly and easily watch former President George W. Bush and current President Barack Obama together at Bush’s official portrait unveiling, it was covered in the TV news, posted online at many publications, and was easily found via CSPAN. In the old days, it’d barely get a mention in the newspaper. And very few people would have seen the actual speech, much less in its entirety.

And that should leave us very thankful for the wide variety of information and resources that we have at our fingertips in this day and age.

….. An amazing photo of our current and past Presidents, from left: George HW Bush, President Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, taken in 2008

Previous Andy Rooney On Videos:
* Andy Rooney On the Middle East. Utah and Utaq, Mesopotamia and Persia, Iraq Half the Size of Texas [Posted On October 28 2012]
* Andy Rooney On WWII and Covering the 8th Air Force Division During World War II [Posted On July 11 2012]
* Andy Rooney On Ex Presidents [Posted June 13 2012]
* Andy Rooney On His Critics [Posted June 1, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On Lists and Magazines [Posted May 26, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On A Woman US President and Why We Haven’t Had One. Plus Ar Women Smarter Than Men? What Countries Have Women Presidents [Posted May 21, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On Computers, Bill Gates, Off Being On (Start) and Typewriters (Andy’s Funniest Video) [Posted May 9, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On eBooks and eReaders… Physical vs digital (Kindle, Nook, etc.) [Posted May 2, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On the 5 Worst Inventions of All Time [Posted April 25, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On Saving, Investing, Money, Finances, Bailouts and the National Debt [Posted April 19, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On President Obama’s Election [Posted April 14, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On the Death of Osama Bin Laden [Posted April 12, 2012]

 

Photos of the Day – Memorial Day 2012

A mourning soldier reflected through a mirror of the U.S. Flag!

Memorial Day 2012 Photos will continue to fill us with remembrance of the one day all Americans take-off to honor the fallen and those soldiers who have served the USA with poise and bravery. The United States forever will be indebted to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and we bow our heads to honor them.

Below are many photos taken from many different websites and blogs (copyrights respective of photo owners) conveying what Memorial Day means to Americans and showing in bold photography the beauty in honoring those who have served this great nation. God bless you and all that you do, and fall to our knees to pray for the families who continue to be effected day-in an day-out by the sacrifices of their loved ones.

Don’t forget to check out my Memorial Day Poll – Do You Know A Loved One That Has Died Serving America in the Military? (Question of the Day) and Photo of the Day – Happy Memorial Day 2012! And When He Gets To Heaven To Saint Peter He Will Tell, Just Another Soldier Reporting Sir I’ve Served My Time In Hell articles. :)

…. The new generation honoring Memorials Day 2012. This little girl stands in front of graves marked with U.S. Flags

An American soldier high fives some young fans at a Memorial Day 2012 parade.

Teens in the Jr. ROTC carry a giant US Flag at a Memorial Day 2012 Parade.

A spellbinding photo of a soldier standing at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers Memorial Day 2012.

An incredible photo of a soldier in a desert warzone saluting the flag of his country.

America stands as the home of the free because of the brave soldiers who defend her.

A heart-touching photo of a grandma looking for the name of her son killed in the Vietnam War.

This precious photo shows a small boy saluting the grave of a fallen soldier on Memory Day 2012.

 

Question of the Day Poll – Will the Supreme Court Overturn ObamaCare? Yes or No (May 27 2012)

A funny Obamacare cartoon comic.

The Poll of the Day for May 27, 2012 is a very important one… Do you think the Supreme Court will overturn ObamaCare? A simple yes or no is all I’m asking for.

This is a very important decision, and will be very consequential to the very future of this nation and what direction we want to head. Do you believe the federal government has the power to mandate that every single American get health insurance? Do you believe that government is the solution to the Health Care crisis facing the nation today? Do you believe that government can compel a citizen to buy a service or a product, or face a penalty for their non-action? Do you believe the ObamaCare law will bankrupt the nation, or save it?

These questions often split upon party lines, but the answers effect every single boy and girl in this nation, no matter the party. So, what do you think? We’ll find out for sure soon…

Previous Poll Questions of the Day

* Question of the Day Poll – What Next-Gen System Most Excites You? Wii U, PS4, or Xbox 720? (May 31, 2012)
* Question of the Day Poll – Who Will Win the 2012 Election, President Obama or Mitt Romney? (May 30, 2012)
* Quote of the Day (Poll) – To Send A Letter Is A Good Way To Go Somewhere Without Moving Anything But Your Heart (May 29, 2012)
* Memorial Day Poll – Do You Know A Loved One That Has Died Serving America in the Military? (Question of the Day) (May 28 2012)
* Question of the Day Poll – Will the Supreme Court Overturn ObamaCare? Yes or No (May 27 2012)
* Question of the Day Poll – What E3 2012 Games Are You Most Excited About? (May 26, 2012)
* Question of the Day Poll – Who Will Win the NBA Playoffs 2012? (May 24 2012)

 

Andy Rooney On A Woman U.S. President And Why We Haven’t Had One. Plus, Are Women Smarter and Nicer Than Men? What Countries Have Women Presidents?

Condi with Hillary…. and Angelina Jolie. Don’t ask. But three of the most powerful woman in the world together!

Why has the United States never had a woman President? Andy Rooney ponders that question in this installment of 60 Minutes, where he goes into some of the reasons why America has never had a female chief executive.

Which, just as Andy says, is quite strange when you really think about it. Considering how many women there are in the US, and the fact that more women vote than men. Andy also talks about the prison population in the United States, and the fact that only 7% of inmates in America are girls or women.

Are women smarter than men are? Are they more capable? Is the average woman better educated than a man? As of 2005, more women did graduate from college than men… Is it because women think that a woman is not capable of leading the country as much as a man is? Why out of 300 million Americans has a women never been chosen for the Presidency?

I find it sad too that Andy Rooney’s liberal philosophy keeps him from naming some of the extremely capable women that would’ve made great Presidents, the top pick for me who has always been Condoleezza Rice (and remains so). Hillary Clinton has also always been the obvious one, but he doesn’t name her either.

So what countries have had woman Presidents? Quite a few actually, more than I thought:

Margeret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of Britain no less than three times.

Other countries with Woman Presidents As of 2005 Included:
* Argentina
* Iceland
* The Phillipines
* Nicaragua
* Ecuador
* Findland
* Liberia
* Chile
and
Ireland.

And of course, in modern times, Germany’s all-powerful Angelia Merkel.

Here is Andy Rooney on A Woman US President:

What do you think about the Woman President issue, would you ever vote for a Woman President? Who would your choice be right now? Do you think Hillary Clinton would’ve defeated John McCain to succeed George W. Bush if Barack Obama had not stolen the election from her?

Previous Andy Rooney On Videos:
* Andy Rooney On the Middle East. Utah and Utaq, Mesopotamia and Persia, Iraq Half the Size of Texas [Posted On October 28 2012]
* Andy Rooney On WWII and Covering the 8th Air Force Division During World War II [Posted On July 11 2012]
* Andy Rooney On Ex Presidents [Posted June 13 2012]
* Andy Rooney On His Critics [Posted June 1, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On Lists and Magazines [Posted May 26, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On A Woman US President and Why We Haven’t Had One. Plus Ar Women Smarter Than Men? What Countries Have Women Presidents [Posted May 21, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On Computers, Bill Gates, Off Being On (Start) and Typewriters (Andy’s Funniest Video) [Posted May 9, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On eBooks and eReaders… Physical vs digital (Kindle, Nook, etc.) [Posted May 2, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On the 5 Worst Inventions of All Time [Posted April 25, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On Saving, Investing, Money, Finances, Bailouts and the National Debt [Posted April 19, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On President Obama’s Election [Posted April 14, 2012]
* Andy Rooney On the Death of Osama Bin Laden [Posted April 12, 2012]

 

Photo of the Day – Thunder In the Desert (Phoenix, AZ Rainstorm May 9, 2012)

Dark, foreboding rainclouds appeared over Phoenix today. Always cause for rejoicing!

Thunder in the desert! Phoenix Arizona got hit with a thunderstorm today (May 9, 2012), lightning, rain, wind, powerful gusts. The whole nine years!

The weather is a funny thing, isn’t it? The weather means different things to different people depending on where you live. In Phoenix, rain and wind are cause for celebration! Kids jump around and run in the rain like they’ve never seen water before, and even adults crowd around the open doors to bask in the glory that is water from the Heavens. Everyone is excited and happy!

That of course, is due to the normally hot weather. In many places that get too much rain, water and stormclouds are something to be upset about, and cause people to get depressed. But not so here in Phoenix! BRING ON THE THUNDER IN THE DESERT! :D

…..Rain and dark stormclouds, powerful windgusts, and more over the mountains of Phoenix, AZ on May 9, 2012.

 

What States Allow Gay Marriage? What States Ban Gay Marriage? 7 To 35 Is the Answer (USA Map)

….35 States Ban Gay Marriage, 7 Allow Gay Marriage, 11 States Recognize Civil Unions, 3 States Vote on Gay Marriage in 2012

What states ban gay marriage and what states allow gay marriage? The United States has several individual states that have laws that either allow same-sex marriage, or do not allow same-sex marrirage in their state.

The laws are anything but uniform, and I won’t get into the gritty details on whether the law is a constitutional amendment, or just a normal law passed by the legistature, that either allows or doesn’t allow gay marriage. Instead I’ll simply give you the STRAIGHT facts so you can easily understand which U.S. states support gay marriage, and which prohibit gay marriage.

Table of Contents

• WHAT STATES ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE?
• WHAT STATES BAN GAY MARRIAGE?
• WHAT STATES ARE VOTING ON GAY MARRIAGE THIS YEAR (2012)?
• WHAT STATES RECOGNIZE CIVIL UNIONS OR DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS?

35 STATES BAN GAY MARRIAGE

1. Alabama (Banned in 2006)
2. Alaska (Banned in 1998)
3. Arizona (Banned in 2008 after failing total ban in 2006)
4. Arkansas (Banned in 2004)
5. California (Banned in 2000, full ban in 2008 with less than 55% of vote for, but Prop 8 thrown out by court, now under appeal)
6. Colorado (Banned in 2006)
7. Florida (Banned in 2008)
8. Georgia (Banned in 2004)
9. Idaho (Banned in 2006)
10. Kansas (Banned in 2005)
11. Kentucky (Banned in 2004)
12. Louisiana (Banned in 2004)
13. Maine (Banned in 2009, but overturned same year. Voters will vote this year on new citizen initiative to allow gay marriage or not)
14. Maryland (ban on ballot this year, 2012)
15. Michigan (Banned in 2004)
16. Minnesota (ban on ballot this year, 2012)
17. Mississippi (Banned in 2004)
18. Missouri (Banned in 2004)
19. Montana (Banned in 2004)
20. Nebraska (Banned in 2000)
21. Nevada (banned in 2000, full ban in 2002)
22. North Carolina (VOTED TO BAN GAY MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNIONS, MAY 8 2012)
23. North Dakota (Banned in 2004)
24. Ohio (Banned in 2004)
25. Oklahoma (Banned in 2004)
26. Oregon (Banned in 2004)
27. South Carolina (Banned in 2006)
28. South Dakota (Banned in 2006 with less than 55% of vote for)
29. Tennessee (Banned in 2006)
30. Texas (Banned in 2005)
31. Utah (Banned in 2004)
32. Virginia (Banned in 2006)
33. Washington State (ban on ballot this year 2012)
34. Wisconsin (Banned on 2006)

6 STATES SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE

1. Connecticut
2. Iowa
3. Massachusetts
4. New Hampshire
5. New York
6. Vermont
AND
7. Washington DC

3 STATES WILL VOTE ON GAY MARRIAGE BAN THIS YEAR 2012

1. Maryland
2. Minnesota
3. North Carolina (VOTED TO BAN GAY MARRIAGE ON MAY 8TH, 2012)
4. Washington State

11 STATES RECOGNIZE CIVIL UNIONS OR DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH SIMILAR MARRIAGE BENEFITS

1. California
2. Delaware
3. Hawaii
4. Illinois
5. Main
6. Nevada
7. New Jersey
8. Oregon
9. Rhode Island
10. Washington State
11. Wisconsin

The first of the states to vote on banning or allowing gay marriage this year is North Carolina. That vote was held yesterday (May 8, 2012), and as I reported, North Carolina Amendment 1 Passed Banning Gay Marriage Via State Constitutional Amendment. Will the other states follow suit in banning gay marriage this year? Or will they vote to allow it? We’ll have to wait and see.

So far, starting in 1998, 33 times voters in a state have been given the option to ban gay marriage or allow it. In all but one occassion, they voted to ban gay marriage and NOT to allow gay marriage. The only time the voters turned the gay marriage ban down, was in Arizona in 2006 (my home state). Two years later an amendment to the constitution to ban gay marriage was written and passed, but it recognizes Civil Unions. So gay marriage is illegal in Arizona, but Civil Unions are recognized. Similar bills exist in other states, you’ll have to look that info up yourself to find out exactly how the laws read. What is listed above means that gay marriage is effectively legal, or illegal, in the states that allow it or reject it. You can see what states recognize Civil Unions or Domestic Partnerships with some of the same benefits as a legal married couple (one man and one women) in the fourth list.

Thanks to Pewstates Stateline for the US Map image.

 

Hackers Play Tetris On Side of Building At Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Video Included)

A photo by Erik Nygren capturing the Tetris On A Building Hack at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Tetris played using building windows is actually nothing new. Having it done illegally by hackers? THAT’S NEW.

Students at the prestigious “Massachusetts Institute of Technology” performed what is being billed as the “Holy Grail of Hacks” when they force-played Tetris on the side of a building by hacking into the “Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science” on the college campus and proceeded to play a MASSIVE game of Tetris!

Quite the feat eh! You can see a video of the actual “Tetris On Side of Building” game being played below!

Obviously this was done by some extremely bright MIT students in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as you must have insane skills to pull something like this off. And they got extreme critical acclaim, with the MIT Gallery of Hacks group calling it the “holy grail of hacks” as previously stated.

The hackers had a videogame console on the ground in order to actually play the Tetris game on the multi-colored, lit-up windows of the building, which allowed them to move and rotate the Tetrimino pieces using the controller and drop them into the well represented at the bottom of the building!

Here is the Tetris Massachusetts Hack Video!

 

Operation Rainfall Raising Money To Pitch Pandora’s Tower USA Localization To Publishers

Beautiful artwork from the Wii-exclusive RPG Pandora's Tower

WOW. Talk about an exciting development! Operation Rainfall is raising money and taking donations that will be used to pitch Pandora’s Tower to videogame publishers themselves! Basically, Operation Rainfall is now bypassing Nintendo entirely and going to the publishers on their own, with a kit of information on Pandora’s Tower, in order to convince these publishers that they are the ones who should pick up the North American release of the Wii RPG and take things into their own hands!

If successful, this would mean that one of these publishers would see the light in regards to the worth of releasing Pandora’s Tower in the United States, and would then come to Nintendo and say “We are willing to invest the funds necessary to publish Pandora’s Tower in North America”, effectively giving a win to Operation Rainfall’s whole initial point of existance… to get all three great Wii RPGs published in major English-speaking markets.

Here is a trailer for Pandora’s Tower.

Operation Rainfall was successful in this endeavor with two of the the three games: Xenoblade Chronicles was co-published by GameStop in collaboration with Nintendo, and has seen great sales success in the United States (The Xenoblade Chronicles release date was on April 6, 2012). That was game #1 of the Operation Rainfall campaign. Game #2 was The Last Story, which XSeed Games approached Nintendo about in regards to publishing, and Nintendo announced the game for a June 19th, 2012 release date in North America (co-published by both Xseed Games & Nintendo).

That left one more game… Pandora’s Tower. All three of these highly anticipated Wii RPGs were picked up and published across the pond by Nintendo Europe themselves (who are even being rewarded with the awesome Collector’s Operation Rainfall Wii RPG Coin Set Offered by Club Nintendo Europe), so most of the world has already gotten the games… except for North America. As of right now, Pandora’s Tower has yet to be announced for an American release, much to the dismay of Operation Rainfall members and gamers of all stripes who have been calling, writing, petitioning and praying that Nintendo would wake up to their senses and publish the game in America. But to no avail. Enter PHASE 2!

That, of course, is where Operation Rainfall steps in with their new Operation Rainfall Pitch To A Publisher campaign.

This is a mockup of what the Pitch to A Publisher Operation Rainfall Campaign Award will look like for those who donate $10 to the cause! A collector's case that holds the entire "Operation Rainfall Collection": Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower.

If you donate $5 to this “Pitch To A Publisher” cause, Operation Rainfall will reward you with exclusive Pandora’s Tower wallpapers. If you donate $10 to the cause, Operation Rainfall will reward you even more greatly with a very snazzy “Operation Rainfall Collection” 3-disc collector’s case to hold Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower! Very, very cool!

If you can afford to donate to the Operation Rainfall Pitch To A Publisher Campaign PLEASE do so! I urge you, as this may be the ABSOLUTE solution to finally getting the last of the three AAA quality RPGs published in America! And time is running out, because soon we will have the Wii U on our hands and Wii games will be completely obsolete!

Operation Rainfall only needs to raise a paltry $600 in order to completely fulfill what they want to do. That will give them enough money to create their “kits” that they will send to each of the following publishers:

1. Aksys Games
2. ATLUS
3. NIS America
4. Rising Star
5. UTV Ignition
6. XSEED Games JKS

The kit will contain the following: A physical copy of the PAL (European) version of Pandora’s Tower, hi-res printouts of concept art for the game, printed copies of the many glowing reviews for the game, and possibly even a full printout of the original Operation Rainfall petition sent to Nintendo. The publishers were selected in order of likelihood to accept this proposal to publish Pandora’s Tower, based on this criteria:

1. The publisher must have a working relationship on the Wii console (i.e., they have published at least one game on the Wii, either to North America or Europe).
2. The publisher must have experience with localizing titles that were developed in Japan.
3. The publisher must have experience publishing action/role-playing games.

So come on videogamers! Let’s band together and do the work needed to get Pandora’s Tower released! DONATE NOW! Even if Operation Rainfall meets the $600 threshold needed, any additional funds will go towards continuing their campaign to get all worth games that have never been released outside of Japan or released in America, localized and published! This includes games that fans have been long-clamoring for, such as EarthBound, Mother 1, Mother 3, Fatal Frame 4 (Wii), etc.!

Please stay plugged in to the Operation Rainfall Facebook and the Official Operation Rainfall website, as this group of amazing, passionate gamers works tirelessly to shed light and attention on the games that need and deserve it! GODSPEED!

 

Quote of the Day – 75 Years Ago the World Was Almost Lost

The White House with Israel & United States Flags In Front

“Seventy-five years ago, the leading powers in the world put their heads in the sand. Untold millions died in the war that followed. Ultimately, two of history’s greatest leaders helped turn the tide. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (President of the United States) and Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of Great Britain) helped save the world. But they were too late to save six million of my own people. The future of the Jewish state can never depend on the good will of even the greatest of men.” – Current Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu

If you enjoy this article please like it at the top of the website and share it on Facebook and Twitter, I’d greatly appreciate it! And leave a comment if you’re so inclined. :)

Pray this week for President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, who are meeting for what some have said are the most important negotiations between the two allies since World War II. Iran, being central to their talks.

Be hopeful that President Obama will make the right choices as he has already done, in unequivocally siding with Israel. Remember, if it weren’t for President Obama, a UN-sanctioned Palestinian state would already be a reality. Obama has proved his capacity to not be underestimated when it comes to siding with the one true Democracy of the region and a steadfast ally in Israel. Even if the entire world is opposed.

The two leaders met today to discuss Iran and other important world issues.

This morning on March 5, 2012 President Obama met with Netanyahu of Israel at the White House, in the press conference he reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and the fact that a military attack against Iran, if they attempt to go nuclear, will be a reality under Obama’s administration.

Additionally, here is Obama speaking the other day at the 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).