I'm going to have to say neither - not because I don't like either of them, there just aren't any near me!!! I live in Manhattan, and there isn't a Target or Wal-Mart in sight; I think the closest Target is in Brooklyn and Wal-Mart doesn't exist at all. But even if there were Wal-Marts, I'm sure New York would find a way to make them outrageously expensive, like everything else in this city.

My thoughts exactly! Of course I hope the U.S. auto industry rises above the mess it's in now, but I shouldn't feel guilty for wanting to buy a car that I know won't break down on me in five years, or have recurring problems like a few people mentioned above. Regardless of whether they're manufactured in America or overseas, foreign cars have a tried-and-true reputation for being better built, longer lasting cars, period. That's not to say that I'm risking my life every time I drive/ride in an American car, but if I'm going to spend $40,000 in this economy, I want to rest assured that I am getting every penny of my money's worth. AND hope that I won't have to spend thousands more on repairs in the future.

I agree with biznass and the other pro-Vicks (not that Vicks) commenters - it's not that dangerous and people are just overreacting like they always do. The Vaporub has been around for a hundred years and there haven't been any severe cases before the one with the toddler - which could have easily been avoided. And did you know that the researchers who conducted the study on the "dangers" of Vicks only selected 15 people - and ferrets! - for the experiment? That's hardly representative of a whole population.

Yeah, Vista was a major hiccup for Microsoft, but with Windows 7, they've gotten a drink of water, or held their breath for a few seconds (bad analogy?), and everything is back on track. Especially according to this review. It's nice to see that Microsoft is paying attention to improving minor features too, which can make a user's experience more enjoyable - like a larger taskbar that shows live thumbnail previews of open windows; and being able to view all of your windows at once, or split them in half on the desktop; and streaming music to an Xbox. Not to mention it's fast and easy to install.

As far as his platforms go, for sure. He's passionate about equality and giving back to the community and invests a long-term commitment to his charities (like the Make It Right campaign), not because of the recognition it awards him, but because he believes it's his duty. Those characteristics would certainly be refreshing in the what-can-you-do-for-me, how-does-this-make-me-look political world of today. But while his heart is in the right place, I don't think he's as knowledgeable on the inner workings of government that's obviously necessary for a major elected official - and of New Orleans at that - and he doesn't hold as much political influence as he does public influence. During his interview with Ann Curry, he said himself that serving, or at least running, as mayor is "not what he does best."

I was curious about security measures for the collaboration as well, but all I could find was Bill Koefoed, general manager of Investor Relations for Microsoft, who said Microsoft isn't delving into the hardware side of mobile phones, but "would continue to focus on enterprise enhancements such as data security and collaboration" - which doesn't say much except that it's a continued concern and they're "working on it." Hopefully specifics will be released soon. I'm sure people already have much trust in Nokia phones and the company; it holds 45% market share now.

Nokia's EVP said that the collaboration is about more than just "email and Office" and that they're focusing on communication and productivity apps (Office, IM, SharePoint, OneNote). PC World listsfive benefits that Nokia owners will soon be able to take advantage of.

Yup, DCers call it the Metro, which runs above ground and underground. As far as convenience goes, the DC transit system is pretty awesome - you can easily get to most parts of the city and surrounding areas by train or bus - which is important in a city where many employees commute to work from Maryland, Virginia and even Delaware. The trains are well-maintained and pretty clean. However, there's been some mismanagement at the top in recent years, and now WMATA (Wash. Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) is dealing with the backlash of the horrific train collision last month, largely due to system failure that could have been prevented.  

According to WMATA's website, "the entire 1,500 Metrobus fleet is eco-friendly" and runs on Compressed Natural Gas, low-sulfur diesel, advanced tech diesel, or are diesel/electric hybrid. One interesting feature are Code Red Days - when air quality is expected to be unhealthy in the Washington area - people can ride many of the bus routes for free.

At the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, Bill Clinton said that retrofitting is the answer to this energy crisis, not job creation. He said programs that create a few thousand jobs over a decade just aren't enough - "the least sexy topic is where the most jobs are," - and that the best way to achieve energy efficiency is to retrofit homes and businesses so owners can save on their bills. 

Al Gore, meanwhile, argued that the economy and climate (and national security) are all related and depend too much on carbon-based fuels, and that the best solution involves making a "transition to a low-carbon economy and to put people to work doing it," echoing the point by the HuffPost writer in the post above. Makes sense to me - like a "killing two birds with one stone" situation, in the simplest of terms.

Wow, those numbers in the column by Joel Kotkin are scary. I agree, tax incentives would benefit the employer, the employee and the economy. The Gallup poll he mentioned, which showed how more people place a priority on the economic situation than they do on environmental concerns even revealed that only half of Democrats - who usually back green policies - think the environment is a more pressing issue. Maybe people would be more optimistic if these green jobs that the government is promising could be created sooner rather than later. We keep hearing reports about how various types of jobs within the green sector will become available in five years or 10 years, or 12 months - the latest from USA Today, but people are looking for relief right now.

Even Labor Secretary Hilda Solis noted in the article this slow start and the need for economic growth first:

"Once you start seeing more investments made in our economy recovering, as we stabilize and we get people back to work, then I think there'll be more interest in expanding," Solis said. "There'll be more, hopefully, credit available for this expansion, because there will be more confidence because that's what we're lacking right now — that investment and confidence in the market."

Did you see that President Obama announced that the White House will provide $2.4 billion in grants for more fuel-efficient, battery-powered cars? He said, "For too long, we've failed to invest in this kind of innovative work, even as countries like China and Japan were racing ahead." This comes shortly after Nissan released info about it's new battery-powered car, the Leaf. I don't think exact prices are out yet, but the car itself is supposed to cost about what an average mid-sized sedan costs now (so $20-$25,000?), plus $10,000 for the battery. So probably around $30,000. Do you think this is a reasonable price? It's not as steep as I was expecting, but I wonder what percentage of Americans will be in the position to buy it when it's released next year. 

At least this is another sign that the government is maintaining its commitment to clean energy and funding for green cars.

For a city of its size, yes, but it still doesn't compare to New York's mass transit system, which I think is the largest transportation system in the country. Makes sense, in a city where four out of every five rush-hour commuters use public transportation. And most of those people ride the subway - can you imagine getting stuck on a bus in NYC traffic? Talk about road rage, without even being at the wheel.

And another loss for the Republicans. Tennessee state senator Paul Stanley has resigned after admitting to an affair with a 22-year-old intern at his office. He's also accusing the girl and her boyfriend of trying to extort $10,000 from the esteemed senator in exchange for nude photos taken of the intern at his apartment. At least there's a little twist to the story this time. His quote at the end of the article is slightly amusing:

"If you start clearing the legislature of people who sin, you're just going to have a big, empty chamber up there," he said.

Ha. So who's next?

I anticipate lots of people wanting to use just one account for their various Microsoft services. When it comes to electronics and the web in typical American culture, "the faster, the better" is what works; so being able to skip multiple steps of signing in separately to each account can be viewed as a bonus. Personally, I don't mind taking the extra five to seven seconds to sign in each account if it lessens the chances of Microsoft being able to follow my every move.

I don't know what to make of the CBO's latest preliminary report of the House's health care bill, which predicted that it would cost more than $1 trillion over 10 years and increase the federal deficit by $239 billion. Republicans were quick to use that as ammunition for more criticism of the plan, but supporters point out that it doesn't include several cost-cutting measures of the bill, like reduced costs as a result of preventative care programs. Still, the proposal states that "the budgetary information reflects many of the major cash flows that would affect the federal budget as a result of implementing the specified policies, and it provides our preliminary assessment of the proposal’s net effects on the federal budget deficit."

So now I'm left wondering if the "major cash flow" information is enough for the CBO to make a correct - even if not totally accurate - prediction of the bill's estimated cost, or will the missing adjustments based on other measures of the bill allow it to pay for itself, as Obama has repeatedly stated?

Seems like she's hit a couple of rough patches in the press lately. First, she was accused of race politicsduring an Environmental and Public Works on climate change legislation (which I think was unjustified). Then she is criticized in the media for requesting that a military officer call her "Senator" instead of "ma'am" (this time, criticism warranted). Now fellow Democrats are questioning Boxer's political style and wondering if she will be able to gain bipartisan support for the climate change bill, which could make or break her chances for reelection next year.