Education Is Expensive, But Not As Expensive As Lack Of Education

The federal government provides a lot of money for students. It offers both grants and loans, usually based on need. The Federal Student Aid Information Center is a good place to start.Be sure to check on private scholarships and loans, too. Reportedly, many go unclaimed year after year. Some places to search include:

FastWeb

Scholarships.com

College Scholarships

Prepare for a shock when you price textbooks. You can easily spend $100 or more per book. So price your books on the Internet. They may well be cheaper than at the campus bookstore. Sites to price new and used textbooks are:

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

TextbookX.com

Nonprofit Facts

Donating money to nonprofit organizations can be tricky. Let's say you want to give money to fight heart disease. If you give to nonprofit organization A, exactly how much goes to the cause and how much to administrative costs?

Today's site gives that information. Enter a name into the database and find out a nonprofit's revenue, expenses, assets and liabilities.

If This Is An Economic Recovery, I'd Hate To See..... Oh, Never Mind

Congratulations to the 339K new jobless!

The List Of Spyware-Infested Software

The List Of Spyware-Infested Software is not a pretty site. It's a very long list, all in text format. If you want to search quickly
- Hold down the CTRL key
- Tap the letter f
- Release both keys
- A dialogue box will appear
- Type PART of the name of the program for which you are searching
- To search, and to search again, click the "Find Next" button
- This tip works on any web page that contains text (but not PDF files and not images), and was brought to you by the letter D and the number 8.

It might be worth a check to see if the software you're about to install is suspected of bringing spyware to your system. A word to the wise.....

There's Always A Fly In The Ointment

Want to be hip at the beach while being cool and healthy too? Try hippopotamus sweat.

Not only is the sweat of the hippo a fetching shade of red that gradually turns to brown, it also acts as a sunscreen and has antibiotic properties, according to Japanese scientists writing in Nature science journal.

But before heading off to the zoo for samples, a word of caution. Scientists at Keio University say there is a downside — it stinks.
-- Reuters Limited

Bush Uses, Then Ignores Sick 9/11 Firefighters & Cops

Over the last month, President Bush has repeatedly recounted how he was inspired by "the courage of the firefighters and the police" [1] in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He recounted how, when standing atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero, he was told by a firefighter, "Don't let me down" [2]. But more than two years later, he continues to ignore the needs of firefighters and police officers who are now suffering adverse health effects from their rescue efforts at Ground Zero. The situation has reached a head: yesterday, 1,700 cops and firefighters were forced to sue in court for the medical help they desperately need [3].

While the President's very first campaign commercial used photos of flag-draped corpses [4] being pulled from the rubble, the White House has sought to hide evidence that Ground Zero firefighters and cops were exposed to hazardous toxins. Specifically, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) intervened to doctor EPA press releases [5] that were supposed to warn the public about toxins near Ground Zero. The press releases were modified to claim that the air was safe - despite the fact that there was not adequate scientific evidence to substantiate that claim. The CEQ was headed by James Connaughton, a former asbestos industry lawyer who represented companies in toxic pollution cases [6].

When Ground Zero firefighters and cops began getting sick, the White House tried to block $90 million in funding [7] for medical treatment. When Congress forced the Administration to accept the $90 million, the Administration then delayed the money [8] and threatened to shut down the health-screening program. Even today, the New York Police Department has been denied much needed health grants [9].

Complete Article

Sources:
1. Remarks by the President at Victory 2004 Luncheon, 04/20/2004
2. Anniversary Gala, 05/13/2004
3. "1,700 sue over 9/11 sickness", New York Daily News, 05/24/2004
4. "President Bush: Don't use my husband as your mascot", Salon, 03/05/2004
5. "White House Molded EPA's 9/11 Reports", CBS News, 08/22/2003
6. "It's public be damned at the EPA", New York Daily News, 08/26/2003
7. "Cough up 9/11 aid, workers tell Bush", New York Daily News, 01/25/2003
8. "$90M in WTC aid on hold", New York Daily News, 07/10/2003
9. 1,700 sue over 9/11 sickness", New York Daily News, 05/24/2004

Why Bother Having An Exit Strategy When You Don't Have A "While We're There" Strategy?

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld banned "digital cameras, camcorders and cellphones with cameras" from all military installations in Iraq. Agence France Presse

In a related story, The Bush Administration has ordered all persons who have lost their horses to close their barn doors.

E-mail To A TV "News" Celebrity (Andrea Mitchell)

Dear Ms. Mitchell:

Today on Meet the Press you said:

"But I think what's most unhelpful to John Kerry in this regard is Al Gore. The Al Gore speech sets out what is a growing feeling in the Democratic base. We want out. We want quick withdrawal."

I re-read the transcript of Mr. Gore's speech. I found nothing that even remotely alludes to the notions of "we want out" and/or "we want quick withdrawal".

It appears that your intent was to point out "a growing feeling in the Democratic base." However, your statements twist the words and meaning of Mr. Gore's speech. Unfortunately, by implication, your words also distort John Kerry's position on the war. At that point your inappropriate comments do a disservice to the people of the United States - and even to the entire world.

As a responsible journalist, surely you will take at least the following steps:
1. Publicly retract the erroneous statements.
2. Apologize to Mr. Gore.
3. Refrain in the future from making unfounded attributions.
4. Do your homework.

If I want to get fiction posing as news, I can read the New York Times or the National Enquirer.
If I want to watch TV news, where should I go if I can't trust established journalists such as you?

Please do the right thing. Please show us that you are worthy of our trust.

Care to pile on? andrea.mitchell@nbc.com

So, How Goes The War On Terror?

School attendance everywhere outside of Kabul is down because of fear.
Opium production is up, and the drug cartels are fat and happy.
Torture as punishment for religious offenses is becoming a way of life again.

Why?

Because the Taliban is back: tanned, and rested, and ready. The war in Afghanistan must miss those resources that we diverted to Iraq.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, everything is just ducky.

Isn't it great to have a competent War President?