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This day only reminds me of a city ignored by its elected officials. Its hard to not blame them as the Katrina Scenario has been known for at least 40 years after Hurricane Betsy made landfall in New Orleans. Having to see people hurt and dying in the short term, and the lack of response in the long term, is very heart breaking. I don't blame the people for living there, people gotta live somewhere and someone's gotta operate the Port of New Orleans. But to this day, the Lower Ninth Ward is still left in ruins and people who have applied for federal assistance, are still on their own. Katrina exposed what the government is, an inefficient tangle of red tape and finger pointing.

I was in "Safety Patrol" way back in 6th grade (so when I was 12). Except they made you patrol people your own age and having just moved in and not quite fitting in, that certainly didn't help. But my highschools and middle schools didn't have that, at all. The schools had real cops.

I joined way back in July 22, 2003! w00t

Ya know, we might think these times are "boring", but the 2000's is a time of international change, just like any other decade. Our descendents might yearn to know what its like to be the first generation born in the computer age. We are going to be running into kids who will be younger than the current incarnation of the internet. Domestically, there is of political strife (as seen from the elections and currently issues) of a different nature than perhaps what we've seen in the 60's and 70's. You might not know when the next hot button issue might put people into the streets protesting. I think these times are exciting (and scary) . Also, the nature of technology has kinda forced us to no longer look at our generation soley within the confines of our respective borders, but globally. Never before have teens around the world been in contact with each other on such a scale, sharing beliefs and ideas (look at ST!!). We are in a revolution right now, and who knows what this revolution might turn into in just a decades time.

Requiem of the Ring (Requiem of a Dream Remake for The Two Towers trailer)

Originally posted by: callagrafx lmao @ sloppet!! Katie, chill out, it's just a "thing", not exactly life threatening...I've had 3 stereo's stolen from various cars over the years, now I just remove the faceplate and take it with me..best deterrent there is. Stuff happens...that's lifequote> Actually the best deterrent to theft is to not have anything to be stolen to begin with.... works for me On a more serious note, thats unfortunate for that to have happened. You're lucky it was just the stereo and not the entire car.

I've been to quite a few Minor League games as I find them far more entertaining, simplified, and agreeable than major league baseball. Recently, I've been to two Saint Paul Saints v Lincoln Salt Dog games, the most recent one had a brawl in the bottom of the first inning! The First inning took about 45 minutes to finish. Besides the Saint Paul Saints, I've seen the Delmarva Shorebirds multiple times, Asheville Tourists multiple times, Hickory Crawdads and... a few other teams that I don't recall who they were. Baseball rocks.

Happy B-Day Cjah!

I honestly think many users on Simtropolis have a skewed view of "poverty" in America. First, directly from the Census Bureau, 12.7% of the United States lives in poverty, which amounts to about 37 million people as of 2004. And unfortunately, that number had grown an additional 1.1 million people from 2003 to 2004. Many of those in poverty, are young (under 18) which amounts to 13 million. Being in poverty in the US is worse than being in poverty in many western European nations as our welfare system is ridden with bureaucracy and red tape. These impovershed people lack health insurance where it is generally universal in most western European nations. Just cause there are tons of programs in the US, doesn't mean they work or get to the right people (not to say that the problem is unique to the US). Many people sacrifice food for other bare necessities. Many kids in my highschool, roughly 30% depended on free or reduced lunches for their main and only meal for the day. Poverty is often hard for many of us on ST to imagine, not even I can pretend to know it completely. So to say that being in "poverty" here is better than middle class Europe is definately wrong. The disparity in Europe between the highest and lowest incomes are not as bad as those in the United States, where the gap grows bigger every year.

Some quick pics of me... Don't we look happy! (Twas my B-day)

Happy Belated Independence Day! Minneapolis/St. Paul was a lit by many many many fireworks shows as most urban, suburban and even some rural areas were. It was a blast to go swimming, enjoy an awesome bon fire and hang out with friends.

Thanks for the Happy Birthdays, makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I enjoyed turning two decades old, wow... crazy. I'm half way to being "over the hill", I better get to work.

Congratulations. Don't blow it all at once... HA! Ya will when the university asks for you to cough up the $$$. But at least its $4000 less that would come out of YOUR pockets. Congrats again, and I guess more importantly, Good luck with your endeavours.

I highly recommend the Alaska cruises. I had a blast and its very laid back. I even had time to get a tan... IN ALASKA! (during the rainy season at that too, but it happened to not rain much). If you take the shore excersions, I'd say do something like the Sled Dog Mushers Camp or kayaking, thats quiet fun. We also did a ropes course and rock climbing wall in Ketchikan and that was fun too.

Regarding food on cruises... this is highly dependent on which cruise ship and destination. If you take the Disney Vacation lines or whatever, they will feature that type of food. But just 3 weeks ago I went on a cruise and their food was fantastic and mighty fine (I had six meals a day!). Menu items included, but were not limited to lobster, shrimp, crab (other seafood items), caviar, tons of fancy poultry stuff (I was eating seafood so I don't remember), gourmet soups which mostly followed a seafood theme. Deserts were enar top of the line. We had a buffet but that was generally for people who were either picky or couldn't fit their meals into their schedules. No fast food places on the ship. This was an Alaskan cruise which served older clientelle so fast food wasn't really their thing. Apparell does matter on many cruise ships (then again, probably excluding Disney). I had to wear a suit (and get pictures taken .. uck) and my friend who would normally not be caught dead in a dress had to wear a dress in order for us to eat dinner. They also had smart casual and requested that all passengers where shoes, shirts and trousers when inside the ship (i.e., walking around in a bikini was a no-no... which is fine since most of the passengers were around 60). Atmosphere... This cruise ship (the Princess Dawn) and other ships like the Oosterdam, Ziederdam, and Diamond Princess, were focused on natural lighting (except in the very interior of the ship) and they also featured live music and entertainment. I do agree that the ships are fairly ugly and very top heavy, but the interior was visually stunning and certainly wasn't a cheap, no frills experience. We went on the cruise for free so I'm not trying to defend my "purchase" as ... I didn't purchase anything . But this cruise ship, which is definately not the top of the line, or the most luxurious, but definately not a "simple" vacation. I mean, we didn't even have trashcans around the ship for us to throw away our trash. You'd just lay them down anywhere and someone would pick it up for you ( I felt really bad about that so I kept bring my trash to my room so I wouldn't feel guilty). I'm not sure if the Caribbean cruises are like the Alaskan cruises, but since some of the ships routinely switch to Alaska or the Caribbean, I assume they are similar. Just my "two cents".

Originally posted by: SkiGeek Originally posted by: tankmank For all of you what is the legal age you can drink alchol in your home?what age do you have to be not to ride on the pavement? what age do you have to be to atay home alone ? Do you have to wear a booster seat in a car until you are 10? I will tell you anwers soon just guessquote> I'm not sure of the answers for the UK. Where I live the answers would be: 1. When I was a kid, the drinking age was 18. It has since been raised to 21. If underage people are found drinking in a private home, the adults present can be arrested. 2. I don't understand this question either. 3. In Maryland, the law reads: (a) A person who is charged with the care of a child under the age of 8 years may not allow the child to be locked or confined in a dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle while the person charged is absent and the dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle is out of the sight of the person charged unless the person charged provides a reliable person at least 13 years old to remain with the child to protect the child. (b) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both. 4. After outgrowing a car seat, a booster seat should be used until a height of 4' 9" is reached. quote> Personally, I think the drinking age should be lowered so we don't create the immature desire to binge drink in college. Besides, if 18-21 year olds criminally responsible for all other actions, why should their parents (assuming they still reside at home) get in trouble. If they can serve their country, vote, be on juries or the big one... get married (they might need to drink!), then certainly they are legally responsible for alcohol consumption and the likes. Also, those booster seat recommendations are a bit absurd. 4'9" is a pretty big kid, and I know some adults that would technically NEVER outgrow a booster seat. A bit absurd.

Cool region. Nice to see someone doing the semi-obscure regions of the United States. Most people wouldn't know where Duluth, MN is or Traverse City, MI. Must make for some crazy ferry usage. Keep it going, I'd like to see the country side get developed.

Originally posted by: tankmank That isn't me fooled ya guys i can't get a pic of me on my pc so but until till then you will have to think what i would look like and what is it with being brittish and gay? quote> HA! So I did smell something fishy.... Chippewa in the UK... bah...

Milkman: At first I saw the team name being Chippewa and I was suprised thinking, wow, he must be from Wisconsin, Minnesota, or at least the upper Midwest, then your profile says your from the United Kingdom! So my question is, how does a football team ( I presume its your football team) end up with a Native American team name which is very regional. Just wondering.

I just recently went to Alaska so here's a few pics of me and my trip. Sled Dog camp, that was incredibly fun. Puppy! More Puppies! My Friend and I at Mendenhall Glacier (technically we are at the waterfall NEXT to the Mendenhall Glacier... same park) Ropes and Zips Course in Ketchikan. Finally, I'd be hard to not at least post one picture of the scenery in Alaska, so here it is. Hey.... anyone notice I like dogs?

Minnesota rocks... thats all I have to say. The Twin Cities and the state consistently rank high on most living standards (first in quite a few such as health care coverage). Weather isn't all THAT bad (at least it hasn't been anywhere close to 1936 where they dipped below 0 for over a month and later that year set the record high of 109, I think).

As we all know, religion is always a testy subject to discuss in a public forum so just wanted to warn people to take feelings about nation and religion very carefully so we don't step on anyone's toes. First, I plan on going to see this movie. Its probably going to be entertaining. And thats the stipulation, entertaining. NOT informative, not eye-opening... just a good story, thats all. There are literally thousands of movies based on conspiracy theories, but I'm pretty sure none of take them seriously. Second, jeez, if American movies suck... don't watch them, don't complain about them, don't speak about them. Its kinda annoying if you go around saying America _____ sucks cause I certainly don't reciprocate my personal feelings about some attitudes in here. I ask that you please say things respectfully and I don't anticipate everyone liking American things (cause I certainly don't). But I do feel as though my toes have beens stepped on. Third...another conspiracy theory was put into a conspiracy theory movie thread. The United States government did NOT help fund this movie. With record sales and a huge base of fans, the producers and marketers of this film had hundreds of millions of dollars to work with out of their own pockets. The United States government might be wasteful, but they don't fund movies out of spite, we have rich people to do that on their own. Fourth, the theory is interesting, but I certainly don't think it should be that offensive. Its an alternate take that DOESNT equate to truth. There are points in the movie that make you think, and that's good. Religion should NOT be taken blindly and questioning is always a good thing, especially in mass organized religions such as the Catholic church. Authority is not to be trusted naturally. I don't trust certain things from my government, and I question that. Because some says they are the official word of the bible doesnt negate the fact that they are a powerful government like instituation with similar powers.

My actual "birth" hometown- Peru, IN - 12,994 Miami County, IN - 36,082 Indiana - 6,271,973 Where I currently Live St. Paul (proper) - 287,151 Ramsey County - 511,035 Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan area (including some counties in WI) - 2,968,805 Minnesota- 5,132,799

I know this doesn't take the cake, but the nearest example to me is 35 W (in the Twin Cities). Here's the link to it http://maps.google.com/?t=k&om=1&ll=44.965694,-93.261212&spn=0.001757,0.003616

Maryland has laws printed on their youth worker's permits so hopefully when they sign, they have read the short, 1 page thing of laws. You can get a job at age 14, part time. Generally, you can only work 23 hours a week and at maximum, in combination with school, can only work 12 hours in one day. There's more to it which can be found here. http://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/empm.html To say the least, I violated MANY MANY MANY of these laws willingly cause it is highly restrictive despite the fact that I had high school activities and four AP classes. I routinely worked 40 hours a week during school and no one ever got in trouble. I really don't think worker's permits are enforced and only if the student really cares that much.