witola.com

This is so sad and insane at the same time! I really would like to see this one day, but now...

Good afternoon,

Shortly after taking office, I put forward a plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Today, I'm pleased to report that -- thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq -- our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops.

Over the last 18 months, over 90,000 U.S. troops have left Iraq. By the end of this month, 50,000 troops will be serving in Iraq. As Iraqi Security Forces take responsibility for securing their country, our troops will move to an advise-and-assist  role. And, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort.

A few weeks ago, men and women from one of the most deployed brigades in the U.S. Army, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, returned home from Iraq. The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden were at Fort Drum to welcome the veterans home and spoke about their personal experiences as a military family:

Our commitment to our troops doesn't end once they come home -- it's only the beginning.  Part of ending a war responsibly is meeting our responsibility to the men and women who have fought it. Our troops and their families have made tremendous sacrifices to keep our nation safe and secure, and as a nation we have a moral obligation to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.

That's why we're building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs.  We've made one of the largest percentage increase in the VA’s budget in 30 years, and we're dramatically increasing funding for veterans' health across the board. In particular, we're delivering unprecedented resources to treat signature wounds of today's wars—Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Our sacred trust to take care of our veterans goes beyond simply healing the wounds incurred in battle. We must ensure that when our veterans leave the Armed Forces, they have the opportunities they need to further their education and support their families.  Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, some 300,000 veterans and families members have pursued a college degree.  Others are taking advantage of job training and placement programs.

My Administration will continue to do our part to support the brave men and women in uniform that have sacrificed so much.  But supporting our troops and their families is not just the job of the Federal Government; it's the responsibility of all Americans.

As we mark this milestone in the Iraq war and our troops continue to move out of Iraq, I hope you'll join me in thanking them, and all of our troops and military families, for their service.

Sincerely,
President Barack Obama



Cairo's embassy in Nigeria said on Thursday a 13-year-old girl at the centre of claims that a Nigerian senator had taken the minor as his fourth wife is still at school in Egypt. The senator, Ahmed Sani Yerima, 49, meanwhile denied in an interview with the BBC that the girl was 13 and said that as a Muslim he had not broken any law by marrying the teenager claiming Sharia law allows this.

"The girl is still in school in Egypt and nobody has complained to the embassy in respect of the girl," Egyptian embassy spokesman Mohammed Saber told AFP.
He said however that the embassy "will follow the issue" because it is illegal in Egypt to marry an underage girl. The Nigerian senate on Wednesday ordered an inquiry after claims by rights groups that Yerima had paid a dowry of $US100,000 to marry the girl.

Women's groups protested outside parliament on Tuesday to urge the senate to investigate the claims.

In a telephone interview from Egypt with the BBC's Hausa service on Thursday, Yerima defended himself. "I don't care about the issue of age since I have not violated any rule as far as Islam is concerned," he said, describing those complaining as "detractors". "History tells us that Prophet Mohammed did marry a young girl as well. Therefore I have not contravened any law. Even if she is 13, as it is being falsely peddled around."

Read more here.

I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my new WiFi 3G iPad. It is due for release at the end of the month.

Now if all the books I get to read are like this....

"Glenn Beck is a fucking asshole. I've met him. He called me the anti-Christ and not about Avatar. He hadn't even seen Avatar yet. I don't know if he has http://witola.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1957&message=6seen it. I think, you know what, he may or may not be an asshole, but he certainly is dangerous, and I'd love to have a dialogue with him. He's dangerous because his ideas are poisonous. I couldn't believe when he was on CNN. I thought, what happened to CNN? Who is this guy? Who is this madman? And then of course he wound up on Fox News, which is where he belongs, I guess.

They're not attacks. They're just people ranting away, lost in their little bubbles of reality, steeped in their own hatred, their own fear and hatred. That's where it all comes from. Let's just call it out. Let's have a public discussion. That's what movies are supposed to do, you know, you can have a mindless entertainment film that doesn't affect anybody. I wasn't interested in that. That's right, I want to call those deniers out into the street at high noon and shoot it out with those boneheads. Anybody that is a global-warming denier at this point in time has got their head so deeply up their ass I'm not sure they could hear me.

Look, at this point I'm less interested in making money for the movie and more interested in saving the world that my children are going to inhabit. How about that? I mean look, I didn't make this movie with these strong environmental anti-war themes in it to make friends on the right, you know. They're not on my Christmas card list. It's not going to change my lifestyle at all if they don't talk to me. But you know they've got to live in this world too. And their children do as well, so they're going to have to be answerable to this at some point."

This kid is amazing, and at just 10 years old, seems so well-adjusted and bright. He gets it. His name is Will Phillips of Arkansas and he is speaking up for gay rights! Kudos to his open-minded parents. I now have a different view of Arkansas for sure.

Here he is again being asked a simple question at the 21st Annual GLAAD Awards:

I have heard of H&M, but never knew it was the craze of fashion for the populace! These women in France went crazy, literally, when a new store opened. How can this even be called shopping? Insane, ridiculous behavior!

In looking at their site I came across some interesting facts:

• H&M was established in Västerås, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Persson. We now sell clothes and cosmetics in around 2,000 stores around the world.
• H&M offers fashion and quality at the best price.
• H&M’s first store was opened in Sweden in 1947.
• H&M offers fashion for women, men, teenagers and children.
• The collections are created centrally by around 100 in-house designers together with buyers and pattern makers.
• H&M also sells own-brand cosmetics, accessories and footwear.
• The stores are refreshed daily with new fashion items.
• In Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria H&M offers fashion by Internet and catalogue sales.
• H&M does not own any factories, but instead buys its goods from around 700 independent suppliers, primarily in Asia and Europe.
• H&M has about 20 production offices around the world, mainly in Asia and Europe.
• H&M employs about 74,000 people.
• The turnover in 2009 was SEK 118,697 million.

View the madness here:

A hot new social-networking service dubbed Bubbly, which is essentially a voice-based Twitter, is quickly gaining popularity among Indians. And thanks to Bollywood celebs being early adopters, Bubbly is growing virally and with virtually zero marketing spend.

For more on the new trend and application, read here!

Another hypocrite bites the dust! Prop 8-Supporting State Senator Arrested After Leaving Gay Club!