California K-7 Tour Dates & Locations

Here are the final dates for the upcoming K-7 tour stops in California.

Thursday, August 6th
5:30pm to 7:00pm
THE PORTOFINO Hotel & Yacht Club
Pacific II Ballroom
260 Portofino Way
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
310-379-8481

Friday, August 7th
5:30pm to 7:00pm
HILTON Irvine/Orange County Airport
Crystal D Room
18800 MacArthur Blvd
Irvine, CA 92612
949-833-9999

Saturday, August 8th
2:30-4pm
Hilton San Jose – Santa Clara Room
300 Almaden Boulevard
San Jose, CA 95110
408-287-2100

Sunday, August 9th
10am to 11:30am
Marriott San Francisco Union Square
480 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415-398-8900

Attendees will be able to try out the K-7 along with an assortment of PENTAX glass. Meet and greet with other photographers and enter to win a K-7. One camera body will be given away at each event.

Our featured photographer at all the California tour stops will be Mark Dimalanta. Mark will make a short presentation showing his work and share his experience to date shooting with the K-7. For those not familiar with Mark, here's a brief bio and links to his sites:

"Preferring to choose lifestyle over his profession, Dr. Mark Dimalanta of Huntington Beach, California left a promising career in medicine to chase a lifelong passion for surfing and photography. At present, He shoots surfing lifestyle images to share his world through the eyes of his Pentax. Mark travels the world over to chase perfect waves, and dreams of one day getting lost in the beauty of the Philippine Islands, the last bastion of pristine surf..."

Mark's website
Surfdoc Blog

John Carlson and I will be at the Orange County events (Redondo Beach and Irvine) and we look forward to meeting those SoCal Pentaxians who will be able to join us.

WDI Program in Europe Prepares for 2009

THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ACADEMY SLOVENIA
& IDAS/FUTUR 2009 TOURNAMENT

THE BEST IN WUDC/BP DEBATE INSTRUCTION AND COMPETITION

21-29 NOVEMBER 2009
Full program for students – instruction, IDAS/FUTUR 2009 tournament
IDAS/FUTUR 2009 tournament for students – tournament in Ljubljana at the Faculty of Administration-University of Ljubljana.
Full program for trainers, teachers, coaches, club leaders, judges at any level in any debate format.

SPECIFIC DATES
Arrive in Ormoz, Slovenia November 21 2009
Instruction in Ormoz November 21-26 2009
Transfer to Ljubljana morning 27 November 2009
FUTUR tournament in Ljubljana afternoon 27-29 November 2009

APPLICATION FORMS AVAILABLE FOR TOTAL PROGRAM OR JUST TOURNAMENT

Organized by:
ZIP – Za in proti (ZIP), Pro et Contra, Institute for the Culture of Dialogue, Slovenia
WDI – World Debate Institute, University of Vermont
Debate Club, Faculty of Administration, University of Ljubljana

Scholarship Fund established by
Download Application Form HERE

FACULTY -- more to come!

• Loke Wing Fatt, Singapore: Well known Asian debate trainer, WUDC breaking judge, honorary professorship North-Eastern University China, SAID Singapore, 5th IDAS.
• Jens Fischer, Germany: Berlin Debating Union, Chief Adjudicator at Europeans, 5th IDAS.
• Leela Koenig, Netherlands: Cork Worlds 2009 Best ESL speaker, Top ESL Speaker at Euros 2007 and 2008, DCA Newcastle Euros 2009, CA of Amsterdam, Euros 2010 bid, lecturer at The Hague University, philosophy student at Leiden University. 1st IDAS.
  
• Chris Langone, USA: Cornell University. 2nd IDAS.
• Isabelle Loewe, Germany: Winner EUDC (ESL), ESL-Semifinalist Worlds 2007, DCA Tallinn EUDC 2008; CA/DCA of several tournaments, among them, Prague, Tilbury IV, Yeditepe Open, Jacobs Open; Winner and finalist of several tournaments in Europe; Officer for International Law and Human Rights Education
• Branka Marusic, Croatia: Former President Europeans Council, IDAS Finalist, 3rd IDAS.
• Rhydian Morgan, UK: Chief Adjudicator and Finals judge at numerous tournaments, Welsh Debating Federation, World Debate Institute faculty 2008-09, 3rd IDAS.
• Maja Nenadovic, Croatia: Founder of several debating societies across Europe, currently busy with introducing debate to countries in the Western Balkans region, and with finishing her PhD in political science at the University of Amsterdam. 2nd IDAS.
• Debbie Newman, UK: President of Cambridge Union, England and Wales National Champion, WSDC 2008 World Champion coach for England. 2nd IDAS.
• Alfred Snider, USA: Professor at University of Vermont, Director World Debate Institute, USA Coach of the Year, six recent debate textbooks, Convener 2009 US Universities Nationals, 7th IDAS.
• Bojana Skrt, Slovenia: Director ZIP, three times WSDC EFL World Champion coach, 7th IDAS.
• Anne Valkering, Netherlands: Oxford ESL semi-finalist 2006, finalist 2007, winner ESL final Manchester IV 2007; EUDC ESL finalist 2006, semi-finalist 2007, quarterfinalist 2008, ESL second speaker 2008, fifth speaker 2006; WUDC ESL champion 2008; DCA Dutch Nationals 2009, CA Bonaparte Debate Tournament 2007, DCA Amsterdam Open 2008 and 2009, CA Sciences Po IV 2009.
  

CURRICULUM

• STUDENT TRAINING : Each Instruction day features a main lecture, exercise and drill sessions, and two complete critiqued practice debates. Many elective classes offered. Many training preparation sessions offered. Judge evaluation and training offered. Advanced, basic and beginner tracks available. The best way to get ready forn WUDC in Turkey.
• IDAS 2009 TRAINER PROGRAM
  The International Debate Academy Slovenia will be offering a special track for trainers, coaches and those interested in learning about how to train debaters and create debate organizations such as clubs, academic programs and leagues. The program will call upon the extensive experience of the faculty to provide specialized training, including: Basic debate training steps: observation, advice from experienced trainers and curriculum guides Judging: instruction, shadow judging, real judging experience Tournaments: hosting, administering, including tabulation software. Advanced debate training: observation, advice from experienced trainers, curriculum guides. Organizing: recruiting debaters, implementing training, scheduling meetings, publicity. Attendees will have a sample judging session every morning as well as a special training session in the afternoon. All events at the program will also be open to attendees. Special needs and requests specific to individuals can be met if given advance notice.
• TOURNAMENT: Sponsored by IDAS, ZIP and hosted by Faculty of Administration University of Ljubljana. Six preliminary rounds and semifinals in the WUDC format. No team caps as of now. Faculty will serve as adjudication core and administration for the tournament.
  
  COST
  
  250 Euros for full program, 60 Euros for tournament.
  Fees: Includes all meals, double rooms, instructional materials, transportation from Ormoz to Ljubljana, and social activities. Accommodations: Rooms and full meals provided in Ormoz and Ljubljana. Social activities each evening. Limited crash available for tournament.
  
  Scholarships: We hope to offer substantial scholarships to needy applicants. Scholarship forms available soon.

Financial Disclosure: IDAS is a non-profit program, trainers are not paid, trainer travel is not reimbursed, participation fees pay for attendee expenses of rooms and food only, trainer accommodations and food and other costs are covered by ZIP.

Social Events: We will have frequent social events. We will not distribute free alcohol to 18+ attendees out of the workshop fees. We will seek soft drinks-beer-wine sponsors. We prioritize scholarships for attendees over free alcohol. We want as many people as possible to join the program.

Website: http://debate.uvm.edu/idas.html
Blogsite: http://internationaldebateacademy.blogspot.com/

Organizing Committee:
Director of the Academy: Bojana Skrt, ZIP, bojana.skrt@siol.net
Head of Training: Alfred C. Snider, World Debate Institute, University of Vermont, alfred.snider@uvm.edu
Tournament Host: Helena Felc

Video: Philippines Former President Aquino Dies

From Denny: This unassuming lady was a force in her own right and will be remembered globally as a peace activist and the first female and populist President of the Philippines. Sorry to see her demise from cancer at the age of 76.

Video: Beer with the President in the Rose Garden

From Denny: The long awaited "Beer Summit" went well by all accounts. VP Joe Biden also attended.

CNN's Candy Crowley reports on the White House meeting between the Harvard professor and the Cambridge cop.

Video: 3 American Hiking Tourists Detained in Iran

From Denny: Three Americans were hiking in Turkey and crossed over the Iranian border inadvertantly. A fourth member of the party was too sick to hike and remained behind and so did not end up arrested in Iran.

This comes at a delicate time. The opposition party protestors are on trial in Iran. Holding these Americans can be a bargaining chip with the West, a real victory lap for the harsh regime and a way to shut up America about how the trial turns out. It will be interesting to see how this new subplot to the ongoing drama plays out.

Three Americans have been arrested after they strayed over the Iraqi border into Iran. CNN's Arwa Damon reports

Thursday at X-Games

Today was another long one. Dennis and Colin had Park prelims today. Both rode really well but Dennis will be the lone Haro rider in the final on Saturday. Colin finished 14th in prelims but 10-14 was super close so it could have been any of those guys. More updates Saturday. We're going over to watch Big Air at the Staples Center tomorrow and cheer on our boss, Allan Cooke. Then it's party time. Excellent.

The moto pics of Bubba Stewart and Josh Grant are just random from this mornings practice at Moto-X. Whipped much?

Phils Fall Over a Cliff, Not Off of One

Somebody slap me across the face, or pinch me...real hard.

Are my beloved Philadelphia Phillies really the World Series champions? The reigning kings of Major League Baseball?

Have they really won back-to-back East Division titles, poised to win a third straight?

And has it now really gotten to the point where their farm system is so deep with quality prospects that they can pry the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner away for a few of those prospects just before the trade deadline?

And they got a right-handed power-speed package outfielder in that same trade? And they still have their very best prospects left in that farm system?

Really? Seriously?

Fellow fans of the local nine, our beloved Fightin's are among the cream of the crop in Major League Baseball. It's for real. And you had likely better get used to it, because barring some major unforeseen occurrence, they are likely to remain top contenders for the next 2-3 seasons, at least.

Yesterday, just 72 hours shy of baseball's non-waiver trading deadline, the Phillies obtained veteran lefty Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco from the Cleveland Indians for a package of prospects: pitcher Jason Knapp, pitcher Carlos Carrasco, catcher Lou Marson, and shortstop Jason Donald.

From many fans there was jubilation. Amazingly from some there was disappointment. The sports talk radio crowd had been driven into a mad frenzy over the past few weeks by some local hosts, as the Phillies attempted to first obtain Toronto Blue Jays ace starting pitcher Roy Halladay.

These hosts repeatedly called Halladay "The Best Pitcher in the Game Today", and prodded the Phillies organization to trade away the package that Toronto wanted, which included the very top prospects in the system: pitcher Kyle Drabek and outfielders Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor, along with young lefty pitcher J.A. Happ, who was only 7-0 in the big leagues at the time.

Let's set a couple of things straight right now. First, the Phillies and General Manager Ruben Amaro made a sensational deal to bring Lee and Francisco here, adding high quality pieces to what was already another legitimate championship contender. Second, Roy Halladay is not the clear-cut best pitcher in the game, and would not have guaranteed that the Phillies would win another World Series or two.

What both Lee and Halladay are is this: they are both among the very best starting pitchers in baseball. Who the absolute best is varies from year to year. A decade ago you would be right to say that one year it's Pedro Martinez, the next it's Randy Johnson, the next it's Roger Clemens, and so on. Now, one year it's Johan Santana, the next it's Cliff Lee, the next it's Roy Halladay, and so on.

What is important here is not what you didn't get, it's what you did. Cliff Lee courageously fills the strike zone with pitches. He rarely walks batters. He does not beat himself. He is not afraid to throw inside, or to backup his team if someone is throwing at them. He is a veteran leader who is still in the prime of his career, who has already won his profession's top individual award.

These local radio hosts would be smart to remember what Gene Hackman's famous coaching character said in the film Hoosiers: "I would hope that you would support who we are, and not who we are not!"

What is important here are the ramifications of the deal. In trading for Cliff Lee with Cleveland, the Phils get to keep both Happ and Drabek, two pitchers who could very conceivably be joining Lee in the starting rotation for the next 3-4 years. Of course, the Phils need to get to the business of extending Lee's contract, which they should try to address between now and the early winter.

They also get to keep Joe Blanton, a valuable right-handed starter due a salary increase in arbitration this winter. Blanton would likely have been dealt to help defray the $6 million more in salary that Halladay will make next year over Lee.

They also get to keep both Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor, a pair of exciting, emerging, multi-tooled outfielders, at least one of whom is likely to be a huge part of the next Phillies offensive generation that we will be rooting for down at Citizens Bank Park.

And make no mistake, Phillies fans. As we all know very well, that next generation will indeed have to take the field one day, and probably sooner than any of us will realize it is happening. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, Brad Lidge...they won't be youthful forever.

The Philadelphia Phillies front office management team did an outstanding job this week, both for the current World Series champions who are trying to repeat, and for the organization's ability to continue to be a contender well into the future.

Ruben Amaro and the Phillies management team got it right. Rather than falling off a cliff, they fell over one. The fans are sure to fall for this particular Cliff in short order.

Video: President's Coming Beer Summit

From Denny: This Presidential comment about the racial profiling case with Prof. Gates has unleashed a firestorm of racial blowback across America. Understandably, the President was himself racially profiled when younger and is hypersensitive to the subject. The wise thing to do would have been to get all the facts of the case before - or if - offering any comment. The President now realizes that his word carries a lot of power and to use it carefully. Every new President goes through this process in their first year of discovering every word they utter has greater significance than before they took office.


CNN: Obama said Sgt. Crowley acted "stupidly." The reporter that asked the question spoke with CNN's Carol Costello.

WDI World Schools Session Thrives

Rhydian Morgan works with a small group on proposition cases

The 2009 WDI world schools debate workshop began on Sunday and is in high gear as of today.

Each day begins at 9 AM and about half the time ends at 9 PM and half the time at 5 PM. There was even an afternoon at the beach on Tuesday as well as a number of evening movies.

But what students seem to like to do the most in their free time is prepare for the motions by working in the library. Bojana Skrt, program director, was astounded that after library work was over students still wanted to stay on. "They are very curious and very ambitious, so I just let them go ahead." All agree that the group is very well-informed and for the most part are already strong public speakers.

The group has students from the USA, of course, but also students from Greece, Canada, Korea and Kuwait. The faculty is Bojana Skrt ZIP Slovenia, Rhydian Morgan of Stylus Communications UK, Debbie Newman of UK and Alfred Snider of WDI USA.

"This is a unique opportunity," sad WDI director Snider. "Bojana, Rhydian and I have been working with the same curriculum over a one week period at the World Schools Debate Academy held in Slovenia, but now we get to expand it here because we have a two week session. It allows for a lot more depth as well as just a bit more recreation time for the students."

Here is the schedule for the sessions:

World Debate Institute, University of Vermont
WORLD SCHOOLS DEBATE WORKSHOP

July 25 – August 7, 2009


Arrival: Saturday, 7/25
3:00 – 5:00 Check-in to Residential Hall

Day 1: Sunday, 7/26
9.00 – 10.00 Opening ceremony, briefing
10.00 – 11.30 Introduction to debating, lecture
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30- 3.30 Library tour, librarians doing it
4.00 – 5.00 How to research for debate, lecture
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
Free evening

Day 2: Monday, 7/27
9.00 – 10.00 Public speaking, lecture.
10.00 – 11.30 Public speaking, exercises
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Introduction to Worlds School Debate Format, note taking, lecture
2.30 – 3.30 Debate preparation
3.30 -5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Researching and brainstorming for the next day debate.

Day 3: Tuesday, 7/28
9.00 – 10.00 Debate preparation
10.00 – 11.30 Debate and critique
11.30 – 1.00 Lunch
Beach time
5.00 - Dinner and free evening

Day 4: Wednesday, 7/29
9.00 - 10.00 Argumentation 1, lecture,
10.00 – 11.30 Argumentation exercises
11.30 - 1.00 Lunch
1.00 – 2.00 Debate prep
2.00 - 5.00 Debate and critique, repeat
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Researching and brainstorming for the next day debate

Day 5: Thursday, 7/30
9.00 – 11.30 Proposition case, lecture and exercises
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Role of the speakers, lecture
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique.
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
Free evening

Day 6: Friday, 7/31
9.00 – 11.30 Points of information, lecture and drills
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique of debate
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Repeat debate

Day 7: Saturday, 8/1
9.00 – 11.30 Motion analyses, lecture and drills
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Style
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 10.00 Free evening on Church street

Day 8: Sunday, 8/2
Free time
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Third speeches, lecture
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep,
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Researching and brainstorming for the next day debate

Day 9: Monday, 8/3
9.00 – 11.30 Argumentation 2
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30, Opposition case
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
7.00 – 9.00 Researching and brainstorming for the next day debate

Day 10: Tuesday, 8/4
9.00 – 11.30 Reply speeches, lecture and drills
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 Open forum
2.30 – 3.30 Debate prep
3.30 – 5.00 Debate and critique
5.00 – 7.00 Dinner
Free evening

Day 11: Wednesday, 8/5
Free morning
Mini tournament
Round one:
1.30 – 4.00 Round 1
4.00 – 6.00 Dinner
6.00 – 8.00 Round 2

Day 12: Thursday, 8/6
9.00 - 11.30 Round 3
11.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 4.00 Round 4
4.00 AWARD CEREMONY
5.00 Dinner

Departure: Friday, 8/7
9:00 – 11:00 Check-out of Residential Hall & depart campus

Video: Comedian Bill Maher Rips Palin

From Denny: On a lighter note about circus acts in politics...

CNN: Comedian Bill Maher attacks former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.




Here's the news story about her leaving the Alaskan Governor's Mansion with 18 months left to serve. She just up and quit like some diva, surprising everyone and angering Republicans for being a quitter. Guess she can't fade the heat of 16 ethics charges.

CNN: CNN's Candy Crowley reports on the questions remaining following Sarah Palin's decision to quit her job.

Wednesday at X-Games

Today I went up to LA and took some photos at X-Games Park & Street Practice. Dennis and Colin are both competing in BMX PARK. Sun was blazing and I had on my 80 proof sunblock to avoid farmers tan. Everyone seemed to be taking it pretty easy on the course but Dennis was blasting. In the photo of Dennis mid flip whip, he was going about 100 and everyone was pretty psyched on it.

Colin, Dennis, Rob Darden and I all went down to the Orange County fair after X-Games practice and those guys rode in another comp. Colin was taking it easy cause he's amped about X-Games. Rob was chillen as well, and Dennis being the young bada$$ that he is; sent a triple tail whip to body slam on the quarter pipe. But he's alright and will be shredding in park prelims tomorrow. Nastazio was even in the house tonight after his 5am riding session on the Orange County news this morning.

It's 12:30am and I've got to get some sleep. More updates tomorrow night. -dB

Edamame hummus

© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

Several weeks ago we attended a fabulous vegan dinner as part of our Madison vegetarian meet-up group. (Although this is a vegetarian, not vegan, group, all the food served is vegan so that everyone in the group can eat it.) It was catered by local chef Jen Gaber, owner of Nutshell Catering. I still remember when Jen, as chef at The Ivy Inn, created a series of Sunday vegetarian brunch buffets, each featuring food from a different region of the world. We spent many happy Sundays lingering over a wonderful meal, pretending it was normal to find fabulous vegan food in Madison. The Ivy Inn is long gone, but Jen is still here, cooking great food.

I knew what the menu included when I signed up for the dinner, but by the time I attended I had no idea what we were having - my memory can be like that sometimes. It was a four course meal and the appetizers were out when we arrived. One of the appetizers was a bowl of green dip that I assumed was made with avocado, surrounded by toasted pita points. When I tasted it, it was kind of hummus-like, but better than regular hummus. It was edamame hummus, and it was delicious. I couldn't quite figure out what was in it, but when I got home, I wrote out a recipe I thought would make a similar dip. A friend visited after work today for a glass of wine and an appetizer, and I finally got to try out my version of edamame hummus — maybe not as great as Jen's, but not bad.


© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

Edamame hummus

• 2 cups shelled edamame, cooked (I used frozen)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 cup tahini
• juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon dried, ground coriander
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Sauté the onion for a minute or two until translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 3o seconds.
2. Place edamame, onion, garlic, tahini and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until well- combined. It doesn't have to be completely smooth. Add coriander and salt. Pulse to mix. (Taste before adding all the salt as you might not need it all.) Grind pepper over the bowl and pulse to mix.
3. Serve with veggies, chips, pita or crackers.

Notes:
1. My tahini was kind of weird and thin so everything blended up easily. You may need to add a tablespoon of water if your mix is too thick to process.
2. If you live in the Madison area and need a caterer, you should call Jen Gaber!

© 2009 Andrea's easy vegan cooking

Video: Colin Powell Says GOP Afraid of Crossing Limbaugh

From Denny: Colin Powell has always been a class act. Why he is a Republican though is beyond me. All they have ever done is trash an honorable man who has done a lot of good work in the community for children.

Nasty on Good day LA TV Show

Poached from the Vans site, but Nasty's going to be on Good Day LA tomorrow morning, wednesday, at 8am..

Check him out!

This photo is from an "Old School" shoot for the next Vans catalog...

Vans Camp in Orlando, Florida, July 23-24

Cory Nastazio and I got the offer to teach 21 riders of all ages for the Vans camp in Orlando, Florida last week.

With an 8am start each day, we slowly got under way with split groups of around 5 riders focusing on the basics of BMX, we helped them with whatever they were into learning, so it was pretty relaxed.

Of course we had to remind the riders that you have to crawl before you walk, and that paying $150 for the camp won't buy you a double tail-whip!
But overall it was fun, and I feel like I could gave tips for tricks that the riders can work on in the future.

We all got together and played some games like long jump, a bunny-hop contest, and a few games of foot down to mix up the 4hr sessions.

I recognized a few return campers from 2008 like Thomas, Franky, Nic and Tyler so it was cool to hang out with them again.

For $150, the riders got plenty for their money including any choice from the huge range of shoes from Vans a helmet from Protec, and we also raffled off a Haro Convert frame, a Premium Death Trap frame, and a Haro complete bike that was a pretty small bike and the biggest dude at camp ended up winning it! Figures...

Thanks for the good times, and to Vans and Haro for hooking up the prizes, hope to do it again..

Look out for a behind the scenes video on VitalBMX soon.

Colin Mackay

The Left Fears Sarah Palin

There is a very clear, tested, tried-and-true rule in evaluating how a political figure is viewed by the former mainstream media. The more the candidate embraces their own leftist political agenda, the more they like the candidate and shine a heavenly, positive light upon them. The more traditional the candidate, the more conservative, then the more they are feared and thus the more they are attacked.

There are few political figures that the left has feared more over the past year than Sarah Palin. It is very easy to spot their fear in the viciousness of their attacks on this wholly traditional and exceptional woman. From CBS to NBC, from the Huffington Post to NPR, no Republican politician has been slammed, sliced, diced, and dirtied more than her.

It was at about this time last year that struggling Republican presidential candidate John McCain announced that she would be his running mate as the Vice-Presidential candidate. At the time, few outside of her home state of Alaska, and hard core politicos, knew her. Within days she was a rock star.

The lefties were reeling as the 'hockey mom' from Wasilla took the nation by storm and energized the McCain campaign. The nation saw a regular person, a wife and mother who had taken on the Alaska political establishment and won. Palin rose like a meteor from city council in 1992 to mayor in 1996 to governor in 2006 to the VP nomination two years later.

To that leftist media she seemed to come out of left field, and they were dazed. It didn't take them long to figure out how best to approach this new problem, however. Attack, and attack hard, at any and all perceived or developed flaws in Palin's personal armor, her family, her business dealings. Anything that could even remotely be painted in a bad light would be, and would be with an entirely exaggerated slant.

The election was lost thanks to an excruciatingly lukewarm campaign run by John McCain. Sarah Palin, who so electrified the Republican National Convention in early September with her speech, was largely stifled, buried, and left miscast and misused. But before that happened we got to see that she was a true conservative with traditional American values, and she emerged from the McCain debacle as a serious 2012 contender in her own right.

Today, Sarah Palin begins the next phase of her public life after formally stepping down as the Governor of the State of Alaska. The media has continued to bash her over the head at every turn: alleged ethics charges in Alaska with no substance; a teenage daughter who gets pregnant and jilted; even the sudden resignation just 2 1/2 years into her Gubernatorial term.

What Sarah Palin has been subjected to both personally and politically in the past year would devastate many lesser people. It's no wonder that she would seek to take a break for herself and her family from the spotlight for awhile. But there is no doubt that she will emerge again. A book deal. A television program. And of course, 2011 will roll around and the serious campaigning will begin.

There are probably very few people, perhaps not even Sarah Palin herself, who know exactly what lies next, or what lies ultimately down the road, for the hockey mom from Wasilla. Though the constant political attacks have decimated her overall positive public approval rating, her rating remains higher than Democratic congressional head Nancy Pelosi, and she remains 3rd behind only the high-profile Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee in Republican 2012 presidential preference polls.

One thing you can count on is that when this traditional, conservative politician and woman sticks her head out in public again the mainstream news media will be there waiting to bash that pretty head in with their clubs. They will be trying to strike her early and often. That is how much they fear her personality and her politics. And that is why so much of traditional America loves Sarah Palin.

Video: Economic Worst Is Over?

From Denny: The public wallet has yet to rally as fast as these big businesses. Unemployment is almost double digits, the economy is on life support propped up by bail outs which translates as coming from the wallets of the middle class who lost their jobs those same big businesses chose to send overseas. It isn't really very smart when a business takes jobs away from the very people who turn around and purchase their products, now is it? That's basically what has happened.

There is a significant need to get serious about regulating Wall Street and other robber baron big businesses in America. Until then, the average middle class investor will not trust them with their money. Until regulation is done, overseas investors won't have a healthy long-term confidence either.

Realistically, expect a correction in these rosy statistics.

"The stock market recently rallied to its best level all year, which is making investors hope that this could be a signal that the worst of the economic downturn is over. Karen Brown reports."


Watch CBS Videos Online

United States, economy, news

Nike 6.0 HB BMX Pro

The NIKE 6.0 BMX PRO in Huntington Beach over the weekend was probably the coolest event that I've been to. It was more crowded than I had ever seen it in Huntington Beach and the stands were packed for the BMX park event that was running in collaboration with the US Open of Surf. Haro Pro's Dennis Enarson and Allan Cooke were in the building and I was on course getting a decent sun burn while shooting photos of those guys.

The contest was a 4 day event and although each day was a contest in itself with $1000 first place cash prize, the first 3 days points tallied together is what made for the final 10 riders on day 4. The winner of day 4 took home $10,000 and second place took home $5000. NOT BAD!

Allan Cooke was the lone Haro pro in the final after taking 12th on day 1, and 6th on both day 2 and 3. Allan ended up 7th overall which is amazing for a dude who now runs the BMX brand and sits at a desk all day.

Enjoy the pics, the good ones were most likely shot by Pete Demos. I'll gladly take credit for the decent ones. -dB