Archive for the 'List' Category

6 Good Reasons Why America Does Not Need Sarah Palin as Vice President

Friday, August 29th, 2008

Sarah Palin has been selected by John McBushCain to be, quite possibly, the second most powerful person in the world.

Now everyone across the nation is saying to themselves: “Who is Sarah Palin?

Perhaps the second question running around is “Why is she fit to be the next Vice President of the United States of America?

Well folks, it doesn’t really seem that she is. At least not in the opinion of this blogger.

Here are 6 Good Reasons Why America Does Not Need Sarah Palin as Vice President:

  • 6. No experience with how to rebuild a nation after war.

    I would like my Presidential candidates to have some idea of what it is to be in combat, but I would like even more for my candidates to have experience or education in rebuilding a country after a war; whether it be ours or theirs. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in politics. No combat experience. No education on the subject. The closest she comes to having experience with war is having her son enlisted. Her son, according to some, is scheduled to be deployed in September 2008. Now isn’t that just handy for the campaign of a war President?

    Oh wait, she poses for pictures with injured soldiers. I forgot she’s got experience with posing for pictures:

    Which brings me to my next point…

  • 5. Winning second place in the beauty contest means you get to collect 10 dollars.

    I don’t really think that it’s important that the Vice President of our United States won a beauty contest, whether it be Miss Alaska or Miss Teen USA. In fact, I think it detracts from how other countries view us. We go from having an idiot in the White House as President to an old war monger and a beauty pageant loser? Really? I think it’s possible that people could lose even more respect for those positions.

  • 4. She’s all about oil.

    Sure, it’s oil in Alaska. But the last thing that this country needs is another leader that has big oil signing their paychecks. Don’t believe me? Here’s her own words:

    ““We want it to happen,” she said, “Alaskans want to open up the lands for that development, for the contributions that are potential here for the rest of the US.” Palin went on to note that “it’s really a pathetic situation

    “And I have to ask lawmakers in Washington, DC, who have prohibited this drilling in ANWR if they’re doing all they can to secure the United States. When you consider, too, the geology that we’re talking about here, and the physical space that’s even needed to drill now, about a 2,000 acre plot, because of directional drilling and new technology, allowing such a small footprint to even be placed upon the tundra up north, it’s about 2,000 acres, which is smaller than the size of LAX and other big-city airports, that we would need to drill…”"

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about removing our reliance on foreign oil, but again: we do not need another President with ties to big oil companies. I, for one, am sick of doubting the true intentions of my President (or Vice President) with every step they take.

    Besides, after she gets 3 square miles of land to drill for oil, how big is the next chunk of land she asks for going to be?

    But she doesn’t just want to drill for oil in Alaska:

    “Gov. Palin has also worked with the legislature to encourage these three big oil companies [BP, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips] — and others who are not already so heavily invested in Alaska — to compete in developing a natural gas pipeline that will bring cheaper and more reliable energy to Alaska’s own consumers and eventually permit cheap export of natural gas to the Lower 48 states.” (source)

    Natural gas? Cool! I’m all for it! But assisting gas companies with anything is not something we should be focusing on right now. I know, I know. Those oil companies are really going through some tough times right now aren’t they?

  • 3. She seems to have her hands full enough already.

    Sarah Palin has 5 kids. They are 7, 13, 17, 18 and oh yea, one around 4 months. She had a baby in April that has Down syndrome. I don’t think that anyone, man or woman, young or old, has the capacity to raise a newly born child with Down syndrome, and other kids going through school (or Iraq) AND competently help run the United States of America as it is coming out of one of the most destructive Presidencies in its history. Not her, or anyone else. Please don’t take this as me saying that those with families can’t raise their kids and be extraordinarily successful, because I don’t think that’s true. I’m just saying that Vice President of the United States of America, at this point in history, is a position that requires the utmost dedication, focus, patiences and time; 4 qualities not usually found in excess for a new mother or father, let alone a new mother or father with 4 other kids already there.

    I looked around to try and find some good quotes about her being a parent and I was a bit shocked. Just when you thought we couldn’t get more “quotable” candidates in the office (for saying stupid things unfortunately) for the USA, check out this gem:

    “The Palins named their first child, a boy, Track, after the track and field season in which he was born. Sarah’s father jokingly asked what they would have named their son if he had been born during the basketball season. Without hesitating Sarah answered “Hoop.”"

    Or how about this one when it comes to her being a mother:

    “It’s said the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick,” she wrote. “So, with lipstick on, the gloves come off in answering administration accusations.”

  • 2. She posed for Vogue magazine.

    No, I’m not referring to the Photoshopped image that is floating around the internet. I mean she posed for Vogue magazine. Here’s what she said about the shoot:

    “”At first they had me in a bunch of furs,” she said. “Yeah, I have furs on my wall, but I don’t wear furs. I had to show them my bunny boots and my North Face clothing.”"

    She just had to show them her bunny boots.

  • How can we expect countries like North Korea, China, Japan, India, Afghanistan, Iran, etc. to show us any respect on the global front if they are seeing the one of the leaders of our country plastered on a beauty magazine?

  • 1. Just 5 months ago, she could not even get her arms around or contemplate being selected for Vice President.

    From her own words in March of this year (just 5 months ago) on being selected for the Vice Presidential position:

    “I’ll tell you, I think that the possibility of this ever happening is so far out there, that it’s tough to get my arms around and even contemplate.”

    Now suddenly she is accepting the position for nomination? How about someone who was striving for the position for, I don’t know, sometime within the past year? Could they really not find a single person who wanted to be Vice President bad enough to push to be on the ticket?

    Nope. Instead they found a 44 year old beauty pageant loser with 5 kids, one of them being in the military (of course), with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in politics who used to be a television reporter, that now has a few years experience in politics for the state of Alaska, for the next Vice President of the United States of America.

    Not only that, but she has already disregarded the Vice Presidential position in government. She was caught asking a reporter to tell her:

    “…what is it exactly that the VP does every day? I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration.”

    Apparently she is of the opinion that the Vice President does not work real hard in administration.

    When the reporter challenges her and says that the Vice Presidential position is a tough one she responds: “Well this is a pretty cool job here too though as governor of Alaska.” Check it out for yourself:

    Do you really want a Vice President, who was not ready for the position 5 months ago, to take on the position and think that it is a “pretty cool job?”

    At this point: it doesn’t surprise me that the Republican party could make such a stupid decision.

Those are just 6 reasons. But they are reasons enough for me. Please do not vote for John McCain for President in 2008. If McCain wasn’t bad enough, his pick for VP certainly isn’t even close to an ideal candidate either.

Bonus Reason:

  • According to screen shots taken today from Wikipedia, Sarah Palin is, in fact, the Hulkster!:

    Here’s a closer look:

    Do we really want someone, who is afraid to admit who they truly are, to be VP?

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The Ultimate Online Property Management Guide for Missoula, Montana

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

My fiancé and were recently engaged (vid) and as such, we started looking for a new place to be our own in the Missoula, MT area. Looking in the paper always seemed to offer dated listings and some newspapers favor some property management places over others which makes for a slanted view of what is available. The image that appears below is from the web application that I’ve been working on called Grūpthink. This is the results of users of the Missoula grūp rating some of these places. Just click on the image and you can see comments and ratings for the major property management places in Missoula. I found this to be the best resource to help me get started.

Click to vote or add a new answer!

However, what I couldn’t find was a resource which listed all the different property management companies available with the necessary details such as the phone number, website, etc. In addition, some websites did not list their hours of operation so I had to call to find out. Hopefully this guide will help you out in your online search for the perfect rental in Missoula, MT.

I will list the top 10 in the order they appear in the Grūpthink topic as of Tuesday March 25th, 2008. Along with each listing you’ll find the phone number, a link to the address in Google Maps and a review of the listings on their website.

  • Garden City Property Management
    Phone: (406) 549-6106
    Address: 422 Madison St, Missoula, MT 59802
    Hours: Mon – Thurs — 8:30am – 5:30pm
    Fri — 8:30am – 5:00pm
    Sat — 9:00am – 1:00pm

    Online Listings: (link)
    The listings are updated frequently and it lists them all in a very readable and understandable format. There are not photos available for every property and some of the photos are for other units. Overall it is a simple website that runs rather quickly. Ultimately, Bonnie and I decided upon this rental agency. The staff were helpful and friendly and the price was right.

  • Grizzly Property Management
    Phone: (406) 542-2060
    Address: 1601 South Avenue West, Missoula, MT 59801
    Hours: Mon – Fri — 9:00am – 5:00pm

    Online Listings: (link)
    The website is usable and well organized. They have a lot of photos to go with their properties and good descriptions as well. However, you cannot view many different types of properties at the same time. You are, instead, confined to look at only 2 bedrooms or only studios. In addition, you have to click and look at a property to see what utilities are included rather than having them all listed out together. They have plenty of information about the company and the staff was friendly when I called.

  • Biterroot Property Management, Inc.
    Phone: (406) 549-9631
    Address: 414 W. Broadway, Missoula, MT 59802
    Hours: Mon – Fri — 8:30am – 5:00pm

    Online Listings: (link)
    This is another website that is well designed and quick. It offers photos for many of the properties as well as an easy to read and understand layout. Here, again, you are restricted to only looking at certain listings rather than viewing many. Overall, the listings are helpful and up to date and the staff was friendly on the phone.

  • Summit Property Management, LLC.
    Phone: (406) 549-3929
    Address: 500 N. Higgins Suite #208, Missoula, MT 59802
    Hours: Mon – Fri — 8:30am – 5:00pm

    Online Listings: (link)
    When Bonnie and I were searching last year, there were many more properties listed. However, this is no longer true. The website is informative and there are photos of the properties. However, as of this writing, there are only 3 properties listed in the 2 bedroom residential section. Overall the website could use a face-lift but it works.

  • Lambros Real Estate
    Phone: 1-888-735-RENT
    Address: 3011 American Way, Missoula, MT 59802 (rental office)
    Hours: Mon – Fri — 8:00am – 5:30pm

    Online Listings: (link)
    The website offers some very detailed listings and the ability to modify your searches. However, you cannot look at only residential listings. You must choose a category of listings (1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, etc.) or include commercial listings in your search which is annoying. Overall, the website is pretty well done and very functional. The listings are usually full of detailed photos.

    The comments from the users of Grūpthink do not offer very good reviews of this rental organization. You can see what some of them had to say here. The person who I spoke to on the phone was helpful and friendly.

  • Clark Fork Realty
    Phone: (406) 728-2621
    Address: 512 W. Broadway, Missoula, MT 59802
    Hours: Mon – Fri — 8:30am – 5:00pm

    Online Listings: (link)
    This website offers a list of all the rental properties with a photo if one is available. Overall, the design of the site is a bit clunky, but the detailed listings are informative. However, like some other sites, you have to click into the listing in order to find out what utilities are paid.

  • Professional Property Management, Inc.
    (not to be confused with Professional Property Management Company)
    Phone: (406) 721-8990
    Address: 2685 Palmer Suite B, Missoula, MT 59802
    Hours: Mon – Fri — 9:00am – 5:00pm

    Online Listings: (link)
    The first thing I noticed about the site was PHP 3 which, is a bit dated. However, the site is not too bad. There are photos of a lot of the different locations. However, the big gripe that I have, is that many of their listings have no vacancies. This means that while searching, you might see a perfect property in the list, only to click on it and find out it is not available. In short: don’t list a property if it isn’t available.

  • Caras Property Management (other site)
    Phone: (406) 543-9798
    Address: 125 E Main St, Missoula, MT 59802
    Hours: Mon – Fri — 8:30am – 5:00pm

    Online Listings: (link, link)
    The first problem is that they have two websites for the same properties. Both websites display errors on some of the pages. The listings do contain helpful information such as the average utilities, but then, it depends on what site you’re looking at. Overall, they should pick one website and go with it. Just have the other forward to one. Unfortunately, the websites alone make this property management company seem to be far behind their competition.

  • Missoula Property Management
    Phone: (406) 251-8500
    Address: 2809 Great Northern Loop, Missoula, MT 59801
    Hours: Mon – Fri — 9:00am – 5:00pm

    Online Listings: (link)
    There are none. This is disappointing considering the necessity for most to utilize online listings for making a decision for a rental property. In addition, the site has visible areas and offers a great deal of information about the company, but little to do with their listings. In addition, the address listed on the site is not the address I was given over the phone (I listed the latter). Overall, you’d be better off giving them a call.

Well there you have it. The top 10 online property management places for Missoula, MT. I hope you find this guide helpful. If you enjoyed this post then be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed. If you would like your website to be listed here, then send an email to writer at ilovebonnie.net.

Top 5 Men VS Women Fighting Videos Online

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

If you’ve read any of my posts prior to this one then you probably know that my girlfriend Bonnie is a big fan of UFC, especially the fighter Chuck Liddell. I myself am a fan of mixed martial arts fighting and just fighting in general. While browsing an online fight video site that I frequent, I came across a vicious fight (the last listed one) between a man and a woman. This reminded me of a few other flicks that I had seen online.

Before you go all getting bent out of shape and tell me that it is horrible to see a man fighting a woman, please know that I did not organize these fights. I just think that watching them is interesting. In fact, I think that anything which challenges stereotypes and makes you step outside your normal boundaries is a good thing. Also, these are not videos of “women being beat up by men.” These are women who are willingly and consciously fighting against a male opponent. With all that being said: I bring you, without further ado:

The Top 5 Men VS Women Fighting Videos Online

DISCLAIMER: these videos contain real footage of actual human combat. As such, they may be unsuitable for some viewers and possibly NSFW (depending on where you work I guess).

  • Irma Verhoef vs Marc Gefferie
    This particular video includes an enthusiastic introduction for both fighters in, what looks to be, a pretty packed arena in the Netherlands. The fight itself is impressive with a lot of evident Muay Thai striking with some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu style ground work.
  • Lucia Rijker VS Somchai Jaidee
    You may recognize Lucia Rijker as Billie ‘The Blue Bear’ from the 2004 hit movie Million Dollar Baby. This is a Muay Thai style fight with excellent foot and feet work from both contenders.
  • Blonde Woman VS The Mustached Man
    This looks to be an amateur cage fight with kickboxing rules. Once the fight starts the action starts and doesn’t even take a breather until the fight is over.
  • Stefan Raab vs. Regina Halmich
    This one first caught my attention as the original link I found said that it was Chuck Liddell, who my girlfriend adores, fighting a woman. Indeed, the blurry version of this video with the audio from another fight (link) did look a tad bit like Chuck. But I knew this couldn’t be so. After a bit of digging my suspicion was confirmed. In true Andy Kauffman style, it turns out it is German T.V. personality Stefan Raab in a rematch against the amazingly talented boxing champion Regina Halmich. She broke his nose in 2001. You’ll have to watch the video to see how this rematch in 2007 turned out.
  • Green Shirted Woman VS Bald Man
    This is the intense fight I spoke of earlier which originally sparked this post. This particular video is from Rio Heroes. Rio Heroes has quickly gained popularity with its brutal, live, online fights. The rules are vale tudo style which means that anything goes. This is an intense fight from start to finish and includes striking, grappling, and submission attempts.
  • Well there you have it! The top 5 online videos of men fighting women.

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