I seem to find it very hard to beleive that Bush is really going to do anything about this. This happened a few months back and the oil companies simply lowered them temporarily and then hiked them back up again. There has to be an alternative to these high gas prices. The oil companies are making a bundle while most American's are struggling to pay for the gas they get at the pump. I have a Honda Civic. It used to cost about $10-$12 to fill up the tank. I am floating at about $30 now. I can't even imagine what its like to fill an SUV or some other large vehicle these days.

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Bush orders gas price probe - Politics - MSNBC.com

You have got to be kidding me right! Share the victory...I think not! Go Randall. For the first time Donald hires an African American apprentice and he wants him to share?!?! Donald you are to blame for this mornings headlines, those words should have never left your mouth.

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‘Apprentice’ winner refuses to share title - The Apprentice - MSNBC.com
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 You are kidding me right?!?! How about we learn to embrace other cultures instead of punishing them for their culture.

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Spanish at school translates to suspension - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com
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Move over Sony...Its all about the XBox!

Buy...Buy...Buy!

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MSNBC - X marks the spot for giddy gamers
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The Other America - Newsweek Hurricane Katrina Coverage - MSNBC.com
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The first truthful thing to come out of this man's mouth. Unfortunetly too little, too late. I hope people realize that the presidents staff and image consultants were hard at work with this one.

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Bush takes blame for flaws in Katrina response - Hurricane Katrina - MSNBC.com
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Another interesting read about missing people and the disparities between missing minorities and whites.

So I took a trip to Vegas not that long ago and I have to say I had a good time. I am not one of those people that gets thrilled about going to Vegas, as I grew up going there. Whats interesting to me are two things. One: That in the past 15+ years that I have been going to Vegas, the overall look hasn't changed. Now there are a lot of developments, new hotels, etc. however, I walked pass one of the hotel gift shops and looked in the window. The same outfits with all the Las Vegas glitz and glamour that was there when I was 12, was still in the window. The same butts on the back of the taxis were still there and its still the home of the once upon a time former celebrity singers. The atmosphere and sheer uniqueness of the city is incredible and will never change. I hope it doesn't.

Two: There is an entirely different city outside of the strip that very few people knows exist. I have a close friend that lives there and she showed me around a bit. It looks like any other subruban city. Large shopping centers, Wal Marts, condos, single family homes, etc. Outside of the heat factor, it seems like a cool place to live. Check it out next time you are there.

Interesting Read...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/09/AR2005060901729.html

I haven't written in such a long time. Life took over and other things like blogging fell through. I am going to make a better effort to post things that are interesting.

Whats on my mind today...

1) I am not going out on any island by myself and if my friends let me do that, they are not very good friends.

2) MJ got off but he still needs some serious help.

3) People are always going to have an opinion however, most are not willing to stand up and do anything about what they see as the problem. For example, people say our education system is horrible. My response would be what are you doing to help educate our youth? Are you writing your congressmen and other government officials (local, state, or federal) about the issue, are you volunteering with organizations such as Junior Achievement or tutoring kids at after school programs. Usually the answer to these questions and others like it are no.

4) No matter how many vitamins one takes, there is no substitute for a good nights rest.

I think thats about it for now.

Last Saturday the Pope passed away. Now I am not Catholic but I have found this whole process quite interesting. Also, I never realized how many things this Pope had been apart of before and I find that, too, quite interesting.

Some people know that I have become very interested in death in general. I returned from one of my closest friend's moms funeral about 6 weeks ago. Since then, I took a lot of time writing out my living will and funeral wishes. Yes I am 24 years old and completed both of these. I think its never too early. In addition, I don't want my family to have to worry about such things at the time of my passing. Small things like color of flowers, who is in the processional, and which earrings I would like to be buried with, are all things that I dont wish for my family to have to deal with. For most people, the Terri Schaivo case brought this to more light for people. I pray that her husband and family can find peace between them, so that she can find peace in her final resting place as well. Interestingly enough after this whole case, I went back and revised my healthcare directives associated with my will and final testament. Then after the Pope passed away, I made special note of who I felt it was important to be there. This became apparant after former US President Jimmy Carter was left off the US delegation to the Pope's funeral.Although I understand Condelleza Rice's position and the prominence of the First Lady, I think one of the two of them should have given up their place so that President Carter could have attended. He was the only President to host this pope in the White House and they shared a special relationship. I'll be damned if the people that I would want could not be there because someone else who should have done the right thing and stepped back, didn't give up their spot. Funerals and weddings...nothing but politics.

But back to the Pope. The process for electing the next Pope is incredible. It sounds like one of the most traditional and sequenced process of events. For more information on the funeral, history, or how a new Pope is elected visit: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3284096/?CM=SpatPopeObit&CE=coverage

So my Potential entry has caused many people to email me or send me an IM about who pissed me off. To be perfectly honest no one pissed me off. People just find a way to urk me the wrong way. I think I would have just brushed it off if it was only one person but it was multiple people. So No I am not mad at anyone and my annoyance has passed. However, I still want people to think about their potential and what they want to make out of it. Someone very close to me knows exactly what they want to do in their life and I know they have all the potential in the world to do just that. They may not completly be there yet, however, they are making all the necessary steps to achieve what they are ultimately set out to do. I am very proud of that individual for seeing where they can truly go and aiming for that with an excredible gusto. It's not enough to know what you can do, its how you apply yourself to achieving that.

Microsoft has a slogan "Realizing Your Potential". I personally think this is one of the best advertising campaigns ever, not only for the company but in general. It speaks to the company producing software and tools that help people truly realize their potential.

Now I am not going to say that I always do things at 100%. Sometimes certain things do not warrant that much effort or time. However, I do know what my own capabilitites are and where I face challenges. With that said, is it too much to ask that others realize their own potential??? Is it too much to ask for people to look inside themselves for what they are capable of before turning to someone for them to do it? Is it too much to ask that people challenge their own thinking and that of others before dismissing the endless possibilities?

These are questions that have been plaguing me over the last couple of days. I find that most people look to accomplish the minimum and not look at what is truly possibly. I am surrounded by very bright, intelligent, hard working and capable people. However, I find that some dismiss an idea or a suggestion because they feel that they dont want to apply themself or they dont like the idea. Instead of looking to the other contributors talents and gifts to see if this is something that is possible. This bugs me. I have some very talented individuals around me that are not being challenged, at times I am one of those people. Now some of this requires individuals stepping up and accepting the challenge, while other times there are others holding them down or never seeking their input and constantly going to the same people over and over and over again to get something accomplished.

My final thought on this....Step Up and Start Realizing Your Potentail! If it means using an excel sheet to track metrics or data, do it. If it means, looking towards others that are rarely called on to serve to participate, shout them out! If it means choosing the high road and not the petty one, take that path! If it means making an executive decision when you are capable of doing so, make that call!  Bottom line...step out and see the endless possibilities of what you can do and challenge those around you to do the same.