doghostage

Sotomayor Drinking Game

2009-07-16T11:41:00.001+04:30

First off, I do not participate in drinking games. Back in the states, where we're allowed to consume alcohol, I rarely drink enough to obtain so much as a slight buzz. That said, it occurred to us here in the office that college kids all over the country could apply current news coverage to a new drinking game:

Step one: Turn on the TV and tune to Fox News.

Step two: Every time someone utters the name "Sotomayor" you take a drink.

Unfortunately, this could lead to record speed of intoxication among participants. The same could be applied to the term "Jacko," but you won't get as drunk as you would have a few weeks ago.

Artis Rules

2009-07-15T12:27:00.001+04:30

I'm writing this as i take a short break from editing one of the better stories I've shot over here. That's all I'll say for now. You'll have to see it when it's done. (Of course, you may think it stinks, thereby dashing the world's hopes that I may one day become a great broadcast journalist, but anyway...)

I've been reading up on my job by studying books about filming documentaries. In many ways, what we do over here is produce miniature one-to-two minute documentaries. One of the best books out there is "The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide" by Anthony Artis. It's a no-nonsense guide to producing documentaries with "any budget, any camera, any time." In addition to page after page of in-depth instruction, it's also full of pictures, illustrations, and diagrams that very much make producing documentaries clear and accessible. Granted, much of the advice is stuff I learned at the Defense Information School when I was trained to do this job. But the book is also proof that no matter how much you think you know, there's plenty more you can learn from others... especially from a guy like Artis, who has been making documentaries for years. As useful as the book is, there are some things that don't transfer to Army broadcasting. There's advice about budgeting for your shoot, hiring a crew, feeding that crew, securing permission for shooting on location, etc. But the key is taking what clearly applies to my job, and using it. One thing I'm going to suggest to my chain of command when we get back to the States is that we purchase a few copies for new broadcasters that will be coming into the unit.

Scooter or Galaxie 500

2009-07-13T20:23:00.001+04:30

I'm torn. I will be buying a new scooter when I get back to the States. Riding a motor scooter is, and has been, the most practical, economical, and fun way to get around post. In fact, I've even ridden my current scooter to Seattle several times.

However, I have wanted a Ford Galaxie 500 for a long time. I found one on Craigslist much like the one shown here. The one I found is the year I want (1966). It's the color I want (flat charcoal). And it's a convertible. Some of this yearning was inspired by a Reverend Horton Heat song. And some of it is in my blood, since my family has often had antique/vintage/classic cars throughout the years.

But for our family to buy a new vehicle nowadays, at least one of the following criteria has to be met:

Ability to seat six people
Gas mileage of 75 mpg or more

This vehicle meets neither. It has a 390 V-8 and seats 5. Economical it is not. So I am happily sticking by my decision to continue traveling via scooter. But I can still dream, can't I?

Boom Boom, and whatnot

2009-06-25T14:16:00.001+04:30

In my last post I neglected to discuss the sound of artillery. See, there's more to it than what you've always heard in the running cadence. (note: For those who don't know, when asked "What's the sound of artillery?" You should respond with the timeless and appropriate, "BOOM BOOM!")

Well, in my experience at the OP (observation point) last Sunday I found that there is another, more subtle sound that goes along with this type of weapon. And you can probably only hear it from the forward observers' position because of the close proximity to the projectile as it flies. It's very hard to describe with words. In fact I've spent the past four days trying to figure out if describing it is even possible. So here goes. It's essentially the sound of the artillery round splitting the air around it as it sails through the sky. The closest thing I can compare it to would be a jet... but then you think jet engines, and that's not it at all... It's the sound of the air being violently and three-dimensionally sliced and disrupted. Not so much a whoosh... maybe a textured rushing sound. If you're at an OP about half way between the gun and the target, you can't see it, of course... but you can follow it across the sky with your ears.

Now... I've got to get some sleep. I just came back (safely, of course) from a 14-hour mission, and have had no more than two hours of sleep since Wednesday morning. (It's now Thursday afternoon, Afghanistan time.) Maybe I'll write about that mission in my next post. [zzzzzzzzzzz...] The important thing is, I got a lot of great footage - using both sunshine and night vision equipment (not at the same time... duh).

Rough Father's Day

2009-06-22T14:08:00.001+04:30

Yesterday was one of the most challenging days I've had on any of my three deployments. My mission was to hike up a mountain and get footage of US and Czech forward observers calling for fire. After spending the previous day on a dismounted patrol in a nearby village, I got up early, received the usual pre-mission brief, and then we started walking.

It was a miserable hour-and-a-half, but once we got to the Observation Point, I was surprised at how good I felt. And the scenery was amazing. After a few hours, we descended and headed back to the FOB. My heavy gear was immediately shed and I found myself lying on my bunk, marveling at all the places I was aching. I've developed a technique, though, for dealing with miserable situations: Whenever I feel like complaining, I try to remember what the beaches of Normany were like, 65 years ago this month. That keeps me going. No matter what I'm going through, the Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines back in June of 1944 clearly had it worse.

I eventually rose to my tired, blistered feet and went out to go eat. Then I heard someone mention that it was Father's Day. Huh... I had completely forgotten. My thoughts went to my dad, who is bravely suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. And then I thought about my kids. But I couldn't call or email anyone, since we were under a commo blackout. (There had been some Americans killed up in Bagram, so in order to make sure families are notified correctly, phones and internet are turned off.)

When I got back to my home FOB this morning, I got an email from home. Attached was a video of my wife and kids, each, in their own ways, telling me they loved me. For the babies, it was pretty much "Da da!" For the bigger kids, it was great to hear that they still think about me, and that they're still watching the DVD of me reading Bible stories to them.

HumanToys.net

2009-06-15T20:31:00.001+04:30

HumanToys.net is apparently a company that supplies people to play with your kids... so you don't have to!

When I first heard about this via Facebook, I laughed. And then I thought, "How sad that some people are too busy/important/tired to play with their own kids; they have to hire these goofballs to be human 'toys' to keep the spoiled little tykes entertained." And then some friends and family put my mind at ease: It was either a hoax or a sociology project, they reasoned. So I wrote the company an email to see what I could find out:

HumanToys is obviously not a real company, but I think it's hilarious. My guess is it's either a project for a Sociology class or a simple prank/hoax. Or perhaps it's a biting commentary about a culture of well-to-do parents who are too busy to be bothered with the "chore" of
playing with their own kids. But whatever it is, it's amusing.

Brian

Well, today, they wrote back:

Brian,

I apologize for any confusion, but Human Toy Co. is not intended to be humorous. Although, if you hired one of our toys we can guarantee hours of fun and laughter!

Our goal is simple: provide joy and happiness to families who can still afford high-quality entertainment, even during these hard economic times. And a human toy is, after all, the best entertainment of all!

Feel free to look around our website for more information about our company. And, if you have more specific questions, I would love to answer them or I can pass them along to our president Martha Westinghouse, if you would prefer.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Sterling

So, either the prank is so elaborate that they're sending back replies like this, or they really are an actual company.

I could rant and rave about how back when we were kids, our parents had time to play with us. I could drone on about people who probably shouldn't have had kids in the first place. But I won't. I will say that right now, I have never wished more that I was back home with my wife and kids. Each day I wake up here in Afghanistan, I think about the kids, and how I would give anything to wrestle around on the floor with them, read them stories, or let them sit on my back as I pretend to be a horse. I feel bad for the parents who feel they need to hire these "toys." They're missing out on so much.

2009-05-29T09:36:00.003+04:30

Homeowner's Association Threatens to Tow Disabled Vet's Truck Because of USMC Stickers

[STORY HERE]

Yes, this is a true story, believe it or not. Frank Larison served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. Like many Marine Corps vets, he has USMC stickers on his truck. Now, the mini-tyrants at the "Woodlands II on the Creek" HOA are telling him he has to remove the stickers or cover them, or his vehicle will be towed.

Yeah, seriously.

I'm not risking my life over here so some pseudo-authority can tell people what stickers they can and can't put on their cars.

And if that didn't make your blood boil, this one might...

Texas Woman Told to Remove 'Offensive' American Flag From Office

[STORY HERE]

An employee of a hospital in Texas hung her American flag in her workplace for Memorial Day. Someone complained that it was offensive, and the management took it down.

McLucas, a supervisor at Kindred Hospital in Mansfield, Texas, had displayed the 3-by-5-foot flag in the office she shares with the hospital's three other supervisors. McLucas said one of her colleagues, a woman who immigrated to the United States from Africa 14 years ago, complained about the flag to upper management, and the hospital decided to take down the flag.

I don't even know where to start. It used to be that immigrants were thought to be more patriotic than the rest of us, since they knew what it was like to live in a lesser country. So when they'd move to the States, they would be so overcome with thankfulness and pride, they'd be singing the praises of our nation more so than those of us who took freedom for granted. But an immigrant to the US, who finds the American flag offensive? I would like to take up a collection to fly her back to her homeland.

Perspective About Soldiers on Meds

2009-05-24T09:21:00.001+04:30

I got the opportunity today to watch some TV. Yes, actual television. The show I managed to pick up was "Red Eye," a show on Fox News that I had never seen before. The host, Greg Gutfield brought up something that appeared in a recent issue of Men's Health. We happen to have that issue of the magazine in our office and I've read it.

Essentially, the magazine printed a story about Soldiers who are on prescription drugs like anti-depressants, and how horrible it is that "so many" of our service members are on prescription drugs.

Gutfield put it in perspective. Men's Health failed to mention that the percentage of military personnel on anti-depressants is far lower than the percentage of general-population, American civilians who are on those drugs. That means people who have cushy lives, sitting at desks, going to school, going to the mall, and following tweets, are actually taking more anti-depressants than Soldiers are.

I realize most of the people who read my blog are civilians, and I'm not trying to belittle your contributions to society. And I'm certainly not going to ridicule those with legitimate mental health problems, military or civilian. But on the other hand, a small part of me wants to go find some civilian on Prozac, sitting comfortably behind a desk in an air-conditioned office, complaining that Starbucks didn't have their preferred style of muffin this morning... I would grab them and say, "You think you've got problems? You're not being shot at! Nobody's trying to blow you up! You'll go home and see your family tonight."

Am I being insensitive? Do you think maybe I need anti-depressants? Well, I don't, and I never have. I went through a period about a year after I came home from Iraq, in which I had anger issues. It was more than just a temper, but not so bad that I would physically hurt anyone. My wife and I decided that if they tried to give me medication for it, I wouldn't take it. We know plenty of people on anti-depressants and other mind-altering crap, and we had noticed how those people seemed to have lost touch with reality. (Maybe that's a good thing for some folks, for whom reality is miserable.)

I got over my anger problems. I went to a once-a-week anger-management group. We drew pictures and listened to Enya while doing breathing exercises. But that's not what helped. In fact, it was pretty much worthless. You know what actually helped? One thing was prayer, and saying "God, I can't fix myself. Please help me." Another thing that helped was constantly reminding myself to keep things in perspective. And the third thing? The scooter. There were times I would start getting cranky, and my wife would say, "You have 30 minutes. Go for a ride." Amazing how therapeutic that can be.

Vice President's Foot Narrowly Avoids Mouth

2009-05-23T09:56:00.003+04:30

[VIDEO HERE]

During Vice President Joe Biden's May 21st visit to Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, he commented on a patch that was given to him by a helicopter crew from the Alaska National Guard.

"Where the hell were you when I was debating Sarah Palin?" he joked. "I could have used this patch. When she said can I call you 'Joe,' I'd say 'Sure, if you'll wear your patch.'"

What does that even mean?

He then followed that attempt at humor with, "By the way, she's quite a lady. And I mean that sincerely."

Georgia Republican Wants Obama to Make 2010 Year of the Bible

2009-05-23T09:14:00.003+04:30

[STORY HERE]

Seriously? In this day and age, does Representative Paul Broun really think he can convince the President, who happens to be a Democrat, that 2010 should be the year of the Bible?

You folks know me. At least most of you do. You know I'm a Christian, and that the great loves of my life are my God, my family and my country... in that order. I read the Bible, and I try to live by it the best an imperfect human can.

In the midst of idealistic pipe dreams of certain legislators, there's always opposition by the opposing party and special interest groups. And I'm not even talking about the far left liberal tree-hugging atheist hippies. (Yes, I did just lump 'em all together. Stereotypes are a real time-saver. Just kidding. Not Really.) Anyway, I can also see opposition popping up from moderate groups too, and yes, even some conservative Republican types.

See, my problem isn't so much that the guy wants to promote the Bible. The issue here is that if you make 2010 the Year of the Bible, what's next? Will 2011 be the Year of the Qur'an? What about 2013... the Year of the Vedas? (With Hinduism, how would that work anyway, since there are four different Vedas? Would each one get a three months? i.e. "July, August, and September is the Quarter of Yajur Veda.")

You get the point... If you designate 2010 the Year of the Bible, then under the principles of freedom of religion, it would be only fair to designate other years for other religious books.

Besides, the best promotion for the Bible will happen when Christians simply show love to their fellow man, and try to live like Jesus taught them, instead of getting caught up in political causes. Simply put, "Love God, love your neighbor."

So here a few ideas I came up with for a 2010 we can all get behind:

Perhaps President Obama should make it the Year of the Honest Banker. (There have to be a few... right?)
What about the Year of Living Within Your Means? After all, he just overhauled the credit card industry.
The Year of No Bailouts (Capitalism: If you try to sell a product that people don't want to buy, you go under. How about selling products people want, instead of whining to the government?)
And finally, the Year Brian Comes Home from Afghanistan... That's my favorite.

Motivation via the Army Strong song

2009-05-12T18:34:00.001+04:30

Am I the only one who pumps a fist in the air (and sometimes even sheds a tear) when this song is played?

We played it earlier today, and then proceeded to get a lot of work done. I would recommend playing it loud first thing in the morning.

I love this job

2009-05-11T09:13:00.001+04:30

French and American Soldiers routinely train Afghan Soldiers in everything from medical techniques to Artillery. Recently we interviewed an Afghan soldier who was involved in some Forward Observer training. Through an interpreter, one question we asked was "How did you enjoy the training?"

He didn't seem to understand the question, so we worded it a different way: "What things did you like about the training?"

He still didn't understand. Ultimately, he seemed to be lost on the concept of "enjoyment." I know these people have words in their language for "enjoy." (I would list those words, but Google's translator doesn't include Dari or Pashto.)

In the US, we tend to find ways to enjoy our jobs, if possible. And the military is no different. It's not all about killing. Our job is enjoyable because contrary to what ignorant hippies might think, our job is all about helping people. One example is the Soldiers who train Afghans artillery soldiers. Helping people learn how to protect their homeland from terrorists is fulfilling. For Americans in guard towers, protecting your fellow Soldiers is rewarding. And of course for me, using video to tell stories about your fellow Soldiers is incredible. Obviously, I can't say that all American Soldiers everywhere love their jobs. But I certainly enjoy what I do. It just seemed strange to me that the very concept of enjoying one's job seems to be a foreign one in some cultures.

Jones Soda Powers Offices with Bikes for Earth Day

2009-04-24T10:43:00.003+04:30

The McGovernville Earth Day Award* goes to... Jones Soda!

Jones Soda's newest creation: pedal power [STORY HERE]

To celebrate Earth Day, employees of Jones Soda's headquarters in Seattle powered the entire office using exercise bikes that were connected to generators. This allowed the company to receive no power from the Seattle power grid.

This makes me wonder, given the whole global warming scare, if we could have other people do the same thing. How about jobs where obesity is a problem? Imagine walking into a McDonald's, and behind the counter (asking "Can I take your order?") is someone on a bike... a bike that powers the microwave that warms up your apple pie.

And what about inmates? One commenter on the Seattle PI website mentioned that this would be a great way for prison inmates to contribute to society.

Those with more sedentary lifestyles who would like to get some exercise could just hop up on the bike while they work. Imagine sitting at your desk on a recumbent exercise bike, powering your laptop.

* There is no such award.

Benny & Joon at 16

2009-04-16T00:01:00.000+04:30

Today marks the 16th anniversary of the release of Benny & Joon. After all this time, it remains one of my favorites. You know what makes me feel old though? The movie came out a month before I graduated high school.

Speaking of cool movies, I cannot believe I had never seen Grosse Pointe Blank until last night. It's got so many of my favorite actors: John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Minnie Driver, Joan Cusack, Jeremy Piven, etc. The only way it could be better would be to cast William H. Macy and Oliver Platt.

Positive, or Positive Spin?

2009-04-08T21:28:00.001+04:30

I went out today to talk to some medics about an incident that happened recently. A boy and his brother were out playing when one of them triggered one of the many old Russian landmines that are scattered throughout Afghanistan. Some American Soldiers in a guard tower nearby witnessed the explosiion and requested a medevac. The boys were flown to my FOB where a team of medicas, nurses, and surgeons got to work on them. They were able to save the one boy, but his brother died of his injuries.

Our job as Public Affairs is to report the facts and highlight the great things that Soldiers do. An Army journalist who tagged along with me indicated she had become somewhat disenfranchised with military journalism. Especially after meeting the boy and his father, it seemed to her that we were using this tragic event to simply make the Army look good. I got to thinking... Is this all we are, just a public relations firm for the Army? Well, in a sense, that's correct. but it's not hard for me to deal with, after having been in Public Affairs for over three years now. I have faith that what we do is valuable. If it wasn't for us, who would be there to tell the story of how these many American Soldiers went out of their way to help an innocent Afghan kid? Everyone from the tower guards to the medical helicopter personnel to the doctors and nurses looked past the fact that their primary job is to care for the American Soldier. They looked past race and religion and did what was right.

I look at my job as being a lot like the end scene of "Life of Brian." Though we're not facing crucifixion, Public Affairs personnel who are deployed to a war zone are the ones out here in the middle of a miserable situation, singing, "Always look on the bright side of life..." Of course there are times when no silver lining can be found. People still die, and it's tragic. But being in an occupation where it's my job to constantly "look at the bright side" has changed me, for the better I think.

Edward R. Murrow quote...

2009-04-04T08:09:00.001+04:30

"This instrument [TV] can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box."
--EDWARD R. MURROW

Task Force Spartan News Brief - Episode 1

2009-04-02T14:11:00.002+04:30

Task Force Spartan News Brief - Episode 1

A Missed Flight

2009-03-21T10:50:00.003+04:30

After being told I should be at the LZ no later than (a predetermined time), I packed my gear and got there at around 30 minutes prior. ...Just in time to see two helicopters take off. "No problem," I thought. "My flight doesn't leave till later."

But that was my flight. Turns out, the geniuses piloting those birds were an hour ahead of schedule, and didn't bother to stick around for those of us who needed to fly. Nor did they radio anyone and tell anyone they were ahead of schedule. Now I have no idea when I'm leaving, and I have a lot of work waiting for me back at my FOB. Oh well. There are worse places to be stuck. I'll just grab yet another book from the MWR and relax on the cot. And the food is definitely better here than at my FOB. Trying to stay positive... can you tell?

Taliban Prevents Medical Care From Reaching Civilians

2009-03-19T14:09:00.004+04:30

Here's my full account of yesterday's mission, in case anyone wants to read it.

We started out early, with doctors and medics and their trailer full of medical supplies. Convoying to a small, remote Afghan village, my job was to do a broadcast story on the great things we would be doing for the Afghan people. That meant giving them much-needed medical treatment. Whether it was a routine check-up or dispensing pain medication, the U.S. Army medical personnel were there to help.

But the Taliban had other plans.

We had received intel that the road to the village may contain multiple IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). So we traveled cautiously, eyes open, scanning from the roadside to the countryside for anything out of the ordinary. And then we got the call. The platoon ahead of us had run over an IED. There were no casualties, but a HMMWV (Humvee) had been disabled. This meant we couldn't proceed to the village until the route had been cleared.

We dismounted and stood there pulling security for several hours. It started to rain a little, so to protect my video camera I put it in the vehicle. It was just as well, since nothing was happening, good or bad. And when nothing happens, there's no story.

My shoulders ached from the weight of the body armor. I don't do this every day, and the conditioning isn't there. So I found myself backing up against the truck to relieve the weight, all the while staying alert to my surroundings. Finally, the NCO in charge of our vehicle said we could rotate to eat. "Ten minutes and you're done," he said. I got in, happy to literally take a load off, and frantically opened my MRE. Chicken Cavatelli. One rule about MREs: Don't let the fancy name fool you. I gulped down the mass, spilling the red sauce on my weapon and my pants.

We later walked back up the road to try to clear it of all the curious onlookers. My mom always told me not to stare at other people. It was rude. People in foreign countries don't know this. But then we were the ones with big trucks and big guns. They crowded into the road, and we knew that the big route clearance trucks would be rolling through soon. Using interpreters, we tried in vain to keep them off the road, but they kept milling around.

We eventually made our way back to the truck and continued to pull security for a few more hours. Once we got the call to head back, we turned the vehicles around and went on our way.

The mission to bring medical care to desperate civilians was ruined because of the Taliban and their IEDs, proving that they do not care for the welfare of the Afghan people. Even to the point of putting them in danger.

When I Get Where I'm Going

2009-03-17T17:06:00.002+04:30

Not to sound morbid or anything, but when you're in the middle of a war, you tend to think about this stuff. Anyway, here's the song I want played at my funeral:

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley More CMT Music More CMT Music Videos

When I get where I'm going
on the far side of the sky.
The first thing that I'm gonna do
Is spread my wings and fly.

I'm gonna land beside a lion,
and run my fingers through his mane.
Or I might find out what it's like
To ride a drop of rain

(Chorus:)
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
there'll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles,
I have carried all these years.
And I'll leave my heart wide open,
I will love and have no fear.
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
Don't cry for me down here.

I'm gonna walk with my grandaddy,
and he'll match me step for step,
and I'll tell him how I missed him,
every minute since he left.
Then I'll hug his neck.

(Chorus)

So much pain and so much darkness,
in this world we stumble through.
All these questions, I can't answer,
so much work to do.

But when I get where I'm going,
and I see my Maker's face.
I'll stand forever in the light,
of His amazing grace.
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
there'll be only happy tears.
Hallelujah!
I will love and have no fear.
When I get where I'm going.
Yeah when I get where I'm going.

(If the video above fails to load, go here.)

New Offensive Against Taliban

2009-03-10T17:30:00.001+04:30

I especially like the quote "Taliban fighters are choosing NOT to
stand and fight." Of course. They're cowards. They know that if
they stand and fight us they will die. They'd rather plant IEDs and
run away like little girls.

(If you can't see the video above, go to: http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3789655&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/world/index.html)

2009-03-09T13:07:00.001+04:30

Here's my first story from the deployment.

Question

2009-03-09T11:39:00.001+04:30

If you were a medical professional in Rome, and you needed to administer an IV, would you just call it a "four?"

Piaggio mp3 Hybrid Debuts Next Year

2009-03-08T12:44:00.001+04:30

[STORY HERE]

Early 2010 is when this thing hits the streets. 141 miles per gallon is certainly respectable. But as with any hybrid vehicle, you'd have to drive and drive for years before you see any real savings. The initial cost of the vehicle offsets whatever money you'd be saving on gas. Yup, the mp3 will be between $8,000 and $9,000... which is more than most scooters on the market.

My Ruckus, at just a little over $2k, paid for itself in less than two years. Yes, literally paid for itself in gas savings alone... not to mention low maintenance costs: a quart of oil every few months and a new $7 air filter.

Obama Beer Sparks Controversy

2009-03-04T07:36:00.002+04:30

[STORY HERE]

President Obama was recently spotted drinking a beer at a basketball game. What bothers me is NOT that he knocked back a cold one. (It probably wasn't even a good beer, like Shiner, Guinness, Fat Tire, or even Sam Adams.) What bothers me is a caller's reaction to it on a local radio show.

From the above article: "People are losing 5, 10, 20 thousand dollars a day in the stock market, and he's sitting there drinking a beer!" She also said, "It's insulting... there's a lot of people suffering."

Another one said: "The president is the president 24 hours a day. I don't think he should drink on the job."

Silly, I know. Just because you're the president, suddenly you can't relax with a beer at a basketball game? And what does his having a beer have to do with the failing stock market? Were I in charge of a country with a tanking economy, I might wanna drink too. Is it President Obama's fault that people are losing money in the stock market? Wall Street is just another Las Vegas. As with other forms of gambling, people should go into the stock market expecting to lose, and if they win, then hooray for them.

People like these women tend to think that public servants like the President should be busy 24-7, with sleeves rolled up, solving the problems of this nation. They don't realize, the President is human. You don't solve a country's problems by burning out. Good for him for taking a few hours to relax - regardless of his beverage.