Obama Courts Young Voters With Student Loan Appeal

Wooing the young voters crucial to his re-election, President Obama today launched a passionate campaign-style appeal to students as he pressed lawmakers to prevent the cost of college from rising.

Speaking to a rowdy crowd at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the president said he understands the financial burdens students face. “Michelle and I, we’ve been in your shoes,” Obama said. “We didn’t come from wealthy families.  When we graduated from college and law school, we had a mountain of debt.  When we married, we got poorer together.”

While the president did not call out the presumptive GOP nominee by name Cheap windows 7 key, he drew a sharp contrast between his background and that of Mitt Romney, who comes from a wealthier family. “This is something Michelle and I know about firsthand,” Obama said. “I didn’t just read about this… I didn’t just get some talking points about this. I didn’t just get a policy briefing on this.”

“Check this out, all right?  I’m the president of the United States.  We only finished paying off our student loans about eight years ago,” he said to laughter from the crowd of roughly 8,000. “That wasn’t that long ago.”

While young voters still overwhelmingly support the president — Obama enjoys a substantial 60 to 34 percent lead over Romney — their interest has waned since 2008.

According to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 63 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds took a major interest in the election in 2008. Today, just 45 percent have the same level of interest in this presidential election.

Obama is spending Tuesday and Wednesday visiting three key battleground states to push for low-rate college loans, wooing young voters while targeting a financial burden that hits the middle class and threatens the economic recovery.

In North Carolina Obama urged lawmakers to extend a 2007 law that cut student loan rates to 3.4 percent. If Congress does not act, interest rates will double to 6.8 percent on July 1.

“For each year that Congress doesn’t act, the average student with these loans will rack up an additional thousand dollars in debt,” the president said. “That’s basically a tax hike for more than 7 million students across America, more than 160,000 students here in North Carolina alone.”

Obama is expected to make a similar argument at stops in Colorado and Iowa.

While Romney has come out in support of the extension, the president targeted Republican lawmakers who oppose the measure. “Republicans who run Congress right now have not yet said whether or not they’ll stop your rates from doubling.  We’re two months away,” Obama said, asking those watching to call Office Project Key, email or tweet their members of Congress.

The White House maintains the president’s trip this week is purely official business, but it was hard to ignore Obama’s campaign cadence as he riled up what appeared to be a largely supportive crowd.

“The fact is that since most of you were born, tuition and fees at America’s colleges have more than doubled. That forces students like you to take out a lot more loans.  There are fewer grants.  You rack up more debt.  Can I get an amen?” the president asked.

“Amen!” the crowd cheered.

“The average student who borrows to pay for college now graduates with about $25 Windows 7 Serial,000 in student loan debt.  That’s the average.  Some are more.  Can I get an amen for that?” Obama asked again.

“Amen!” the students replied.

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Emergency crews practise road rescues

Emergency crews will again pick up their tools for the final day of the Road Rescue Challenge on Hobart's waterfront. replica watches

The competition involves reacting to simulated crash scenes created with late model cars.

More than 400 fire fighters and State Emergency Service volunteers are involved.

Competitors have come from as far away as Singapore and Hong Kong.

Tasmania's Deputy Fire Chief Officer, Gavin Freeman, says it is a crucial exercise.

“It's really vital for our emergency responders replica watches, it's an opportunity for them to learn,” he said.

Competitor Barry Bones says it provides a chance to practise rescue techniques on the latest model cars.

“Our tools five, six years ago could quite easily cut through metal replica watches,” he said.

“They still do it today, but it is a lot more pressure on the tools.”

The winners will go on to compete in an international event.

Biden Says Foreign Crisis Bigger Threat Than Romne

Getty Images Tattoos Kits

An unexpected foreign crisis in the next seven months would pose a greater threat to President Obama’s re-election than any of the Republican presidential candidates, including Mitt Romney, Vice President Joe Biden says.

“I don’t think we’ll be beaten by those candidates,” Biden told a group 65 campaign donors Thursday night in Chicago.

“I think we’ll be beaten – if we are – by something happening in the euro zone or something happening in the Gulf Kuro Sumi Tattoo Ink, which could be difficult for us, or this barrage of super PAC money. But even with that I feel good.”

Biden and other top Obama campaign strategists have warned supporters that pro-Republican outside groups are planning to “carpet-bomb” the president with $400 million to $800 million in TV ads.

President Obama and Democrats have raised around $300 million for the 2012 campaign through February.  The pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action has raised only $2 million this year.

Biden said there are two reasons he’s confident “we’re going to win this election.”

He called Obama the best candidate on the merits and said his campaign has “the best ground game that ever has occurred in the history of American politics.”

“Thank God there’s rooms like this I’ve been able to go in to all around the country Tattoo Kits For Sale,” he said. “You guys are putting us in the game.”

SHOWS: World News

A Risky Strategy

After having such a nice time with the stuntman after the gallery, I decided to get all proactive on his ass, and ask him out. But for more than just a few drinks. A friend of mine owns a bijoux little cottage on the optimistically-named English Riviera and asked me if I wanted to housesit for a long weekend.

Looking back, this was possibly a slightly nutty proposition since in the time we met back in December he has stood me up more times than we have actually managed to get together. But, I told myself, he isn’t half fond of a grand gesture – “Come out to South Africa when I’m working there! I’ll pay!” – for example. So I decided to call his bluff.

At first he was all for it, to the extent of detailing exactly what I should be packing in my bag – I won’t go into detail but there wasn’t much provision for bracing coastal walks. But as the weekend came ever closer true to form he became rather more distant. The plan changed from us driving down in style in a flashy borrowed sports car to me meeting him down there since he would be down in that part of the world anyway (I’ve long since given up asking basic questions like “why, exactly?”).

Then he disappeared altogether and I found myself on the train, alone, wondering whether this was the worst misjudgement I had ever made. Thankfully he finally rang me, sounding full of beans, and arranged to pick me up from the station, which was about 10 miles from the cottage. Timings meant I would have an hour to kill before he arrived, so I found myself sitting in some kind of brasserie, hunched over my iPad and two massive glasses of white wine, by now quite rigid with fear about what the weekend would bring. Would we be bored of each other after an hour? Could he actually bring himself to spend an entire night with me, without mysteriously disappearing before dawn? I was aware of the other customers around me chowing down on brunch, staring at me and all thinking, ‘Who’s that strange, slightly deranged looking girl Best Tattoo Machines, drinking alone just after noon and plastering on too much makeup?’

By the time he finally picked me up, in 200k’s worth of ridiculous ’supercar’ if you please Tattoos Guns Kits, I was nearing full-on hysteria. This only increased when I noticed that he had absolutely nothing with him apart from a half-eaten Kitkat stuffed in his jacket pocket.

We tracked down our new residence and everyone in the adjoining pub came out to ooh and aah at the car which he absolutely loved and I found mortally embarrassing. Things improved however when we let ourselves in and found that my friend had left out several bottles of champagne that we set about demolishing. For a couple of hours we had an absolute ball exploring each room as well as each other, then falling into a contented pre-dinner nap.

I had booked a restaurant upon local recommendation, and dug out a smart little frock to wear with a pair of dangerous looking stilettoes. It was then that I sensed the first hint of discontent.
“Wear something comfortable if you like”, he said faux-casually. “You don’t have to dress like you are permanently on show you know.”

I was slightly stung but tried to shrug it off Tattoo Gun Kits, although as I teetered down the quayside I reached for his hand to steady myself, but was proffered only an elbow and I swear I saw his eyes rolling. A man that encourages me to be less high maintenance? This was indeed a first. Things got worse at the restaurant. The food was utterly average and the owner kept coming over to ‘chat’ like we were some sort of visiting celebrities, whilst in the background women of a certain age shrieked and sloshed red wine around, on their one night out for the week. The tension was palpable. He drank endless glasses of Coke and barely spoke.

When we got back in my worst fears were realised. As we flopped back down on the sofa he said quietly “I did tell you I need to take the car back to London tonight didn’t I?”

My heart sank. “I’ll be back in time for lunch tomorrow though!” He added cheerily. “Driving back in that car is a pleasure rather than a pain!”

I accepted defeat as I couldn’t see anywhere I could go. And so off he roared not the night as I sat and tried to figure out how on earth the TV worked. I barely slept all night as I was in a foreign bed, and there was a birthday party on late at the pub which meant screeching drunk teenagers careering around outside my window and smashing glasses into the wee hours. I was feeling self pity of epic proportions as my friends’ words rang in my ears about how insane this whole plan had been.

I woke up feeling even worse though now a wave of anger had kicked in about how on earth I could let myself be treated like this.

I’d worked very hard to wangle a table for lunch at an amazing seafood restaurant down the coast and had had romantic visions of us motoring down there with the roof down, sun blazing; I tried to ring him around the time we should have been setting off and it went straight to voicemail. I made myself a sandwich with a side order of burning resentment. I took myself off for a wander round the town but being Sunday only the petrol station was open. I faced up to the realisation that he wasn’t likely to be coming back.

Just as I walked back in the door of the house I now rather hated, my phone rang. Once more he was full of the joys.

“Hey babe I’m on my way! See you in a couple of hours!” he boomed in my ear. I didn’t even try to match his enthusiasm as I told him I’d cancelled lunch, but he didn’t seem to notice. I fell asleep on the sofa and was woken up by him ringing the doorbell. He swaggered in brandishing more champagne and, rather bizarrely, a pot of clotted cream.

“DYING for a drink babes! Long drive and I ended up racing this mid-life crisis twat in a Porsche for about 50 miles! I won, obviously.”

“I thought you weren’t coming back” I said flatly.

He waved me aside and poured out two glasses. And did that really annoying thing he does of getting me back on side until we were having a rather brilliant Sunday evening. He revealed that he had done a morning’s work which I guessed must have been the plan all along. Amazing. We went down to the pub, tipsy on the fizz, where he proceeded to charm everyone in there, the out-of-towners with the ridiculous car had caused something of a ripple. We must have stayed up til about 4am, dancing on the balcony and marvelling at how there wasn’t a single person or light to be seen for miles around. I drank my doubts away and let myself be carried along with the moment. When he is on ‘full beam’ there are few people I would rather be with. Next morning however, the tension had returned.

On the surface he was still playing the perfect gent, insisting on cooking breakfast and loading the dishwasher, even zipping off to buy a tin of beans. But I was hungover and wracked with insecurity once more, and was having trouble getting myself together. We were half way into town when I remembered that I had left my lovely shoes as well as my phone, in the living room and I saw the eyes rolling once more.

The journey home was less than fun, the conversation didn’t exactly flow and we even had a mock argument that turned into a real argument culminating in the ridiculous exchange: “You’re such a BOY”. “And you’re such a GIRL.”

As we neared London he made some grudging remark about having to drive over to my side of town to drop me home.

“No really,” I replied, “just drop me at a Tube.” By now I just wanted to be on my own. We parted hurriedly in White City with a half-heated hug and I pretty much ran to the station without looking back. Once in the carriage I got attacked by a giant bumble bee which caused me to scream and throw my iPad on the floor: it seemed like the perfect end to one of the strangest weekends in recent memory. He’d said he’d call me later but didn’t. The next morning whilst idly perusing Facebook it suddenly dawned on me that he’d defriended me in the night.

No, Mitt, 1960s Preppies Did Discuss and Consider

Mitt Romney’s full of it.

“First of all, I had no idea what that individual’s sexual orientation might be,” Romney said of the boy whose dyed blond hair he doesn’t remember cutting as a bunch of his fellow prep-school goons held the kid down on the ground. “Going back to the 1960s, that wasn’t something we all discussed or considered.”

I attended an all-boys private school from eighth grade through twelfth (Form II to Form VI in preppiespeak). My school was not a boarding school, but otherwise there was plenty to make it similar to Romney’s Cranbrook: rich kids, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants in the majority and in charge; Protestant hymns sung in chapel several times a week; lots of Republicans; few blacks; and, of course, no girls. There were assholes, but I can’t say I recall anyone who was as much of an asshole as the teenage Mitt Romney is reported to have been.

I’m younger than Romney, but by only eight years. When I arrived at prep school in the fall of 1968, only three or four years after the governor’s son and his acolytes reportedly attacked the nonconformist in their midst, I was struck by several differences from the polyglot, coeducational junior high school I’d just left: the abundance of blond hair (natural, I should add, not dyed); the casual anti-Semitism; and the frequent references to homosexuality. “What are you, queer?” a boy might say if you so much as touched his arm during a conversation. “Hey, you want everyone to think we’re queer?” a kid would protest if you stood too close to him. “This weekend I’m going to mow the lawn” was considered a hilarious double entendre, given the fact that mow shared its pronunciation with ‘mo, short for homo.

No, we didn’t use the word gay. No, we didn’t know what queer or ‘mo or homosexual really meant — we were sheltered, we were early adolescents, and the subject was not discussed the way it is today. But to say that in the 1960s homosexuality “wasn’t something” a bunch of adolescent boys in an all-male prep school “discussed or considered” is bullshit.

As is Romney’s assertion that he doesn’t remember the incident. “It’s a haunting memory… ,” says one of his fellow assailants, “because when you see somebody who is simply different taken down that way and is terrified and you see that look in their eye you never forget it.”

When Barack Obama the other day explained his change of heart on the subject of gay marriage, he cited his Christian faith Replica Emilio Pucci Dresses, in particular that part of the Christian faith known as the Golden Rule, something taught by, um, what’s His name… you know… oh, right, Jesus. He’s the one all these self-proclaimed “Christians” who populate the Republican base declare as the center of their lives. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, just once, to see some of these people put their faith into action to defend Cheap Marc Jacobs Dresses, not assail, someone different?

Mitt Romney may not be putting himself forth as Christ’s candidate the way Rick Santorum did, but he does present himself as man of faith. If he were half the man he’d have us believe he is — if he actually took Christ’s teachings seriously, instead of viewing religion as just one more asset to be leveraged as he engineers his acquisition of the White House — he’d say something like, “It was an un-Christian thing I did. I’m not proud of it. I ask the boy’s family, and everyone else involved, to accept my apology and extend to me their forgiveness. I’ve asked God to grant His forgiveness for the hurtful act of a boy who didn’t know any better. I ask the American public for that same understanding.”

Think how a display of true contrition — or even fake contrition — would lift the man in the eyes of the American public. Instead, he trotted out the old “If I offended anyone… ” If? I don’t think there’s much if to this story.

I agree with those who argue that a 65-year-old man should not be judged on actions he took as a teenager. We’ve all done stupid, callous things during our youth. But that 65-year-old man does not deserve a pass for the way he’s behaving now.

Would anyone care about an incident that showed him to be a teenage jerk were he not being a jerk as he reacts to the story today?

Autoblog Podcast #72

We tried hard to get a podcast going last week, but it just wasn’t good enough. This week, the internet gods smiled on us with solid connections that cleared the way for our incisor-sharp banter. Kicking off #72 Buy Herve Leger gown, we discuss the dual surprise from Ford and GM – profit Hale Bob Dresses sale! The US operations showed losses, but overseas branches pulled in the dough, and as Alex points out “money is money.” Moving on to less dull subjects Buy DKNY Clothes, the MINI Clubman was officially unveiled, and it seems like all of the growth is in its arse. There’s more legroom in the back seat, and cargo space gets a boost Replica Chanel Dresses, as well. In typical German fashion DKNY Dresses sale, they took the long way around to achieve what could have been a simple platform stretch. Speaking of Germans – Wolfgang Bernhard is officially in at Chrysler. That is, if Hades 3-headed guard dog can pull it together on the funding side. It’s not much of a surprise Cheap DKNY Dresses, and we hope that he can right the good ship Chrysler.

Follow the jump for more or click a link below to download the show.

SUBSCRIBE to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
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First Drive2011 Toyota Sienna tries to make the mi

2011 Toyota Sienna – Click above for high-res image gallery
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The Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan minivans revolutionized family transportation when they were introduced back in 1983. Nevermind that Volkswagon had been selling people-friendly vans for decades, it was Chrysler’s “magic wagons” that came to define the minivan for Americans. With decent car-based road manners, easy-access sliding doors and clever packaging, minivans quickly replaced the station wagon as our favored Wally World-bound chariots. Minivan sales peaked at more than 1 million sales in 2002, but the following year, customers discovered something else: The SUV.

The minivan has a chance at a comeback… cool or not. Overnight Discount BCBG Dresses, minivans and their drivers turned into punchlines – an emblem for those who’d given up on driving excitement. Despite the traditional minivan’s utility, drivability and fuel efficiency Replica BCBG Dresses, the masses flocked to Hummers and GMC Denalis, but the SUV’s reign was short-lived. Skyrocketing fuel prices have made family-friendly crossovers the new hot commodity, but Toyota – even with its line of competent CUVs – hadn’t given up on the minivan just yet. In fact, Toyota predicts that the minivan market will grow by 30 percent over the next few years (to about 600,000 units), as young families and empty-nesters once again discover the inherent merits of a car-based box with sliders. But while minivans are no doubt practical, they’re far from cool.

The 2011 Toyota Sienna was designed to challenge that assumption.

Patterned after the F3R concept, the new Sienna apes the Honda Odyssey’s square shoulders but grafts on a Venza-like nose and tail. There’s something for everyone with five different trim levels, two different engines Buy Missoni Dresses, front- or all-wheel drive, and even a sport-tuned SE edition. Yep Marc Jacobs Dresses sale, Toyota thinks the world is ready for a sporty minivan. They recently invited us down to sample their new range of people movers, and we spent a day driving them up and down the coast Buy Missoni Dresses, along freeways and around neighborhoods, and even down one of Southern California’s famed canyon roads, all in an effort to prove that the minivan is ready to be thrust back to the top.

Related GalleryFirst Drive: 2011 Toyota Sienna
Photos by Frank Filipponio / Copyright ©2009 Weblogs, Inc.

Volkswagen releases another sketchy look at forthc

2011 Volkswagen NMS Sketch No. 2 – Click above to enlarge

Volkswagen has released another rendering of its new mid-size sedan (appropriately dubbed NMS) before its official unveiling late next year Replica Chanel Dresses, and while it’s a clearer indication of what to expect when the wraps come off, it doesn’t divulge anything we haven’t seen before.

Although details are sketchy (*rimshot*) Chanel Dresses sale, we know the new sedan will be built at VW’s new Chattanooga Hale Bob Dresses sale, Tenn. plant in the spring of 2011 and go on sale later that year as a 2012 model. The plant is expected to churn out around 100 Missoni Dresses sale,000 units each year, with the majority of the sedans finding homes in U.S. garages. However, VW plants to export the Passat replacement outside of North America.

As far as content and specs are concerned, don’t be surprised to find VW’s turbocharged 2.0-liter underhood in the base model, with a V6 option available on higher-spec trims. Bluetooth integration and other tech-rich features are a given Replica White Herve leger, and naturally, being a product bound for U.S. consumers Replica Christian Audigier Clothing, scads of cupholders ought to be available to fit our 64-ounce Big Gulps.

[Source: Volkswagen]

VideoAcura reveals first commercial for new TSX Sp

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon commercial – Click above to watch the video after the jump

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon will be new to America’s sliver of luxury wagon buyers, but the fact is that it’s little more than a rebadged European Honda Accord estate with a bit more pizazz in the interior. But hey, who cares? The TSX may well be the best-looking Acura replica watches, and now it comes with more room for our stuff.

Team Honda is getting ready to launch the new wagon with a :30 second commercial that shows some Autobot-like shape-shifting CGI. The video shows the front-wheel-drive TSX sedan drifting through a hot corner replica watches, and as it swings into opposite lock replica watches, the body panels of the sedan strip away replica watches, only for the car to be reconstituted into something a bit more capacious. The animation is more Wallace and Gromit than Transformers, but the idea behind the spot is clear; the newest TSX may be a wagon, but its soul is still 100-percent sports sedan. Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself. Hot tip, Arthur replica watches!

Related GalleryNew York 2010: Acura TSX Sport Wagon
Live photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Acura via YouTube]

Force India launches VJM03 for 2010 F1 championshi

Force India VJM03 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Force India: The Little Team That Could. After decades of racing as Jordan Grand Prix, the team changed hands several times over the past few years, first as Midland, then Spyker before Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya stepped in and took over. No one thought the tumultuous outfit had much fight left in it Discount DKNY Clothing, but last season – the second under the Force India banner – the team took a shocking pole position, set the fastest lap and finished in second place at the Belgian Grand Prix Buy Herve Leger v neck, making for the best results the team (under any name) had seen since Giancarlo Fisichella won the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix in the Jordan-Ford EJ13.

To match last year’s success, however, Force India will have to push its way past Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren, all of which are fielding multiple world champions, to say nothing of a hungry runner-up Red Bull Racing, all the while fending off a field expanded by four new teams. This is the machine Mallya and company hope is up to the task.

F1 designers face a tough choice when laying the groundwork for a new car: It can either be a ground-up re-design, or an evolution of the previous year’s. Given Force India’s impressive results last season, chief designer Mark Smith went with the latter for the 2010 season. The biggest changes, like on the cars it will be competing with, is the larger gas tank to deal with the ban on fuel stops, and the double-diffuser design everyone’s running this season. The engine, once again, is provided by Mercedes-Benz, which powered the team last year and which will continue motivating both McLaren and world champion squad which the company acquired from Ross Brawn.

With Fisichella gone to Ferrari, the VJM03 will be piloted again by Tonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil. Former F3 Euroseries champion and DTM driver Paul di Resta, a Mercedes prodigy, has been retained as the team’s test driver following his earlier test for the team at Jerez. The VJM03 has already undergone its first test private run at Silverstone,and will be joining the next group session at Jerez shortly. Follow the jump for more details in the press release, and check out the high-res photos in the gallery below.

Related Gallery2010 Force India VJM03
[Source: Force India]