Tuesday News Blip

California: Good ol' Scharzeneggar has created a temporary solution to get moving with the california budget. No one could decide how to close the 15.2 billion deficit. Republicans disliked the idea of tax raises, while democrats vied for tax increases and cuts to clear the deficit. Likely using a trusty math calculator, Arnie crafted a temporary budget to short-term raise sale taxes and make a few cuts to make back $4 billion toward the budget and a little more then next to years. It likely would be a miracle, but then the $15.2 billion deficit would be cleared in three years and and the current sales taxes could rebound back to lower than its current amount.

I like Arnie's words with respect to the amount of state funding from taxes already. Californians make a lot of money and that helps out the state:

"I think the people of California are sending to Sacramento plenty of dollars, 130-some billions of dollars they are sending every year for us to function. If we cannot function with that money, then there is something wrong with the system rather than with the people"

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Even though those wise words slightly contradict his actions of increasing sales tax, I revere both the words and the actions (despite their inherent contradicton) because his words show appreciation and his actions provide a solution. Arnie is good stuff.

Transportation: Avoid spanish airlines when possible!
The worst aviation catastrophe happened in spain

The deadliest disaster in aviation history occurred in Spain in 1977 as a result of a runway collision between two fully loaded Boeing 747s in the Canary Islands. A total of 583 people died.

and Spanair Flight JK5022, full of vacationing Europeans, bound for Las Palmas crashed immediately after take-off. Devastating. Sure, automobile transportation is still statistically more dangerous but these devastating aviational crashes get horrendous.

Athletics: Dara Torres first competed in the Olympics in the 1984 Los Angeles games. She then has gone on to hit up the '88, '92, '00, and the '08 games recently in Beijing setting the record for being the only american swimmer to compete in 5 games. And she just didn't compete for "participation points" she really showed up, earning three silvers in Beijing in the 4x100 free relay, 50 free, and 4x100 medley.