Hera

Ok here are two stories and I want your take on them. 1st one: U.S. Government funds $400,000 study on gay sex in Argentina bars. Government researchers are spending more than $400,000 in taxpayer money to hit the bars in Argentina. The National Institutes of Health are paying researchers to cruise six bars in Buenos Aires to find out why gay men engage in risky sexual behavior while drunk -- and just what can be done about it. Doctors and specialists from the New York Psychiatric Institute are using the generous grant from NIH's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to help tailor HIV prevention programs to work at bars and clubs. Though public health officials say that HIV/AIDS rates are higher in Washington, D.C., than in some parts of West Africa, U.S. government funds are going to help curb dangerous liaisons in Argentina's capital. The study began in September 2008, according to an online abstract, and has already cost taxpayers $198,776, NIH documents show. "Targeting public venues in Buenos Aires where men meet, alcohol is consumed and sexual behavior occurs," the project's overview explains, "the goal of this 2-year exploratory study is to understand the various factors that contribute to the creation of a high risk sexual space." That means NIH researchers will have as many as 730 nights on the town for careful observation and interaction. "To that end, the study seeks to describe the relative contribution of physical characteristics of the place" -- social scientists call this the "vibe" -- and other factors like "patron characteristics" and "social dynamics" that can lead to risky behavior when mixed with a few parts alcohol. NIH officials say the study is doing valuable work to address high HIV infection rates among homosexual men in Argentina, and that plans developed there could be translated for use in the United States and elsewhere. Researchers plan to interview dozens of bar patrons and proprietors to help develop the on-site intervention programs -- and they mean to be exact. "Venue patrons will also undergo a brief quantitative assessment to gather descriptive data on sexual behavior and substance use among this sample," the study's abstract reads. In layman's terms, that means they're asking drinkers to keep tabs on their quaffs and their quarry; fortunately for their more modest subjects, it's not a qualitative test too. Because the study is promoting venue-based prevention programs, researchers will have to be exact about the bars they visit in the city of 13 million, taking special care to describe the them "in terms of their physical characteristics, alcohol availability, patron characteristics and sexual behavior that occurs in the venue." An NIH official said that funds approved for the project include $275,000 for direct costs and an additional $125,000 in indirect costs, but would not elaborate. Though FOXNews.com could not confirm the median price of cervezas in Buenos Aires, that should leave a lot of money for tips. 2nd: On the same day that the White House released the photograph that cost $328,000 and turned the stomachs of thousand of New Yorkers, President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of the official who authorized the presidential aircraft flyover in lower Manhattan last month. Louis Caldera, the director of the White House Military Office, handed in his resignation Friday. The news comes as Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the Air Force flyover that sparked a panic was not adequately reviewed and approved by senior service and department officials. The flyover was arranged as part of a photo opportunity for White House records. The official photo was released along with Caldera's resignation and the official report on the flyover. Caldera said the controversy had made it impossible for him to effectively lead the White House Military Office. "Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president," Caldera said in his resignation letter to President Barack Obama. The sight of the huge passenger jet and an F-16 fighter plane flying past the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan financial district sent panicked office workers streaming into the streets on April 27. Obama said it would not happen again. Caldera's office approved the photo-op, which cost $35,000 in fuel alone for the plane and two jet fighter escorts. The Air Force estimated the photo shoot cost taxpayers $328,835. White House officials said the flight was designed to update the official photo of the plane, known as Air Force One when the president is aboard. The White House released a photo of the blue-and-white plane high above the Statue of Liberty, with New Jersey in the background. The White House released the report late Friday afternoon via e-mail, with a short written statement from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. There was no statement about the matter from Obama, who last month declared the embarrassment a "mistake" and vowed it would not be repeated. Gibbs said Obama has ordered a review of how the White House Military Office is set up, and how it reports to the White House and the Air Force. That review, to be conducted by Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will also offer recommendations to Obama designed to ensure that such an incident will not happen again, Gibbs said. Caldera, a former Army secretary, has headed the office that coordinates presidential travel on Air Force jets. When Obama appointed Caldera to the job during the presidential transition, the then president-elect hailed Caldera as having a resume that was second-to-none. Obama said then: "I know he'll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post." His resignation takes effect May 22, but he is done at the White House Military Office now -- not just as director, but in any part of the office's work. He said he will use the two weeks of his employment to complete the necessary steps to leave the White House. Days after the incident drew panic and anger from frightened New Yorkers, CBS 2 HD discovered the federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and a the 747 from the presidential fleet to buzz Ground Zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of a 9/11 replay, but they still ordered the photo-op kept secret from the public. In a memo obtained by CBS 2 HD, the Federal Aviation Administration's James Johnston said the agency was aware of "the possibility of public concern regarding DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft flying at low altitudes" in an around New York City. But they demanded total secrecy from the NYPD, the Secret Service, the FBI and even the mayor's office and threatened federal sanctions if the secret got out. "To say that it should not be made public knowing that it might scare people it's just confounding," Sen. Charles Schumer said last month. "It's what gives Washington and government a bad name. It's sheer stupidity." The flyover -- ordered by the White House Office of Military Affairs so it would have souvenir photos of Air Force One with the Statue of Liberty in the background -- had President Obama seeing red. He ordered a probe and apologized. "It was a mistake. It will never happen again," President Obama said. The cost of the frivolous flight was about $60,000 an hour and that was just for the presidential aircraft. That doesn't include the cost of the two F-16s that came along. The flight by the VC-25, a modified Boeing Co. 747, and two F-16 fighter jets cost $328,835, Air Force spokeswoman Vicki Stein said. That includes $300,658 for the larger plane, which flew a three-hour mission, and about $28,178 for the F-16 jets, which flew 1.8 hours each, Stein said in an e-mailed statement. The NYPD was so upset about the demand for secrecy that Police Commissioner Ray Kelly vowed never to follow such a directive again and he accused the feds of inciting fears of a 9/11 replay. "Did it show an insensitivity to the psychic wounds New York City has after 9/11? Absolutely. No questions about it. It was quite insensitive," Kelly said. The mayoral aide who neglected to tell Mayor Michael Bloomberg about it was reprimanded.

No doubt. Having a home on the water to travel wherever you wish is a DREAM. Wish I could make it come true for me heh.

Yeah it looks a bit grotesque to me.

Being overweight, I used to tell people this: "Kiss my fat a$$ and get lost in it."

If it HAD to be in this country, I would probably say Seattle.

Technically, they already are.

A totally cool liar. hahahah love it! I think I know what guy you're talking about Will lol You talking about the one who got all crazy towards me? His friend's wife? Dude, remember that day when I picked up my paycheck from that Myspace place and when I walked out he said "Did ya.." and started throwing punches in the air with this dumb look on his face?! Priceless. I've been realizing lately how much my family lies. They only do it to benefit themselves. They aren't lies that try to hurt people or anything, they're just lies that make perfect sense but used to cover what they really mean. The problem is, I've got some gift. Even if someone is a professional liar and can fool everyone, I know their game. Having this gift is a problem because when I think I know this person, I don't want to accept the fact that they're lying to me. I tell myself that I'm probably wrong but I never am. I catch them in a lie one way or another. It's weird and too complicated to explain. I just don't understand why people can't be honest to themselves and others. It's not really that hard.

He must teach me this..

Yep. Gotta agree with you on that. Never got into that game and I'm usually into fighting games. I'm not putting too much faith into the movie because of said facts but whatever...

Yeah..see, for a long time I thought my husband and sister-in-law had two different dads. His mother told me the day we met that she was beaten and raped by my husband's father and she had kicked him out and never saw him again. Of course, I wasn't supposed to tell my husband he was conceived from rape...especially if it was told to me on the first meeting. So for a while, I believed (who would have thought a mother would lie about something like that?) that my sister-in-law and brother-in-law had the same dad while my husband had the rapist father. Come to find out, both my husband and the sister-in-law have the same dad that they haven't seen since they were toddlers and don't even remember him. My sister-in-law is younger than my husband so obviously his mother didn't kick his father out permanently. There was also an occasion where she was supposed to come her only grandchild's baby shower but lied and said she had work to do only because she was offended at the fact that I didn't want her sleeping on my floor the night before. I had two other people spending the night to help us with the preparations and I was living in a small place at that time. She told everyone on my husband's side of the family that I called her and was yelling profanities at her telling her that I didn't want her at the shower. She dated this one guy who was supposedly a bounty hunter. She told some whacked out stories about her adventures with this guy. They caught like three black guys in a meth lab. Riiiight. Usually it's annoying but sometimes her imagination can be amusing.

I'm not sure why, but... I like it haha. Actually, the eyes and nose look like mine in that photo.

What about me? I'm very interested in seeing what you can find bwahahha

My brother in law is JUST LIKE THAT. Gotta top everything you say. I wanna punch those kinds of people in the eye!!!!!!

haha.... oohhhh boy one thing I utterly despise is liars. I mean, I'm aware each and every one of us has lied about something one way or another. I stopped trying years ago. I'm horrible at it and I know it'll always bite you in the rump later. I tell you what, practically every single one of my in-laws are liars. I'm not joking. My husband's mother is notorious for lying. Ask Will. She believes her own lies and I honestly don't think she intends to do it. It just comes out. His brother on the other hand is just full of it. He's all about attention. I HAYTE eating dinner at his mothers though. You get her sitting there with his brother and his brother's gf, you'll suffocate in the bulls*** that surrounds you. I take multiple smoke breaks while visiting. I see no point in lying. Someone is going to know if you are...especially when it's crazy talk. Note to Will: I think you should write that story for others to read since it involves both of us! I'm not taking it too personally. In fact, I find most of it funny. I'm not even sure if it was this girl but I have my suspicions. If it continues, I'll ask her myself.

I hardly don't think she had the opportunity to do it often...BOOYAH Ok done with throwing that in haha When I was 16, I was old. I guess it depends on the lifestyle and experiences in life that make you wiser or in most cases...more ignorant.

Understood but you did you not say before that even if you had "0" it wouldn't change the fact that you're a talented artist? Stick to what you do. You don't have to acknowledge the foolish. Just leaving would show them you're interested in what they have to say. Consider them childish and do your thang chicken wang.

Yes I read the whole thing but I honestly find it a waste of time to even bother. If you don't want to stay away from the site, just continue to create your work and don't talk to any jits.

Wow. Seriously? Just get out of that mess. It's extremely petty and my guess is that you have higher standards. I'm sure you can find some other forum similar to that without the dramatics. Just delete your acct and move on.

out of what? don't tell me the USA. The U.S.A

Eh..hopefully I'll be out by then.

Few months shy of 25

haha..he's like 30 mins from me. I've been to Miami twice and each time I left, I had this odd smell on all of my clothes. The whole place smelled funny, too many people pissed me off, I felt like I had to dodge bullets when I opened the door to go outside because of ignorant hombres, there was a killing EVERY SINGLE DAY down the street I was staying at and it WASN'T in the ghetto, I had my camera stolen, everything was too expensive (you could buy the same damn shirt up here for $60 less), this list could go on about the nightmares I had there. There was a bunch of good food though. And the hotel I stayed at was very nice.

I haven't but it is convenient having it around when you aren't near proper facilities. Especially when having children. I see nothing wrong with it.

I prefer to use cash. I've had too many issues with bank mishaps when it comes to plastic. It's easier to keep yourself from spending too much anyway as you guys said. What's this?! A girl who doesn't like cards?! That's right...I'm

Glad you had a good time. You deserved it! Although Miami isn't preferred, it's good to get out. I wouldn't go back to Miami if someone paid me. I hate it.