Let's talk about something Controversial.

[Hera]

Smoking is a terrible habit and non smokers shouldnt have to deal with second hand smoke in public places. By all means smoke in your house

 

I agree when it comes to restaurants and in the workplace. I'm a smoker and I wouldn't want people to breath that crap if they don't want to. But I'm a bit agitated at the fact that most businesses make people leave the premises just to smoke a cigarette. There should be no problem smoking outside. The whole world doesn't belong to non-smokers and I think that needs to be realized. It's a bit disappointing to have people doped up on weed and crack while working yet a person who wants to smoke a cigarette gets most of the discipline. At least it's legal. It's our addiction and our bodies. Don't tell me I can't smoke outside in the open air.

[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.

[mtsaint]

Do New Yorkers really cower in terror every time a airplane fly's over?

 

Do we really need to spend 400k on why gay men like to get drunk and have sex. I know plenty of straight folks that get drunk and bang. Somehow I see this attached to trying to restrict gay marriages in the U.S.

 

What I really want to know is where did the 10 billion dollars we gave to Pakistan end up?

[Hera]

Do New Yorkers really cower in terror every time a airplane fly's over?

 

Do we really need to spend 400k on why gay men like to get drunk and have sex. I know plenty of straight folks that get drunk and bang. Somehow I see this attached to trying to restrict gay marriages in the U.S.

 

What I really want to know is where did the 10 billion dollars we gave to Pakistan end up?

 

 

Well, they're going to freak out if it's flying low like that with military personnel around it. All they see is a huge jet near buildings. I don't blame them for being afraid. I just want to know why taxpayers are paying over 300k for a stupid picture of a plane that citizens cannot even use.

 

 

I don't understand why money is spent on studying gay sex. People have sex whether they're drinking or not. People spread diseases whether they're drunk or not. There isn't anything scientific about it. Gay marriage will not be restricted because too many people complain about it and act like babies.

 

Who knows where that money went. Some resources are saying military and others for medical basis. We're always lied to so I don't think anyone knows.