My heart goes out to the thousands of victims of the recent Haiti earthquake. We heard news today that the death toll has risen to over 200,000. I find it difficult to fathom the depth of the suffering that is going on in that country. I know that their time of need is now and I hope that everyone will respond.

I believe that if everyone gives just a few dollars, we can make a huge difference for the survivors of this terrible tragedy. I know there are many stories of how the relief effort has been failing, but I believe that it is still doing a lot of good. I implore everyone to keep giving whatever they can to this cause.

It seems that Canada has become the newest hotspot for the illegal drug trade. Groups such as the Hells Angels are running the trade from Canada to America. A wide variety of drugs are being smuggled across the border including Marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy.

The smugglers are taking advantage of the use of helicopters to bring in the drugs. The ability of copters to avoid radar and hug the ground has made it the vehicle of choice for smugglers. I hope we can find a way to crack down on this illegal trade.

I was happy to read that some lawmakers are working on a bill to limit the loudness of commercials on TV. I am all for this type of thing and hope the bill will pass. While I spend many hours enjoying watching my favorite TV shows, I am always maddened by commercials that are much too loud. I hope that for once, the congress will do something constructive and work to pass this measure!

Every once in a while, something in life turns out for the better; I heard one story of this the other day. My friend who lives down the street is moving to Texas and wanted to take her Direct TV service with her. Thinking that this would be a big problem, she was worried about what a hassle it would be. I thought that I would look into the matter for her as I knew she had a lot on her mind.

I did some searching around on the internet and found out that it’s fairly easy to switch your Directv service to another state. I knew my neighbor would be happy to hear the news and so I went to tell her as soon as possible. She was glad to find that she could continue her service with Direct TV in Texas. She had come to rely on their great service and the benefits of their programming.

The great thing about this company is that they provide so many channels at a low cost and they all come in HD. Whether its international channels or local ones, she gets them all in HD. She also gets the best sports packages around. All in all, she is very happy that she has one less thing to worry about. I was just glad to be able to help out.

There has been some debate over the recent government run program called “Cash for Clunkers”. The program allowed consumers to buy new vehicles and get a rebate of $4,500 dollars to do so. The program was intended to help the ailing auto industry and to help get the economy moving again. Some critics think it was a waste of money.

There are studies that argue that the program which cost U.S. taxpayers 3 billion dollars did little to help the economy. There are some estimates that each car sold cost the taxpayers well more than the 4,500 dollar rebate. The White House has defended the program saying that they stand by their numbers and that the program was a success. I guess only time will tell who was right or not.