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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dale Baker who wrote (25484)	7/30/2006 4:47:14 AM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541759

Interesting article on Rasmussen's site - surprisingly low number of Americans take a summer vacation, and hardly any bother to leave the US. Vanishing Vacations 52% Not Vacationing This Summer; 37% Not At All This Year July 19, 2006 Whether you choose to catch some waves in Waikiki, cruise the Caribbean, swoosh down the slopes in Aspen, or simply catch up on the latest bestsellers next to the pool, a vacation can be the stuff dreams are made of—a needed escape from the daily grind of the real world. However, many Americans these days seem to be testing the truth to the old adage about all work and no play. When asked if they will take a summer vacation this year, 52% of respondents to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey report having no plans for summer travel. Furthermore, more than a third of those surveyed (37%) say that they will not take a vacation at all this year. Summer narrowly defeats fall as the favored time of year to vacation (33% to 25%) with spring (15%) and winter (11%) rounding out the results. When they are able to take a break, Americans prefer to keep their vacations varied. Only 27% of those surveyed report returning to the same destination each year. The desire for diverse destinations tends to increase with age. Among individuals ages 18-29, 38% say they visit the same spot each year; that number drops to 22% among those 50-64 and 16% for the 65 and over crowd. The beach rules for those who’ll be getting away this summer. Twenty-four percent (24%) of those surveyed will be hitting the surf during their summer respite. The beach ranks as the top summer vacation destination in all age categories, except those 65 and older, who prefer to stay home (30%) or visit relatives (29%) rather than soak up the sun (9%). Regardless of how they chose to relax, the majority of summer vacationers will spend their leisure time—and money—within the United States. Only 6% plan to travel abroad for their summer holiday.

To: Dale Baker who wrote (25484)	7/30/2006 9:06:46 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541759

>>until France pulled it apart to create a haven for Maronite Christians<< Do you have any thoughts on the system in place in Lebanon and other parts of the world, like yours, where seats in a legislature are apportioned by cultural group? There's something about that whole concept that makes me itch.

To: Dale Baker who wrote (25484)	7/30/2006 10:37:56 AM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541759

Robin Wright is one of my favorites. Just an excellent piece. This strkes me as the stickiest wicket to overcome: Politically, the centerpiece of the plan requires Hezbollah to surrender the military force and formidable weapons arsenal it spent 24 years building, and which has given it special standing both in Lebanon and well beyond its borders. As the only Arab force that has ever made Israel retreat in six decades of regional warfare, Hezbollah would effectively have to give up being a regional player and make its own retreat to local Lebanese politics, where it would be just one of 17 recognized sects in a country 1,000 square miles smaller than Connecticut. "Nothing will work unless Hezbollah agrees to it. And you can't expect Hezbollah to do something that is committing suicide," said Robert Malley, director of the International Crisis Group's Middle East program and a former Clinton administration National Security Council staffer. "You can't condition a cease-fire on steps that Hezbollah will not accept." I simply don't see how this works.