Eighty million people have been reported as watching the vice presidential and presidential debates and I wondered what the stress was on the four candidates. Sarah Palin, John McCain, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden must feel increasing stress at this stage of their campaigns. The televised debates must have caused additional stress and strain.

The first major stressor during debates is the ultimate victory or loss. At the back of their mind must be the constant fear that they might make an incredible blunder. With the dual pressure of handling content intelligently and presenting oneself as a credible and attractive person comes great strain.

Sarah, Joe, Barack, and John all have distinctive personal styles. Being coached by public speaking experts to take the rough edges off one’s style can be extremely disconcerting and stressful. The pressure of the campaign and the need to develop a credible debating style adds to the stress. What changes must each person make?

Barack Obama has to portray an image of being closely connected with the people. He cannot be seen to be remote and theoretical as they want someone who is warm and understands them. To deal with this tension he promotes a new vision for America revolving around the concept of change.

John McCain is always in danger of being seen as a war hawk because of his position on Iraq and his constant claim about his prisoner of war status. His campaign position is about patriotism and loving America. His age and medical condition are factors that would present him with some stress when seen on the national podium.

Joe Biden has 35 years as a senator so he has a huge amount of knowledge but perhaps too much to convey in a short time. As well, it is easy for people to see him as arrogant. Joe has to present himself as commonplace and one of the people.

Sarah Palin has to impress voters as having a national and international presence not simply as being a mom from middle America. Being able to say folksy words like ‘doggone’ and ‘aint’ might add down-home appeal but they limit her status as a high-level politician. Because she made such a bad showing at some televised interviews, the pressure for her was to appear well-informed.

The debating stress for these four contenders came from trying to cover up their weaknesses and shine with strength. They had to overcome their personality and content differences to be successful. The real issue is whether they handled the debating stress sufficiently well to attract a popular vote.

The debate surrounding requests by some Muslims that police sniffer dogs wear rubber booties, to protect homes from the ‘ritually unclean’ canines, seems like a moot argument. As far as the Kennel Club, among others, knows these rubber booties do not interfere with the work of police dogs in any way. Therefore, any outcry of special treatment of Muslims mustn’t be rooted in practical fact but cultural insensitivity.

Britain is a liberal democratic country and a tenant of liberalism is cultural inclusion. Governments, even Gordon Brown’s government, rule by consent – that is, government can only be legitimate when the majority of people are willing given transfer some of their authority to it. This principal, of course, is not new; it was first elucidated by philosopher John Locke in the late 1600s. What can an old, dead, white man tell us about sniffer dogs and rubber booties? He wrote, in his magnum opus Two Treatise on Government that, “nobody doubts but an express Consent of any man, entering into any Society, makes him a perfect Member of that Society, a subject of that government.” Locke, the founder of liberal democracy, argued that immigrant give their express consent, the highest form of consent, to the existing government and social norms of their new country.

What can an old, dead, white man tell us about sniffer dogs and rubber booties? He wrote, in his magnum opus Two Treatise on Government that, “nobody doubts but an express Consent of any man, entering into any Society, makes him a perfect Member of that Society, a subject of that government.” Locke, the founder of liberal democracy, argued that immigrant give their express consent, the highest form of consent, to the existing government and social norms of their new country.

I doubt anyone in Britain considered the needs for rubber booties on sniffer dogs before the current debate. Immigrant groups who find British culture incompatible with their own have no ground, according to Locke, to demand separate treatment.

I, nor Locke, would suggest that sniffer dogs could never wear rubber booties. If Muslims, and others offended by unclean dogs, could muster the votes and convince the majority to consent to such measures, then all sniffer dogs could be outfitted with proper footwear. However, until that time, it is irresponsible and unethical of government to offer special treatment to any minority group.

History has proven that special or separate treatment of minority groups is not equality. Under democracy all people must be equal before that law, and it is repressible to contrive systems to any other effect. All dogs should wear footwear, or none at all. If an individual is offended by this, he has two options, move to another country or convince the majority of the righteousness of his point of view. The minority has no right to impose its view on the majority, but it does have the right to campaign and attempt to convince the majority of the rectitude of their position.

Nowadays, when you think of Alaska, moose, grizzly bears, hockey moms, and pitbull dogs you think of Sarah Palin. She has become an overnight phenomenon on the national and international scene. The real question is whether her overnight popularity will be sustained. There is no doubt that she is the most attractive politician on the international scene.

Thousands of people are writing about Sarah Palin at present and they probably have better qualifications to comment on her than do I. Living in Alaska and some 40 miles from Sarah’s home town of Wasilla gives me a slight local edge. This hardly qualifies me to write on how Sarah manages stress. But, as someone interested in the psychology of stress, the simple question of how well Sarah Palin handles stress seemed important to me.

I have watched one interview with Sarah and noted how comfortably assured she was. It would be very interesting to explore Sarah’s ability to handle emotional issues, not only political and economic issues. She always looks fantastic on TV but she has a huge number of roles to manage. Besides the current presidential campaign, she still has to govern Alaska. She still has a family to manage. So how does she manage stress and how well does she do this?

There is no doubt in my mind that Sarah is relying on what is called eustress. This is positive stress that occurs when we are presented with exciting challenges. When we feel positive about these challenges we rely on the neurochemicals that flood our system, cortisol and adrenaline, to keep us in a high energy state. This is good stress unlike the usual view of stress which is seen as negative and dysfunctional. Distress causes a range of nervous responses, for example, sweating, loss of confidence, lack of fluency in oral presentations, and general inability to be able to cope if the stress is sustained.

I wrote this article because I became fascinated when I started to consider the number of stressors that Sarah Palin has to confront in her current campaign. Constant criticism from the media, the need to be on her game in understanding and dealing with Barack Obama, and learning new policy positions are some of the challenges she faces. How does she cope with the challenges?

Cary Cooper, a British psychologist who has a huge research background in stress, recently reported on his study of stress in politicians. The study found that six months after taking up office, politicians were reporting elevated levels of stress. The signs included loss of confidence, sleeping problems, drinking and eating too much, feeling constantly under strain and showing increasing lack of motivation. The reasons for the stress were clear: a large workload, up to 70 hours work per week, a lot of travel, and very little time with family.

At this stage, Sarah Palin is not vice president but she is still Governor of Alaska. There is mounting criticism in the local press about Sarah’s absence from the State and from her responsibilities as Governor. She is a very responsible and ethical person. This must be causing her some tension. She also has the spectre of Troopergate lurking in the background. She has had to hand over a lot of responsibilities to the McCain political team. She has her daughter’s pregnancy and marital state to worry about. And a son has just been deployed to Afghanistan.

82% of Alaskans think Sarah is a great Governor but she is confronting additional stresses now. Questions about her capacity to handle complex national and international issues are coming thick and fast. Does she know enough about taxation? How would she handle the diplomatic issues related to the Georgian invasion? Does she have the background to understand the implications of the Bush government bailout and how this impacts a free market system? Does she have a strong database to sustain her attacks on the Democrats policies? All of these add to the stress she is confronting at present.

Questions about her political knowledge can undermine her confidence. They can put her in a defensive position at every interview. They can make her feel tense and uncertain unless she has in-depth knowledge of the issues at hand. Criticisms from all fronts can destabilize one’s level of security and self-assurance.

My simple question is this: what strategies does Sarah Palin use to manage her stress? What a great interview this would be. I’m sure that she has very many effective stress reduction strategies. When you watch her, you can see a high level of self-assurance and emotional intelligence. She is also driven by a great sense of purpose.

She has a strong sense of family and personal values. She has an unshakeable belief in God’s will and purpose. She relies on prayer as a form of stress reduction and to give her direction. She has the support of a huge number of people, not only the First Dude and her children, but many Alaskans. She has an extraordinary amount of personal ambition and drive. She is a competitor who loves to win and enjoys the challenge of competition. My guess is that she uses a range of very productive stress management strategies that will continue to help her manage stress in her public life.

The terms “credit crisis” and “housing bust” will be forever stamped upon our generation. Many ordinary and not-so-ordinary people are suffering, and there’s a growing public discontent for the way things have been done. Some are calling for the dissolution of Capitalism in America, declaring that we finally have proof of the failings of free enterprise! The truth is quite to the contrary. This financial meltdown was largely caused and absolutely perpetuited by a series of government incursions into the economy!

There are three main groups behind the housing madness: local and state lawmakers, federal regulators, and the Federal Reserve. Land use regulations stand at the heart of the issue, with local and state legislators placing significant and often-times arbitrary restrictions on new development. In coastal California, for instance, cities largely dictate the land use policies of surrounding rural areas, restricting new development to alleviate growth in demand within the cities. This is why housing prices in Los Angeles increased at a far higher rate than those in Houston, despite greater population and living standard growth rates in Houston.

Two examples show how federal policy affects housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) pushed its social engineering agenda onto the two now-nationalized mortgage institutions, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The agenda: increase homeownership amongst low-income families. The solution: force Fannie and Freddie to increase the amount of subprime mortgages in their portfolios. The result is evident in that many of these subprime borrowers proved unable to afford the homes they were encouraged to buy. There are many federal policy influences to housing, including special tax treatment to encourage homeownership, and now the Environmental Protections Agency’s (EPA) proposals to link climate regulation with land use restrictions.

Finally, we cannot escape monetary policy. It is the Federal Reserve that controls prices for money through various tools that affect interest rates. After 9/11 Alan Greenspan dropped the federal funds rate to near-zero, which was likely in the negative real interest rate territory. He kept rates in this territory for a sustained period of time, only slowly and very incrementally raising them through the peak of the housing boom. Low rates signal the market to borrow borrow borrow. Negative real rates provide negative incentive to save; the omnipotent, omniscient Federal Reserve board of governors sits on the same pedistal of power that Kremlin Communists used to perch whilst dictating grain prices and pretty much everything else in their defunct economy.

Understanding how regulations, federal fiscal and monetary policy affect housing prices can help you protect yourself in the future and perhaps play the speculative game in your favor. At the very least this illustrates that there is more going on in the background than is typically discussed when people scream for new regulation. Compounding one set of new regulations on top of another causes more confusion than alleviation of our growing number of problems.

The primary material for water pipes in major U.S. cities, between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was lead. Its durability and malleability made it a very popular choice for pipe material. Eventually galvanized steel and copper would replace lead, and copper pipe would eventually become the most popular material used in home water service and distribution in mid to late 20th century construction.

Lead contamination was the top source of lead-related health issues before the hazards of ingesting it were known. The cause was pipe corrosion and erosion, and it raised stillbirth and infant mortality rates. Other plumbing or pipe problems are much easier to spot, but if you?re not testing for lead in your water, you?ll never know it?s there. You can find general information about lead contamination and how to test for it on the EPA?s website.

If you have lead in your water, it?s generally because of lead-based solder which was the primary material to join copper pipes together, a service line pipe from your house to the city or town water main made out of lead, and brass or chrome-plated brass faucets. In 1986, Congress put and end to the use of lead solder with over 0.2% lead in it. The lead in faucets, pipes and every other plumbing material was not allowed to exceed 8.0%.? ?Lead-free? brass legally can can?t have than 8% lead in it and plumbing systems installed prior to the 1986 legislation can possibly contain higher levels of lead.

In older buildings and homes, the service line from the municipal water main to the house may be a lead pipe — something you should definitely confirm. Unless your piping has been upgraded in the past 40 years, it is probably galvanized pipe (iron with a zinc coating) which does not require lead solder to join the pipe. You may already know if your faucets are brass or chrome-plated, but if not, you might want to consult with a licensed plumber or take them with you to a local hardware store. CuraFlo??s website offers a brief history of lead materials in water pipes.

If you have lead contamination from your pipes, epoxy lining can be your solution. Once installed it is a barrier to lead leaching into your drinking water. The epoxy lining prevents the metal of the pipe and the water flowing through from coming into direct contact. This prevents the chemical reaction that causes pipe corrosion. Epoxy pipe lining eliminates and prevents lead and other metals (from your pipes) leaching into the water, as well as a host of other poor water quality issues such as: water that?s red, brown, blue or yellow, zinc or iron leeching in galvanized pipes causing a metallic taste, and bacteria that causes bad tasting water or water that smells.

Epoxy lining of pipes is not a new technology, just a relatively unkown one. But it?s not unproven ?both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have tested and approved the use of epoxy pipe lining to prevent lead and other contaminants from leaching into drinking water. Links to their reports are available at http://curaflo.com/CuraFlo/ResourceCenter.

CuraPoxy, CuraFlo’s epoxy, is certified to meet ANSI/NSF Standard 61 – the U.S. government?s standard for safe drinking water. This means that it?s certified safe for use in potable (drinking) water pipes up to 180 Fahrenheit (82.2 Celsius). CuraFlo?s epoxy pipe lining process prevents pipe corrosion and erosion, protecting you from lead in your pipes leaching into your water.

Do you think that money is the root of all evil. Well, look what happened. We know that people who seem to be evil have an elevated greed factor. Look at what’s happened in the past 2 presidential terms in the US, people have become rich, greedy, and destroyed the economy. Losses throughout the world all caused by greed, in the name of OIL, causing terrorism, credit card companies, insurance companies, mortgage companies — and most people are suffering as a result.

We have the cure for what this financial crisis in the world is doing to your personal life. But, no matter what’s occurred in your life, your company, your family because of the last 8 years it can be overcome. The process is simply study The Course on Money.

Few people realize that public education doesn’t teach us how to make a living or get wealthy, or even find inner peace. In fact, public education is standardized (or sub-standard) if you compare it to the rest of the world.

For almost 30 years, Dr. Jay Polmar has taught one great theory – THINK RIGHT. Over the past 29 years, he’s helped 100,000 people around the world with his self-taught courses, which are just like being with Jay in a classroom in Hawaii, or in New Mexico and learning these amazing methods. It’s because the courses have audio and it’s just like listening to him.

To me, its – why be surprised that this happened? Look who we elected, and how he’s taken the nation down — 500 billion deficit this year alone … pretty darned amazing. Are we safer? On a personal note, that deficit hasn’t included the last crisis on Wall Street. The economy looks gloomy!

How is your personal economy? Would you like to learn from the secrets that Dr. Jay Polmar taught since 1979 …. before many people even knew there was a Law of Attraction. Yes, our politicians and terrorism attracted financial gloom to the world. That was the price of the war on terror! And for those unaffected by terrorism, they were affected by the war on druglords, the war on starving – everyone at war.

War doesn’t work! Success, and attracting money and multiples of desire you want in life does work. When you are told not to be creative, just to follow the orders – you often die trying. But, when you are creative, you become insightful, and have your mind programmed as a money machine – you can only be the winner and more successful and have more than pocket change.

Until the end of this year, all those who purchase the Course on Money, will also get, once a month for 5 months, a bonus series, on the Millionaire MindSet. That’s 5 different 40 – 80 page books on how to achieve and operate the Millionaire mindset.

Dr. Jay Polmar, is no longer teaching, but is kind of retired on a hill in a bilingual part of a Major city in Mexico, writing books and courses to help a struggling world and then going to enjoy the beach at every possible opportunity.

The primary material for water pipes in major U.S. cities, between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was lead. Its durability and malleability made it a very popular choice for pipe material. Eventually galvanized steel and copper would replace lead, and copper pipe would eventually become the most popular material used in home water service and distribution in mid to late 20th century construction.

Lead contamination was the top source of lead-related health issues before the hazards of ingesting it were known. The cause was pipe corrosion and erosion, and it raised stillbirth and infant mortality rates. Other plumbing or pipe problems are much easier to spot, but if you?re not testing for lead in your water, you?ll never know it?s there. You can find general information about lead contamination and how to test for it on the EPA?s website.

If you have lead in your water, it?s generally because of lead-based solder which was the primary material to join copper pipes together, a service line pipe from your house to the city or town water main made out of lead, and brass or chrome-plated brass faucets. In 1986, Congress put and end to the use of lead solder with over 0.2% lead in it. The lead in faucets, pipes and every other plumbing material was not allowed to exceed 8.0%.? ?Lead-free? brass legally can can?t have than 8% lead in it and plumbing systems installed prior to the 1986 legislation can possibly contain higher levels of lead.

Water lines from the city or town water main to a home or building?s water system may be a lead pipe in older structures. If you or a previous owner of the structure had your plumbing system upgraded since 1960, it?s probably composed of galvanized pipe. Galvanized pipe doesn?t need lead solder to be joined. Faucets need to be checked for brass or chrome-plating, you?re the original manufacturer, a local hardware store, or a licensed plumber should be able to tell you if yours contain either.

If your pipes are the source, epoxy lining will prevent lead leaching into your drinking water. Because the epoxy lining creates a barrier between the metal pipe and the water coming in contact with it, it stops the chemical reaction that causes corrosion. It eliminates and prevents from reoccurring, leaching of lead and other metals into the water, as well as a host of other poor water quality issues such as: discolored water (red, brown, blue or yellow), metallic taste (caused by zinc or iron leeching in galvanized pipes), and water odor or bad taste (caused by bacteria).

A relatively unknown technology, epoxy pipe lining is not a new technology, –in fact it?s well proven. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Navy have both ested and approved the use of epoxy pipe lining to prevent contaminants, including lead, from leaching into drinking water. Their reports are published and links to them can be found at http://curaflo.com/CuraFlo/ResourceCenter. The epoxy used by CuraFlo in epoxy pipe lining, CuraPoxy?, is certified to meet the U.S.

There is no need for health concerns when it comes to epoxy lining your pipes, CuraFlo?s epoxy, CuraPoxy?, is certified to meet ANSI/NSF Standard 61 – the U.S. government standard for safe potable (drinking) water. ANSI/NSF Standard 61 certification means that something is certified safe to be used in potable water pipes at temperatures up to 180? Fahrenheit or 82.2? Celsius. CuraFlo?s epoxy pipe lining process protects you from lead (and other metals) in your pipes leaching into your water by preventing these metals from leaching into your water.

With the upcoming presidential election in the United States, there has been a lot of discussions online about the eventual outcome of the election.  While there seems to be no clear victor at the moment, they all are presenting themselves as good presidential candidates.

But do you have an opinion?

I know I sure do.  The best part is that the Internet is a great discussion tool and we can all have a chance to voice our opinions about the candidates and their platforms.  I particularly like talking at the Political Water Cooler, an online discussion forum directed at politics, and especially the upcoming election.

I think the best part about the forum, is it is a place where you can share your opinions, discuss the candidates and debate whether or not a particular candidate is a good choice for President.  I also quite enjoy finding out the concerns and views of people across the country – it is interesting to see the similarities and differences.