Haley Barbour is a stanch Republican and a Republican presidential favorite. Him signing this is not a done deal.

You make a good point. But, it's not ads per se that are so evil. If ads are done right, they aren't annoying. Look at Google's home page vs. Yahoo's. Google has a history of developing clean unobtrusive interfaces. I wouldn't be too surprised if Google let you install AdBlock or some other ways made browsing tolerable. I have hope.

I don't understand why the media has to contribute everything to the economy. Let's be honest. Most people don't like Microsoft and the direction it is going. Many customers are only customers because they didn't have a viable alternative. Given the opportunity or sufficient impetus, they will vote with their pocket books.

Circuit City is another example of a poorly managed company. They filed for bankruptcy because they screwed their employees and treated their customers as though they were expendable.

I'm sure the economy affects all businesses. But, the ones that suffer most are the ones with the poor business model, inferior service or inferior products.

Now that's really not bad. I paid almost a $1000 for my Honda 2000i. But, mine weighs about 50 lbs or so. So, I can carry it with one hand and take it with me to outdoor sporting events.

I considered a more powerful model. But, even lifting one of those 3500 watt models into the back of a truck is too much for one person. And, portability was one of my significant criteria.

During a short term outage, a 2000i will get you by. You really only need enough to power a tv, cell phone, fridge (intermittently, cause it will hold it's temp for awhile), coffee pot and a small burner. Anything else is a luxury. And, realistically, I think most outages will be short term.

Later, if I think I need more power, I can buy another one and chain them together to double my output. I could then have the power to run a small window unit or a fan on my furnace. And, I'd still have portability, too.

I could have bought a 3500 watt Dewalt, Coleman or something like that for less than what I paid for my Honda. But, mine is very quiet and comes with Honda quality.