I think they have allowed their currency to float.

You have a wide selection. Olympus XZ1 is a very good camera with a bright lens. The S series of Canon S95, or the new S100 will return very good results. I know little of the Nikon, but their new V1 is getting very good reviews. Steve Huff Photo and DigitalRev on YouTube have good reviews. The price might turn you off. The Samsung TL500 rates well, but not as easy to find Mirrorless cameras like the new Olympus pen cameras look hot. Lumix/Panasonic makes some fine cameras, and I would fill your needs. Read reviews of all the cameras, try to actually hold the camera before you buy. Don't get caught up in megapixels. There's a saying that the best camera is the one you have with you. Buy something that is convenient to carry. Take a whole bunch of photos. That's how you become a good photographer. Practice.

have "one more thing." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJkAYdT7qo

Why use something at home that makes you think of work? OSX and sometimes Ubuntu for me. Retired, but I still have Windows nightmares.

Let a two year kid play with it.

I don't watch TV other than PBS, and my radio is NPR. Our folk music could become the property of the corporate world. That's what I am concerned about. I can imagine what will happen to the pro labor songs and poetry.

When are we going to stand up to those corporate thieves. Not only do they want to possess all our money, now they want sole ownership of our culture. Fuck em!

The "ownership society" was all about imprisoning us with debt. We thought we would own a home, but it turned out that the bank owns us. Some totalitarian countries keep people in line with guns and tanks, ours uses soul less corporations and banks.

Read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein. Remember the spending was on tax cuts for millionaires and wars that only served to fill the pockets of the rich war profiteers. Now the corporatist want to give more tax cuts to the rich, then cut services for the poor, old, and sick. The rich have looted our treasury and now want us of the working class to pay for their treasonous act.

If so, the IMF takes over our economy. Judging from what they have done to countries like Malawi, Niger, and other victims, they will sell our assets off at pennies on the dollar to domestic and foreign corporations, force the end to the social safety net, workers rights, and any charitable work by the government. Famine and other cases of human suffering has no effect on the IMF. Corporate profit is all that matters. We will be owned by the people who forced this crisis. It is called "Disaster Capitalism."

Remember when ms used large packaging to decrease shelf space? Payback is a bitch.

That's no more offensive than Rick Santorum or Palin.

to enter the enterprise market. They did, in the best tradition of insurgents, an end run. They knew if they captured the upscale home market, those customers would want to use their Macs at work. "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

When he is on vacation his route might be split up among other carriers. If there are delivery problems there could be either a carrier problem, management problem, or you might be the paranoid libertarian type that doesn't like their name on the mailbox. Three hour breaks would be discovered because his barcode reader would show the time gap. BTW, the union doesn't stand behind the incompetent. I've seen them tell a goldbrick to shape up, or they will pull their support. That would mean they would not defend him over and above making sure the firing is legal. (that protects the union and the PO) the union does police it's own. We don't like problems to get to the point where management has to act.

We become the eyes and ears of the community. I remember when the bush admin wanted to use mail carriers as homeland security snitches. We told them to fuck off. The job is dangerous enough without being pegged as a government agent. My route was so physically difficult three straight carriers, including myself, became 100% disabled. I don't know how my replacement has fared. My route was in "crack alley." Nobody wanted the route, so I took it. Until I got injured I enjoyed my route. The punks didn't mess with me. I knew their mothers. In the winter I found a lot of money on the route. The dealers dropped money because of cold hands and heavy clothing. The main supplier was the son of the richest man in town, so he had immunity. His street dealers got busted, but he never did. The cops knew who he was, but their hands were tied. They weren't happy about that.