Posted: 15 Sep 2009 09:24 AM PDT

School bus service troublesome

All I want is a bus to pick up the kids from our neighborhood, and drop them back off after school.

On Sept. 1, the first day of school, there was not a bus to pick up our kids because it "broke down." At 8:30 a.m., parents had to take their kids to school. Some waited, but I don't know how long they had to wait.

On Sept. 2, the bus did not show up until almost 9a.m. After school that day, the kids were not dropped off. Parents were waiting for the bus to drop off their kids, but the bus did not come.

My husband had to find our son, who was in the school cafeteria with all the other kids who apparently had no bus to take them home. My husband is in the military, and I work out of the home.

We both leave the house before 7 a.m. Our daughter catches the bus at 7:20 or so, and that leaves my son, who is responsible enough to leave on time to get to the bus stop, but who should be responsible for making sure that there is a bus for him to get on - let alone one that comes on time?

I didn't think that when I checked the "Yes" box for "Is bus service requested?" I was asking for too much.

So, whoever is responsible for making sure our children get picked up and dropped off, please get your act together. You are frustrating a lot of people!

TRACEY HOLLOWAY

Pooler

Joe Wilson was right

What a shameful hue and cry we have been hearing, attempting to exact apologies from Congressman Wilson of South Carolina. Apologies should be offered, but not from Congressman Wilson, nor to Barack Hussein Obama.

The rest of the Congress owes the American people an apology because they did not stand with Congressman Wilson and cry "Liar!"

Congress and the administration owe the American people apologies for these current lies and for the countless lies that have gone before. Please note Republicans and Democrats are here included.

The best form of apology would be for them all to leave politics forever.

Since we all know that apologies will not be offered, we must be prepared to require that they all leave office at our very next opportunity to vote.

Don't empower another minute of "legal grand larceny" on the part of this band of so-called public servants who have been misusing power and ignoring the Constitution for decades.

Throw them out - every single one.

RODERICK STEPHENSON

Savannah

Tybee campground a smart investment

Ronald Calloway's incendiary comments shed more heat than light on the subject of the Tybee campground. ("Tybee campground a money pit," Sept. 12)

In his rear-view-mirror perspective of the City Council's decision to purchase the campground, he conveniently ignored the cultural, economic benefits of the campground and the long term value of the campground real estate to the city of Tybee. As for procedural questions regarding the purchase of the campground, one would assume the city attorney would have rendered an opinion to the council prior to the acquisition of the property.

The River's End Campground and RV Park provides for a Tybee Island vacation experience for families who cannot afford to stay in hotels, prefer to stay in their own accommodations or enjoy the alternative of camping.

The campground site plan, from the city's website, indicates 120 campsites available year round. Using conservative estimates, the campground could host over 12,000 people a year.

Considering Tybee's permanent population of 4,000, represent a three-fold increase in the number of customers available for Tybee's gift shops, galleries, grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, bars, gas stations, parking lots, etc.

In addition to the campground providing access for affordable, alternative Tybee vacations and the associated economic benefits of the increased consumer base, the real estate that the campground occupies represents an invaluable asset for the city of Tybee.

The campground property is contiguous with other city-owned parcels to the north and to the east. It is essential that the city control the campground real estate (at current values) to allow for repairs, improvements, expansions, upgrades, etc. of these essential city facilities, in future years.

THOMAS THOMPSON

Tybee Island

Health funding a matter of priority

What do you mean we can't afford health care?

We didn't ask if we could afford the Iraq War. We just did it. America started the Iraq War without a plan, without calculating a budget and without a funding source;

No one asked if we could afford it when we bailed out America's biggest financial firms and its wealthiest citizens without a thought on repayment. We just did it.

Did any one ask if we could afford to invest billions in our auto industry and its unions? No, we reorganized our largest auto firms without much of a plan and without offsetting budget cuts;

Could we afford the economic stimulus plan? No one asked. America restarted its economy with a minimal plan and with little thought to repayment or even to the billion dollars in bonuses for failed company executives; we just did it.

So why is America choking up over health care for its citizens? So why are we now concerned with balancing a budget or distressed over deficit spending? What we can not afford to do is to continue our current expensive, ineffective health care system.

Is Americans' health care less important to the nation than the Iraq War, the prosperity of our largest firms, wealth of our richest citizens or the success of our economy? If we achieved all we could hope for in these areas but failed to care for our people's health, how little would we have achieved?

ROBERT McALISTER

Savannah

State officials out of touch

I heard the most disturbing comment from a Georgia state official on the radio, regarding the 12 furlough days now mandated for caseworkers in adult protective and child welfare agencies.

This individual claimed there would be no loss of services as those services will be available "online" during the furlough days.

The lack of common sense that comment reveals speaks for itself. Meanwhile, I note that our governor took only three furlough days. Our state is sadly lacking in leadership during these difficult times.

DANIEL SKIDMORE-HESS

Savannah

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Graphics leave competition in the dust - Columbus Dispatch

Posted: 15 Sep 2009 03:33 AM PDT

The latest driving title, Dirt 2, represents a changing of the guard for the genre. The torch is being passed from driving stars such as Colin McRae to a new breed of ESPN "X Game" types.

On this title, with its jaw-dropping graphics and solid racing physics, it works like a charm. The big names are young upstarts such as Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra, who are no strangers to speed. So it's a good fit.

The races are fast and off-road, or at least off intended roads.

In one of my first races, I went for the "Baja" series and climbed behind the wheel of a Dodge Power Wagon. Puddles of water hid behind patches of tall grass, and it took a few tries to remember them and avoid spinning out of control.

Eventually, I bested a field that included Mirra in the two-lap race, which earned me $66,000 for my career, some new dashboard items and auto accessories.

Where Dirt 2 leaves the competition behind is in the graphics department. Eye-popping detail and 3-D menus make every twist and turn enjoyable. From the maps to fast-food trash strewn around my touring RV, I've rarely seen better attention to detail in a racing game.

The car handling is exceptional throughout all the difficulty modes, and the learning curve is challenging but fair.

Dirt 2 is the best driving title I've played in years. Buckle up: It's a raucous ride.

'Dirt 2'

• Platforms: Xbox 360 ($60), PlayStation 3 ($59.99), Playstation Portable ($29.99) Nintendo Wii ($39.99) and Nintendo DS ($29.99)

• Rated T for teen

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'Dirt 2' delivers jaw-dropping graphics - Atlantic City Press

Posted: 15 Sep 2009 01:10 AM PDT

The latest driving title, "Dirt 2," represents a changing of the guard for the genre. The torch is being passed from driving heroes such as rally race legend Colin McRae to a new breed of ESPN "X Game" types.

On this title, with its jaw-dropping graphics and solid race physics, it works like a charm. The big names are young upstarts such as Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra, who are no strangers to speed. So it's a good fit.

The races are fast and off-road, or at least off intended roads. I played the Xbox 360 version ($59.99). "Dirt 2" is also available for Play-Station 3 and PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

In one of my first races, I went for the "Baja" series and climbed behind the wheel of a Dodge Power Wagon. Puddles of water hid behind patches of tall grass, and it took a few retries to remember them and avoid spinning out of control.

Eventually I bested a field that included Mirra in the two-lap race, which earned me $66,000 for my career, some new dashboard items and auto accessories. One nice touch: The bobblehead skull I won has wacky eyes that roll around when I banked hard into turns.

Where "Dirt 2" leaves the competition behind is in the graphics department. Eye-popping detail and 3-D menus make every twist and turn enjoyable. From the maps and fast-food trash strewn around my touring RV to the loose gravel kicked up on a crusty Croatian outback during a race, I've rarely seen better attention to detail in a racing game.

The car handling is exceptional throughout all the difficulty modes. There was a great feel I got for the virtual roads, and the learning curve was challenging, but fair.

Races are planned from inside the RV, and the globe-trotting took me from Baja to London to Croatia to Tokyo in the early competitions.

Hats off to the folks at Codemasters Studios for perfecting two very important features in "Dirt 2" - instant restarts and thoroughly enjoyable replays. The restarts are addictive, and they allowed me to improve without watching boring cut scenes while waiting for the green light.

Race replays are a feature I usually ignore, but here the fast-forward is slick and I could pause and stop on a dime to gaze at the turn I missed, and why. I could also toggle the viewing angles on the replay to put myself on the side of the road or in the driver's seat.

Other race types include "Gate Crasher," in which I drove a Subaru Impreza STI Group N and bashed through as many yellow barriers as possible in the allotted time. Each barrier bashed earned me a few more seconds on the countdown clock and a better score.

There are also races called "Throwdowns," one-on-one affairs against featured drivers. I took on Jayde Taylor in Morocco in a throwdown. I lost to her a dozen times in a row, but she still rewarded me by becoming my friend, which hopefully means she'll give me some driving tips later on.

"Dirt 2" is the best driving title I've played in years. Buckle up, it's a raucous ride.

'Dirt 2'

Codemasters, $29.99 to $59.99 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii

and Nintendo DS. Rated T. Four out of four stars.